Bass maniac Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Hey guys I'm just starting out and I ordered a few of the unpainted clear ko's recently to practice on and I was wondering if they require any base/ primer coat being that they are clear? And if so what should I do primer/base with my airbrush in either white or black or can you use a spray bomb type primer for that? Thanks guys I appreciate any help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdL Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Hey guys I'm just starting out and I ordered a few of the unpainted clear ko's recently to practice on and I was wondering if they require any base/ primer coat being that they are clear? And if so what should I do primer/base with my airbrush in either white or black or can you use a spray bomb type primer for that? Thanks guys I appreciate any help! Do yourself a favor. Go to the top of this forum page and use the search on primer. This topic has 4 to 5 pages of inquiries and the replies covering everything you want to know and some stuff you may not have thought about. Read the replies even if not about clear KO's. Topics cover safety to topcoats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Moreau Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Hey guys I'm just starting out and I ordered a few of the unpainted clear ko's recently to practice on and I was wondering if they require any base/ primer coat being that they are clear? And if so what should I do primer/base with my airbrush in either white or black or can you use a spray bomb type primer for that? Thanks guys I appreciate any help! Hi and welcome! The search feature is a good place to start like mentioned by EDL as it has more info there than you could imagine. To answer your question.... It really depends on the look you want. The blanks I have bought from Predator and Bustin Bass do not require a base/primer. I would recommend you clean the baits to get any oils or contaminants off. Then if you want a clear and/or translucent body you would not want to prime the blank. If you dont want a translucent body then you should prime. I use a custom made primer. I mixed One 2oz bottle of cheap $0.33 white with the same brand gray(craftsmart from Micheals was on sale). then I reduced by 50% with my home brew reducer. this gave me 8oz of primer for a $1.00! the light gray covers really nice and is easy to put white or light colors over it. hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Some guys use an adhesion promoter like Bulldog before they lay down a white (or whatever) color basecoat. I just wipe them down with denatured alcohol to remove any grease or dirt. JMHO there's no reason to use solvent based primer on unpainted plastic crankbaits. That stuff is meant to improve adhesion for solvent based paint on metal surfaces, not for water based paint on plastic. And it often will leave your baits with a strong solvent smell that I REALLY dislike. If you shoot lacquer (you didn't say), disregard the above. The final topcoat is what keeps paint on baits painted with water based paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass maniac Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Ok thanks for the info guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdL Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 I hope you didn't think I was trying to be a smart A. I didn't mean to be. There are multiple considerations and it depends on the look your after. If you want your bait to look more transparent or 'ghost' then don't paint white overall. Just clean the surface with denatured alcohol to remove any foreign substance like oils from you fingers, dust, or whatever before you paint. If you want brighter color saturation then prime with a white paint. Some guys prefer only one coat others may do two. But again if there are details like scales or giles painting/priming will cover up some of the details. But all said you will learn as you go. Some things will work and some will not. What one guys likes to use may not work for your style. What ever you come up with that works for you is what counts. As i've found on this site and some other sites there are more than one way guys found to skin a cat and many ways to finish cranbaits. Good luck with your builds! And may they land you many fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) I give my clear blanks a quick dip in acetone to clean the surface and make it ready for paint. Then I just start with very light coat of my Createx white base, to get a good bond, and proceed from there. Heat set after each coat. Quick is important, since acetone seems to be a solvent for most lure plastics, and their glues. Do a test first to be sure it doesn't cloud up the lure blank. That's not a problem if you're doing an opaque paint scheme anyway, but you don't want to cloud up the bills. I made that mistake with a repaint of a DT 10 Rapala, and it now has a milky white bill. Grrrr.... Edited March 23, 2011 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
