old1ncal

Hey Dave, could you send a copy to me? techknuckle@gmail.com

Hi there, and welcome... For a starter set of airbrush paints, I would recommend ComArt (Iwata) (Medea) transparent set...I believe there are 8 or 12 colors in the set, but there are several different sets available. I use different paints brands ComArt, Createx, Sceptre, etc, but the ComArts in my opinion are great to start with as they are truly ready to use out of the bottle. Normally around here (N. California) about $25 for the set. You do have to look around a bit for them as Hobby Lobby, Dick Blick etc do not always have them in stock. Another good choice is Testors Aztec, (Michaels) but not in a set...again, ready to use out of the bottle. Most of the Createx that I have used needs to be reduced to get a good flow, great paint, but not so much ready to use. What I have found, is that there is not really a need to get a bunch of different colors to start. Depending on the patterns you will be doing, you can get by with some basics if you use transparent colors since you can blend and shade without special mixing of recipes for colors prior to spraying. Op. White, Op. Black, Trans. Blue, Trans. Red, Trans. Yellow, Flo. Chartreuse, Flo. Red or Orange, Trans. Green, Pearl Gold, Pearl Silver, Trans. Brown, Pearl White will give you a wide range of possibilities. While there a hundreds of shades of blues, browns, yellows and reds, purples, etc. with practice and a light touch, you can blend most colors with the transparent paints, just takes practice. Do be aware that an Opaque White will nearly always require reducing, and has a tendency to clog your airbrush if not reduced. Use several coats on the base coat rather than trying to cover in 1 or 2. As for Avid, I have placed several orders with Forrest, at this time he seems to be fairly overwhelmed and you do have to stay on top fo the orders. However, he is great to deal with and always more than fair if there is an issue. The quality of his baits is very good. Just like most others will say on TU, you get what you pay for. Cheap blank vendors = crappy quality. When I first started, I went cheap with a particular vendor I ordered about 100 baits to practice on, I was able to use less than 10%. On 4 of the different models 0 were usable. I complained about it to the vendor, basically fell on deaf ears....last order to that one. Look at the Blank Vendors pin on the beginning of the forum.... there are a bunch, but I use about 4 or 5 of them. All US based with the exception of one. Enjoy you new hobby and take a second mortgage on you home...your going to need it now.

I have tried about every clear coat process out there. I did use Solarez for a while, like others have said, the quick curing is very attractive. The issue that I ran into was the cloudy, matte finish. I was able to work around that after many hours on the TU site and a visit or 30 to Solarez site. What I ended up doing when I used Solarez was after the Solarez hardens to lightly sand the lure with 1000 grit Wet or Dry sand paper. Typically I wait at least 24 hours after the Solarez sets up, but you can do it earlier, just be gentle as the Solarez will continue to harden. After the sanding, I use a dampened wool car polishing wheel in my drill press slowed down to 700 - 500 RPM and some McGuires #3 machine glaze. Just a few drops smeared on the lure, and gently pressed into the spinning wool buffing wheel. In less than a minute, you can polish the entire lure to an incredible high gloss that will be much more attractive than the matte finish. If the kids are doing this step, a firm grip is required when buffing as sometimes the hook hangers and line ties will grab the wool. To "clean" the wool, let it dry, crank up the rpm's and put a nail point into the wheel and move from the center out...where a dust mask as the grit and wax from the polish will puff out of the wool. I still use Solarez on larger striped bass and salmon lures, on bass lures I use MCU due to the "thicker" coat i get when dipping into the Solarez. Hope this helps

By inserting the silicone plugs into the joint, it makes them more or less rigid and unable to bend at the joint. Plus the silicone that I use acts as a mask if you will to stop the clear coat from going into the joint and not "gumming up" the hinges. The silicone in held in place by the orthodontic rubber bands over the top of the silicone. They are reusable and since the are "molded" off an unpainted bait, the are a perfect fit for the same model time and time again.

I use this: Amazing Mold Putty Kit, 2/3 lb.Item# 10410575 from Micheals

Here is what I do...takes some time to get it ready, but for me it works flawlessly. Get some silicone mold making putty. This is what I use. https://www.michaels.com/easymold-silicone-putty/10184918.html%C2'> You can work it with your fingers and it sheds clear coats once cured. Mix well with your fingers, and press it lightly into the joints. You do have to reasonably careful not to get it past the center of the body. I had a hard time with this at first. What I ended up doing was using several tiny rubber bands (dental for braces) to "mask" the hinges. Then I pressed the compound into the joint and let it harden. After cure, it pops out. When clear coating, I place these "plugs" into the joint and hold them in place with 1 or 2 of the tiny rubber bands. Like I said, it sheds any clear coat that I have used; they simply will not stick to it. They are reusable and last for years.

Here is the response from Testor.... So an FYI to anyone using this paint. " Thank you for contacting Rust-Oleum Product Support. The Aztek Hobby Paints are for indoor use. They have no UV Protection in them. I would suggest applying a UV Blocking Clear Coat so they will not fade in the sun. I can recommend testing with our Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Crystal Clear Enamel. We have not finished cross testing so you want to be sure they will be compatible with each other. There should not be a problem as long as the paint has been dry for a full 48 hours before applying the clear coat but we do recommend testing first. You can view the Crystal Clear Enamel on our website here: http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/stops-rust/clear-enamel/ If you have any additional questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, " I guess that I will give that a try. I really like this paint so I am not willing to give up on it yet.

Interesting thought...I would think the UV protector would nullify the effect of the fluorescent paint but, not sure. I have used both D2T and Solarez Dual Cure as my clear coat. What would you suggest as a UV protector?

Hi all, has anyone ran into issues with fading of Testors Aztek Fluorescent paints? I painted serveral lures and after exposure to California sun....the fluorescent is gone...totally faded away. I even exposed to lures to black light to see if there was a remnant left...nope. It only took a few hours of the sun exposure to fade it out. I even had one the has the "shadow" of a rod on it where the paint did not fade.

I have been using Solarez with excellent results. For a Gloss finish on the top coat, after curing, I use 1000 grit Wet or Dry and scuff the entire surface of the bait. Then, wash it off to get the dust off. If i want Matte, I stop there. If I want gloss, I then take the sanded bait and apply a small amount of McGuire's #3 to a lambs wool buffing wheel in my drill press. In less than a couple of minutes, I have an extremely high gloss finish that is very tough. I have also found that i can get some great effects with it applied as a sealer on raw wood. One trick is to wash the lure down with denatured alcohol after a coat of Solarez. The next coat of paint will give you a "micro-spotted" finish. Not sure why, but it works.

I made several using PVC Pipe that I split on a bandsaw, then mounted with epoxy to a block. I use spray glue to hold the sandpaper to the pipe. I made one using 1/2 ID, 3/4 ID PVC pipe, and one that I made with a scrap of copper pipe that I split. Pipe is cheaper than hardwood