Sharptooth Posted April 2, 2011 Report Share Posted April 2, 2011 I am completely new at making crankbaits. I have been making musky spinners for quite some time and decided to try my hand at cranks and jerks. I just finished my first 2 crank blanks made from basswood. I have an airbrush ordered but my question is What paint do I need? I have studied on the forum and found alot of people use createx. What colors would you guys recommend for a beginner? I like the more natural Walleye and perch type patterns but firetiger type paintjobs are not out of the question. Where could I find the kit I need? Thanks for putting up with a bunch of newbie questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkustel Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Welcome, I am by no means a paint expert but I can get you started in your quest. Most guys develop a whole system of coatings from sealer to primer to paint to clear....overwhelmed yet! HA! There are a few brands of band I typically use and I choose the water based acrylics for my own work. Createx falls into this category and I really like the color selection and how they perform. I don't thin it much at all which requires that you spray it at higher pressure...I would recommend not skimping on your compressor...I use a mid-grade Iwata that will give me up to 50lbs of pressure which for me was the only way to spray the Createx paints with best results. You can get away with thinning it but I prefer it unthinned and sprayed at 50lbs. Another brand I like is Tamiya and while I spray it at the same pressure it will spray at much lower pressures and is a little easier to deal with than the createx. I typically use a combination of these paints on a single bait and they get along pretty well. I really like Tamiya for certain colors like their greens which they have a huge selection of. There are a ton of choices out there just make sure you stick to one type for compatibilty. I would say water based acrylics are probably the overall most used. When you get your airbrush setup going just experiment with some scrap...you will have your successes and failures but its the only way to really get a handle on it. Have fun and take your time....if you run some searches on this forum you will find tons of random info on paints, painting, and clears....have fun and make iit custom. Any basic white primer will work as a good undercoat for these paints btw...you don't want to paint over raw wood. Sealing the wood is a search you want to do before you get much deeper into the painting process...it is step one...go for it... John I am completely new at making crankbaits. I have been making musky spinners for quite some time and decided to try my hand at cranks and jerks. I just finished my first 2 crank blanks made from basswood. I have an airbrush ordered but my question is What paint do I need? I have studied on the forum and found alot of people use createx. What colors would you guys recommend for a beginner? I like the more natural Walleye and perch type patterns but firetiger type paintjobs are not out of the question. Where could I find the kit I need? Thanks for putting up with a bunch of newbie questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharptooth Posted April 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Thanks John for the info. Its a big help since I am jumping in blind. Found some createx at a small craft store not to far from home. Denver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troutninja Posted April 9, 2011 Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 I pretty much use nothing but Createx... I thin them slightly with a bit of water and future floor polish. Createx is pretty thick so for best results you will probably want to thin... one thing to keep in mind especially if usuing pearlized, the Colors will look pretty bland. But once you get your clear coat on they will pop... it is definitely best to heat set each layer with a heat gun, hair dryer etc... Just experiment and have fun with it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
