Custom painting lures

[Kee sims]

Not sure where to post this. But I am looking to get into doing airbrushing on blank lures. I'm totally new to it and trying to figure out maybe a good starter set with compressor and all. Or any tips and advice would be great. I've always enjoyed seeing custom ones and thought it would be a great hobby to try and learn.

So far I can tell gravity feed double action is the way to go(iwata) I believe. Does anyone know of any good places in Springfield that sells decent airbrushes or airbrush sets

[ness]

Hi Kee,

There are a lot of talented folks on here (my self not included) that do some great work. Hopefully BilletHead or Flysmallie will chime in. BilletHead is the Picasso of poppers, Flysmallie is the ...... Foose of flies.

I read a lot and got some good advice on the purchase from Flysmallie, and bought this compressor and this airbrush last year. I wanted a system that would last forever, and be adaptable to do more things. I'm very happy with the system. Google 'Copic' for a more economical setup.

There are a number of threads here in the fly tying section.

You can also Google 'stippling' for some interesting non-airbrush techniques. BilletHead is the OA master of that technique, IMO.

Good luck.

[5bites]

I am just getting started into airbrushung myself. So far I've learned like I always do, don't go cheap. It's not worth the fight and frustration.

I bought an iwata neo to start with. That lasted a little over a month until I got fed up and bought an iwata eclipse like I should have to begin with. There are better guns I'm sure but it's got a solid reputation. I got it at hobby lobby for around $120 with the 40% coupon you can find online at any time.

I started out with my garage 2 gallon compressor and again it just added frustration trying to regulate air pressure accurately and consistently. So I bought a harbor freight air brush compressor. Yes I know it's not exactly top of the line but others have had success and so far I like it.

Hobby lobby carries createx and wicked (made by createx) airbrush paint. Some colors need thinning and some don't. It's part of the learning curve and I'm waaaaaaaaay toward the beginning of it. You can thin with water. Don't. I'm learning this lesson now. Buy actual reducer. Don't be cheap like me.

My eclipse came with com art paint samples. It makes createx seem like you're spraying mud! That com art comes out very smooth. I wanted to throw rocks at my box of createx after trying it lol. I haven't bought any yet.

I was told by a long time painter that spaz stix paint is great and paints about as smooth as lacquer. So I'll be experimenting with it sometime.

You can get bait blanks at several places. One with a good reputation that I've ordered from is predatorbaits.com. The wart blank he sells works. It worked this weekend actually.

Don't clear your baits with rod guide finish (flex coat, threadmaster, etc) because it simply doesn't hold up. Lots use devcon 2-ton but I havet yet. I have at the recommendations of a long time painter used bar top epoxy. It's clear, it's hard, and durable. The pot life is good too. So that's what I'm playing with.

Take all I've said knowing that I'm still just getting my feet wet. My opinions may change as time goes on.

[ness]

Good post, 5bites. I've been using the Devcon epoxy on the poppers I've done. The stuff is tough and puts a great, glassy finish on. I recommend the 30 minute kind -- the 5 minute stuff doesn't give you enough time to work, especially if you're trying to coat several at a time.

[Guest]

Buy a quality respirator (the kind with 3M cartridges) if you paint in a garage or shop.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_69598-98-R6211_0__?productId=1097909

Even water based paint like createx can give you sinus infections & allergy problems.

The clear coat epoxies are just as bad if not worse than the paint.

I usually prime all my baits, then open the garage door to air it out. Close the door & resume painting.

Clear Coat in itself is a different animal.

If you use D2T, make sure its a crankbait. It will turn a suspending jerkbait into a sinking rock.

I use Envirotex Lite, a bar top epoxy that I get from hobby lobby.

It requires an ambient air temp above 70 degrees, you get below that & it will not harden correctly leaving a gooey finish.

This time of year, I run a little buddy heater in the garage to get the air temps above 70.

then clear coat them all & place on the turning wheel. After 2 hours, I move the turning wheel into a spare bedroom & let it turn all night.

That keeps it from polluting the air inside my house & keeps them nice & warm.

The last thing you want, is to leave them in the garage with the buddy heater running & it runs out of propane.

Dont ask me how I know.

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/8-ounce-envirotex-lite-pour-on-finish-729665/

[Guest]

Good post, 5bites. I've been using the Devcon epoxy on the poppers I've done. The stuff is tough and puts a great, glassy finish on. I recommend the 30 minute kind -- the 5 minute stuff doesn't give you enough time to work, especially if you're trying to coat several at a time.

cut it with denatured alcohol to increase working time

[Guest]

I buy the iwata airbrush from hobby lobby $70,

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/neo-cn-gravity-feed-dual-action-airbrush-395327/

but they have a once daily coupon for 40% off. Its only $40 after discount

http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/coupon.cfm

[Fish24/7]

when i first started painting I painted pieces of wood,cardboard,plastic,paper,whatever I could shoot on, this helped me learn how my guns worked , how to make fine lines,thick lines, dots, splatters, mixing/blending colors ect. I suggest lots of practice before you try to shoot a lure. Getting my index finger to work in sync with my brain was tricky,lol

i use master air brushes they sell on ebay for like $40/50

cannot remember the model number but it's the easiest one I have found to clean and re assemble, I have a couple guns I took apart and cannot put back together because tiny pieces were lost, my bad

got a small compressor with regulator, and a moisture trap is a good thing to have on the tank too.

I use an air hose splitter on the air tank so I can use 3 guns w/ 3 dif colors

keep guns clean, if you think it's clean ,clean it again

[Guest]

2 things you need to master:

the art of clear coating

the art of stencil making

Painting is the easy part, IMO

[Fish24/7]

anyone tried clear diamond finish?

i have not

seems like good stuff

http://www.kbs-coatings.com/DiamondFinish-Clear.html