Painting crankbaits - questions on starting the new hobby

I decided to start attempting to paint my own crankbaits from blanks. A few questions:

• I am thinking about using acrylic paints vs enamels. Acrylics from Createx, Delta Ceramcoat, etc. Is this correct? And, do you thin the paint before applying with an airbrush? I have a Testers airbrush for plastic model painting.
• Do I have to prime the blank before applying a base coat?
• How do you hold the crank while applying paint?

Any other tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the info.

maachuu and ScottV on the MS board have been doing this awhile and they are both very good at it. Send them a PM, I am sure the will answer any questions that you may have.

Tracker123,
I use createx acrylic paint and acrylic paint from Michaels and Hobby Lobby. You need to put a white basecoat down first. Thin your paints to the consistency of milk with water. I hold my cb with pliers. I use blue masking tape to tape off the lip. I also use fine sandpaper and sand the cb so the paint adheres better. Try to be patient when painting. Spray light coats, let it dry and apply another coat let it dry until you get the intensity of the color you are looking for. For a good clear coat, I use DEVCON 2part epoxy. It dries clear and is solid rock hardness. Do not use 5 min epoxy. Make sure it dries clear and says it is waterproof. You can brush it on, no spraying required. Hang to dry on a line with clothespins or paper clips through the eyes where your hooks attach. Your airbrushing skills will get better as you go. Practice, practice, practice. Don't get your airbrush too close to the lure, it will cause the paint to run. If you can afford it, get a good airbrush. Paasche VL-3 is around $65 is a good kit and comes with jars and cups and a hose. Iwata's I believe are the best.
Good Luck,
Bassky

Thanks for your help!

I also use the acrylic from hobby lobby .after i get the color i want i use a spray sealer i get from a r/c shop. Its called fascoat.

Dang maybe Im making a big mistake im going to try and paint with Lacquer. We have an Archery shop and use Fleth lac to custom paint arrows. Please tell me if Im headed down the wrong path.
Thanks Randy

Alot of crank painters use the lacquers, so if you have the booth (explosion proof) to spray the stuff, go for it. I would not use a range air hood with lacquers. Acrylic's are so much nicer to spray and clean up and you can get the same colors as in the lacquers,,and you dont have the odors. I just use a vent less air hood with the acrylics. EnviroTex Lite will give you the best finish for the last application, but you will need a turner as this stuff takes about 5 hours to cure.

Thanks for the info

I use the water based Createx paints. Even on blanks it's better to base coat with opaque white. If I'm painting the bills, I'll hold the bait with forceps by the front hook eyelet. If I'm not painting the bill, I'll tape the bill with painters tape and hold the bait by the bill with forceps. I'll top coat with Envirotec Lite by brushing it on with a throw away foam brush. I have a drying wheel but I prefer to hang the baits and let them drip. That way you don't have such a thick and heavy top coat. After they have hung and dripped for about an hour and half, I'll clean off the excess from the dripping end and the eyelets with a toothpick. They are through dripping by then.