Air Brush Paint ?

[CatchemCaro]

Ok, I'm ready to start a new learning curve. The air brush. I'm painting wooden crank baits. I would like to start doing a blue gill like the shell cracker. What paint brand's and why. I know there are some talented painters out there. I now have three Iwata's and I'm ready to start learning. I want to keep it simple and would like to know what colors and brand I should get to paint the best pumpkinseed bluegill. Thanks

Rich

[Hoghunter]

IMO createx to me is by far the best paint i have used

[silverdoctor]

Rich: Can we assume you are going to use water based paints? 90% of my painting is done with Createx. Have you talked to technical folks at airbrush paint suppliers about the bene's of various paint brands, types, etc.? You might consider talking to one of the staff members at Dixie Art. I suspect you may not be satisfied with only pre-mixed paint colors. You can get any color you want by mixing; I either use a color wheel or just wing it. Have you searched the "cookbook" on this site for patterns? The clear coat you use may dictate the brand of paint you use. For example, if you use DN, it might lift Wildlife paints.

You are on the right by trying to keep it simple to start. ken

[CatchemCaro]

I will be using E-tex clear coat. Water color paint, what happens to them if water gets under my clear coat? My paint supplier is selling an older model of Cretex for 1/2 price. They still have a lot of colors left. When I looked at them, a lot of the colors all looked cream in color while in the jars. I had been temped to just buy a bunck of the bottles since they where 1/2 price, but I decided to not. I want to keep it clean, simple and organized if possable. Does the Createx have a long shelf life? And what are some of your favorite write out of the bottle colors for natural fish paturns, Greens, Blues, orange and Chartuese. Also, is the a clear pearl I can spray over my paint before clear coating that will pop in the sun like a car's pearl might?

Rich

[CatchemCaro]

I will be using E-tex clear coat. Water color paint, what happens to them if water gets under my clear coat? My paint supplier is selling an older model of Createx for 1/2 price. They still have a lot of colors left. When I looked at them, a lot of the colors all looked cream in color while in the jars. I had been temped to just buy a bunck of the bottles since they where 1/2 price, but I decided to not. I want to keep it clean, simple and organized if possable. Does the Createx have a long shelf life? And what are some of your favorite write out of the bottle colors for natural fish paturns, Greens, Blues, orange and Chartuese. Also, is the a clear pearl I can spray over my paint before clear coating that will pop in the sun like a car's pearl might?

Rich

Edited August 8, 2010 by CatchemCaro

[mark poulson]

Water based air brush paints that are used for T shirt painting are meant to be "heat set" before they are exposed to water when the T shirt is washed. Something in the paint's molecular structure changes when it is heat set past a certain temperature, and it becomes waterproof.

Many T shirt painters use a regular clothes iron, with the T shirt turned inside out or covered with an ironing cloth, to heat set the paint.

I don't know the exact temp., but you can go online and contact a paint distributer or manuf., like Createx, and they'll tell you, I'm sure. I know the exact temp. was posted here a while back, but I don't remember it.

I use a cheap hair dryer with two heat settings to dry my lures. The first, with a low fan speed, dries the paint without moving it around on the lure. Once it's "dry", dull looking, I switch to the high setting, and make sure it's really set.

One tip I would share with you is to do thin coats, and dry each one, rather than trying to do one thick coat. Thin coats will dry faster, and harder, than one thick coat, which can have water trapped even if it's "dry", and may remain soft under the top coat, making the whole paint scheme vulnerable to damage because the top coat is floating on top of the paint, instead of being bonded to it.

Good luck, and don't forget to post pictures of you lures.

Edited August 8, 2010 by mark poulson

[mark poulson]

Sorry, double post.

Edited August 8, 2010 by mark poulson

[BobP]

Createx is great stuff - it's consistent, has good flow agents and shoots better than most. It's color array is fairly basic - mostly standard colors in either opaque or transparent. So you'll end up having to custom mix Createx for intermediate shades. Some guys don't mind mixing and stick with Createx. You have fewer airbrush problems and it lets you concentrate on technique. But I prefer not to mix paint when possible so always look around the taxidermy sites (http://www.taxidermy.net/suppliers/airbrush.php) for options. The consistency and flow characteristics are sometimes not as good as Createx, but there is a whole world of custom colors, flakes, iridescents, etc to pick and choose from. I like that and use a grab bag of Createx, Smith Wildlife, Polytranspar, etc. I've never had any incompatibility problems among brands, so it works OK. Just wanted to point out that there are options and you don't necessarily have to stick with one brand.

[pizz]

i personally did not like createx paint. i thought it was tough to clean the brush and sprayed too spotty. i called Iwata and asked if they had problems with createx paints and they said for whatever reason it didnt shoot good thru their gun. they said not to use water to thin because it would "spiderweb" a bit. they recommended the transparent base as an additive and i tried that. i noticed a small difference in all colors except the opaque paint. i painted a lot with it, but nothing beats solvent base paints.

I did try the Createx Wicked Colors, which is their higher end paint and i liked that a lot better, but still had to clean the brush constantly. even with the "airbrush cleaner" it would take a lot of cleaner to clean.

ive been using HOK and will never go back.

i dont want to sway your opinion in any direction, its all preference and learning process, but nobody posts too many negatives about createx perhaps because they havent tried anything else.

[mark poulson]

i personally did not like createx paint. i thought it was tough to clean the brush and sprayed too spotty. i called Iwata and asked if they had problems with createx paints and they said for whatever reason it didnt shoot good thru their gun. they said not to use water to thin because it would "spiderweb" a bit. they recommended the transparent base as an additive and i tried that. i noticed a small difference in all colors except the opaque paint. i painted a lot with it, but nothing beats solvent base paints.

I did try the Createx Wicked Colors, which is their higher end paint and i liked that a lot better, but still had to clean the brush constantly. even with the "airbrush cleaner" it would take a lot of cleaner to clean.

ive been using HOK and will never go back.

i dont want to sway your opinion in any direction, its all preference and learning process, but nobody posts too many negatives about createx perhaps because they havent tried anything else.

Pizz,

I try to stay away from solvent based paints because I'm older, and have had too much exposure to solvents without respirators over the years. So I try to stick with water based or water bourne paints and finishes.

But I do know that solvent based paints offer a much wider choice of really neat colors. I just can't use them myself.

[silverdoctor]

Pizz; good stuff! I've had the most trouble cleaning Polytranspar Paint from my Iwata's. Personally I find Createx to clean-up reasonably well.

Do you use a base coat with Wicked Colors?

Rich: Hope you are getting what you need to get started(?). Don't expect to achieve perfection to start with. My greatest achievement has been learning how to recover from screw-ups without having to start over.

Vallejo Ken

[Hollywood691]

i personally did not like createx paint. i thought it was tough to clean the brush and sprayed too spotty. i called Iwata and asked if they had problems with createx paints and they said for whatever reason it didnt shoot good thru their gun. they said not to use water to thin because it would "spiderweb" a bit. they recommended the transparent base as an additive and i tried that. i noticed a small difference in all colors except the opaque paint. i painted a lot with it, but nothing beats solvent base paints.

I did try the Createx Wicked Colors, which is their higher end paint and i liked that a lot better, but still had to clean the brush constantly. even with the "airbrush cleaner" it would take a lot of cleaner to clean.

ive been using HOK and will never go back.

i dont want to sway your opinion in any direction, its all preference and learning process, but nobody posts too many negatives about createx perhaps because they havent tried anything else.

Hello eveyone, I am new here.......I do custom paint and airbrush for a living. I have to second the motion here that pizz made. I started out painting deer, fish etc. when doing taxidermy work, and used Polytranspar Laquer based.....loved it. Tried waterbase and didnt care for it except for doing Tees. I Have used createx, aqua-flow, and spectratex (Badger) waterbased textile paints for doing T-shirts and aqua-flow and spectratex is my choice. For eveything else I use solvent based PPG basecoat along with urethane clear coats. I have 5 airbrushes for my solvent base and about 24 for waterbased T-shirt paint.

My Tshirt easel has 20 airbrushes on it with 12 being iwatas that I haven't cleaned in probly 8 months and can go pick em up and pick the end of the needle, blast a few times and spray away. Iwatas will spray createx fine depending on the needle size you have. All my textile brushes have a .005 needle, if your trying to shoot it through like a .003, yes I can see the problems you have. Createx also makes a waterbased line that alot of guy's use for hard surface that can't spray solvent based, called "Auto Air". I have never used it but have read you need to use a hair dryer to heat and dry each coat.

I haven't built any baits "yet" but am wanting to and my automotive solvent based is what I am planning on using for that. I do have a 14x26 spray booth in my shop so it's not a big deal. I know of some guys that have done hard surface stuff with the wicked line createx and with E-Tac waterbased and cleared it with uro clear.......just not my cup of tea. As Pizz said, nothing sprays like uro's, but it is solvent based.

Edited August 9, 2010 by Hollywood691

[RayburnGuy]

There are several things other than what paint provides the best color assortment that you will probably need to take into consideration. Such as where are you planning to do your painting? Inside the house? In an open area or closed garage? Will you need to build, or buy, some type of forced air filtration system? Will you need to wear a respirator and will you wear it when painting?

Water based and solvent paints are two different breeds of the same animal and each one has it's own pro's and cons to take into consideration. I paint my baits inside the house and that's the main reason I chose water based paints. I spray Createx through an Iwata and have had none of the problems mentioned above. Of course I'm not spraying for hours on end and I run acetone through my brush every so often while spraying and rarely have any cleaning issues. I also thin my Createx with their 4011 reducer and haven't noticed any spider webbing or other problems when spraying. I also keep on hand some airbrush restorer that I soak my brush in every couple of months just to make sure it's kept clean.

Once you decide which type of paint to go with you will then need to come up with a process of spraying and cleaning that suits YOUR style of painting. Not everyone does things the same way. One way is easier for some and another way for others. If your just starting out with an airbrush you are going to screw up. No way around it. The thing is to learn from your mistakes. If doing something a certain way isn't working then try something else. It won't take long and it will become second nature and you won't even have to think about it.

Good luck. Now go paint some baits.

RG

Edited August 9, 2010 by RayburnGuy

[toadfrog]

Well since we are on the subject where is the best price found for createx and what paint/dye do you use to spray patterns on plastic.

[.dsaavedra.]

i have some transparent brown createx paint and it sprays a little spotty, and it is real easy to wipe off the base, even after heat set.

[Hollywood691]

Well since we are on the subject where is the best price found for createx and what paint/dye do you use to spray patterns on plastic.

I order my paints from coastairbrush.com , cheapest prices I have found.

[JR77]

i'm fairly new to this painting through an airbrush myself and am still in the experimental stage. so far i have tried four different paint types/brands.

i'm using an iwata siphon feed (bcs i think it is) with 0.5 needle.

first i tried a cheap water based paint from a craft shop thinned with water with bad results lots of spider webbing. thought it might have been my lack of knowledge and skill.

next i got some auto air by createx and found it much better i used the 4011 flash reducer to thin it and it seemed to paint pretty good although i did struggle with finer detail.once again thought that might have been just me.and it probably was. i watched a few tutorial clips on you tube which helped. i clean up with windex (ammonia free of coarse) and it works great and is cheap, i also use the createx restorer once in a while.

third in line was spaz stix its a lacquer based paint i think its mostly used for RC cars etc(google it for more info). it comes thinned ready to shoot.

i found this stuff awesome to paint with i love the fact that is ment to be sprayed at a low 15-20 psi so there is almost no over spray and my compressor hardly runs. i found it much easier to use and got better results when doing more detailed work. i'v been using my auto air as a base coat for the spaz and it seems to work well together.

lastly i have just got some house of kolor only used it a couple of times but pretty happy with it too although at this stage still think i prefer the spaz.

i think its a personal thing on what you decide to use. both water based and solvent/lacquer have there advantages and disadvantages.

personally i like auto air due to the fact it is non toxic and i found it easy to clean up with the windex and recoating can be done quickly after flashing off with hair dryer.

but for the best finished result it was the spaz that gets my vote great for ease of use when doing fine detailed work.

with the solvents it wasn't so much the paint that i found a hassle due to its toxicity after all i was only spraying very small amounts at low pressure(i still always used a respirator) but more so the use of thinners to clean up.

this is just what i found and i'm only a learner myself so my best advice is try get small samples of the different paints as cheap as you can and try them for yourself.

good luck!!

cheers JR...

[CatchemCaro]

Wow, lot of great information. Thanks a lot. I have been reading and watching some you tube stuff and have learned tons. Now I just have to get out there and paint some baits. Do any of you use the candy colors? And can you put candies and any of the other colors over Lacquer and or enamel? I'm going to be painting a lot of baits in a production mode so I'm not looking forward to cleaning a gun a lot. Now I use rattle cans and I have gotten perty good with the can, but I'm thinking I can do a finer job with an air brush. I bought the air brush for a new line of baits I'll be selling. Thanks again for all the great information. I'll post some pictures of my first atemps at this air brush thing and I'll also post what I learned and liked after getting started.

Rich

[pizz]

I order from Coast Airbrush as well. Ive been to the shop once and they have so much stuff geared towards painting!! They do have the best prices and can even downsize the amount of paint to 1 oz. Which is perfect because it makes 2 oz's or more reduced. 2 oz's goes along way for lures. Ive also ordered from TCP global and i tried their pre-reduced HOK and i personally thought it was too watery. I have to adjust my pressure to 15-20 psi where i normally shoot closer to 24-25 psi.

I have heard good things about Createx Auto Air, but if im not mistaken it was the most expensive of the createx line.

I have 1 brush for waterbase paints, 2 brushes for solvent and clearcoats. I want to purchase a 3rd gun for finer detail but that Iwata Micron series isnt going to make the lures sell any better

[MikePaintsBaits]

Hey Catchem , Are "U" pulling your hair out yet?

I have a Iwata airbrush & shoot Createx & AutoAir , I shoot Opaque, Candies, Pearls, Transparent, Fluorescent, Color Shift & Hot Rod Sparkle.

Take It Slow & Just Have Fun.

I'm A Below Average Painter.

Mike

[BobP]

Looking at lots of finished lures painted with water based versus lacquer based colors, I agree solvent based lacquer offers some hues and effects that are hard to get with water based paint. If I were doing production painting, I might explore solvent based but only after I had a protective environment in place, including a spray booth with exhaust or solvent rated mask, etc. Some of the chemicals in solvent based paints - especially automotive paints and clearcoats containing isocyanates - are very toxic. There's a reason you see auto painters in full body suits with full face masks! I'm a garage hobby builder so solvent based coatings and protection systems just don't make sense for me. Yes, I spend as much time cleaning my airbrush as I do shooting paint through it. But I haven't started growing a third eye yet either.

[Ken The Fin]

I PAINT WITH BOTH AUTO AND WATER BASED PAINTS .WATER BASED IS EASER ON THE CLEAN UP AND LESS COST TO DEAL WITH .THE THINNERS TO CLEAN UP AUTO PAINTS COST ALOT AND DONT GO VERY FAR .YOU WILL GO THROUGH A GALLION OF IT REAL FAST .MIXING COLORS ARE FUN ,JUST BE SURE TO WRITE DOWN ALL THAT YOU DO .YOU WILL NEED THIS WHEN YOU GO TO DO THIS COLOR AGAIN .A INDUSTRIAL DRYER WILL DRY THE WATER BASED PAINT AND YOU WANT HAVE TO WORRIE ABOUT BLOWING UP YOUR PLACE .CREATEX AND GOLDEN ARE BOTH GOOD , JUST GO ON THE WEB AND YOU CAN GET THEIR PHONE NUMBERS .THEIR TECK. DEPARTMENTS ARE GOOD AND MIKE TOWNSEND AT GOLDEN WILL TELL YOU HOW TO CUT THEIR PAINTS .BE CAREFULL OF THE FLORESENT COLORS THEY WILL FADE TO A BEIGH OR BLOND IN THE SUNLIGHT .HOUSE OF COLORS HAS THE BEST CHARTERUSE AND IT WANT FADE AND YOU CAN SPRAY IT OVER WATER BASED PAINT .TO MAKE CANDY COLORS JUST USE A CLEAR BASE AND JUST A TOUCH OF THE COLOR YOU WANT .I BETTER STOP HERE OR I`LL SPIL THE BEANS .

[Frank]

Hey Catchem , Are "U" pulling your hair out yet?

I have a Iwata airbrush & shoot Createx & AutoAir , I shoot Opaque, Candies, Pearls, Transparent, Fluorescent, Color Shift & Hot Rod Sparkle.

Take It Slow & Just Have Fun.

I'm A Below Average Painter.

Mike

Dont let this guy fool you. I have one of his baits and as far as below average he is full of it. Now you are in Ca and so am I. Now your area was the last area that I knew that could actually sell solvent based products. If you can still get them it wont be for long. Where I am at in Ca it has been two years since they changed to water based for the Auto industry. Not top coats just the base coats. So if you fill your cabinet with a product that will not be available soon that is up to you. Water is going to be the future. I have used most of the products mentioned in this thread and for me Auto Air has the colors I need and beyond. The Auto Air has uv inhibiters in it for out door use and does not come in less than 4 oz containers. For me it shoots better in a 5 or bigger tip right out of the bottle. Detailing can be a bit if a challenge but you will have to find your comfort zone and it will be very rewarding. Just my Frank

[Mayberry_Customs]

Does anyone know if the House of Kolor airbrush paint can be bought in individual bottles? If so where at??

Thanks,

Andy

[RayburnGuy]

Does anyone know if the House of Kolor airbrush paint can be bought in individual bottles? If so where at??

Thanks,

Andy

TCP Global has it as well as Coast Airbrush. Links below.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/hokpaint/hokxline.aspx

http://www.coastairbrush.com/categorypage.html