BobP

I'm not sure but I put a drop of fine reel oil into the air valve and a light coating of oil on the needle occasionally before storage. You don't want to be shooting oil along with paint because many topcoats will fish-eye over any oil spot. All the metal in an airbrush is stainless steel or chromed brass, so it shouldn't need oil to prevent corrosion but lube may reduce friction and make the trigger work a little smoother. I've run my airbrushes both ways - lubed and not lubed - and honestly can't tell much difference.

I haven't had the problem with Createx pearls generally but am using a different brand of pearl white that has more pearl-essence. I think the Future will definitely fortify the paint and may fix your problem if it is due specifically to that one pearl, but can't be sure. It's worth a try. When I dipped lures multiple times in DN, I had wrinkling problems but that was due to the DN wrinkling itself, not because of the underlying color. I changed to a single dip of DN and the problem went away (and I've had no problem with topcoat durability with one coat) I'm assuming you're not using the pearl white as the color basecoat for the lure and that you're heating your paint to dry/cure it between colors. When I goof and have to rinse all the paint off a lure, the Createx pearls are all much easier to remove than other Createx colors. It sheets off very quickly and has less adhesion than non-pearl Createx. So I use it sparingly.

If the adhesive foil is thick, the hardest part may be smoothing it over the bait's curved surfaces so creases and folds don't show. I would put on the foil and then put a color basecoat of white acrylic paint on the belly and back. Use a Q-tip dipped in denatured alcohol to clean overspray off the foil. At that point, a lot of guys will apply a clearcoat of epoxy or another product to nail down the edges of the foil and make the margins less noticeable, plus provide a surface that will adhere to paint better than raw foil. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, depending on how thick and slick the foil is. In either case, after that, you're ready to paint and do a final clearcoat.

I wouldn't do a patch clearcoat with epoxy because the margins will definitely show and detract from the overall look. I've overpainted a variety of factory lures and then dipped them in Dick Nite S81 with no problem, so that's what I'd do (one dip only!). If you also have automotive clear, I don't see a problem with that either. Both have excellent adhesion and durability. Mark - does a finish exist that will not be affected by acetone? That stuff dissolves just about anything.

Like Benton, I twist my own screw eyes. In pre-shaped balsa bodies, I make them long to get extra glue surface, poke epoxy in the holes, plus butter the screws with epoxy. That's plenty strong for bass baits.

Nathan, sorry but there is no thread subject in Events about a 2011 Get Together. Maybe it was mis-dated like my checks have been so far this year?. I bet more guys would would have planned to attend if the announcement were posted more generally around TU. Maybe other guys log in every session, but I set my TU bookmark to take me directly to the Hardbait forum and seldom visit other forums. I know, my loss, but there it is.

Order it from the Dick Nite site here: http://www.dicknite.com/TU_Lander.htm Dick sells topcoat to TU members at a discount that can only be accessed from the link - or you can call him to place an order. There are 3 different topcoats: S81, which is the original solvent based moisture cured urethane. S83 which is a water borne oxygen cured product. And a "plasti-cote" product (don't know its details). I prefer the S81 but you can discuss them Dick if you call him, and you can do a search on Dick Nite in this forum for plenty of threads discussing the pros and cons of each of them, recommended application methods, storage requirements (important with S81), test results, etc etc etc

Siphon versus Gravity feed: It's player's choice and if it's a good airbrush brand/model, either will give good service. There are pros and cons for both; you just have to decide how you want to use your airbrush and what features are more important to you. I'm a hobby builder and don't paint more than 6 crankbaits during a session. I have and use both types but I prefer gravity feed. It uses less paint, can shoot paint at less psi, and there is less stuff to clean when the session is over. I squirt paint directly into the cup from the paint storage bottle. When I thin paint, I usually do it to the whole bottle. Most often, I'm using less than 10 drops of paint, and often only 3-4 drops to shoot a color on one crankbait. Since I have about 50 bottles of paint and am painting 2-3 different patterns on just a few crankbaits during a session, it's impractical to set up every color with its own siphon bottle. On the other hand, siphon feed brushes rule if you are painting lots of crankbaits in the same pattern in a commercial production scenario (you might also have a brush for each color). But that's not me. Between colors, I dump the few drops of paint left in the cup and squirt it clean with a spray bottle of water. Fill the cup with water and shoot it. I also hold my finger over the tip of the brush to backwash it with water. If I'm satisfied, it's time for the next color. If not, I'll pull the needle and wipe it to be sure there's no old color anywhere in the tip of the brush, and I'll swab the front end of the brush with a Qtip dipped in acetone to remove any paint build-up. At the end of the session, I clean the brush the same way but just do a more thorough job and run more water through the brush. I often shoot a cup of acetone through as a last step to guarantee there's no paint left anywhere. Every few months, I'll disassemble the brush and soak it in an airbrush cleaning solution overnight. Airbrushes are precision tools with tiny passages and will drive you crazy if you are lax about cleaning them. I paint at a workbench in the garage with some wood shelves above it. Tape some newspaper behind the bench to catch the overspray. I screwed a simple airbrush rest into the edge of the shelf. No problem with "accidents". There are also airbrush rests you can get or build to sit on a bench. I can't see the need for a gravity feed brush with a lid on it, but maybe others can. Other guys have different routines, different preferences, different equipment. It all works.

OK, I admit I'm retarded. But I never found an announcement giving the dates or details about a get-together - and I STILL can't find it! Gimme some help here!

Clemmy, I have wood shaping cylinders for my Dremel and Foredom tools. Some of them (burrs) have carbide teeth attached in a pattern around a steel cylinder. Others are steel cylinders with sharpened grooves spiraled around them. I think the diamond and ruby burrs are generally too fine for working wood baits. Some of the carbide burrs are named "Typhoon", Stump Cutter", etc and are quite aggressive, leaving a pretty rough surface that requires lots of sanding. When it comes to hand shaping a bait with a rotary tool, my strong preference is a sanding cylinder. They do the job almost as fast as a metal cylinder and leave a smoother surface. The Dremel 1/2" dia fine grit sanding cylinders work just fine and last a long time. You can get a 1" or 1 1/2" dia rubber cylinder for a Foredom that allows you to clip on various grit papers (cloth backed paper recommended). You can buy packs of sand paper to fit it, or it's simple enough to cut your own. I get a lot of wood crafting and adhesives stuff here. Decent prices, good selection and service: http://www.texaswoodcarvers.com/

I don't try. After the topcoat is dry, I put a very small mm drill bit in a Dremel and remove the paint and topcoat that have accumulated in and on them. I don't worry about getting anything in the hangers or line ties while finishing baits. Impossible not to since I often dip baits in Dick Nite S81. And when brushing epoxy, I want to be sure every hanger is 100% sealed, so If I know I'll be cleaning out the hanger later with my Dremel, that's a non-problem. Just slap that epoxy on there. Since you have limited time to brush Devcon on the bait, it also eases the "hurry up" a bit.

Great videos and really nice baits! I fish spoons whenever I can because they are so efficient at catching fish in open-water - and your spoon designs are outstanding

Wow, I live only one state away in the N.C. Piedmont but don't have the same problem with moisture in the line. I paint a max 6 baits at a time and it usually takes me several hours. I've been running my small 2 gallon 100 psi Sears tool compressor for about 6 months now, about once a week, and haven't needed to empty the water trap, nor clear the line of water yet. Your experience makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong!

Hey Dave, I tried a flap sanding wheel. Threw so much dust I thought I'd die! I still use my Dremel quite often. It's a handy little tool and can do just about anything when building baits - shaping, sanding, drilling, cutting. I also have a Foredom rotary tool now. Variable speed flex shaft with a foot control, and it takes tools with up to 1/4" shanks and has lots more power. But I'm used to the Dremel and that counts for a lot when precision matters.

I agree with Dave that the solution to fisheyes can be elusive. You'll get different diagnoses about contaminating the surface with oil through your airbrush or from your fingers, bad batches of epoxy, bad brushing technique, etc. One, all, or none of them may be true. I'd keep them all in mind and take a close look at your finishing process to see if you can eliminate the possibilities one by one. My first thought if you are getting multiple fisheyes on a bait is that the surface is contaminated with something, possibly something oily. But that's just a Wild A$$ed Guess on my part. I handle baits with bare fingers throughout the finishing process but have rarely had a fisheye. When I did, I felt it was more likely a failure on my part to wet out the surface of the paint properly with the epoxy - a brushing failure. One thing that helps me is thinning D2T slightly with denatured alcohol after it is thoroughly mixed. Gives me a little more time to make sure the epoxy is brushed out well and MAYBE it would counteract any oily spots on the bait, in case I forget and start munching potato chips during the process (NOT).

I think the "normal" orientation of hook hangers derives from the fact that plastic crankbaits come in 2 halves and it's just easier to orient the hangers along the seam when the halves are welded. A horizontal hanger actually hangs a standard treble hook more equally to both sides of the bait, maybe an advantage. Of course, if you are specifically using VMC Rapala In-line trebles, a horizontal hanger will screw up the alignment again since the hooks are designed to overcome the problem created by "normal" hanger orientation. On very small crankbaits, you might not like the look of the split ring riding vertically on the belly of the bait, but I wouldn't consider it an issue on a RC1.5. On wood baits, I usually orient the belly hanger in "normal" position, and the tail hanger horizontal. Why? I dunno.... just habit. btw - nice pics, Dave!

I plumb a fairly large Sears brand moisture trap right into the compressor output and it doesn't need to be drained very often. The airbrush hose connects to the trap with a quick-disconnect fitting. The small in-line traps usually contain a desiccant that you have to bake or replace. It's easier to use a larger trap and I haven't had any spitting from the airbrush. Your compressor shouldn't have any overheating issues from moisture traps, wherever they are in the assembly. I keep my compressor on the floor under my garage workbench. Don't think its position makes any difference.

Yes, the solvent in DN S81 is very "active" and you don't want it accumulating in a sag or drip lest it bubble the paint or an underlying coat of S81. Whatever the application method, you can get bubbles if you put it on a lure turner and there's too much on the lure anywhere. That's why I dip it and hang the lure so the excess will drip off the tail of the bait. Never get bubbles that way. JMHO, one dip of S81 works fine as a topcoat for bass baits. Blazt, S81 dries to the touch in about an hour at room temperature. A very humid environment won't help anything .. it will still take days for the coating to cure from exposure to atmospheric moisture and become really tough. Keeping it in a warm environment during the cure might speed things up a bit. Look at the bright side! Dip it, hang it, come back in 3 days and it's ready to fish (or ship). The actual work involved in topcoating takes 5 seconds. Ruining finishes by trying to hurry things will eventually teach you patience. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt AND the tattoo.

I got a bottle of Hydro Mist - pearl white. I didn't like it as well as Createx or some other brands, which contain more pigment and cover much faster. The Hydro Mist is formulated ready-to-shoot without thinning. Personally I thought it was too thin. JMHO

I use 220 and 400 for wood baits and the brand is critical. I love Norton 3X sandpaper. Works easy and lasts long! I use a Dremel fine grit sanding cylinder to round over the edges on baits. Fine grit but running at 25,000 rpm do make a difference!

Most guys who have used both choose gravity feed brushes. They use less paint and are easy to clean between shots. Dual action is the only way to go! Push trigger down for more air. Pull trigger back for more paint. Gives you more control.

Hi and welcome to http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/forum/48-hardbait-how-to/ you'll find many of the basic methods you're looking for. Enjoy!

http://lurepartsonline.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=613 A few lure hardware suppliers carry cigar shaped wood bodies. The above are from basswood. The company also carries the wire forms and hardware needed for the propellers. You should seal the raw wood before you paint and seal the paint after you paint them. You can use epoxy for both tasks. Most guys use water based colors and an airbrush. There are hundreds of threads on this forum about paints and topcoats. Use the search feature and you'll find more than you can read about in a month. The Devil's Horses I've seen all used screw eyes for the line tie and the hook hangers. No need to use through-wire construction on a bait made from basswood or other hardwoods. Through-wire is used mostly on soft balsa baits. Hope this helps

Nice work Dave! I really appreciate when a builder takes the time and effort to perform good clear side-by-side performance testing.

I'm doubting you'll find a rotisserie motor that turns faster than 3 rpm.