RayburnGuy

When it comes to painting I don't think there is such a thing as too much lighting. It also needs to come from different angles to keep from having shadows. If you only have the one light bar some of your problem could be that it's not fully illuminating your lure. The way my lighting is set up there is light coming from in front, from each side and also from directly overhead. While it is harder to see the paint when spraying some pearl colors even these tired, 64 year old eyes can see them. That is with the help of my glasses. Ben

The only thing I can add is that I read somewhere (can't remember where) that using wooden stir sticks can introduce bubbles into your epoxy when mixing. I use a metal rod bent into a shepherds stick shape and seem to have a lot lot less problems with my epoxy than a lot of guys do. Ben

Where, and how, your going to fish the lure as well as what you want it to do would be my biggest consideration for the shape of the lip. If the bait was going to be fished around shallow cover such as brush, stumps or rock I would go with a square bill because they deflect off of cover better than rounded lips andthis deflection causes a sudden change of direction which can cause a reaction strike. Ben

Yes, and he was advised that a 2 rpm rotisserie motor was too slow. Given that information, along with my suggestion, he should be able to come to the appropriate decision. Not everyone has to have everything spelled out for them detail by detail.

I've been using a turntable motor that was salvaged from an old microwave for over 8 years. The turner I built will turn 8 bass sized baits. If your planning on building one that will turn a large number of baits, or one that will be turning big lures, then you might want to invest in a rotisserie motor since they have more torque and will handle heavier loads. Ben

Hi Basshoe, Welcome to TU. Hate to say it, but I can't help you with the vinyl lure paint. I've never used it so don't know anything that would be of help to you as far as the problems your having. My only suggestion would be to post this in the Wire Baits forum. There are a lot of very knowledgeable guys over that that build jigs, spinner baits, etc. who could help you. good luck, Ben

Have you considered an HVLP spray gun? Ben

Guess I'm not understanding what your trying to achieve Glider. I thought you were just looking for something to seal the wood while you were experimenting with ballast location. Ben

If your just looking for something to seal the wood while your ballasting the lure why not use runny super glue? You won't find anything quicker and it will give more than enough protection against water intrusion for testing. Ben

To make a paint more transparent, and not loose film strength, you will have to use a transparent base. This is essentially paint with no colorant in it. All a reducer will do is change the viscosity of the paint. (make it thinner) Ben

You bring up a good point Bob. The longer you use specific tools the more accomplished you become with them. Being familiar with the tools you use is a very important part of any builders skills. Ben

The pantyhose is not something I came up with Dale. I read about it here at TU years ago. The way I look at it is that it's not going to hurt anything and if it helps at all then that's better than nothing. Ben

Soaking your brush in Createx Airbrush Restorer will loosen any dried gunk that's gumming up your airbrush and with a proper cleaning will return your brush to a "like new" condition. Of course it won't fix a bent needle if that's the case. Cut small squares out of a pair of old pantyhose and drape them over the neck of the paint bottle before screwing the lid back on and you've got yourself a built in paint filter. This will help keep your brush clean as well. If you don't develop a proper cleaning regimen you will just have the same old problems with a new airbrush irregardless of the brand. good luck, Ben

I use Createx clear for this purpose and treat it just as if it were another layer of paint by drying it with a heat gun. Takes the same amount of time as drying a layer of paint. Ben

I'd be willing to donate some finished cranks as well with the same stipulation as Bob. Once they are in your hands I am no longer responsible for what you do with them. If your still interested send me a PM and you can give me your mailing address. Ben

No worries Sudd. We won't drag you behind a boat through alligator infested waters for it. THIS time. Ben

Hi Baz O and welcome to TU. A little sanding will smooth out the back of the bait in the picture and the fish aren't going to care about the small imperfections on the sides of the bait. Those blemishes will bother the fisherman much more than they will bother the fish. As long as they run true they should catch fish. If your goal is to eventually sell custom painted baits then you can buy better quality blanks once you develop your painting skills. If your looking for something cheap to practice on I would suggest getting a couple different sizes of PVC pipe. It's rounded so you can see how to apply paint to contours so the colors blend into one another. PVC is cheap and readily available and if your using water based paints it can be washed off and used repeatedly. good luck, Ben

You will get more answers to questions about powder paints in the Wire Baits forum Sudd. They cover things like jigs, spinnerbaits, spoons, etc. The Hard Baits forum is more for baits like cranks, top waters, swim baits and that sort of thing. It can be a little confusing at times until you learn your way around TU. good luck, Ben

It won't hurt to give the spoon a light scuffing with an abrasive pad before painting to give the paint, and top coat, something to bite to. Ben

When mixing enough BS 30 minute to coat one bait I usually add 3 or 4 drops of DA. This adds a couple minutes to the working time of the epoxy. Keep in mind that doubling, or tripling, the amount of epoxy and DA does not double, or triple, the amount of working time. You will need to mix the epoxy before adding the DA to the mix. If you add the DA before mixing the epoxy the alcohol will bind to one part of the epoxy (can't remember which one) and won't let the two parts blend together. Ben

If your using the Wicked line of paints they recommend W200 transparent base at the link below. They also show their line of reducers on the same page. It's my opinion that your better off using the additives (reducers, transparent base, etc.) that have been formulated for the companies own line of paints since they know what goes in them. I can't give you any help with the UV product, but would imagine that you could contact the folks at Createx and they would be more than happy to advise you what would work with their lines of paint. good luck, Ben

Mixing the UV product into an intercoat clear should work. Createx makes several different intercoat clears depending on which of their paints your using. Once you had applied their clear with the UV product mixed in it would just be a matter of applying a top coat to the lure like you normally would. Just make sure your top coat is compatible with the clear your using as a carrier for the UV product. Ben

The only auto clears I've used were two part that had to be mixed at a 4/1 resin to catalyst ratio. If you mixed enough to dip lures in you would be wasting a LOT of clear coat. Ben

Seems like a good solution to me Gliders. With all your blanks starting off with square corners a simple 90 degree cut at the appropriate angle in the block would guarantee repeatable results. Making the angled block one piece would also help ensure consistency. A simple spring clamp would work as a mean of attaching the work piece to the sled keeping things simple. Nice work. Ben