I have read, in a few different places, about people using Mr. Surfacer to prime a model. I know it can be brushed on, but also think it can be airbrushed, right? My questions are:
What do you thin it with, and how thin do you make it?
What are the differences between the 500, 1000, and 1500 Mr. Surfacer?
What benefits or disadvantages are there to using this stuff?
Thanks for any info from those who have experience with this product, and I appreciate any tips or tidbits you care to share.
I tried airbrushing it once and got a lot of spiders legs for the trouble.
The Mr. Surfacer 1000 and 1200 come in spray cans which is how I use it to prime my models.
The difference between 500, 1000 and 1200 is just like sandpaper. The higher the number the less gritty it is.
500 is used mostly for filling. While 1000 is used for filling and priming. 1200 is I think mostly a primer. (But I haven’t used 1200 yet, so not positive.)
Methyl ethyl ketone is the only ketone I am familiar with other than acetone. Is common lacquer thinner a ketone? Swanny’s article mentions using Mr. Thinner and their retarder. Is this any different than generic lacquer thinner?
Last question, is spraying something thinned with lacquer hinner any more dangerous than a standard rattle can which contains toluene or xylene?
There is a whole family of ketones—more than you can shake a test tube at.
Common or “generic” “lacquer thinner” is not a single solvent, nor a consistent blend of solvents. It can, and usually does, contain whatever the manufacturer wants to put it in. Most contain some alcohol, but often they also contain a variety of other solvents, including but not limited to toluene, xylene, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, mineral spirits, etc. ad nauseam. None of them is good for you.
Your last question, as you might gather from the above, is meaningless, like asking: “Which is more lethal, something in .22 caliber or something in .30 caliber?” The answer to that question is: “Yes.”
None of these things should ever be used without adequate ventilation, respiratory, eye, and skin protection.
I love the stuff. I’ve also had the “spider legs” issue, but this goes away when you adjust your thinner ratio.
To answer your questions based on my experience:
Lacquer Thinner. I tend to err on the more thinner than Mr. Suracer side to eliminate spider legs, but this would vary based on your airbrush, pressue, etc.
500 is thicker, best applied by hand, 1000 and 1200 are thinner versions. You still need to thin them for airbrushing.
Here are a few:
Great adhesion primer to show flaws before you paint.
1200 comes in White…perfect based for lighter colors or for spraying vibrant yellows, reds, blues, etc.
Sandable
Dries relatively quickly (20-25 minutes to handle)
When thinned, cheaper than buying rattle cans
Less overspary through airbrush; less waste = cost savings
Thanks thats’s good info! I will be spraying Mr. Surfacer through a Badger 155 Anthem (siphon feed) and will try your suggestion (60:40 in favor of thinner). Do I want to shoot this stuff at higher psi, or lower and close to the subject? I have a jar of 1000 and 1200 so will do a few test shoots this weekend.
Chris: I shoot Mr Surfacer between 15-20 PSI, but I have a gravity feed. I’m not sure if this effects the spray dryness. I would play around with the ratio and PSI on your AB. Once you get the hang of it, try to find the Mr. Surfacer 1200 in white…I love this stuff. I live in Hebron, KY, a suburb of Cincinnati. Don’t tell anyone but I’m a displaced Clevelander. It gets tough cheering for my (pitiful) Brownies during football season!
I grew up in the Louisville area, but stayed in Washington when the Army sent me out here. My Dad and I are both Browns fans! Yeah, it has been some hard years rooting for those guys.
I have a gravity feed too (100LG), but usually shoot base coats and finishes through the siphon feed. I’ll try it out this weekend and let you know how it went.
Yup, I’m still hanging around. Though this might be close to the record for thread necromancy! As for the results, they were good once I got my mixture and pressure ratio right. I found it to be a bit finicky, and tended to orange peel really easily. Once I got it right, it was very nice.
That being said, I think it’s automotive grade primer for me now and forever. It’s just so much easier, with a ton less ways I can screw up at the primer coat stage.
Wow. Didn’t realize this was an older thread. I googled a search of Mr. Surfacer, and since I was already an (in)frequent member, I asked the question…
Thanks for the reply! I’m going to use Mr Surfacer 1000 as a primer/filler this weekend, and wondered about airbrushing it - mainly concerned it will clog an 0.2 needle, but I will thin it to 50/50. I try and spray at 20 psi - I thought about orange peel, so this will be interesting.
Try to use a med sized tip and thin it at least 50/50 with LT as you posted. If it clogs your AB then increase the LT ratio. You will have to experiment with ratios and pressure depending on your AB. Clean the AB with LT when done.
I have used it several times and it produces a silky smooth finish. You can further sand it with fine/xtra fine pads for a smoother finish.
I’m glad this one was resurrected. I use Mr Surfacer 1200 and 1000, and I’ve been thinking of airbrushing it to prime larger resin figures. This is a good read for me.
I was using automotive primer in rattle-cans, albeit Walmart’s store brand. But I started getting bad cans–the cans would clog, and not in the nozzle, but when the nozzle fits in. I wound up with two or three cans with half the primer left.
At that point, I decided to try Tamiya’s rattlecan surface primer, and I like it. It produces a nice “tooth”, and covers well. And a can goes farther than I originally thought, given the small size.
Cheap automotive primer is bad news for sure. I use Duplicolor sandable automotive primer. I get it for $4.99 a can at my local auto parts store. It comes in black, white, grey, and red oxide. It gives me a very fine mist, and I almost never have chunks or inconsistant results.