Looking to tool up! Input needed

[newlurepainter]

To start off This is my first post! I see you all are accomplished lure makers!

I would like to start painting small baits and need to know the do's and dont's of getting tooled up. I have a few questions:

1. What is the best brush to do fine detail work on small baits?

2. What air compressor shall I purchase?

2. What type of paint is best paint to use on balsa?

3. What is the toughest clear coat I should use?

4. Where is the best places to purchase all the equipment?

I would like to purchase the brush and compressor and other accessories from the same place. Hopefully one of you members has a store that I can send my business to.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated. It seems like there is a endless amount of information when it comes to airbrushing and its getting a bit overwhelming.

Thank!

[diemai]

@ newlurepainter

Hi , welcome on TU !

To answer some of your questions check thread "painting" started by jeep brah or put the term "painting" into the search function , there surely would be a lot more to find dealing on that subject !

Greetz , diemai

[BobP]

1. What is the best brush to do fine detail work on small baits?

Airbrushes with small diameter tips (.2mm or less) can do finer details but may not be best for general painting. A .3 or .35 tip may be the "sweet spot" if you want to use a single airbrush for lure painting. Many guys (and factories) use stencils so both sides of the bait end up the same. In that case, the brush tip size is not relevant.

2. What air compressor shall I purchase?

Any tool or airbrush compressor that can output a sustained 40 psi of air. Tool compressors are cheaper but louder, though they run only part time since most have an integrated storage tank. Neither type is especially quiet.

2. What type of paint is best paint to use on balsa?

Most hobby builders use water based acrylic latex airbrush paints.

3. What is the toughest clear coat I should use?

A majority use epoxy. Devcon Two Ton or Envirotex Lite are popular brands. There are an increasing number of alternative epoxies - check recent threads. Some use one part auto clearcoats or moisture cured polyurethanes like Dick Nite (see his banner ad often at the top of any TU page).

4. Where is the best places to purchase all the equipment?

If you're looking to single source, Dixie Art is one of the more comprehensive. If you want to shop around, Google the specific item. If you want to see extensive discussion and opinions about any of the above, do a search within this forum for tons of info.