smbasser Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) I've just recently got into the whole painting thing and I think what you guys do around here is a huge benefit to people just starting. Anyways, I've just started painting some wiggle warts and squarebills to my custom colors and was wondering what wart ya'll like? I've been using the phantom color craws and sanding them down and painting over them. I don't like the orange hue they put on the end of the bill and was curious if they make blanks or even a clear wart that i can paint over. Thanks for all the advice and info ya'll share. Here's the first one i've painted Edited October 10, 2011 by smbasser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 dang... phantom craw is one of my favorite colors! Not sure where you could find some, perhaps e-mail storm. I've always just purchased and repainted to my liking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smbasser Posted October 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Also.......is there an easier way to get the orange hue off of the bills without sanding them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 I sand it off with 400 grit paper, then use Dick Nite S81 as a topcoat, dipping the lip too so it makes them clear again. I wouldn't do that with epoxy though - it's too thick. When a friend sent a batch of old warts off to a custom painter, they just painted over the lips. It looked OK but I prefer the clear lips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yardape Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Put a small amount of acetone on a towel and wipe it on the lip. The paint will come right off. I have stripped literally hundreds of pre-rapala warts and I don't sand I use acetone, it works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*crankn101* Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Whats the easiest way to differentiate the new and old Wiggle Warts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smbasser Posted October 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Thanks for the tips. The easiest way I know to differentiate and correct me if i'm wrong but the old warts say "Wiggle Wart" under the bill and the new ones have "Storm" printed under the bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 One thing you have to decide is whether you want Warts as a collector or as a fisherman. It's really two entirely different things. I'm no Wart expert but from what I read, it gets pretty complicated because there have been multiple "eras" in Wart history as Storm changed out the plastic molds through the years, then changed the design, then built them in different factories, then were bought out by Rapala. A plastic bait mold only lasts so long and the most sought-after Warts are from the early "original molds". Originals sell at a big premium to collectors and mostly are recognized by the paint pattern stock numbers and the colors of the boxes they were sold in. IMO, it would be foolish to buy and repaint them since that would lessen their value, no matter how wonderful the new paint. Beyond the originals, you enter into pretty murky territory regarding the desirability of later Wart versions. The latest Warts built under Rapala management are advertised as "original design Warts", which I guess means they did their best to copy the old original Wart molds, which are no longer useable. Original Warts were popular because they were a novel design sold at reasonable prices and had a reputation for "hunting". But there's no free lunch. While many of them hunt, they are very difficult to tune and some just can't be tuned. JMHO, I'd bet the latest Warts built under Rapala management have better quality control and are more reliable for fishing than the originals ever were, so those are the ones I'd choose if I were planning to repaint some and take them fishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smbasser Posted October 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 I tried wipping the bill down w/ acetone and the orange highlight on the end of the bill never went away, it did seem to eat my bill a little though??? any ideas?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
