NorthCoastChick Posted September 2, 2010 Report Share Posted September 2, 2010 Hello, all! I have been lurking on the forums for a couple weeks and decided to finally register. I'm from far Northeastern MN and fish Lake Superior as well as inland. I'm just beginning to get interested in airbrushing lures (specifically spoons for lake trout) and feel lucky to have found this website. I have an airbrush already because I intended to use it for fine art but never got around to it (I'm an artist working primarily in graphite and pen and ink). I'm still trying to figure out which paints to use, primers, sealers, etc. so that's why I'm on the forum. I want to avoid the paint peeling or chipping off the spoons, which it does even on commercial ones, as much as possible, but I also have some creative paint designs I want to try out. I have lots of questions, but absolutely ANY advice for a beginner would be appreciated. Thanks, everyone! ~Paula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted September 2, 2010 Report Share Posted September 2, 2010 Welcome to TU Minnesota Girl. If you've been lurking and reading posts for the last couple weeks then you have an idea of the vast information available here. And there are even several posts dealing specifically with painting spoons. A lot of your decisions about such things as what paint and top coat to use will end up being based on personal choice and the size and location of your bait building area. A lot of us use water based paints because we paint inside our homes or don't want to deal with the solvent based paints and everything they require such as respirators and forced air filtering systems. As far as top coats are concerned there have been several battles waged over what is "best". There have even been some heated discussions over how to "best" apply the same top coat. In my opinion you just have to find a system that works for you and does what you want it to do. And in doing this you will find the search feature an invaluable friend. When you have questions about a specific issue then just post it in the appropriate forum and you will find that most folks here are more than eager to help. That's the thing about TU that still impresses me the most. There are so many people here at TU willing to share their knowledge, and in a lot of cases has been learned over a lifetime. So good luck, and most of all, enjoy yourself. RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted September 3, 2010 Report Share Posted September 3, 2010 @ NorthCoastChick I don't even have airbrush gear , so I'm rather unable to provide some detailed help , ......but I am a great fan of any casting spoons , have already made a lot and hand-painted a few of these with modelmaking enamels and/or rattlecans ,.......for perfect paint adhesion I've found it to be essential to buff the metal surface to be painted prior to putting on primer ,....... either with a real rough rotating wire bristled brush , coarse sanding paper or even by sandblasting(which I always prefer ,..... have a chance to do it at my work) . Anyway , eager to see your first creations once you'd have got the hang on it , .........welcome to the TackleUnderground ! greetz , diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braided Line Posted September 5, 2010 Report Share Posted September 5, 2010 Welcome aboard. Lucky for me I live in Florida so all I really need are......plastics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toadfrog Posted September 5, 2010 Report Share Posted September 5, 2010 Welcome MNgirl , Check out powder paint airbrushes as well. I didn't think I liked powder paint when it first hit the market but over time it grew on me. Now I use Component System vynil , Createx paints and powder paint. Be careful this tackle addiction can really get out of hand. I started with a little jig tying area inthe corner of the house . Now I have man cave 1 and mancave 2 and in the dog house most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoonbender Posted September 6, 2010 Report Share Posted September 6, 2010 I also fish Lake Superior and have been custom coating spoons for some years. My go-to material is powder paint but I sometimes add highlights and accents with vinyl paints from CSI. One of the more important steps in powder coating is the baking to cure the finish, gives it much more durability and gloss. Some glitters and color shifting pearls are used in powders that can give a unique look to your spoons and dodgers. Hope the water temps are cooler by you, fish are getting pushed deeper, harder to locate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted September 7, 2010 Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 I suggest you click on the banner ad from Dick Nite when you see it. Dick Nite is a spoon manufacturer who sells paints and clearcoats to TU members at a good discount if they access his site from his TU banner ad. His topcoat product is very popular among TU members. I've been painting jigging spoons with water based acrylics and topcoating them with Dick Nite moisture cured polyurethane (dipping them, which is the way to go IMO!). They have turned out very durable. Using the solvent based Dick Nite paints instead of water based paint would probably increase durability but I would then have to contend with shooting solvent paints through an airbrush (toxicity) which I'd rather avoid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthCoastChick Posted September 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 Thanks for the welcome, all! I just found a set of 6 2oz transparent Createx for around $20.00. I'm planning to buff my spoons with a wire brush on my Dremel, and then apply the Createx in thin layers with the airbrush. As for a clearcoat or topcoat I wasn't sure, but after reading so much on the forums about Dick Nite's I think I'll try that! I can't wait to get started but I need some materials first! Spoonbender~ I would like to venture into powder at some point, but I'm just beginning and we'll see how this works before spending more cash. A few weekends ago I was on the lake out at Isle Royale, MI, and the surface temp was super warm still; 48-52 degrees. We got lots of 2-4lb lakers and my friend's boat caught a nice 22lb. Most of mine were on a big hammered silver spoon that we call "bloody nose" (opaque white with a red splotch on the front). We also like to use Gold Star watermelons, and I'd like to paint something in those colors eventually... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoonbender Posted September 9, 2010 Report Share Posted September 9, 2010 Thanks for the welcome, all! I just found a set of 6 2oz transparent Createx for around $20.00. I'm planning to buff my spoons with a wire brush on my Dremel, and then apply the Createx in thin layers with the airbrush. As for a clearcoat or topcoat I wasn't sure, but after reading so much on the forums about Dick Nite's I think I'll try that! I can't wait to get started but I need some materials first! Spoonbender~ I would like to venture into powder at some point, but I'm just beginning and we'll see how this works before spending more cash. A few weekends ago I was on the lake out at Isle Royale, MI, and the surface temp was super warm still; 48-52 degrees. We got lots of 2-4lb lakers and my friend's boat caught a nice 22lb. Most of mine were on a big hammered silver spoon that we call "bloody nose" (opaque white with a red splotch on the front). We also like to use Gold Star watermelons, and I'd like to paint something in those colors eventually... 22 pounder is a decent laker, was it a lean or a fat? That Bloody Nose is still a pretty popular pattern, catches plenty of trout. Once I catch up with a couple projects I'll send you folks a few pics of some of the more popular colors down here in the Apostle Islands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted September 9, 2010 Report Share Posted September 9, 2010 @ NorthCoastChick The "Dremel" wire brushes might be too small and too soft to achieve a sufficiently rough surface for better primer adhesion on spoon blanks ,........... but I haven't tried these before , .....I was rather refering to a bit larger rotating wire brushes(as from 5" dia)that can be chucked into a drill press or a lathe motor . But I am most likely working on stainless steel spoons , the "Dremel" stuff might still work on softer brass or copper , I don't know ? When working with rotating wire brushes ALWAYS wear eye protection ! good luck , diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
