Best Airbrush For Painting Cranks

[Hooklineandsinker]

I have been painting crank baits for about a year now. I taught myself with a Paasche VL, but I feel I am missing the ability to achieve fine lines that I see on some work. What do you feel is the best airbrush for painting crank baits for fine detail work?

[BobP]

Smaller airbrush tips equal finer lines but it is as much about technique as it is equipment.  Lower air pressure, tip close to the surface with the tip shield removed, thinned paint, and fine trigger control are also important.  I'm lousy at fine line detail and don't have enough fine motor skills to hack it.  I have an Iwata HP-B airbrush with a .2mm tip and on the test paper that came with the brush, the factory tech shot a line finer than the lightest, smallest ink pen could ever achieve - and certainly finer with more control than I'll ever be able to do.  I've pretty much given up on trying.  Fortunately, I can use templates to get the fine line effects I desire without driving myself crazy.  Remember - you not only have to do it - you have to do it AGAIN on the other side of the lure just the same.

 

I've seen mighty nice lures painted by guys using VL's and similar airbrushes.  Is detail easier with a smaller tipped airbrush?  Yes, in that shading and light layering of paint is easier to accomplish.  But fine lines require lots of skill regardless of the equipment.

[EdL]

What BobP says. I have 3 different brands of airbrushes one of which is the VL.  Mine came with 3 sizes of needles and nozzles. So it should cover the range of paints and details needed for lure painting.  I took an intro airbrushing class where I live and the main thing the instructor tried to hammer in is to practice and practice some more.  AND DON"T GET DISCOURAGED.  His opinion was that it took about 40 hours of actual painting time to get the feel of a new brush.  Then there's the other things to learn -paint type and characteristics (pigment, viscosity), matching air pressure needed for the desired spray pattern,dealing with the compressor, moisture traps, and the list goes on.  One tool you can master is to use this forums search function - the little box in the upper right hand corner of this forum can open the door to many tips and opinions - did I say opinions. Understand that what works for one person may not work for you.  For some folks cheap is best, for others its 'you get what you pay for'.  I found that I use all three airbrushes depending on what I want to do.  I can't say I have learned all three airbrushes but each have features that work for what I want to do.  Also there are airbrushing forums too that may help you.  But be careful you can spend a lot of time reading about it and cuts into practice time and fishing time.

[A-Mac]

I have a badger 360.  I think I'm using their "medium" size needle, but I use this airbrush exclusively and swap between several types of paint in a given session.  

 

With lures, fine details with an airbrush (free hand) are very difficult and results vary considerably depending on the paint (especially with pearls, imo).  

 

I find stencil making to be the limiting factor these days.  I may use a half dozen stencils on one lure, but this provides control and precision that is hard (or impossible) to acquire with free hand.  Good stencils will also prevent you from needing to change needle sizes too.