AZ Fisher

http://swimbaitunderground.com/forums/index.php?/topic/38147-ds-shad-glide-7/ I think I did it!! This is what I have been hoping to acheive.

I agree with BobP about trying to keep the crackle uniform. Don't know if you guys have seen on Swimbait Underground, in the grass roots section, the is a post about a glide bait a gentleman made. Killer crackle paint job, large cracks and fairly uniform all over a 7 inch bait, multiple colors. Seems like opaque black is the topcoat that is cracking well for him. I tend to get small cracks that run the direction of the crackle medium brushstrokes. The maker has not eluded to how he acheived such a great crack job. Sorry, if I knew how to post a link I would, maybe someone more computer savy could help me out here. His pics would help this thread. I may have to try the glue approach.

I let mine dry overnite. Getting older and I'm a little fresher in the AM to cut and apply.

That's what I have been using Mark. I do several light coats and it has been working fine for me.

Pretty awesome, Monte!!

Those look great! Thanks for sharing your process. Please post a finished pic when you're done.

I don't have any experience with polytranspar paints. I thin Createx and Wicked with their reducer or Pledge floor acrylic. I have heard of Windex been used for cleaning the brush, but not for thinning. I'm still fairly new to airbrushing myself, but when I first started I thought I had been cleaning the brush thoroughly. I started having problems and wound up soaking the brush in windex overnite, could not believe what I got out of the brush. I had not been cleaning it well enough. I understand that the use of Windex can remove the chrome off the brush, but I was using a cheap Master at the time and didn't care. Not saying that's what you're doing, but that was an early problem I had. From what I read in your post, my guess would be the thinners you've been using might be a part of your problems. There will be some guys with more paint experience that will chime in here. Keep working at it, the cool part is right around the corner. There comes a point when all the little things come together and you created what you envisioned in your head and you turn out a kick azz bait and everybody wants one!!

I place my name/logo decal directly on the paint that has been heat set, then clear over it. I haven't done a whole bait decal/wrap like JW. I don't know if what I'm doing is correct but it has been working for me. .02

You might be able to find a mylar foil in Abalone. I have several that are similar but not that. I would like to find some myself. I saw some at a fingernail supply place online, but they're only 3/4 inch wide. Might work on a 110 KO or a squarebill but nothing larger, IMHO

Thanks Mark for posting the link and Shaggy for making the tutorial, good info!!

Looks like a Gancraft 178 tail, if it is they're at TW.

Maybe you post a pic of the bait in question or tell us what bait you're trying to replicate. It would help us figure out how to approach the paint job.

Hooks are good, best price I've found, the blanks are the same as Wlure and Shelts,IMHO

Dipped on thursday AM, I think they should be cured by now. I noticed also today while tuning a couple of the baits, I was able to turn the joint eye screws a little to straighten and the clear flexed as I turned them. When I have used D2T or Etex the clear around the eye screw would break or crack when the bait was tuned. I'm new to MCU.

The flors I've used are similar to transparents, not much opacity. Try mixing a little opaque white in with the flor or mix some of the flor into some white. Just because the bait has flor pink doesn't necessesarily it came out of the bottle that way. That's all I know to suggest, maybe someone with more knowledge will shed some light on the subject.

I used KBS for the first time the other day and dipped my baits. I had not dipped before and had runs and drips. I tried to keep up by dabbing up the drips but hard to keep up with dipping 8 jointed rats all at once. I learned a bunch what not to do, but while doing this but can't think how much easier and cost effective it would be to spray them. Since I saw Dales origional post I've been waiting to hear how and if this is possible. Instuctions on the can say it can be sprayed but saw a post where someone said it could not be shot thru a brush. Maybe it's worth the cost of a cheap Harbor Freight spray gun and give it a try. I don't see spraying beening nearly as wastful as dipping and much easier to control coverage. I used a aprox 4ozs of KBS to dip 8, 5 inch rats(3 dips ea). I think I would of used half of that using D2T. On the flip side, dipping was quicker than brushing and Holy Crap what a beautiful finish. I can actually push with my thumb against a cleared wood rat and I can feel the flex of the clear as I'm pushing against it. Hope it takes a beating on the water.

I don't have a lot of experience with flors, but I think flor colors usually work best with a white undercoat or base, or mix some white in with the flor pink to make it more opaque for better coverage. Don't know if either of those things will work with the paint scheme your trying to acheive.

I watched a video where the guy taped a piece of rice paper to a piece of printer paper and then ran it through the printer. I am going to try tissue the same way and see what happens.

True work of art, John!! Thanks for sharing your process with us. I'll have to try the tissue application.

Great looking baits!!...

Looks great John!! Not to hijack Monte's thread, but would you share what adhesive would be used with tissue? Are you applying over a tacky clear? Do you get the tissue paper at an office supply or from a paper supplier?

I haven't used tissue paper but I have done a bunch of decals. Water slide decals for me work best on a flat or near flat surface not so well on curves and rounded surfaces. Tissue is thinner and more pliable I think, I've heard of using rice paper also.

Thank you for your information gentlemen!

Looking to start purchasing paint in larger quantities than Hobby lobby carries. Looking for Wicked and Auto-air brands, opaques and pearls, in pints and quarts. Is TPC global the most reasonably priced vendor out there? I have found a few colors i want on Ebay and Amazon but would like to order every thing from one place preferably. I used the search, didn't find much. Hope I didn't miss a pinned thread. Any input would be appreciated, tight lines!!

I can't comment on spraying glitter as I haven't done that. Prep the bait, clean , sand and or body filler. What I do to achieve a look like that bait would be to spray a white base coat. Then spray the body color in pearl, your bait looks like pearl gold with some pearl yellow added in. Then I would mix a generous amount of iridescent gold glitter into my clear in the mixing cup, then brush the bait with the first clear coat with the mixed glitter and then hang to dry or preferably move to a turner. If you add a lot of glitter it can cause a sand paper feel after the first clear dries, more clear later with resolve this. I would make a stencil for the black stripes, if your good you could freehand these, I can't. When first coat of clear is cured, spray the black with the stencil, dry the black, add the eye and then a couple more coats of clear to finish it. This is what I would do with the equipment and skills that I posess at the moment. Always learning something new here. I'm sure others will have different processes and will share what they would do. Hope this helps. Tight lines!