Halfords etched primer.

[animotion]

I have used the Halfords grey primers which seems to be a good product and what a lot of modellers use. I have been assembling some etched brass kits and thinking of using the Halfords etched primer but in two minds after reading what it says about car paints on the Phoenix paints site. It states "Whilst these are technically etch primers they do not have the same amount of the activating acid in them as is in the Phoenix Precision product. Whilst these primers are fine for aluminium, which is what they are designed and sold for, they are useless for brass and other similar non ferrous metals. It is also recommended that you avoid any etch primer that does not require a specific thinner." Any truth on this or are Phoenix scare mungering you into buying their etch primer?

 

Tom

[sjp23480]

I have used Halfords self etch primer for both brass and WM engine and coach kits - works well for me and is much better than their regular primer, which is fine for plastics.   

Cant comment on the Phoenix product as I haven't used it.  Saying it's "useless" seems a bit strong to me.

 

Disclaimer: I am not an expert just a satisfied user.  I suspect others will offer a better understanding  of the scientific merits of the products on the market.

 

Steve

Edited February 25, 2021 by sjp23480

[Gilbert]

I too have been very happy with the Halfords etch primer (Upol Acid 8 in my case)

Edited February 25, 2021 by Gilbert

[Hal Nail]

37 minutes ago, Gilbert said:

I too have been very happy with the Halfords etch primer (Upol Acid 8 in my case)

Interesting that they feel the need to stock this as well as their own brand stuff the OP is asking about.

 

Funnily enough I noticed yesterday their own is called etch primer and not acid etch.

Edited February 25, 2021 by Hal Nail

[Hal Nail]

I'm torn now. I had the Acid 8 as they were out of their own brand when I got it but I've had it a while. Worked well on some coaches ages ago but when i tried it the other day it was cloggy so I decided it was past it best and replaced with the own brand, not realising there was a difference.

 

Should probably test the own brand first on some scrap etch I guess. 

[Pillar]

I have a can of Halfords brand grey etch primer as well as their ordinary grey primer. I did some tests of both on scrap brass etch and plastic, and I have to say there didn't seem to be a lot of difference between the two in terms of scratch resistance etc.

 

They aren't bad by any means though; as long as the surface of the brass is thoroughly degreased and lightly 'keyed' with a file or similar, they seem to give good results.

[Torper]

I use Upol Acid8 etch primer on my brass kits.  It seems to work well and gives a very smooth finish.  Paint still adheres properly after masking tape is applied and removed.  Having said that, paint does still sometimes come off these awkward bits like the tips of handrail knobs, sharp edges of frames, etc, and these can require a quick touch-up.  I suspect I handle my models rather too much.

 

I haven't tried the Precision etch products though their paint is excellent.  According to them, automotive etch primers are "useless for brass and other similar non ferrous metals".  Such a bald statement with no supporting evidence, especially as there are many modellers on this forum who have happily and successfully been using other such primers on their brass kits for years.  Also, Upol's Technical Data Sheet states that it can be used on "Bare metal such as steel, zinc galvanised and aluminium".  Aluminium is of course non-ferrous.

 

I also not that Precision say of the "automotive" products that "Whilst these are technically etch primers they do not have the same amount of the activating acid in them as is in the Phoenix Precision product".  They go on to say that the Precision products don't wiork on galvanised surfaces because they require too much acid, yet Upol say that their product works on galvanised, which suggests that Upol has plenty of the acid content.

 

But basically as far as I'm concerned the Precision products are just too complicated.  The single etch primer has to be used within 12 months from the date of manufacture, not purchase, and I read somewhere that Precision advise that it should be bought for one use and then discarded.  Whether that remains the advice I don't know.  Upol has a shelf life of two years.  Precision's single etch primer requires Precision thinners if you want to spray it, it's no good on ferrous metals, and it needs a minimum of 24 hours to dry at a temperature of between 18 and 20 degrees celsius (Upol is recoatable after between 10 and 20 minutes).  The two-pack etch primers avoid many of the single pack's disadvantages, but it does have to be carefully mixed and still requires the same drying times.  Also, while any item to be primed has to be properly cleaned, I'm not sure that it's necessary to go through precision's ultra-strict procedure.

 

Having said all that, I'm sure that the Precision products, particularly the 2-pack primer, work well.  But for me it's just too much hassle and expense - it's so much easier to thoroughly clean the item to be painted, then to pick up a rattle can, shake it for a couple of minutes, spray it on, and have a recoatable and perfectly adequately primed product 20 minutes later.  I hasten to add that there are rattle-can etch primers other than Upol that people on the forum have strongly recommended.

 

DT

Edited February 26, 2021 by Torper

[Hal Nail]

To be clear tho, are we saying the Upol acid etch is probably better than Halfords own brand etch?

[Torper]

14 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

To be clear tho, are we saying the Upol acid etch is probably better than Halfords own brand etch?

 

I found it to be so, but with a qualification.  After my first can of Upol ran out I bought a can of the Halfords own brand etch product, attracted by the fact that it is considerably cheaper.  I used it on a brass coach.  During the painting process I had to mask off a portion of the surface that I had painted earlier with both primer and top coat and when I removed the masking tape (Tamiya) some of the paint under it came away, exposing the bare metal once again.  The damage took a lot of time to remedy and still isn't perfect.  As a result, I haven't used the Halfords own brand one again.

 

The qualification?  It was a one-off.  I may have been at fault.  I may not have cleaned that area properly before priming it.  I may have done something else wrong.  Other people on the forum have had good results with the Halfords product, so before condemning it I should really give it another go.  But after spending so much time building a kit I'm reluctant to risk it and have reverted to Upol.

 

DT

[Hal Nail]

3 hours ago, Torper said:

But after spending so much time building a kit I'm reluctant to risk it and have reverted to Upol.

Great thanks. I'm a big believer in sticking with what has worked!

 

Edit: To my pleasant surprise, Halford's let me exchange for the Upol - they didnt even check the returned one. 

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Hal Nail

[Porkscratching]

I've used Upol on aluminium alloy car panels and it went on (and stuck) well...wear a decent mask tho as it's quite nasty if you breathe it.... ask me how I know !

Edited February 27, 2021 by Porkscratching

[Scottish Modeller]

Hi all,

 

I've used both the etch primers sold by Halfords and found the U-Pol to be the better product on metals.

 

The Halfords Etch Primer is great for plastic - especially the oily plastics.

 

I've also used the Precision Etch Primer on a variety of materials. It works well but can be a pain to clean up after.

 

I only mix enough for the job in hand as I found it had no shelf life once mixed.

 

Thanks

Phil H

[97406]

I've used Halfords etch primer on my Shawplan class 40 screens. The interesting thing is that I rubbed down to the bare metal in parts when I was sanding the filler (superglue + activator), with 1000 grade wet and dry. I overpainted with acrylic and it stuck fast! This implies that cleaning is the key here.

 

Next time, I'll clean the brass parts in a solution of washing soda first. I recall doing this in my youth on the bodysides of a Craftsman 25/3 conversion kit, using just normal car primer afterwards, and it survived masking for the two tone green livery, using sellotape, believe it or not at the time. I wouldn't recommend using sellotape these days, though.

Edited August 26, 2021 by 97406