Super Ron

Thanks for all the advice. My brush is clean and new. I did put pantyhose under the bottle lid. I think that helped a little. Again it's only white. I can shoot any other paint or color I have without reducing it with only adjusting my psi between 8 and 15. So maybe the couple bottles I have been on the shelf a long time before I got them. White I have to shoot at 25 or up regardless of how thin I make it. I've decided I just do not like Createx Opaque White. So time to move on to another brand for white.

Don't know if it's exactly what you're looking for but I recently bought Daler Rowney Shimmering Gold. I ended up scrubbing all the paint off and haven't sprayed it since. It did spray well for me at 10 psi and I loved the affect. Ron

Thanks for the responses. The reason I tried the pledge and acrylics was strictly because I have issues with white. Either I think I'm good and it spits or I get a lot of tip dry. And it's a pain in the butt to clean my airbrush after white. I might consider some paints from vandykes maybe next time I order some paints. My goal is to be able to be able to paint individual bluegill type patterns to be proud of. I don't care about painting 5 of the same paint color all the time kind of thing. Ron

Guys, I was at Wal-Mart and bought a couple 97 cent bottlesbof acrylic paint bottles. I figured try and see. I thinned the paint with pledge floor shine and water. Painted my base white, heat set then used a purple with a stencil. I found that the acrylic paint sprays a lot better than the airbrush paints I use. It sprays smoother and cleans up way easier. (I seem to have issues thinning and cleaning when I use createx opaque white) My question is on long term. Any of u want to share your experiences using acrylic paints? Thanks Ron

I've taken the ideas you guys have given and experimented some. Thank you very much. I attempted to paint a bluegill pattern (badly), I had issues with colors not coming out like I want, stencils scratched the paint and then the epoxy had bubbles. But the eyes came out exactly like I wanted. I put the punched out circle using a whole punch and blue painters tape. Then placed it on the eye. After that I painted the bait starting with the white base coat. After I got the lure painted I removed the painters tape to reveal a non painted, able to see through the plastic, open hole. Next I colored the hole with an orange sharpie, heat set, and let it sit overnight before I put the epoxy on. Would someone who is computer smart like to make the picture smaller for me so I can post it to the gallery? Or, maybe just someone who can post it to this thread/ Thanks Ron

I tried the trick with the stick on eye, didn't seem to stick well enough. The paper buttholes may work. I' have to give that a try. At the moment, I've been able to paint the outer by freehand and then placing one drop from the opposite end of a paint brush to dot the eye. However, I've developed a routine. Paint all day and get one out of 5 that you are satisfied with, then ruin it on the last coat of expoxy. But today I hit a new low. Last coat a success, waiting to be cleared. And I cut myself and bled on it. I'm going to clear right over it. Ron

Dude. Really? That is why i joined TU. Thank you very much. I can vacuum form stencils. But cutting them has been problematic. Drilling I should be able to do Again, thanks. I would never thunk that. Ron

I Need some help with Wiggle Wart eyes. Is there a stencil out there that people are using? I did manage to get one out of 4 attempts. But that was just a matter of dotting the middle of the eye. I'm trying to find the correct hole sizes but my attempts at making something perfectly round and pliable enough to bend around the blank hasn't been productive. Thanks Ron

I will have to rethink some things. I thought some of the nicer ones I've seen and would like to work up to (again nothing but time) had been airbrushed. I will have to consider other options like jointed swimbaits. That would be something I could airbrush and clear. If I'm understanding the Spike it paints, they are brush on not airbrushed. Unfortunately brushing would be harder for me do to LACK of talent. Thanks for the info guys.

Mark/Dave, Thanks for the responses. I apologize if what I typed confused anyone. I am retired now due to someone deciding they wanted to drive in my lane more than I did and now sometimes my head doesn't think to clearly. So I will break down in better thought what I want to do and hope that it's a clear as mud. Or at least stained water. I want to carve my own lure out of PVC board and use it as a master Then I want to make a mold of the lure. I was thinking of casting the lure out of Aluminite Flex 60 to make a 1 piece rubber swimbait much like I've seen on here or Matt Lures. Questions: Has anyone used Flex 60 and does it have enough flex to allow for tail movement or am I just out of the ball park on this? If you pour the Flex60 around a hook, how well does it hold a hook and will it stand up to more than a couple bass? I have what I need to make my airbrushing templets and when I move to Nebraska next week I will have a small city pond to experiment with hooks and weights as I have an idea how to make 1 lure with interchangeable weights to make a float, slow slink, and fast sink with the same lure. That way if conditions change or if cover/structure changes, you can adjust of the fly. Next question Mark answered about the clear coat: And that was finding a clear that I would use that will flex with the tail movement without cracking. Like I said, I am retired now and all I have is time. I did pour my own plastic baits but after my accident, I didn't think I would be physically able to pour again. So, I gave all my injection molds and supplies to my son and he is getting favorable comments on his FB page from his club members. Any suggestions on hooks would be appreciated. I'm assuming if the Flex will hold the hook well enough, I can get hooks from Janns with a 90 degree bend at the eye. Since my typing is giving me hell today, I will end with this is an awesome site and thank you to everyone who posts on here. Ron

I want to carve and make my own swimbaits. My plan is to mold them out of Alumilite Flex rubber. I want a swim tail that has the ability give a good tail swimming action. Not sure which Flex to start with as I haven't done this before, but was going to start at the 60 and work up or down from there. My big question really deals with a clear coat. I am going to airbrush them but can't figure out what to use for the clear to protect the paint. I assume Devcon 2 would be too stiff and/or crack. Any suggestions? Ron