Steps For Painting Crank Blanks?

[Rmullen99]

Hi Everyone, hope this post doesn't offend anyone. I have been searching these threads for awhile an sorry to say I am still confused. My bday is coming up and my family asked me for some ideas of what I would like and I want to tell them an airbrush and some supplies for painting cranks. What I am confused about are the layers on the blanks. Can everyone share what they are and use?

Is this accurate?

1) Primer

2) paint

3) topcoat....(what is this a clear coat or epoxy)

Is that it or am I missing a layer?

Thanks for the help!

[mark poulson]

You've got the basic idea, but there's lots more involved, depending on the material of the crank (wood, plastic, resin, PVC), the type of primer and paint, and, last but not least, the clear coat.

There are countless forum threads on all of these subjects, so try using the search feature to check out the more recent ones.

I encourage you to do some reading first.  We have made most of the mistakes that can be made, so, hopefully, you can learn from us without going too far astray.

Once you've read up a little, post more questions, and someone here will point you in the right direction.

[Rmullen99]

Hi Mark thanks for the reply. I am still searching annd will keep reading this forum but i can tell you I am looking at the plastic blanks from dakotalakes if that helps. I am also looking at the createx airbrush paint.

[EdL]

In addition to what has been advised.  Anothe thing is to practice, practice and then some more practice.  All with a bit of patience too.  Learning to airbrush is something like learning to ride a bicycle. A little rough at first but then you get the hang of it.  

[Rmullen99]

Going to try and ask this alittle better hopefully...I have read a ton of these posts here.

I am curious about what everyone considers primer on plastic. Is that just white paint as most posts seem to say they use? If that's accurate than are the steps below correct? I know there are a lot of other options with what paint, what airbrush gun etc all I am asking is "is the paint coverage below accurate"?

1st Step Primer (white paint)

2nd Step Paint scheme

3rd and last step Epoxy Coat (D2T)

Is that it or am I missing a layer?

Thanks again for any help!

[bluetickhound]

Its kinda like asking how to cook spaghetti and meatballs.

1) spaghetti

2) sauce

3) meatballs.

It sounds simple enough but the variations on that simple theme are endless. Just the topcoat issue alone has produced so many different threads it would boggle the mind to try to sort 'em out.

My advice to you is pretty much the same I recieved when I first came on board here... Use the search function, experiment on your own and find the system that gives YOU the best results.... It would be impossible (and prohibitively expensive!!!) to try everything you'll see here but once you see what all is available you'll surely find some paint systems, airbrushes and topcoats that appeal to you.

The bottom line in this: no one can tell you which system is right for you. Only you can find that out. There are any number of products that will get you to where you want to be but luremaking is a highly individual undertaking. Just flip through the hard bait gallery if you don't believe me.... Many different styles and just about all of them are fantastically executed.... Good luck and be sure to post pictures in that gallery when you get to that point. Once you get rolling it will all come together for you and you'll find that your questions will become more specific... Tgat's when the fun REALLY begins!!!

Edited July 20, 2013 by bluetickhound

[bluetickhound]

All that being said... As far as paint goes, a water based paint like Createx or Polytranspar has been my go to... I use Iwata aurbrushes and top coat with either Dick Nite S81 (or DN as you'll see it here), Devcon 2Ton (D2T) or my personal favorite, Amazing Clear Cast (ACC)... ACC is available at Hobby Lobby in the section where casting resins and modeling clay are.

Here's a link to get the Polytranspar lineup for water based paints....

http://www.mckenziesp.com/Water-Base-Paints-C3409.aspx

[RayburnGuy]

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between a "primer" and a "base coat". A primer is usually a type of paint that promotes the adhesion between the paint layers and the lure. A base coat is just your first layer of paint. In most cases you don't need a "primer" to make paint stick to a plastic, or wood, lure. Before I start to paint a plastic bait I give it a quick dip in clean acetone. Mark told us about this process quite a while ago and it works really well to clean any contaminants from the surface of the bait. And when I say a "quick dip" I mean in and out. And don't try to wipe it dry with a towel or rag. The acetone is hot enough that it will start to soften the surface of the plastic and trying to wipe it dry will only screw up the plastic. It will evaporate in a couple seconds so there is no need to try and hurry that up. If your using acrylic paints such as Createx you are now ready to paint. With the clean, dry surface you'll have after dipping in acetone you don't really need a primer. The paint will bond just fine without it. Most of the time I spray a white base coat so the following colors will be more vibrant. One exception to this is if I'm wanting to do a scale pattern and then I will base coat the bait with whatever color I want the scales to be. Another exception to this is when I want to have a layer of silver paint. Then I will spray a black base coat as the silver paint I'm using stands out more, and is a much brighter silver, when sprayed over a black base coat. One other exception to the white base coat is if your doing a "ghost" pattern. By using transparent colors to paint a bait it will allow a small amount of light to shine through and the colors don't stand out as much as when using opaque paints. This method is what gives you the "ghost" effect.

 

There are lots ways to paint lures, but this is the process I use and it has worked well for me. As far as which top coat to use I will let you do some more reading about that subject as this is the most talked about topic at TU and I could literally spend days typing on my keyboard telling you about different top coats and the pros and cons of them. What you need to do is narrow your choices down to a couple of different top coats and then come back and ask specific questions about them. Personally I'm not the type of person to tell you "do it exactly this way" or "use this top coat". I will however try to give you as much information as I can based on my experiences, and from what I have learned here at TU, about building baits so you can make your own choices.

 

good luck and welcome to TU,

Ben

Edited July 20, 2013 by RayburnGuy

[Rmullen99]

Thanks for all replys! Going to read some more and figure this out..lol

[mark poulson]

Here's another site for unpainted plastic baits:

http://www.predatorbassbaits.com/id69.html

All of the baits I've gotten from him works well, and the transparent holographic baits are amazing for ghost patterns in clear water.

[bassguy]

I've found if I use a "primer" on my baits made from PVC, you can get different results for the finished product, i.e., dark primer vs. light primer (gray or white). Light primer makes the paint "pop" and the dark primer makes the paint color more subdued.

 

Jerry

[RayburnGuy]

Take a look at the link below for the definition of a "primer" and what it's duties are. Maybe this will clear up some of the confusion as to what a "primer" and "base coat" are and exactly what their purpose is.

 

Ben

 

http://www.paintingforpainters.com/primer.html

[Mad Moose Baits]

To the OP. You are buying your lure blanks from Dakota Lakes, did you know he has some great tutorials on Youtube? I learned a ton from them!