Painting Eyes

[quick20xd]

What type paint do you use to paint eyes? I have tried a little bit of everything to "dob" a nice round eye. With thick vinyl jig head paint working best. I have a problem getting Createx or enamels the right thickness not keep it from running .

What do you guys use?

Thanks!

[mark poulson]

I use Createx. I dob it on with the back of a drill bit, and then blow dry it by making circles around it as it dries, so I don't actually put the blast of air on the wet paint, until the paint has lost the wet look, and then I put the heat directly on it.

It's slow, one eye at a time, but that's how I do it.

[Tony Maxwell]

I use regular Testors model paint, drill bit or nail ends, and position the lure so that the eye area is flat. That way it dries without running down the side of the bait. Sometimes the lure looks cockeyed doing one side at a time, but I don't thing the fish can see both sides at the same time anyway.

[Lure--Prof]

With Createx, the correct thickness is normally unthinned, but well-shaken. Dry it like Mark said. Different size drill bits, different size dowels will all work, as has been discussed here many times. I recently found info on a lure company from the early sixties who used a triple dot for each eye; they looked nearly perfect every time, and they used the dowel method. I prefer different sizes of clear stencils and airbrush them with Createx...works for me.

Dean

[BobP]

I use the little "eye dotters" sold by staminainc.com. 3" plastic sticks with little spongy balls on the ends. You can rinse them out and reuse them. Don't know if it works better than anything else, though.

[pirkfan]

I paint most of them with nail heads, but I bought a cheap hollow punch set, 1/8 up to 7/16 inch, sharpened the punches with a diamond hook sharpener, and use them to cut eyes out of witchcraft tape. I then paint the pupil with a nail and black testor's paint. I particularly like glow in the dark done this way, the painted pupil gives the eye a little more depth than regular stick on 2D eyes. I think you could use the punches with just about anything waterproof, attach with a little super glue. Nice thing about the punches, always have the right size eye.

[BJ Smith]

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)....

[quick20xd]

Thanks Guys! As always your information is awesome!

I have painted eyes using the dowel method for years (maybe I am gettting old, I just think they look better to me than "stick-on"). I thought there might be a better process or tool. I the truth be known, sometimes I get a little impatient. It's when I rush that I get myself in trouble.

Again, thank you so much for taking the time to help out a fellow Tackleholic!

Ernie

[IamSpartacus]

Ive been using Faskolor (I think its made for model boats) to paint the eyes. Using a toothpick for the pupil (the kind with one flat end) and a qtip for the eye. Seems to be working well for me, and its easy to find at most hobby stores.

Mike

[Lure--Prof]

I've been using Parma Fascolor interchangeably with Createx, probably at about 50-50 for a few years now--supposedly Fascolor is made for painting Lexan. I can tell no difference in the properties of Fascolor, they heat-set exactly the same way, and when Createx changes a color, so does Parma. I think the biggest differences between them are the color names, and the labels.

Dean