Resin Terrain Not Taking Primer

[bishop2k7]

Hello there,

Looking for some advice. I acquired some resin terrain pieces and having some trouble trying to prime them. First I tried some brush on primer. To my surprise it did not absorb at all and literally pooled up on the surface. Next I tried some spray primer. That seemed to work better at first, but it easily rubs off.

Anyone experience this before? Any advice on how to get them painted? I'm thinking of soaking them in vinegar and seeing if that will bite into the surface a little, but thought I'd ask here first.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[snitcythedog]

Did you wash the resin before painting?  Manufactures use mold release to help protect the silicone and get clean copies.  If you did, then it may be that the piece is not fully cured.  If you have a closet with a water-heater, you can try storing the resin parts in there for a few days then washing again. 

[Freddy]

They use a silicone wax type whatever goo to prepare the mould for casting, to avoid the resin sticking into the mould. In better places it is washed before the piece is sold, but sometimes not/not properly.
Wash the piece in warmish (not too warm as its gonna warp) water with dish soap, rub it a little bit with a sponge or an old toothbrush (depending on the size of the piece)), clear with clear water and its gonna work. I use GW promers without any problems.

[bishop2k7]

I did let them soak in warm soapy water before trying to paint them, but didn't really "wash" them. I'll give that a try.

[Just a few orcs]

I expect its release agent from the molds  I would use a toothbrush and neat washing up liquid, then rinse, and they should be ok. The Dystopian wars ships from Spartan games I had to do this twice to remove the release agent.

[Mammoth miniatures]

as others have said, be sure to wash it. The other issue may be that if the resin was cast very recently and stuck in a box it may still be gassing out or covered in the oily residue that some resins generate as they fully cure after their demoulding.
The solution is much the same - a good scrub in soapy water .

[bishop2k7]

Thanks everyone!

Scrubbing the heck out of one them worked. Took the brush-on primer without a problem.

I've painted several resin terrain pieces and vehicles in the past, and this is the first time I've had this issue. I'll know better in the future that sometimes it takes more than a just a soapy soaking.

Thanks again!

[ced1106]

fyi, I've also read about resins not taking primer, even after washing, because of the resin used in casting. ):

Good to hear you've gotten them primed!

[Hitman]

Another problem that I experienced recently was after priming the resin wirh my usual spray primer, it became tacky. I have let it sit for 2 weeks and it is still sticky. Once I brush over it with a cheap craft paint, the paint was fine. But it sure was messy before the figures were painted with the craft paint.
Regards
Hitman
😎