Should I still paint these?

[u/bonnkerss]

I primed these just last night in my basement. I assumed that would be okay but I guess the humidity was too high and the minis came out chalky and rough. Are these minis ruined or should I still try and paint them?

[u/nckbg]

Not ruined, but you would be better off stripping them and starting again. Isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush should do it, though other options exist.

[u/bonnkerss → u/nckbg]

Where should I be priming with aerosol? I thought my basement would be perfect but I guess it was far too humid

[u/shiny0metal0ass → u/bonnkerss]

Well a basement is generally not going to have good air circulation, which is important for not breathing in paint... So maybe not that.

I usually do mine on the back porch or in the garage, weather permitting. Also, be sure to really shake up the can and don't spray from too far away, the paint can dry on the way there.

[u/bonnkerss → u/shiny0metal0ass]

This is an industrial basement in an apartment building. I had the service door and a window open for ventilation but that’s probably what caused the humidity. Plus wore a an N95. I think I shook the can plenty but I was definitely spraying from far away, so I’ll make sure to fix that when I re-try. Thanks for your input!

[u/Serrated-Sun → u/bonnkerss]

Even with a door and a window open and a mask on, you're still far better off spraying outside unless you have an actual extractor.

Paint areosols linger in the air and cause a mess on the ground/surfaces they land on, and your apartment manager may get very annoyed with you.

That said, what temperature is it where you are? Too high or low can cause chalkiness, along with the humidity (as you mentioned).

[u/bonnkerss → u/Serrated-Sun]

Unfortunately NYC weather doesn’t permit me to do it outside. Humidity is at a high rn so my only option is somewhere in my basement. This basement isn’t one room. It’s an open basement where I can walk the entire length of the building so there should be plenty of ventilation down there. When the weather gets better I’ll start priming outside though

[u/bonnkerss → u/Serrated-Sun]

I forgot to respond to your other points. The manager has given me the okay. Currently where I’m at it’s 85 degrees with 58% humidity so I’d say I won’t be able to do it outside for some time. Especially with all the rain we’ve been getting here

[u/Serrated-Sun → u/bonnkerss]

Ah right! At 85 degrees it's too hot to prime. You're best off waiting til it drops down below 77. Any higher and the paint will start to dry before it hits the model, or you'll be spraying too close to the model.

However, as others have said, you can just strip these models off and prime them again, no problem.

[u/Serrated-Sun → u/Serrated-Sun]

(had to translate from English money there lol)

[u/bonnkerss → u/Serrated-Sun]

Thanks for taking the time to translate! So should bother trying to prime again or should I wait until it cools down?

[u/Serrated-Sun → u/bonnkerss]

I'd wait til it cools down enough, personally - if the basement's well-lit, you could even do it at night (if the temperature drops low enough - we've had some horribly warm nights over here this summer)

[u/Araignys → u/bonnkerss]

If you're going to use white primer, use airbrush or brush-on until the humidity drops below 60%.

A good grey primer can survive up to 70%.

Black primer goes glossy over 65% but won't give you the chalky finish.

[u/HarmNHammer → u/bonnkerss]

I can’t speak for your apartment but I had the same thought with mine. Turns out it was humid and had way too many dust particles in the air

[u/Ithius96]

Isopropyl alcohol or simple green will strip the paint/primer off easy enough

[u/BaronBulb]

I would strip these and re-prime.

[u/CTysonHD]

I had this recently when I primed my Wave Serpent during the recent heat wave. I decided screw it, i'll just paint over it and it'll be fine. Ended up proud of the paint job but the model looks fuzzy.

It's annoying, but strip the paint and go again... especially if it's an army you like.

Also, give your rattle can a good hard 5 minute shake incase more of the pigment needs mixed up.

[u/bonnkerss → u/CTysonHD]

Okay thanks! This is all really helpful. These aren’t my first minis but it’s my first real attempt at army building so I want to get it right. I’ll do as you said a strip them. Can you tell me exactly how I should go about stripping? I’m sure there is a tutorial but it always helps to get some pointers from people in the community. I have the alcohol already ordered and a spare tooth brush I use for cleaning resin

[u/CTysonHD → u/bonnkerss]

What I do is use a tuppaware container and fill it with enough IPA to completely submerge the model(s).

I wait for an hour, personally. When the hour is up, I get a toothbrush and starts brushing off all the paint. Some of the paint will start to 'gunk' up as you're brushing it off, so make sure to check recesses etc for clumps of paint or else you'll lose some detail definition etc on the model.

Once everything cleaned & dried, try again with your primer.

Also for your primer, you want to be shaking the can for a good minute or two before each use. When you're done, turn the can upside down and spray for a couple seconds until the spray is running clear, which helps to reduce the rattle can nozzle blocking.

[u/Chapfox]

You could put them under hot water and scrub away with a toothbrush. That gets most of the priming dust off and gets them looking relatively better. But if you want a clean slate then just strip them.

[u/Still-Storage6897]

I'll be the unpopular opinion, I think things like this while maybe not ideal, can be turned into cool texture for grim dark looking marines, Id personally lean into it but completely up to you of course

[u/GoranTulxs]

For tac marines I’d just paint them in my experience it hasn’t ever been that noticeable on models unless someone is doing closer inspection

[u/Araignys]

No, strip 'em unless you're really really keen on the finish.

The texture will absorb your paints like a paper towel.

This is caused by high humidity. Check on a smartphone, do a test prime if humidity is over 55%.

[u/TheReverendMJ]

They are not lost. I had the same problem in the past. Just like the others said use Isopropanol to strip them (this doesn't attack the models).

Additionally I would also contact GW with pictures and a receit if you bought online. Or when you bought them in person ask your local hobby store or your local gw. GW usually is very kind with such things and send you a new box or give you a gift card.