Custom Baits - Forum
Jigs, Spinnerbaits and Sinkers => Painting and Finishing Lures => Topic started by: Isobnad on 05/21/18 22:27 UTC
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So I pulled the trigger on an airbrush, went with the Iwata eclipse gravity feed, Harbor Freight 1/6 hp air compressor. The decision on these two was made reading about 20 different posts on the subjects from the past 5 years or so. So I now need to pull the “trigger” on paints and clear coats. It sounds like Cretex is the way to go but.... which line? Wicked, auto air, or there regular. Then next is top coat, I know this topic has been covered in previous threads. But I haven’t seen anything recent and I know there is always something new. BTW i have never air brushed anything if that information is helpful in pointing me in the right direction. Thanks in advance.
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Isobnad, I have never airbrushed at all, but have always been thinking about it. Keep posting with your progress. You have my curiosity up now. Congratulations on your recent purchase and good luck.
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Iso....
I use createx regular paints along with the wicked series in a few colors. I really like using the standard, fluorescent, and the pearl colors as I like to mix combinations of the three and actually use very few straight up. I like doing the color shifting top coats and interference top coats and use the regular createx gloss top coat for this.
Most of the createx paints are heat set.....you need to give them a shot with a heat gun or a hair dryer on the high setting. I have both a hair dyer and a Wagner heat gun, preferring the latter.
As the finish top coat I use CS Seal Coat in 4 ounce jars and just dip, hang and let drip.
Be sure you have plenty of air brush cleaner on hand as you want to thoroughly clean the gun between colors and after use. As a finish cleaner I run a cup full of denatured alcohol thru the gun working the trigger constantly until the cup is empty.
You'll also want to have a bottle of reducer on hand. While most of these createx paints are gun ready right from the bottle it won't take you long to figure out that they spray and can be "worked" easier when thinned, sometimes substantially. The color shifting and interference top coats I mentioned I thin down pretty good and apply several very light, thin coats until I get the result I want. The createx gloss top coat can also be used with the regular paints to thin them out a little without using reducer until you have gotten the color density you want.
I keep a white pattern board handy so I can spray it to see how the paint flows and whether the paint is of a consistency that will let me get the desired pattern for what I am doing or to check that I have gotten the colors mixed agreeably for what I need.. I suggest you use one and play with some plain black paint and do letters or numbers as well as lines of varying widths so you can get a handle on moving the brush and spraying so you learn to avoid runs and build-up. You'll also do well to try your hand at thinning some paints and practice thin coating, one atop the other, several times so you understand about how long you need to wait between the coats to get a good clean finish. Oh, and do this practicing when you can focus on what you are doing without distraction. Take notes so you can stay ahead of little issues that pop up. Also be aware that room temperature and humidity can play a part here in drying times and paint handling as well as air movement especially inside the immediate area where you are spraying.
Basically air brushing is a simple process that involves, or can involve, many little "conditions". You need to learn what these conditions are....how one thing can affect another and you'll get most of this information from actual use and practice. Mix/use small amounts of paint to start. Don't fret if things aren't what you want...just head to a faucet with an old toothbrush and wash away the errors....as long as you don't heat set the paint. I had a box full of practice bait bodies that say for a couple weeks after spraying and not being totally happy with the outcome and they washed right up after drying that long. Heat set? That changes the wash-the-paint-off game. Have fun at this and don't over-think things.
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Here is some info I posted on Cretex paint awhile back:
Createx is a water based airbrush paint that comes in 3 types
Createx airbrush color : Orginally formatted for t-shirts but works on hard baits but scratches easily if you are using templates that contact the bait. The largest number of different colors.
Createx Wicked: A better formulation for use on hard baits. Does not dry tip as easily so that is a good improvement!
Createx Auto Air: The white sealer is a very good base coat and very scratch resistant. They have come out with a lot of colors lately. It is actually an automotive paint so it works very well on hard baits.There is a little more learning curve with this paint and using reducers but when you get the hang of it you get super results! I'm switching to it 100% when possible.
Airbrushing plastic baits and lead lures and then sealing with CS Coatings is the way to go! I also use Clear Devcon 2 ton epoxy (NOT the 5 minute cure which will yellow).
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All good info here I would only add to get a few from each line they all have their place but what I will definitely recommend is the createx high performance reducer learn how to paint with that before you try home brews or other types of reducers the stuff is developed for its use and just plain works, you don't need to be fighting with your paint while trying to learn the craft
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Ok, thanks for the info. Looks like I will try a few of each. Last March I started out with a 1/2 and 3/8oz mold and lee pot...... slightly over a year later now realize I really have a passion for lure crafting and I also realize that my attention span is short!!! 30+ lead molds, 20ish plastic molds, dabbled in the tying flies, sooo the air brush just seems to be the next step. What I’m getting at is if it wasn’t for this forum I would have a lot more $$$ no just kidding, but really there is so much knowledge and information in this forum and the members that I should never run out of things to try. As for the air brushing I’ll keep you posted, and probably keep you busy with questions. Thanks again for all the info hopefully I’ll be able translate it into some good looking baits.
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Where do I get the cs seal coat? Found the Devon.
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Never mind! Brain fart! CS like pro-tec.
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Ok....finally had some time to sit down and try my airbrush. Been so busy with little league and work this thing has been sitting just calling my name. Well my rainy day finally came. So I read a lot about not buying anything he cheapo unpainted crank baits from China, but I like the idea of leaning on a .20 to .30 bait instead of a $2-$3 bait. Thankfully my job affords me plenty of YouTube time. I was able to watch tons of airbrushing videos. Anyway these are my attempts at bluegills. Still need to clear coat them. I have to say that they turned out way better than I expected. The only airbrushing I did before this was on the cardboard right before I tried this. I know I still have lots to learn, like when I was done I realized that my vertical lines were not vertical. Also had to do a lot of playing with thinning and mixing colors. I’ve had enough of the rain but a small part of me is hoping for a bunch of rainy day so I can play!!
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Ok not sure how to upload the picture
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(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180611/33cb849e6816d919067f2522248a08e7.heic)
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Those are your first? They are super!! Those will catch fish and will also catch fishermen if you decide to sell some!!
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Gotta love natural talent, and you have natural talent. Awesome work Isobnad. Now you've got me wanting to try air brushing. I have to quit this forum before my wife kills me!
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Now those are a home run! Niiiiice!
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Superb job!!!
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Gotta love natural talent, and you have natural talent. Awesome work Isobnad. Now you've got me wanting to try air brushing. I have to quit this forum before my wife kills me!
I know the feeling about the wife, I started this whole hobby last March. This is what I’ve accumulated in a year and a half.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180611/84d10f6de5b8b8bdade75b887bc00854.heic)
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I'm here to tell ya that your working area is waaaaayyyyyy tooo clean and neat. You need some junk in the way. lol
Nice rigging you have there. I'd be lost in such a healthy environment tho.
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That is a very nice work area. Talented in a lot of areas I see.
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This was just after a clean up/reorganize. Believe me this is not a norm that is why I took pictures!!
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(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180618/943bba3b63ff60889fc3fb6c8e4171ce.heic)
So here is the finished product. As you’ll notice there are only 3 out of the 4. Note to self and everybody else take the tape off the bill before applying epoxy! I managed to remove half the paint on the head of the 4th one and a little of the paint on the ones pictured. I added some small black glitter to the last two that I epoxied, since Ali just got back from a trip to The Whitefish Chain (Crosslake MN) and majority of the gills had a ton of the parasites. I think I went a little heavy on them but I did get the effect I was looking for. For the clear coat I went with the Devcon 2 tone clear. Side note I had fun building a lure turner with a small low rpm motor I found on eBay for cheap and scrap wood. Anyway I’m pretty happy with the results, and can’t wait to do some more experimenting.
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Them are awesome looking what did you use to make the specks paint or black flake in the epoxy. Oh by the way it won’t be long and you’ll won’t be able to park cars in the garage.
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Wow. Of the three that one in the upper right looks like a person could fillet it.
I like the wood staging. I try to get mine on some weathered wood for pictures too.
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It’s .015 black flake. And I haven’t been able to park a truck in the garage for a long time.
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Very good job, your a natural.
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Off the chain!!!