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RayburnGuy

Scale Painting Tip

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I stumbled onto a couple of things that made painting scales much easier. At least for me. The first one I got lucky on. Found that the netting on the back of a dish washing sponge was a good size and it had just enough flexibility to allow it to conform around baits with multiple contours. After it starts getting stiff from painting a few baits I drop it into a small jar filled with Createx airbrush restorer that I have for soaking my airbrush. It takes off the old, dried paint and softens the netting right back up without harming it. This may or may not work with the type of netting your using so you might want to try a small piece before completely dissolving something.

The second thing I stumbled up on is a way to hold the netting while spraying. I've tried clothes pins and embroidery hoops with less than stellar performance. Now I'm using a couple clothes pins and two flat, wooden stir sticks or tongue depressors. Or whatever you want to call them. After folding the netting over the back of the bait, and draping it down the sides, I place a stir stick on each side of the folded netting at the bottom of the bait and clip a clothes pin to each end of the sticks. The netting can then be pulled tight or positioned as needed. A pair of hemostats is then clipped onto the stir sticks in approximately the middle of the bait. This allows for easy handling while painting. The hemostats can also be placed into a vice or clamp to hold everything if you want to hold a comb in one hand and the airbrush in the other while adding stripes to your lure. I've done both flat-sided baits and regular crankbaits this way and it works equally well on both.

Hope this helps some of you.

RG

Edited by RayburnGuy
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I stumbled onto a couple of things that made painting scales much easier. At least for me. The first one I got lucky on. Found that the netting on the back of a dish washing sponge was a good size and it had just enough flexibility to allow it to conform around baits with multiple contours. After it starts getting stiff from painting a few baits I drop it into a small jar filled with Createx airbrush restorer that I have for soaking my airbrush. It takes off the old, dried paint and softens the netting right back up without harming it. This may or may not work with the type of netting your using so you might want to try a small piece before completely dissolving something.

The second thing I stumbled up on is a way to hold the netting while spraying. I've tried clothes pins and embroidery hoops with less than stellar performance. Now I'm using a couple clothes pins and two flat, wooden stir sticks or tongue depressors. Or whatever you want to call them. After folding the netting over the back of the bait, and draping it down the sides, I place a stir stick on each side of the folded netting at the bottom of the bait and clip a clothes pin to each end of the sticks. The netting can then be pulled tight or positioned as needed. A pair of hemostats is then clipped onto the stir sticks in approximately the middle of the bait. This allows for easy handling while painting. The hemostats can also be placed into a vice or clamp to hold everything if you want to hold a comb in one hand and the airbrush in the other while adding stripes to your lure. I've done both flat-sided baits and regular crankbaits this way and it works equally well on both.

Hope this helps some of you.

RG

I do exactly the same thing but I use binder clips since they are smaller and stay out of the way.

CheapTrix

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Here's what I do with great success. I go to an art or hobby store and get wire netting thats used for sculpting, not sure the exact name. It's thin wire mesh that you can cut with scissors and it comes folded up in sheets. I cut a piece off that fits my bait and since it's wire you can mold it to your bait. Paint it, take if off easily and waa-la. You'll have to play with it but it comes in different size scale patterns. Once I 've used it, I drop it into a small bowl of water/windex and clean it with a toothbrush. Only thing is you prob don't get as many jobs out of it cause it eventually gets weak. But the benefit is I think if offers a more realistic scale shape and since its wire, again, you can actually spread it gently to make the actual scale part a little bigger, if that makes sense.

Give it a try.

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Here's what I do with great success. I go to an art or hobby store and get wire netting thats used for sculpting, not sure the exact name. It's thin wire mesh that you can cut with scissors and it comes folded up in sheets. I cut a piece off that fits my bait and since it's wire you can mold it to your bait. Paint it, take if off easily and waa-la. You'll have to play with it but it comes in different size scale patterns. Once I 've used it, I drop it into a small bowl of water/windex and clean it with a toothbrush. Only thing is you prob don't get as many jobs out of it cause it eventually gets weak. But the benefit is I think if offers a more realistic scale shape and since its wire, again, you can actually spread it gently to make the actual scale part a little bigger, if that makes sense.

Give it a try.

That sounds like a great material!

I checked with Michael's, and all they have is plaster gauze.

What store did you find it at, or can you dig up the name of the material?

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Great ideas! I have only tried scale masking once, just in practice. One question I have is whether to remove the masking before or after heat setting (createx).

Thanks!

I use tule cloth for scaling, and I heat set both before I remove the scale cloth, so the paint doesn't peel, and after, to make sure it's really set.

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RG,

That's a great tip using the popsicle sticks. Great idea! I've been using binder clips and clothespins. Had been kicking around the idea of using weight to keep the netting tight, but I haven't tried it. I'll try to explain... My bait is horizontal in a fly vise, and my netting is a square piece of minnow net. I would drape over the top of the bait and hold the ends together under the bait. Then attach several plug knockers (i.e bell sinker or spark plug with snap swivel) through both sides of the netting. Haven't tested yet though.

Also, tell us more about your kitchen sponge netting. All I can picture in my head is the sponge with the rough scrubby side. Or maybe you mean the "bug sponges" that are completely enclosed in mesh?

Luke: Heatset before you remove the netting. I read it on here somewhere and that's what I've been doing. Start with a light mist, then several more light coats. I heatset after each time just to make sure it's dry before the next coat. You don't want your netting to stick to the bait.

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I'm still in the trial and error phase of airbrushing scale patterns, but I did come up with a good way to hold the netting. I would consider much like the popsicle method, only I cut out two small pieces of wood panelling about 2 inches wide and about the length on the lure your going to paint, then I took them to my scroll saw and cut the contour of the belly of the lure out on the edge of the 2 pieces of panelling. I then drape the netting over the lure and put the pieces of panelling on each side of the netting, clamping it with two quick grip clamps. Once you have the netting clamped over the lure, you can loosen each clamp (one at a time) and pull the netting tight between the pieces of panelling and then tighten the clamp back up. You can really get the netting snug around the contour of the lure doing it this way. Hope this method is useful !

Mark

Edited by FUBAR
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Also, tell us more about your kitchen sponge netting. All I can picture in my head is the sponge with the rough scrubby side. Or maybe you mean the "bug sponges" that are completely enclosed in mesh?

The dish washing sponge I'm using is sort of like the "bug sponge". It's just a synthetic sponge with a cloth covering on one side and a net mesh covering on the other. I just cut off the side with the netting and use it. The thing I like about this particular netting is that it is flexible and will stretch just enough to conform to rounded baits without distorting so much that it makes the scales look misshapen or out of proportion.

RG

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I'm still in the trial and error phase of airbrushing scale patterns, but I did come up with a good way to hold the netting. I would consider much like the popsicle method, only I cut out two small pieces of wood panelling about 2 inches wide and about the length on the lure your going to paint, then I took them to my scroll saw and cut the contour of the belly of the lure out on the edge of the 2 pieces of panelling. I then drape the netting over the lure and put the pieces of panelling on each side of the netting, clamping it with two quick grip clamps. Once you have the netting clamped over the lure, you can loosen each clamp (one at a time) and pull the netting tight between the pieces of panelling and then tighten the clamp back up. You can really get the netting snug around the contour of the lure doing it this way. Hope this method is useful !

Mark

That sounds like a good idea Mark, but I paint so many different styles of lures that I would constantly be cutting out templates.

RG

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Wow, the popsicle sticks are a great idea. I currently use the small alligator clips that are used for connecting wires to battery posts. These work well, but on a deep diver it takes at least 8 clips to hold everything in place.

That's originally what I was doing only with clothes pins. To get the netting stretched tight over the lure I ended up with so many clothes pins that it was hard to spray around the belly of the bait and it made handling them difficult as well.

RG

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I was using an old pair of my wifes fish net stockings...........Ofcourse I called every one I made a sexy shad.........

That's a pretty good idea Sonny. Just make sure your wife isn't wearing them at the time or you might get a skillet upside the head. :lol:

RG

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I've seen those sponges at the dollar store and the minnow net has crossed my mind.

It's amazing the amount of time you spend strolling down the isles of dept stores searching for the perfect netting.

I decided to dig out a net facemask that I wear bowhunting.

Cut it up into 4-6" squares.

Its a fine square mesh that has given me flexibilty and clean lines.

I've been using clips and also freehand.

The popsicle sticks make sense to me, try them next.

Awesome ideas :yay:

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That sounds like a great material!

I checked with Michael's, and all they have is plaster gauze.

What store did you find it at, or can you dig up the name of the material?

Hey Mark, I got it at AC Moore, I'm shocked that Michael's doesn't have it. If you don't have a AC Moore's just check some art supply websiites. I think this stuff is pretty popular. If for some reason you still can't find it email me and I'll try to get the name of it so you can search for it that way. My email is fishnart24@yahoo.com. Let me know if I can help you in any other way, its a great tool

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I found another good way to hold the netting last night..........."chip clips"......the ones you use to put on open bags of snacks. This worked very well ! I hit the local dollar store today and found a 5 pack of chip clips for a buck.

Mark

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Well, I scoured the dollar store and the grocery store for those mesh sponges with no luck. Guess I'll have to go to Wal-Mart.

Good news is I did find some nifty combs for masking. Also found some non-slip drawer liner with a really nice mesh pattern. Anybody ever tried scale masking with that stuff? For a buck, I had to try it.

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Well, I scoured the dollar store and the grocery store for those mesh sponges with no luck. Guess I'll have to go to Wal-Mart.

Good news is I did find some nifty combs for masking. Also found some non-slip drawer liner with a really nice mesh pattern. Anybody ever tried scale masking with that stuff? For a buck, I had to try it.

I used the shelf liner for lateral lines,for a largemouth looking plug. The shelf liner I had lying around-- had rows of 2 differ sized diamond shaped holes.....just used blue painters tape to mask areas I didnt want paint on. Made Horizontal lines.

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The way I hold my netting is I cut a piece of netting in circle about 7" in diameter. Then, I use #2 splitshot and crimp them every 1/2" or so around the edge of the netting. Then I just drape the netting over the lure, arrange the netting, and shoot. The lead weights hold everything in place perfect.

Edited by Hughesy
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The way I hold my netting is I cut a piece of netting in circle about 7" in diameter. Then, I use #2 splitshot and crimp them every 1/2" or so around the edge of the netting. Then I just drape the netting over the lure, arrange the netting, and shoot. The lead weights hold everything in place perfect.

Wow never even thought of that. Wow!

Thanks Gary!!

Jeff Francis

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