# Airbrush and paint info



## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Okay fellas after starting to tie up spinner rigs for walleye trolling I am now wanting to start to air brush my own blades and I know a guy who stamps his own spoons too. SO...I am turning to you experts who have experience in painting blades or anything with an airbrush gun. 

A couple things I want some tips or advise on. What type of gun to buy is number one. do I want something with 3 tips like a badger 340-E? what else do I need to know 

Paint- what kind of paint would I want to use. I know all the tackle making companies like stamina, jann's luremaking.com they have a varity of cool paints, glows, colors but don't really know the difference in them. 

I plan on doing this to nickle, brass, copper, and steel blades of all sorts, colorado's, willows, indiana's all with different stamps, hex, hammered, fluted etc. 


http://www.fishlander.com/Catalog_ch01.asp

if you go to the above link, I purchased every color in a #5 and #6, but only in copper, now i need a set of silver and gold, and size 4's for all of them, plus I have a million of my own creations I have in mind. 

I can purchase 1000 blank blades for 200.00. one set that i purchased cost 150.00 I'm thinking it's a no brainer for me and my buddies to start making my own. Just want to pick your brains a little bit on the best way to go about doing this. I'll hook whoever up with some of these blades after I get some finished for helping me out. 

Thanks,

Kevin


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Most airbrushes have multiple tip options. I only use mine for taxidermy, but I can do everything I need with a number 1 tip, the smallest for mine. I don't think you'll find much need for anything larger. You just have to decide single or double action, and how much you want to spend. I like my double action, but it's all I've ever used. I'm fairly certain you can get a single action Badger for quite cheap. Or, you can get a very nice double action Iwata for a few hundred dollars. It's up to you, but I doubt you need the Iwata. I bought a basically new Paasche VL for $30 off Ebay. It paints much better than I do.


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

For paints, you might want to try Createx, which is available at many local craft stores. Its an airbrush paint, but you may want to thin it a bit with water. You can clean your airbrush with a window cleaner like Windex, or you could try windshield wiper detergent, which is even cheaper.

I paint with enamels, but recently began using the Createx water-based paints also. Each has advantages and disadvantages, but the Createx is the clear winner when it comes to clean up and lack of nasty fumes from the solvents required to use the stuff.

Still you may want to acquire some automotive clear to clear you bait between layers of painting to protect your work. In other words, you paint till you get the fades done down the sides and back of the bait, then stop and clear before adding scale effects, etc. That way if you make a mistake in the later stages of the painting, you can simply wipe it off with the appropriate solvent (water or paint thinner depending on what type of paint you've chosen) and simply try again.


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## lazy (Apr 10, 2004)

I use Createx paint, like VC said it&#8217;s a water based paint, cleans up with Windex or a water Windex mix. No solvents, no odor, no chance of spontaneous combustion. I never thought of using windshield wiper detergent, I'll have to give that a try, good tip VC, thanks.
Everyone has their favorite brand of air brush so you&#8217;ll find a lot of different opinions on which are the best, I personally like Iwata. 

Dallas


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## "EYE" DOCTOR (Apr 16, 2005)

Air Brush city has an excellent web site filled with tips on using airbrushes for different applications. I dont know how good there brushes are compared to others but im not sure brand matters that much for what you will be painting. I use a single action suction feed for almost everything i paint from blade baits to spinner blades. When i first started i bought a kit that had a double action suction feed and a double action gravity feed and 2 single action suction feed brushes. The double action brushes work better for very fine detail but they are harder to use and harder to clean. Ive found that the single action will paint decent detail with a template if its adjusted properly. Its also super easy to strip and clean. Like has been said before the single action can paint better than i can. 
The paint i use now is base coat clear coat automotive paint that i get at NAPA. If you bribe the guy who mixes the paint with free lures he will let you go into the paint room and mix your own custom colors. The paint itself doesnt smell bad but the clear coat is a bit stinky. It cleans up easy with lacquer thinner.
Lacquer paint with a clear coat paints very well but it chips pretty bad. Its hard to find in quanity and expensive to ship because in large quanities it is a haz-mat. A good source is classic automotive paint but it is expensive. It cleans up easily and dries almost on contact but it smells like rocket fuel. 
Ive not had much experience with vinyl paint but it was harder to thin and spray properly. It also takes longer to dry so its not a good choice with templates. Once you get it right it looks good and is a pretty tough finish just harder to use and cleanup.


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

You should also consider preparing the metal for whatever paint you choose. As I'm sure you know, metal expands and contracts in different temps and paint does not like that.

You might consider trying Bulldog Adhesion Promoter, which is supposed to be a good prep for "all automotive surfaces." I've been trying it on my foil baits before painting them, since the paint also hates the foil surface and wants to flake off easily after application. It is a clear spray-can material; easy to use and invisible when dry.


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