BJ Smith

May you have many-many more.......... HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAN!!!!!

Createx Opaques.... applied with a Q-Tip (no extra paint to run)....... then the pupil is done with a smaller cotton makeup applicator or the Stamina dot maker.......... No runs....No drips..... No errors (unless they are the ones I caused my own doofess self)....

Good Job... especially for the first time around. Congrats..... the bug has now bit......

OK Matt, I'll bite.... Researching what? For what? When you say favorite, do you mean my favorite to "fish"? (Aztec gold, black back, orange belly) My favorite to paint? (Amistad Specials {Blue Tilapia}.... my avitar) My favorite because they sell well? (Rayburn Red, black back, orange belly) Most coveted? Anything Dean will sell me.......... Hope I didn't skew the curve..............

That is how I got my Iwata eclipse.... and my Iwata compressor..... Got to love those 40% off coupons..........

1. Here is a place to start for an inexpensive compressor and airbrush. I recomend the GD 100 kit. http://airbrushcity.com/kits24/popular_featured.htm 2. Createx and/or Parma Faskolor........ both are water based, look good, and clean up easily..... about $2.75 a bottle. The createx is available at Hobby Lobby and the Parma at Hobby Town. Some good deals can sometimes be had via Ebay....... 3. Wood blanks can be found at: http://www.lurecraft.com/catalog/search.cfm http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/Search/wood%20body.aspx Hope this helps......... BJ

Gawd Bless Youtube:yay: Now.... what was the question?

LOZ, I had the same situation when I started using an airbrush... What helped me was to dig into the bottom of some old tackle boxes and pull out old-broken-worn out cranks that I knew I would never use... some supportive friends gave me a few dozen of their own also....... Stripped them down and started from scratch...... Not only did it give me a feel for the brush..... but also the canvas...... It helped a lot....... I also cover my paint station table with butcher paper.... so before I take a stroke, everything gets tested against white paper.... Every couple of weeks it gets trashed and new paper applied......

Lawle, First.... my questions back at you would include..... What is your hurry and why all the stress? Both are rhetorical in nature .... but if getting started painting cranks is a stressor..... then you may want to step back and re-evaluate.... You have come to the right place to find your answers.... The answers to all your questions (and more) are located within the pages of TU. I don't mean to sound rude but may I recommend taking some time and going through the pages of this forum and reading the posts that are directly related to your questions.... Understand that everyone has an opinion about the "best setup"...."paint".... "compressor".... etc...etc...etc.. There is no one single best airbrush...... if there was, then we would all be using it...... But what works well for one may not be the best for another..... Some like Devcon..... some like Dick Nites.... You have to decide what is best for you and what you want to do... Read...read...read.... PM specific questions... Read some more.... buy... then practice..practice.... practice...... Then experiment... practice... and read some more........ which, of course will lead to more buying...... It is a vicious cycle..... Then check in here for more info and during your experimenting you may discover something new (outside the box), which might improve all our work..... Welcome and Good luck.... BJ

Hi Dean, Yes... it has happened to me twice (I am a slow learner)... both while painting white - shad type cranks.... I now have some Parma but have not played with it yet.... I love Createx so maybe I stored it wrong or got a bad bottle, or something... but it definately dulled/clouded the paint....... Hope you are staying warm up there.........

Be careful with the createx clear.... it has sometimes milked on the bait and actually changed (dulled) the color.... I have gone to a clear gloss spray polyurethane and let it dry overnight. I know it is not fast but works great. Hope this helps....... BJ

Here is a nice affordable selection: http://www.airbrushcity.com/comp45/ Here is mine..... Goes well with the eclipse........ http://www.craftsetc.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=46511&dep=25&cat=25&subcat=50&Search=Y Good luck.... BJ

I have painted several black cranks for folks who spend their Summer fishing at night.... Mostly shallow running square bill types with a loud thump sound chamber.... Solid black... large yellow eyes..... with red pollyflake in the devcon....... The fishing reports have all been positive.... I keep getting more to paint...... I personally prefer a dark red, orange belly and a black splatterback.. but that is just me........

The Iwata gravity feed.. I like mine a lot....... I also like the airbrush city GD 100 gravity feed....

BC, You can always PM Kelly or email him off his site. I bought some of the crankbait blanks and they paint up very nice... BJ

Alex, I finally got to use the Iwata... Both airbrushes operate very smooth and spray well. Unlike the GD 100, the Iwata does not have the fine tune knob (stop) at the end so you have to stop it on your own. I am not good enough with it yet to trust myself... so if I have to do any fine lines, I go back to the GD 100. Right now I would rate them both about equal with the GD 100 a bit easier to use. BUT... with time and practice I can easily see the reverse...... Sorry I didn't have a more clear cut answer....... BJ

Glenn, Have you trie dgoing on line to any of the hardware or home improvement stores? Ace Hardware... Lowes... Home Depot... etc. I am not sure about shipping to Canada but you may find it online........ Good Luck BJ

When a site is posted here ishows up very light and hard to read.... if at all. Here are some places... just add the www. autoaircolors.com dickblick.com airbrushcity.com shopatron.com/index/137.0.6089.0.0.0.0 Some good deals can also be found on ebay......... Good Luck, BJ:)

The same thing happened to me when I refinished some old Balsa Bagley's and finished them with FC. I re-did them the second time with Devcon 2T and they have held up for two years now............

Nice work Jim...... They look great!!

A Q-Tip........ works on flat sided cranks as well as curved ones. For the pupil I either use a dot maker purchased from Stamina or a makeup cotton swab...... It is much like a Q-Tip but made to a sharp point...... Hope this helps.......... BJ