desertbird

It wont vacuum form if cut first. You could set the cut depth real light and score them possibly.

I bought my wife a cricut for Christmas years ago and now use it more than her... lol... I make stick on stencils for my crawdad patterns. I just use shelf liner, cheap and works well. I have also cut some non-stick stencils out of acetate. The trickiest part is drawing the pattern and getting the sizing right. But once you get one you have it forever and it repeats the same any time you need them.

I don't have any direct experience with the baits you have created, but the only problem I think you will face is the paint not staying in that jointed area. The other aspect I think clear coat does is sealing the lure for any potential leaky areas. Not sure how your bait is built and if that would be a concern for you. I don't see why you couldn't do what you are asking, but as you indicated, a re-design would be better for an overall quality bait.

Since I am a Prime member I've bought them through that avenue, and sometimes they have stock stateside that gets free 2 day shipping. They are very cheap per bait. But you do have to put some prep work into them. The hook hangers need to be sealed with some thin super glue or you will have leakers. The top and bottom need to be sanded with fine grit paper to take out the sand marks left from china manufacturing. You will need to tune them once in the water. Otherwise, they work.

I have to do one at a time or it starts to thinken and not spread easily by the time I am on my second bait. I mix by weight and I mix 1.1 gram per bait for standard 2" crankbaits. When doing it by weight you should use the recommended ratio (resin:hardener) of 1.2:1 for dev2ton. .6 grams resin to .5 grams hardener

I had a paasche VL-1 that got me going in painting blanks and had some air leak issues that were getting frustrating, so i figured what the heck I'm going to "TRY" an el-cheapo. The Master G23 seemed to fit the bill and Found a re-branded one on amazon, when I got it it said it was a master and instructions indicated a G23: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005H3FMBW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It does OK, you have to really get the consistency and pressure correct by playing with it on paper then going to your bait. It does NOT like any paints with flake, i.e. metalics. Probably need a .5 needle for those. For $15 it has worked well for me, but I am sure a nice Iwata would be less finiky in paint consistency and pressure. They will work to get you started, but might lead to some frustration, which lead to stopping the hobby. Just know a high dollar airbrush will probably perform a lot better and make things more enjoyable.

i remove the tape before clear coat, and do not clear coat the whole bill, just where it meets the bait.

FYI on hobby lobby coupon: HP-CS Eclipse Airbrush Kit *40% off Coupon may not be used with this item.

For your psi you are running a little high, usually a properly thinned paint will require no more than 20 psi. If your compressor is like mine, psi less than 40 is not easy to set and maintain. To sustain the pressure the paint likes you will want an inline regulator and attache the airbrush hose to it. It is more discrete in psi setting. For non-detail painting you can get away with a higher pressure. But a lower pressure and properly thinned paint will help get a better "mist" and not spatter, but will take a few more coats/passes. Lower psi will also be required for detail and stenceling. Someone recommended this regulator here and it has worked great for me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BR2STI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

did you clean the bait with some alcohol to remove any mold release agents/oils before applying paint?

what kind of stencil are you using?

thanks for the link chuck! exactly what i needed!

Forward to 1:30 to see the dilemma I have. I know as soon I I release air I am starting off at compressor tank pressure cause I can hear it and see the gauge go to my inline set pressure. ideally i'd like a regulator that has no varying pressure in the air brush line.

It allows me to dial it down, but I have to release air to get it there. When I let off the air the pressure goes back to what is set at the compressor. So it is regulating the air, but I have to release the air first to allow it to come down to what I set it. I also have to release air to set the gauge. I want to be able to dial it to desired pressure and stay there no matter if the air brush is feeding air or not. The regulator I am running is similar to this, but I think max psi is 80: https://www.harborfreight.com/125-psi-air-flow-regulator-with-gauge-62695.html Hope that makes sense. I am running thinned el' cheapo acrylic for the most part as i'm just getting started in the hobby. I also use create pearl, black, silver and white. When I have to do fine lines I back off to 10-8lbs.

I'm running a 30 gal compressor to an inline regulator and filter. I set the compressor down to 40lbs, my inline regulator also shows 40lbs till the airbrush releases air. I can dial down the inline regulator to my desired spray pressure but it always starts at the compressor pressure. Meaning if I dial down the compressor to 30lbs and my inline to 15lbs I have to release the extra pressure in the airbrush line before I can feed the paint at 15lbs. When I stop releasing air it goes back up to 30. So before I start any spraying I have to release air to get a constant 15lb flow, then I can release the paint. Is there an inline regulator that will maintain the desired preset pressure? If I set compressor at 30lbs and dial down the inline to 15lbs always have 15lbs in the airbrush line no matter what the compressor pressure is?