MPD236 Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Hello all!!! I joined the site a couple of years ago and visit frequently, but this will be my first official question I just purchased an airbrush to give this custom painting thing a whirl so I looked through the archives and found most of what I need to get where I want to go, but I'm a little confused about a couple of things. I'm going to be spraying mostly blade baits and spinners for worm harnesses and maybe some cranks down the road if I get the hang of things. First off...since the blades are metal I've read that I should primer them after a good scuffing. Will the Super Hide work for this or is it more of a base coat AFTER the primer? If this is the case...I assume that I would need a water based primer to work with the Createx airbrush paints? Also...I've never used Super Hide. Is this the same stuff that Benjamin Moore produces? Next....I've read everything under the sun about top coats and have decided to try the Dick Nite brand due to folks saying it goes on thin. I'm afraid that using a thicker type coating will effect the action of the blades and spinner blades....somebody correct me if I'm wrong. One last thing I was wondering...can you use the Createx paints of powder paint? It may be in the archives, but dang....I struggle with the search function on this site for some reason!!! Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 The Superhide often mentioned here on TU is Polytranspar Superhide White, a water based acrylic latex airbrush paint. It is not a "primer" that improves adhesion, the "hide" refers to its heavy pigmentation that hides whatever is underneath it. It's a white color basecoast. That said, I paint jigging spoons by airbrushing Superhide white directly on clean sanded metal (no "primer"), applying colors, then topcoating with Dick Nite. No problems. The topcoat you choose is really what makes painted metal a success or a failure. Dick Nite is designed for coating spoons so it's "custom made" for this application. It's perfect for blade painting - a very thin but durable, scratch resistant, dippable coating. It does a good job but doesn't add a bunch of weight like epoxy, nor does it chip off edges like epoxy. When I have later stripped spoons coated like this, I saw that the Dick Nite seems to soak through the acrylic paint to form a good bond to bare metal. As far as mixing solvent primers and water based paints - You never know if different coatings are compatible until you try them, but mixing different types and brands of solvent based coatings is most often what will bite you one the .... You usually won't have a problem coating a solvent primer with a water based paint. The test comes when you then coat that paint with a solvent based topcoat, and the topcoat's solvents soak through to the primer. That's when you find out whether they were compatible and whether you dried/cured the primer enough Can't advise on powder paint - never used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLester Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 BobP. Before you paint your spoons, do you sand the bear metal, then paint and then clear coat with D/N? The reason I ask is because I've be painting spoons and having my paint jobs come off while fishing. (clearing with epoxy) I just ordered some D/N for the first time to clear coat hard baits and did not realize that this clear would help me with my spoons also.(I'm leaving some of the spoon bear metal for flash) Any advice is welcome to catch another fish LOL!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPD236 Posted January 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Thanks for the sound advice BobP!!! Have you ever tried to spray your blades with a non water based auto primer before painting then airbrushing Createx on top of it? Aren't most cars painted with a water based coating now then clear coated to protect it? I ordered some of the Superhide today to try out...just looking for other options. DN seems to be the way to go. A little expensive, but what the heck...it's a hobby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 (edited) I'm not a spoon painting expert, just do a batch or two per year. IMO, no, it's not a "must" to sand the metal before painting if you topcoat with DN. I've done spoons with Witch Tape overpainted with acryic airbrush paint (all unsanded) and topcoated with DN. I also do jigging spoons with extremely thick multiple coats of Glow paint, topcoated twice with DN. I've had zero problems with durability. Epoxy IS a problem since it flakes off any sharp edge very easily. On spoons at least, I don't think there's any doubt that DN looks better and lasts longer than epoxy. An added benefit on casting/trolling spoons that don't have wire hook hangers, the DN coating is much thinner and allows you to mount the split rings and treble hook much easier than on a spoon with a thick epoxy coating. Try the DN on spoons and you'll never go back. Dip'em & hang'em - done. Edited January 12, 2010 by BobP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 The Wire Bait Forum would probably be able to answer your questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
