Slims Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Whats up guys? I have switched in the last couple of weeks from making soft plastics, to buying micro cranks. I spent a crap ton of money buying snap beans and nano cranks, and they are great. I have fortunately stumbled upon what look like snap bean clones from china. I just got my first order in, and when held next to a legit snap bean, they are almost identical in shape and size. My question is: What is the best way to repaint because the paint jobs of these chinese imports leave much to be desired. Should I invest in an airbrush from harbor frieght? What size compressor do I need? I have never air brushed before so I am completely clueless in this respect. Should I sand off the old paint job, or can I just give a new white base coat and go to town? What is the cheapest clear coat I can use for my first few attempts? Thanks for the responses guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Maxwell Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I can tell you what I use. I bought a Pasche airbrush from Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon, teamed up with a small 1 gallon air compresser. You need a decent regulator that can be adjusted easily, along with a filter to keep water out of the brush. I would suggest lightly sanding the existing paint job and start with a bonding primer paint. As for finish coats I have been using Devcon Two Ton for many years with excellent results. Before you buy a bunch of bodies you might try floatability. I have had issues in the past. I'm sure others will pipe in, probably enough that you will get confused. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Not sure exactly how small the cranks your painting are, but an epoxy top coat can have a huge effect on small cranks. I bought some LC 0.5 KO's a while back and coated the first couple with 30 minute epoxy. The epoxy made them sit much lower in the water and they didn't rise nearly as quick as the originals. I haven't painted and top coated any more yet, but will be brushing a moisture cure urethane on the next ones since it goes on much thinner. If you want to try the epoxy I would suggest experimenting on one or two before top coating the whole lot. good luck, Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltshaker Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I did the exact same thing, Ben. You can fish my 0.5 like a jig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slims Posted March 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Not sure exactly how small the cranks your painting are, but an epoxy top coat can have a huge effect on small cranks. I bought some LC 0.5 KO's a while back and coated the first couple with 30 minute epoxy. The epoxy made them sit much lower in the water and they didn't rise nearly as quick as the originals. I haven't painted and top coated any more yet, but will be brushing a moisture cure urethane on the next ones since it goes on much thinner. If you want to try the epoxy I would suggest experimenting on one or two before top coating the whole lot. good luck, Ben the lures are 3/4" and 1" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 It would be my guess that epoxy is going to have a huge effect on cranks that small. I'm not familiar with the concrete sealers a lot of people are using so I would opt for a moisture cured urethane. If your not familiar with the storage issues of MCU's then I would suggest you use the search feature and do some research on how to apply and store them since they are expensive and can start to cure in the container if stored improperly. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) As long as you have good ventilation, or do it outside, dipping in AC1315 is light, clear, fast, and bulletproof. Unless they are already top coated with epoxy, if I were you, I'd experiment with fast dipping your baits in clean acetone before painting. It will almost certainly take off a fine layer of whatever is on them, and leave you a clean, open surface to paint. Try one and see what happens. If the paint sticks, the AC1315 will keep it safe. Edited March 22, 2015 by mark poulson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
