any difference between normap primer and miniature primer?

[Mystic Muse]

A little while ago I bought some new paints and a new dragon miniature for painting. However, when I got home, I found out my can of miniature Primer had dried up. I don't want to paint the miniature until it's primed because the paint has a tendency to peel off if I do it before. The brand of primer I used to use was "Armory" black primer and the miniature is made out of pewter.

Also, what's the best way to store my miniature paints so that they don't dry up?

[TheThan]

*shrugs*
i just use ordinary primer from the hardware store. None of the paint has come off of my miniatures.

it's just the generic orchard primer. I typically use black, though i have some grey as well.

[thubby]

in theory, wall primer won't adhere to metal as it does to typical building material.

in practice, i would imagine any primer is going to cling to itself and any contours in the figure so well that it won't matter on something as small as a figurine.

the thing that makes metal primer unique is that it keeps away oxygen that would rust most metals (the oxide then peels, taking paint with it). im not familiar with pewter (no one builds anything out of it), but it's mostly tin and that holds up pretty well on its own.

[Mystic Muse]

Another couple questions, though they're a little odd.

1. If I were to try to peel the paint of a pewter miniature by bathing it in nail polish remover for a while (Just scrubbing it off with it is taking a long while, and I can't get in certain areas) would that damage the pewter? Would this even do anything to help?

2. Could I potentially just boil the paint off, or would hot water damage the miniature?

[thubby]

pewter melts somewhere around 200C (for reference, boiling water is 100C, a typical lighter is about 450C). boiling it would likely make it even MORE malleable, which you really don't want.

to my knowledge, acetone (the main stuff in nail polish remover) is safe on metals.
whether or not it works depends entirely on the paint, but it would probably help with most.

[tyckspoon]

The *official Games Workshop recommendation for removing paint is/was a bath in Simple Green cleaner. Acetone or even vinegar would probably work too, although you'd then have to deal with your model smelling like acetone or vinegar.

*some of the Heavy Metal painters say this is what they use when asked.

[Andy8100]

pewter melts somewhere around 200C (for reference, boiling water is 100C, a typical lighter is about 450C). boiling it would likely make it even MORE malleable, which you really don't want.

to my knowledge, acetone (the main stuff in nail polish remover) is safe on metals.
whether or not it works depends entirely on the paint, but it would probably help with most.
I'm agreed.
Thanks for sharing this...good for taking ideas.