How To Paint Poured Bait?

[Piscivorous Pike]

I will be making some swim baits and desire to paint patterns and put on those sick-on-eye in the soft Calhoun de-gassed plastic.

What can you paint it with? I have quite a bit of Createx on hand.

I have seen spike it dyes and spike it pens, but I do not necessarily want brilliant colors as much as I want to paint a pattern like most Hollow Bellys are now.

Naturally after completing I plan to dip in clear and seal it.

[Richard Prager]

I will be making some swim baits and desire to paint patterns and put on those sick-on-eye in the soft Calhoun de-gassed plastic.

What can you paint it with? I have quite a bit of Createx on hand.

I have seen spike it dyes and spike it pens, but I do not necessarily want brilliant colors as much as I want to paint a pattern like most Hollow Bellys are now.

Naturally after completing I plan to dip in clear and seal it.

I've yet to try it but, word has it that highlight powder with acetone in a spray type bottle works. Then clear dip over it.

[DeltaMan]

lurecraft Plastic paint maybe i've seen one other question like yours but this is what i've heard and yeah the powder thing too.

let us know how it turns out

[JLester]

I use the plastic paints from lurecraft and it does a good job. Just remeber to order retarder to slow the drying down some. I've been painting frogs and I too, want to clear coat ,so they have that bass magic look. What are you clearing your soft platics with? Were can I find a clear coat for soft plastics?

[nova]

I've yet to try it but, word has it that highlight powder with acetone in a spray type bottle works. Then clear dip over it.

I've tried the highlights with lacquer thinner and it works although it takes quite a bit of powder. The downside to it (for me) was that spraying thorugh an airbrush atomizes the thinner into the air. Not really a good idea for several reasons.

I have used art brushes and bent wires. There are some pictures of this in the gallery under my name. (nova)

www.novalures.com

[bojon]

I've tried the highlights with lacquer thinner and it works although it takes quite a bit of powder. The downside to it (for me) was that spraying thorugh an airbrush atomizes the thinner into the air. Not really a good idea for several reasons.

I have used art brushes and bent wires. There are some pictures of this in the gallery under my name. (nova)

www.novalures.com

I have painted my tubes for many years.If anyone wants to see what they look like just email me at

kocron@comcast.net I can't get pm messages since the new format on this site.I can send some photos.I wish I could send them directly to this site,but have never been able to do that. (Bojon)

[Piscivorous Pike]

I use the plastic paints from lurecraft and it does a good job. Just remeber to order retarder to slow the drying down some. I've been painting frogs and I too, want to clear coat ,so they have that bass magic look. What are you clearing your soft platics with? Were can I find a clear coat for soft plastics?

Although I have not done this yet, the reason for this thread, but I have a tutor and recently he sent me samples of clear coated swim bait.

I understand many of the commercial swim baits are sealed this way to...

After putting on the eyes and paint they are dipped in clear, no color added, molten plastisol, usually exactly what they are made from.

How thin the coat I imagine depends on the length of time of the dip and the temperature of the platsic.

I would love for someone to describe that process a little better. I imagine you want to run the dip at about 350 F and dip quickly. It would seem it would add some weight and thickness to the lure that should be planned for in the first place.

[longhorn]

The process I use is extremely simple. I put clear plastic in one of my pouring pans (about 2" deep)...get it melted and then dip the bait horizontally....just dip and pull out and let the excess run off back into the pan...I then put the bait in cold water.

[WindrideR]

Can anyone give me a piece of advice on painting soft lures made of silicone, and not of plastics? What is the best way to do it, and what colors should I use? Will some colors just slide off of silicone or similar?

Is there any lacquer I can later use to put over the lure and protect the color film? Or maybe some way to melt silicone and use it as lacquer?

I know, many questions but I really got into making some lures of my own during this winter It will help me keep my mind of fishing until spring.

[gunnie3035]

I've painted a lot of paddle tail tube SB's with an airbrush. It doesn't take any special paint if your going to dip in clear after. I've used createx, but its rather expensive for soft plastics. The .99 cent craft paints work just fine if thinned right. The biggest challenge is the oils from the plastic. I've found if you let the baits set overnight and then wipe them off with alcohol the paint will stick a little better. After painting place them on wax paper while installing the eyes or the paint is going to stick and peel off.

I made a painting stand for the baits. It is nothing more than a piece of sheetrock. I pin the tail down on the edge of the sheet rock and I have pre-drilled holes so a finish nail will hold the bait up right while painting. If you need to lay the bait on its side to paint then use wax paper under it.

I use a standard 4 cup pyrex for dipping my baits. I leave the cup sitting on a pankcake griddle while I dip. I pin them by the tail from the edge of the table until they cool for a minute then drop them in water.

Its a lot of work for a plastic bait. I had a bunch of pictures in the gallery, I assume they are still there, take a look and if you have any other questions I will try to help ya out.