Snax

Always work in light layers with any airbrushing and you'll increase your chances of success.

All the best everyone and thanks so much for sharing with us all.

I used this with very good results... CPES™-Wood based epoxy products to repair and resist wood rot.

Thanks so much for the reply. I did see that thread and wondered if anyone has used it to mold a real fish before. I'll have to check into that stuff.

Hey gang, I'm interested in designing some baits that will be exact replicas of real fish initially before I create the various segments for swimbaits etc. What is the best and still affordable way to mold a dead fish to create a mold for prototyping? Has anyone actually done it and how did it turn out? Thanks!

A cool effect I've done in the past that you might like is this...First mist a transparent white over the entire eye sprayed through a circle template to block overspray. Then choose a smaller sized hole in your circle template and spray an opaque metallic or pearl white for the pupil. It looks pretty realistic to me.

As long as you do the right steps to give your wildlife colors proper adhesion you should be ok. It's always worth testing things though before sending baits out.

What type of paints are the wildlife colors? Createx is waterbased and should be fine to go over most paint types. When you might run into incompatibility issues is when you mix solvent based paints.

You should be very proud! My first lures were absolutely awful compared to yours.

With blending your transparents try laying down a narrow band of color onto the lure before you apply your scale netting and then spray a different transparent along side it allowing a little bit of the overspray to carry onto the first color. Then stretch some scale netting tightly over the lure and then try the next step. Now load an opaque contrasting color into the airbrush and spray some bars, wiggles or spots etc over both of the colors you applied earlier. Try doing this step with a couple of colors for an even better effect. When you remove the netting check out how the colors interact and then experiment with different colors for the base and accents.

Try printing multiple images of a lure profile onto printer paper and experiment to your hearts content. I like saving my mistakes too as it's good to look back and see where you came from. I agree on layering transparent paints but also practice mixing opaques to try to match colors that you like on other baits. I bought a color wheel from and art store that really helped me see the effectc of adding different colors together. Merry X-Mass!

A very Merry Christmas to you all from me also. Thanks to those who have inspire me and a warm welcome to the newcomers.

Technology is your friend Mark! lol Have a Merry Christmas dude!

Here's a little trick for you if you are needing to keep your lines visible... Use a "pounce wheel" to roll them on. It's a little metal wheel with points and a plastic handle that is used in sewing to mark paper templates and then shake chalk onto the fabric to see where to cut. Any fabric or sewing store would sell them. After you have sanded the lure to the right shape a little wood filler will smooth out the remaining tiny holes and voila!

I'm excited to see the photos and some video now Mark. Thanks again for posting your results.

While I have experimented with and used my own home brewed reducers I also strongly advocate using the manufacturers reducer. There's just too many unknowns when using your own concoctions and I can't afford to find out that the paint peels off after the baits are shipped. I use Auto Air and Createx paints and use the 4011 series reducer. It has undergone some recent formula changes to increase sprayability and reduce tip dry. The latest change was the addition of more solvent to help break down the pigment and make the paints even smoother when sprayed. So far I'm really pleased with it.

How did that mix suggestion work out for you?

Gee...I guess it's alright. That thing is insane John!!! Just incredible!!!

Mark, The Wicked and Auto-Borne are the exact same paint. Just packaged differently to make them more attractive to the two different markets and to avoid people thinking that they are only an automotive paint. You're welcome for the contact by the way. Craig Kennedy from Auto Air and I have a great working relationship and I'm very fortunate to be one of the folks that they listen to when testing new products before they are released. They are really on top of their game.

They are indeed Mark. The very latest development is the new line called Auto-Borne Colors. They contain some solvent and spray incredibly well. It's the same paint as the Createx Wicked Colors. http://www.autoaircolors.com/Auto-Borne_techsheet.pdf

This is just a guesstimate but try 4 parts forest green to one part opaque gray. In my head this seems about right. I mix paints on a daily basis and that's about as close as I can suggest without actually doing it. Hope it helps.

The prosecution rests your honor.

You'll probably laugh at this but I can tell from the sound of the air coming out of my airbrush before I even spray anything how it will come out. This is after several years of airbrushing and really getting in tune with my paint and equipment. You just get to know how a proper air pressure sounds for each airbrush over time. I couldn't even guess what air pressure I spray at because it changes all the time depending on if I'm detailing with thicker paints or detailing with overly reduced paints.

I will say that you don't need a Micron and a .2 needle set up to airbrush baits. I use it because I have it already and use it in my other airbrushing. I use it often on portraits to render facial hair and eye lashes etc. Making a few simple templates is a far more effective way to render gills, fins etc. What I do use my micron for is for achieving very fine dots and stippling droplets. My own personal style of bait painting is detail oriented and the Micron for me is just another tool.It's not the answer to getting detail that another airbrush can't per se. Learning to properly reduce your paints and lower your air pressure just right is key in getting up close to whatever you are airbrushing.