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[carolinaboy]

Well I have a Paasche Airbrush I got from my Dad. I am possibly getting some Createx and Devcon(I think) Clearcoat. I am getting some unpainted crankbaits from predatorbassbaits.com.

So I have:

1. Airbrush
2. Createx Paint
3. Crankbaits
4. 3D eyes
5. Jig Holder That I used for tying flys jigs etc...

Do I use just blue painters tape to mask off my colors or what?

Do I need anything else?

[RayburnGuy]

I tried using painters tape for masking. I quit using the tape because it left a hard line after removing it and blending in that hard line was a lot of trouble and didn't look natural. At least for me. A lot of folks here at TU use stencils for painting details. Stencils are a good way to achieve the details you want and the softness of the edges can be controlled by varying the distance they are held from the bait. The closer you hold them the more defined the edge will be and the farther away they're held the softer. Varying the amount of paint and pressure used when spraying will also effect how defined the details are. And if you make your stencils out of something that will withstand handling and having paint sprayed on them they will remain usable for a long time.

There are quite a few different things that can be used as masking material if that's the way you want to go. Try doing a search on "masking material" using the search function at the top of this page. There was a pretty good discussion on this topic a few weeks ago.

As for "what you need" that is something you will determine in time. I seriously doubt any two people paint baits with exactly the same routine or with the same equipment. Sounds like you have the basics and my suggestion would be to start with what you have. As your skills progress you will determine what suits you the best. One thing I didn't see you mention was a drying wheel. If your going to be using Devcon 2 Ton epoxy you will need one of these to turn the bait while the epoxy hardens. That is unless you plan on turning it by hand which some people do. Personally I'd say get the lure turner. They aren't that hard to build out of readily available and cheap materials. Mine was built out of scrap plywood and a microwave motor found in a recycle bin. The only thing I bought were some eye hooks to attach the lures to while turning and they were only a few cents apiece. Again, do a search on lure turners or drying wheels and you will find a lot of info on this subject.

Hope this helps.

RG

[bassbandit25]

i agree you really need a drying wheel if you do not already have one you can use a rod turner too or you can do what we did and if you know someone handy have them make you one its soo much cheaper. Good luck and post some baits in the gallery to get some feedback so many people on here have great ideas and they will help you a ton!

[BobP]

I only use tape on the lip before painting. On a bait body, it makes for straight lines with no color transition, which like RG says, looks very unnatural. If you use specifically Devcon Two Ton epoxy for topcoating, you CAN manually rotate your bait to prevent the epoxy from sagging. I did this a few times before I decided I liked bait making and built a lure turner to make life easier. Put a wire hanger in the line tie and the tail and just switch the bait heads/tails every little while for 30-40 minutes until the Devcon has hardened enough not to sag. It's right up there with "watching paint dry" but it does work.

[StrykerLures]

To stop the Hard line from Masking tape you can-

1. Stick it on,

2. Fold back the very edge and stick it onto its self.

also

3. you can stick it on, Spray LIGHT. pull back a little, Spray LIGHTER. Ect. Keep doing that over & over until the hard edge is gone. PRACTICE FIRST! It can be kinda tricky. Especially if the pants still damp

Hope that helps