Using Gesso To Prime Your Parts Cheaply

3D Printing & Imaging Craft & Design Maker News

My name is Eric Strebel, I am an Industrial Designer and run Botzen Design Inc., a product design and development company focusing on handheld and table top consumer products. I design products for global partners from initial concept to mass production, including hand drawn ideation concept sketches, mock-ups, prototypes, as well as CAD and pre production samples. I bring dreams to life and I also document and preserve my craft & process on my Design and Making YouTube channel .

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November 1st, 2021November 1st, 2021

Have you ever wondered if there is an alternative to spray can primer? I explore using acrylic gesso medium as a primer on some urethane modeling foam. Not everyone has a spray booth to spray lacquer based paint or 2K urethane primer. So, what are alternatives if you can’t spray paint?

I brush layers of Gesso onto my object to build up the layers, then I dry sand them to get it to a 600 grit finish so it can be top coated with the finish of my choice. It works quite well as an eco-friendly primer for the level of modelmaking I was looking for. My model turns out quite well.

I would like to find an eco-friendly top coat and clear coat as well. Leave a comment in the video comments if you know of a good solution.

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