Timber yard

[Bandit Mick]

Morning/afternoon everyone. I have made a timber yard out of balsa and card. Should I prime it first or go straight onto acrylics? Advice would be much appreciated before I do it wrong!

[Walkingthedog]

I alway paint staight onto balsa, makes it look a bit scruffier. Depends what finish you require.

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

Like WtD I'd go with the acrylics without priming. I'm assuming you are painting them in a bare wood colour. If it was enamels I'd prime but acrylics will colour and seal the surface. One thing I'd do, before painting is highlight the joints with a dark pencil, and after painting apply a thin darker wash to bring out the individual plank or panel joins.

[Mountain Goat]

when I make little wooden wagons I just paint straight on using brush paints and it works for me, though I'm using enamel paints mostly.

[Steve M]

Slightly off topic as this is MDF rather than balsawood but the principle is the same.
I spray with Halfords white primer first then a wash of thin black acrylic and a few flakes of rust weathering powder while the wash is still wet.

20171227_165537 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

[Bandit Mick]

Thanks everyone - I'll definitely be going for the scruffy/industrial look. After much frustration I'm pleased with my results so far - £3 for balsa and using offcuts of card compared to about £19 for a kit.