# Holding the bait as you are painting...



## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

This is a question that comes up quite a bit and it is an important one. 

Using an airbrush effectively requires six or seven important elements and securing the target is a big one.

How do you hold your bait? Pictures please.

(I would also like to see the picture that VT Basser posted on another board; he has a VERY slick and simple way of securing the bait for painting).

There are no right and wrong answers here, so post up guys.:G


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## Bester (Dec 29, 2007)

I like hemostats but would like to see other ideas.


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## eyesman_01 (Jan 4, 2007)

I've seen the clip setup VT has in our local building supply (Menard's), and will have to get one next time I'm in there it looks more stable than my setup, but it has worked for me so far.


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## triton175 (Feb 21, 2006)

I hold the bail by the tail-hook screw eye with a vise-grip pliers. Then I put it in the Craftsman adjustable vise. It can then be moved horizontally, vertically or rotated. Works very well.
TIGGER has a great movable vise that he got at a hobby shop, but I couldn't find one. The Craftsman is almost as good.
Brian


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## Jim45498 (Dec 17, 2007)

I don't have any pics but I always hold bait by the bill. It gives me much more control.
I use flytying vice if I am painting scales


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## Downriver Tackle (Jan 13, 2009)

All depends. LOL On the bait and what I'm tring to do. If it has a bill, I'm holding onto that while priming and doing simple coloring. If no bill, it's hemos or needle nose. Size of the pliers depends on the lure. Sometimes when I'm doing a scaling wrap, I'm holding onto a paper snap clip or aligator clip. Bottom line, you need all kinds of ways to secure or hold a bait. I probably use 20 or more different techniques.


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## Sleprock (Dec 16, 2005)

rubber bands fish hooks and a cardboard box so far


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## VTBasser (Apr 17, 2008)

vc1111 said:


> This is a question that comes up quite a bit and it is an important one.
> 
> Using an airbrush effectively requires six or seven important elements and securing the target is a big one.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the nod Fatfingers. Here you go. Came to me in an instant out of need and lack of $. I had the plate and roller ring from a microwave I scavenged the 4 rpm spinner motor and exhaust fan out of (for other projects). Nothing like good trash!

.


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## Cutt'em Jack (Feb 17, 2008)

I have the same vice as triton pictured. Works great, bought mine at Lowe's.


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## plugman (Jul 15, 2008)

Hey VT, Does that rig vent to the outside as well?


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## ThreeRiversEsox (Mar 27, 2008)

HELPING HANDS!!!! harbor freight $2.99 










I use them for everything and they are the best. Quick and easy to use, no tightening clamps, etc, easy rotation of the bait. From base coats to final clear, then to the drier. try it.


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## eyesman_01 (Jan 4, 2007)

OOPS. It was the Helping Hands of TRE's I saw in Menard's. My bad. Don't know the price there but I'm still gonna pick up a set.


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## VTBasser (Apr 17, 2008)

plugman said:


> Hey VT, Does that rig vent to the outside as well?


Yes it does. I took over a section of attic closet opposite a dormer upstairs as a workspace. There is a bathroom vent fan pipe that ties into the stack there that I tied into to vent the booth.


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

Thanks, VT. I thought the idea of inserting a pair of vice grip in a piece of wood was a particularly slick idea and simple too. All you'd have to do is rotate the base (wood) as you paint.

I use a the small vice grips available at Walmart (for about $2). I actually bought about 7 or 8 of them and I use them in the paint shop and on the bench to hold the bait when I'm running envirotex top coats. I'm sure they'd work extremely well for bass and walleye baits too and combined with a base plate of wood like yours is just a great idea.

I may make up another separate board with several sets of holes drilled in it for five or six vice grips so that I could stack the baits next to me as I'm painting various base coats in the paint shop.


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

Lol, here's a shot of the bench as I was typing the last post:


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## Rowhunter (Jun 21, 2007)

I see that many of you have come up with some great ways to hold your lures for painting! Mine however, is quite basic, just a wire and a swivel. I'll hold on to the lip or attach a wire to the bottom loop while shooting. Detail painting is done on a simple 45 degree holder. I've also included a jig I've made to hold them as I install lip's.

Douglas


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

That is such a classic looking body configuration, Douglas. I'll bet those work great!


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## CRAPPIE LOVER (Feb 11, 2007)

Rowhunter was looking at the Bait....That is one fantastic looking lure......Jim.....


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## VTBasser (Apr 17, 2008)

This is how I finished the plug you asked me about.


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## plugman (Jul 15, 2008)

That is sweet stuff! Those Champlain Water Wolves don't stand a chance!
How much does it weigh? Finish with a danny lip?


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## DanCampbell (Mar 4, 2011)

Hello all,
I hope this helps.

I use PVC for my painting, I drill a hole in 1/2" caps and glue a screw in the cap.
I then use short sections of 1/2" pipe to hold the cap and lure for painting.

The best part is you can make any number of jigs to hold the bait once it's on the cap. Dipping, painting, and even attaching fitting to a drying wheel can easily be done.

The idea that I had was to be able to screw the blank to the end cap and complete the entire process without taking it off or touching it.

One of the best features I think is the ability to set it down on a table while it drys or just to store it before the next process.


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## Piraaja (Jan 11, 2011)

So cool to see so many different solutions For smaller baits I use a fly tying vise but for bigger ones I use a bamboo stick that can be drilled through after the final clear coat is on.


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## bowhunter29 (Dec 13, 2008)

I use a fly tying vice. I bought it at Bass Pro several years ago for $20 and it works great. I bought a couple of the helping hands from Harbor Freight and I just never got comfortable using them, they didn't hold the lure securely enough for my liking. The vice is simple to use and came with 3 sets of jaws. I use the large set when painting musky lures, it holds the .092" screw eyes just fine. I use the smaller sets of jaws when painting bass lures. 

jeremy


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## Pikopath (Jan 18, 2009)

Im using vp pipes, and my drying wheel is set up with muffs, so I just place them there. The screweye is epoxied in when the clear is dry.









Michael


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