Best & fastest way to remove the original paint from crankbait?

[Wade2be]

I have just recently got into repainting baits for myself. I have not figured out the best way to remove the original paint yet. I started doing it by hand with sand paper and that seemed to be the best but took forever and made the biggest mess. I then tried paint remover and it started to melt the plastic of the crankbait. The third thing I tried was a course wire brush on a dremel and it remove the paint quite well but also dug grooves into the bait. Please help if you have any good ways of doing this.

Thank you

Wade

[BobP]

In a big hurry, huh? The best way is not to remove the paint at all - just scuff the surface with 400 grit paper to clean up any dings and give your new paint something to grip. Even on suspending jerkbaits, leaving the old paint on won't be detrimental 99% of the time. One tip - if you're going to do much hand sanding, try some Norton 3X sandpaper from Home Depot. It lasts and lasts, and does not clog like other sandpapers. 3M has come out with a 3X version that may be similar but I haven't tried it. If you're painting hundreds or thousands of baits, you might invest in a blast booth and use nut shells or other mild abrasive to do the job.

[mark poulson]

I scrape the majority of the paint off with the back of an exacto knife blade. Roughing it up first with some 80 grit sandpaper helps the scraper grab.

Depending on the crank, I can sometimes get the point of the exacto under the paint and peel it off in bigger pieces, once I've gotten it started.

After I've gotten off as much as possible with the knife, which is usually all but some small spots, I wipe the lure down with a rag dipped in acetone, to clean up any scratches, and then I start repainting.

[b1gf1sh1]

for plastic bobp hit it. a sand blaster if you want to remove the paint. otherwise your just going to have to deal with doing it slow. with acetone the trick is to not wipe it too long and keep the rag from getting too wet with acetone. back and forth a couple quick times with mild pressure. another spot the same. lat sit a couple minutes. do it like that in a small area, the length of the lure, at a time untill the baits done. don't do it all at once because it's too hard to control the solvent. if your set up right you can hang them up and pull one end with a wire and do more. but by hand just a strip at a time. ( with pauses hanging or in hand ) try MEK too. not as strong so it's a little easier on plastic. also you can use some water on the rag where you have the solvent to cut down on it's power too.

[mark poulson]

b1gf1sh1,

Try scraping. It goes really fast, and there are no nasty fumes to worry about.

[Vodkaman]

For clogged sand paper or emery cloth, I use a blast of air from the compressor. Works a treat, ready to go again in seconds.

Dave

[KcDano]

If you find wet sanding the method of choice to scuff the finish. You can add a little dish soap to the water and it will help to keep the paper from clogging.