Priming primer, what to use?

automotive primer is a plastic paste, not plaster. If you find miniature model supplies, you can use their primers. Citadel, Tesla, Mr. Surfacer, etc, are some of the more popular brands.

If you have trouble ordering in mexico, can your order from the USA?

 

I believe that the aerosol primers are what most people refer to when they speak of automobile primer. If it is for automobiles, then the one for metal would probably be the one to try.

Aerosol primer sprays usually come in several different finishes.
Flat, Matte, Semi-Gloss, and Gloss

I am not sure which finish people use to prime their dolls with?

It has been my experience when using aerosol sprays
that it is better to apply several thin layers, than one thick layer.

Sometimes, lightly sanding between layers is desirable?

So, you may get better results by applying a thin layer, letting it dry,
then applying another layer, and letting it dry, and so forth, until you
get the surface finish you desire.

I do not think you want a paste of any kind. Plastic fillers are used when
repairing automobiles, but then, after the plastic paste has setup, they
seal it with an automobile primer, which is the spray paint.

You want the spray paint to seal your doll, not the paste.

Hopefully helpful.

 

Primers are not meant to be gloss/matte etc. If the can says any of that, you probably have the wrong thing. The important traits of primer are that they are thicker than regular paint (so that they fill scratches and gaps in your sculpt) and that they are very readily sanded (so you can easily buff your sculpt to the finish you want). The fact that they seal our sculpts to allow casting is just a useful side-effect. Gloss/matte/etc are traits of finishing coats or sealers, not of primers. A primer is designed to be the first layer, under everything else, so it makes no sense for them to have a surface quality. We just happen to use primers atypically in this hobby, because we're seeking a finish/seal so we can cast, rather than seeking a finish we can paint on top of.

Hazel, look around and see if you can find a store that sells model trains, planes or cars. These places will sell some variety of primer that will suit your needs, and they'll definitely be able to point it out to you if you say "I need a spray that fills scratches and can be sanded smooth". If you cannot find these stores, look around for local game stores (that sell things like board games or card games or roleplaying products) - often these stores will carry war game miniatures (like Warhammer or similar), and if so they'll carry paints as well. Citadel is a very popular brand with these stores, so you have a good chance of finding the primer you need there.

I would avoid trying to buy automotive primer, because it's going to be much harder to get a useful recommendation about them. The people working with those products will not understand the scope of what you need the primer for, whereas model store owners will immediately grasp what you need. You'll essentially be experimenting, which isn't a good idea if there's a risk you could ruin your sculpt.

I use DAS paperclay as well, and I've just started priming with Tamiya Fine Surface Primer, which I got at a local hobby shop. I'd definitely recommend this brand if you can find it.

 

Thankyou for the info, I think I'm ready to prime....

 

Does anyone know of any good brushable, sandable primer/surfacer/whatever that is good for covering a whole doll and also filling in small scratches? I have been looking forever and can't find much. I really hate spraying things - I'd love just to be able to brush it since I will be sanding it anyway. I was thinking Golden Hard Gesso, but it is pretty expensive and I don't want to buy it and have it not work for this.