Need some help from the crank painters....

[txwhitetail]

I am wanting to get an airbrush to paint some of my own cranks and tinker with colors...Not looking to get into airbrush paint production or outside work.

What would be a good reasonably priced airbrush or airbrush mini compressor system?

Anyone have one of the less expensive models for sale?

Thanks for the help.

[csob3]

Check your hobby Lobby store for Paache VL gun and an air compressor. Total should be around $200.00 or less.

[KcDano]

Paashe Model H been around forever, cheap, reliable and durable! If you find that airbrushing is something you want to become more involved in. You can upgrade to a better brush and you will still find many use for the model H.

[BobP]

If you just want to repaint some of your own baits in simple patterns and don't want to get into it as a hobby, I'd get a 40% Off coupon out of the paper and then visit a local hobby shop (Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc etc) and get a single stage Badger 100-200 with a can of compressed CO2 Propel gas. Total cost around $25-30. Use it with cheap 2 oz bottles of hobby paints like Apple Barrel, thinned with water, then clearcoat the baits with Devcon Two Ton epoxy. That will give you a taste of what crankbait painting is about without spending a bunch. If you have a tool compressor already, you might move upscale on the airbrush to a Paasche VL or Badger 175T without alot of expense (compressors can be pricey!).

[rossrods]

I am a big Iwata fan.I was able to purchase mine for 75.00 it is an eclipse nicknamed the work horse

[txwhitetail]

What types of paints should I start out buying? Is there some assorted sets out there to purchase? Thanks for all the info.

[Lure--Prof]

I've put a lot of hours on a Badger 200, single-action, internal mix, an inexpensive Harbor Freight airbrush compressor, standard Createx Ready-to-use airbrush paints, and some siphon bottles. You could be set-up and ready to paint for around $150. The Harbor Freight airbrush compressors are flat-out a real value--I've see the same or nearly so compressors re-branded by airbrush businesses selling for much more. I'm always amazed how much Iwata Sprint-Jet or Smart Jet compressors are, for example and I see no advantages to these and similar models, and some have less power than the Harbor Freight. I just bought a new, more powerful one with a top-mounted regulator for $79, it's very quiet and works like a charm. My older smaller one still works fine, despite a broken fan blade, from me knocking it off a table while running...I still use it and the Badger for base coats and for having a back-up system. I keep an Iwata Eclipse Hp-BS hooked up to the newer compressor; you can set-up with that system for around $200 with some paint.

I prefer the Createx or Parma Fascolor paints as they are ready-to-use, with no mixing or thinning required. They use higher grade pigments than the cheap paints, and have additives to help them spray better--if you're just starting out, it gives you one less thing to think about. You can heat-set these paints with a hair dryer between colors, and before clearcoating.

Dean

[txwhitetail]

Thanks a lot...got a good idea of where to start now!

JR