I have some white Tamiya primer at home that I tried to spray from the can, and did not like the results. I felt like I didn't have much control and would now like to try spraying it through my airbrush.

My question is can I tint Tamiya primer with their paints to get my desired primer?

Hi

I would have thought you could do that without any problems at all.

Paul

Though I haven't tried it, I would imagine that if you decanted the primer, It would not mix well with their acrylic paints - they are fundamentally different chemistries.

Thats what I originally thought but was hoping otherwise... alas.

Thanks!

in a word. NO

Tamiya prymer is a LACQUER paint, which are different from acrylics. You risk seriously to clog your airbrush with that mixture cause the acrylic become a sort of gelatinous mush.

Jaredt to obtain the best result with a can of white primer, you should spray it from a distance of at least 30 cm. Spraying two or at most three ligt coats is better than spraying one heavy coat and you should wait at least 20 minutes between one coat and the next one

However someone here in Armorama has told us that he had problems spraying primer with the airbrush. The laquer thinner hadn't evaporated and has damaged the model

In my humble opinion if you prefere the airbrush than the spray can, you should use Valleyo gray primer which is conceived for the airbrush

Otherwise many other great modellers (Steve Zaloga incleded) say that if you spray Tamiya acrilycs colors on a VERY CLEAN surface you can avoid the primer coat. So you should spray a Tamiya medium gray on the model as first coat and than, when the first coat is WELL CURED, you should start to paint your camo scheme

cheers

personally, i think tamiya primer goes on pretty smooth if done right. i had recently used MM primer, and that stuff doesnt have as good of an outcome as tamiya's does. as its been said, use light coat from a decent distance

I usually don't prime unless I need to check seam lines and putty work. Steve Zaloga told me about not using primer, just cleaning the model.
However, if you want to prime your model, you really want to do it with your airbrush, not a rattle can. You will get a much smoother, thinner primer coat with an airbrush. The best acrylic primers on the market are the Vallejo black, grey, and white primers. They are just outstanding. I have used them and I highly recommend them. They are worlds better than any rattle can.