diverdown Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Hello guys, im new to TU and new to all this lure making. Actually, I havent even started yet but joined this sight after trolling it for a few days. One thing I will say is, I feel like im waaayyyy outta my league here. Im just looking to paint some premade unpainted crankbaits for walleye fishing and probably paint up some tungsten jigs for ice fishing. Im on a bit of a budget and not looking to sell these baita. Just thought it would be fun to paint my own lures. So let me start with a few basic questions... Airbrush and Compressor-recommendations Paints? Equipment to hold baits while painting? Clear coats? Stencils (are they needed or not) I am an absolute rookie and have no idea what is needed and/or not needed. Neither me nor any of my fishing buddies have painted our own lures. So im basically looking at what do I need to get started? Please forgive me if some of my questions seem rather elementary. Just new to this and want to get as much information as possible. Any help is appreciated and I will definitely keep you guys posted on my successes and probably many failures. Thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Well there are a lot of these guys better than me but I have been messing around with this stuff for awhile now but just recently joined TU. As far as airbrushes go I would recommend getting the best that you can afford in the 180 to 200 dollar range.I tried the cheaper route and it just didn't work for me I ended up spending more in the long run. I now use an iawata eclipse gravity fed dual action and a grex pistol grip dual action gravity fed airbrush they are pricey but good guns that will do a good job on detail work when you get good at it (I'm not yet ) but I have seen some good results with the neo airbrush on other sites but I have it also and never have been satisfied with it ($65 hobbylobby). As for compressors I use a small pancake oil less compressor with a moisture trap and microregulator that I've had for years a little noisy but works you can pick up an airbrush comp at harborfreight for around $60 not sure about quality but looks legit get one rated for 50 psi at least you won't shoot paint at this pressure but it is in the range recommended for the brushes I've researched (I shoot in the 5 to 10 range and restrict the air at my brush with a needle valve when needed) stencils are a must in my opinion,I recommend created wicked and transparent acrylic paint heat setting with a hairdryer but there are numerous paints to experiment with when you are comfortable with reducing them as they all have different carricturistics Clearwater are a category to themselves epoxy works well on a lot of things (devcon 2 ton 30 min clear,and extreme power 30 min clear ) are what I use but will be a little bulky sometimes on premature bait bodies if shooting laquor I use liquor clear or auto clear there are also moisture cure firsthand but I don't have much experience with these but I'm sure someone will chime in on this. My advice for what it's worth is to get the best equipment you can afford and watch as many how to videos as you can be patient and have fun you will get addicted before you know it good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 I tried to say createx acrylic paint (wicked and transparent)and clearcoats (epoxy,mcu) and laquor clearcoat not what my spell check filled in sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt M Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 The equipment I use to hold the bait is a dowel rod with an electrical alligator clip attached one end. The other end has a piece of Velcro that attaches to my lure turner. My clear coat is amazing clear casts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAWGFAN Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 I use the gravity feed Neo airbrush and recommend it as a good place to start. I use a Harbor Freight pancake for my air supply. It has a built in regulator (I usually spray at 30psi), and I did add a moisture separating filter. Createx and Wicked paints are a good way to go. For most patterns, base coat with opaque white, then use transparent, fluorescent, and pearls. For transparent patterns, no base coat. You can experiment with reducing your paints to get the viscosity and coverage that works for you. Use some type of small disposable cups for mixing colors and reducing. I also like alligator clips to hold baits. Instead of dowels, I use pieces of wire coat hanger. They can be bent if needed. Drill holes in a scrap 2X4 to make a base for them. I use envirotex lite for my clear. It's probably not the best, but it works and is affordable. The search for the holy grail of clear coats seems to be a constant topic of discussion around here. Stencils and masking tape can help a lot. I've tried everything from heavy paper to plastic stencil sheets. Pre-molded ones are available for a lot of the blanks out there. You can vacuum mold your own. Check youtube for videos on this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhersh Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Also check Dakota lakes tackle.com he has alot of helpful info on his site. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbdesigns Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Also check Dakota lakes tackle.com he has alot of helpful info on his site. agreed. alot of useful knowledge. take some time and watch his youtube vidoes too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gone2long Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Harbor freight has a device called helping hands for $2-$3 a piece and a good investment. I'm an Iwata fan and I started with a NEO and it will get the job done I now use 2 Iwata Eclipse HP-BS and they're the bomb @ $140 I use a pancake compressor and Wicked and Auto Air as well as standard Createx even use craft paint but I don't recommend that because you need a large tip/needle combo to shoot it, my Talon has a .66mm setup stencils are not required but masks of many different types of materials is a good thing to have with you for scale patterns and varied other patterns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diverdown Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I appreciate all the useful info from you guys but I have one more question. How do I apply the epoxy topcoat to the crankbaits?? After much research I think I may end up using the devcon 2T epoxy but just wondering jow I put on the crankbaits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I think most of us that use epoxy apply it with a brush. Personally I've had better luck using a quality, natural hair artists brush. They're a good bit more expensive, but they seem to help pop any small bubbles that might remain in the epoxy after applying it. The added expense of this type brush is not a major concern for me because they seem to do a better job and will last as long as you keep them clean. I've been using one of my brushes for a couple years now and it's still in great shape. There are several posts concerning this topic in the archives. They cover such things as how to thin your epoxy and what to use to thin it. How to clean and care for your brushes. How to get rid of the bubbles caused by mixing. etc. etc. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandy Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 There is a great write up on applying epoxy top coats in the tutorial forum by Fatfingers. It is titled "Trying to achieve a flawless finish." It covers everything you need to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeee Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I have a few airbrushes and the one I think is the best bang for the buck is the Harder Steenbeck Ultra Airbrush. It comes with a .2 mm needle and does a great job on detail work or general spraying. Very comfortable in the hand and feels like quality that only $200.00 plus airbrushed have. Check out the reviews I haven't seen one that isn't positive and Chicago airbrush supply has them on sale at an amazing price. The only drawback is that you need to thin the thicker paints because of the smaller needle, but that extends the paint out further so it's not a compliant. They also have .4 and .6 mm needles if you like to paint with sludge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Ron Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Spamming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Glenn Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I have had a couple of the double action air brushes and they were a lot smarter than I was. I just never could get the hang of that trigger. I have been using a single action Badger and it works well for me. I usually paint larger musky lures so a paint roller would probably do for what I need. lol Musky Glenn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I have had a couple of the double action air brushes and they were a lot smarter than I was. I just never could get the hang of that trigger. I have been using a single action Badger and it works well for me. I usually paint larger musky lures so a paint roller would probably do for what I need. lol Musky Glenn If you decide to try the paint roller Glenn be sure to take pictures. I wanna see that. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Glenn Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) I never liked paying someone to do something that I could do so I learned to do many things. A few of the things that I never mastered was stick welding, walking the dog with a right hand reel, and a double action trigger air brush. (As soon as I went to left hand reels, I could walk the dog, jerking right handed) Dumb me. I admire all the great videos of those fancy air brush tricks to show how to learn to air brush. Just wasted on my two left hands with ten thumbs. lol Musky Glenn Edited October 17, 2014 by Musky Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I never liked paying someone to do something that I could do so I learned to do many things. A few of the things that I never mastered was stick welding, walking the dog with a right hand reel, and a double action trigger air brush. (As soon as I went to left hand reels, I could walk the dog, jerking right handed) Dumb me. I admire all the great videos of those fancy air brush tricks to show how to learn to air brush. Just wasted on my two left hands with ten thumbs. lol Musky Glenn I feel your pain Glenn. It's really aggravating when you KNOW what you want to do and can SEE it in your brain, but it somehow gets lost before it can reach your hands. I've always been able to at least become proficient with most things I've tackled, but the airbrush has been quite humbling to say the least. Thank goodness I'm too hardheaded to give up. lol As long as we can fool the fish who cares if what we build and paint is a work of art? We just have to keep hanging in there. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
