Richard Prager

I go over the seams with scotch brite, wipe of the dust with a soft brush and paint. If the blank comes with a taped lip, I remove it and tape it myself. Last thing I want is to paint a bait only to find out the lip is damaged

Michaels sells kits with about 6 different tips for about $12....use their 40% off coupon

You can use airbrush paint and a calligraphy pen under the clear coat

Congratulations!

Thank you, Ben....No, time to move onto a new year! Made me come up with a title!

I would like to wish everybody and their families a Healthy and Happy New Year and that all your cranks run true!

Ron's a great guy...Known him for several years...very quick turn around...

Thanks all...search isn't up and running yet....checking local supply for scraps first....Appreciate the suggestions!

The search engine is obviously down at the moment during this upgrade. I remember a thread about Lexan and am in need of some. Does anybody remember where it is available. Thank you!

can you post a pic?

You might try BSI (Bob Smith Industries) 30 minute slow cure epoxy.....Very similar to D2T but much better in my opinion. Very forgiving in mixing amounts. I mix it up with a drill and a piece of spinnerbait wire bent at 90 degrees at the bottom. I don't even measure it. I squirt a 5 count of each part and mix with the drill for about 15 seconds (warm up the bottles with a heat gun or hair dryer so it flows out the bottle easier. AFTER mixing the 2 parts I dip my entire brush in Denatured Alcohol and stir it around the mixture. This temporarily thins the mixture and all bubble will disperse. Do not dip the brush back in the DA for the 2nd bait or you will contaminate the DA and you will be brushing on chunks. The DA evaporates and does not affect the integrity of the epoxy. One coat is all you need. I use a 65 watt indoor flood light after about 45 minutes when the epoxy levels out which both raises the temp and lowers the humidity which I find is key. The first bait goes on pretty fast as the epoxy flows faster. The second bait will be slightly thicker and the time to do any lipless baits or baits with sharper edges. It will not pull away from these as D2T does. It also does not flake or peel off, turn yellow and is waterproof. Brushing is a bit time consuming but until I can find an odorless clear coat this is my only option....This is what works for me....if anyone knows of something similar (odorless) clear that can be dipped, please let me know....Hope this helps

I've been using this for 6 years and works great. I also have a fresh air system I will post http://www.turbineproducts.com/breathecool-ii-supplied-air-respirator-system-w-half-face-mask/ You only have one pair of lungs and I only have 35% total function...so if I want to play....I have to pay......!

A friend of mine met him at icast and he gave him a couple. He used it on a 4" Deps Buzz jet and it came out excellent.

It's all about choices and what suits your needs.....My choice is the highest quality blanks I can find available right here from US Vendors because I paint, sell them and don't want any coming back...Others have different needs/priorities I just pay the US vendors the $2 or there about because: 1. I know exactly what I will be getting. (learned this from trial and error the past 6 years) Most vendors have been "stuck" and/or ripped off for thousands of dollars during their trial and error process of finding reputable overseas distributors. 2. I know I will be getting my order in a matter of days. 3. I don't have to worry about prep work or tuning. 4. The product is consistent 5. There is so much info on this site in every aspect of tackle making (use the damn search engine ) where every answer anyone might have is already here. With that being said...there are no victims, only volunteers and you get what you pay for....I should have that put on my tombstone! LOL

Don't waste your money

I do think it is cause by heat. I don't think it is the D2T. I know several people who keep their cranks in the boat during the summer. Dozens swelled and cracked and even exploded. From home painted cranks using epoxy to Megabass and other high end baits

Great advise......save a little more money and you'll never have to buy another brush or compressor. If not, you'll be throwing away your money. I've used the HF compressors. The 1/5hp says 58psi but like BobP says it drops down more than half that when to depress the trigger....which means you will be thinning pearls, white black, iridescent, etc.....and if you put it on the table it will vibrate right off and on the floor....I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when that happened....I would suggest using paint made for airbrushes....you want to avoid as many headaches as possible and limit any frustration....The search engine in the top right corner.....is the best friend you have! Have fun!

A nice little floating glider always gets them. This 3" holographic smooth body is simple to paint heavy or light and simple to coat. At 10.5 grams of smooth sailing in and out of water. You'll need 6mm eyes, 6mm split rings either #6 or #4 hookshttp://bustinbassbaits.com/programs/shop/showitem.cgi?Unpainted_Crankbait_Bodies&1345 If you use epoxy, it is sub-surface...if this is the type of glide bait you are looking for...It is the only one i have ever seen and is a quality blank. He carries a mixed bag of qualities.....He has a $25 minimun. I had 75 I just sold pretty cheap not too long ago. I probably have a blank or two left if you want to try it....

jointed baits or 1 piece glide baits?

You won't get as much flake as spraying but mixing the flake in the epoxy (that's what i use suspends and works well and goes on evenly mixing with a wire bent 90 degrees in a drill . I wonder what would happen if you unscrewed the nozzle completely? Someone asked me to make an all gold flake crank a while back....I clear coated the bait, then sprinkled the flake all over it while it was wet. Put in the the turner and the next day clear coated it again. If you take your time with the flake, you won't feel any of it through the 2nd coat. if you you just want to do a section of the bait, you might be able to tape it off and remove the tape once the clear coat levels....Wish i had the time to play around with this but i have a small window to paint these days....

Possibly, either before or after applying the cloth run a match across the the edges and the ends will curl inwards......or catch on fire! That stuff gives a nice effect...

I use Createx white for my base coating and whenever needed elsewhere. I don't thin the white but I use a .5 tip to base coat. Detail work I still don't have a problem with .35 or .3 as long as I am not spraying allot at a time. You are ALWAYS going to have white and createx black on your needle when finished. i always pull the needle spray with water and wipe it off. I also remove the caps and run the wet little brushes through it. As far a Pledge, i have tried it years ago and found that it dries real quick and makes the gun harder to keep clean. The RC guys have been using it for years to give a harder finish on their cars when painting. I spoke with the guy in charge of tech support at iwata last week and he tells me never soak my gun and never use restorer. He is a bit well, maybe eccentric and has a video on You Tube showing how to clean the gun. he actually tells you to rough up and old needle (for gripping) and twist the cotton from a q-tip around it and clean out your nozzle with that. I was kind of shocked because that would be the last thing i would use to clean my gun. He does use Dentek which I bought and works real well. He also uses nail polish remover (acetone) to clean Just shot the bottom of two baits and this is what was left on my needle. If not wiped off it will dry as well as in the nozzle. This was not thinned and using .3 tip compressor is at 28 psi but once I start shooting it goes down to about 14 psi

Don't waste your time trying to find that blank with that quality anywhere else....others probably but not that one...

Nice job....thanks for taking the time to put it together!

I use a pair of split ring pliers to clear the hook hangers