Painting crankbait s

[skunked again]

Anybody here paint cranks? Thinking bout doing some. What type of sprayer? Where do you get your supplies? Crankbait, paint, holders, etc. Startup cost? have nothing for it.

[skiptomylu]

There are guys on here that paint cranks, but most do not post on this board. Maybe one will see your post and reply.

Skip

[luremaker]

I have in the past. I use an Iwata airgun, forget which model, and a harbor freight air gun compressor with water trap. Cratex water based paints and devcon epoxy topcoat. Hooks and hardware you can get from Janns Netcraft. Paints and supplies at your local hobby store. Hobby Lobby has a coupon, or used to for like $40 off your first online order. If they still have it use it to get your airbrush. That's what I did.

Good Luck!

[skeetbum]

I paint some and there is definitely a learning curve. Wife bought me an inexpensive gun from Harbor Freight and I can say it is frustrating at times. Buying a good gun pays dividends. Lots of tips you'll pick up along the way. Several guys paint, some very well, and most all will share when a question is asked. I use my garage compressor and a dryer and regulator also from harbor freight. Createx paints work well and there are others at hobby lobby that have smaller containers and diferent colors that also work well. I dropped a couple or three hundred in the early going but not much since the initial. Have fun and good luck.

[jimp]

What type of environment do you need to air brush CB's? Just a spot in the garage or a nice clean spot with no floating dirt/dust, etc??

[brushnjigs]

The sky is the limit as to how much you can get invested with painting cranks.
1st, find a quiet compressor. The noisy pancake ones will drive you crazy very quickly, and you'll need one that can keep up spraying at least 30#s of pressure. Even though most pressures are way less that you will be using. Harbor freight is the cheapest for regulators and traps.
Hobby Lobby runs sales on the Iwata air guns from time to time. Dont look for the cheapest here, get a good gun. Cheap wont spray well or get a fine pattern.
Createx is a good paint or go online at Auto Air.com or a taxidermy supply for hard to find colors. I drop a 1/8th oz bullet weight in my bottles for quicker mixing. A good paper spray mask is a must unless you have a range exhaust hood.
The vent less works fine. I have hundreds of hours with the original filter, still works fine and the light bulb is right where you need it. The cheapest Menards had was actually the most quiet. Just build a box apx 16/18 tall and set the hood on it. Simple as it gets.
The one item you will need is a drying wheel for the top coat. A simple rotisserie motor will work fine. Some use devcon 30 adhesive for a top coat thinned with denatured alcohol. The most important thing with paints and top coats is "Light Coats". Heavy coats will kill a lot of action. Take your time with several light coats if needed. Heat set the paint with a hair dryer between coats. And dont even think of using the wife's dryer.

[brushnjigs]

Jimp,
Just an area in the garage would be fine for spraying. Where you want a dust free area is during the drying time with the top coats. Most top coats will take several hours turning before the bait is dry.

[brushnjigs]

As for the gun, you want a gravity fed Dual action. Pushing down on the trigger moves the paint while pulling back supply's the air. The more you push or pull the more you get.
With the little bit of paint left in the cup, dont let it go to waist, spray it on the back of a white recipe card. When you start spraying Iridescent or Pearls, spray these over the card. You can come up with some good colors that are not in bottles.
I have one Color Shift color that in the sun, starts out a yellow and as you rotate the bait will change to a gold then to an orange. Done with opaque color then an iridescent color then a pearl color over the others.
And dont forget to write what colors you used and in what order for later use.

[brushnjigs]

One thing I forgot to mention. When you are done spraying for the evening, Tear the gun apart and clean it properly. Be extremely careful with the needle at the tip. You can bend it and not even know it, well till you try to use it again.
After I assemble the gun I'll spry a cup of denatured alcohol thru the gun to remove any water.
A water trap is a must and I would install it at the starting end of the spray hose. Use a eye dropper(water) to thin the paints with.
The little Helping Hands vise at harbor freight can come in handy at times.
As for the netting for the scale pattern. You'll have to sample several to find the size holes you are looking for. You dont want them too small or large. You will have to determine what you like the best. From wedding vale to bath scrubbers.
One last thing that comes in handy is surgical gloves. Its kinda of embarrassing when the wife ask you to run to the store, you hand the lady the money and you both realize you have a purple pearl thumb nail. Dont do that like I did.

[downsouth]

Scotty v on the ms board does an outstanding job. I met him this past weekend at the MS fall camp very nice fellow. I'm sure you are a pm away from answers.