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YoungForge

Paintbrush Help

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Hello I am new to both tackle making and this forum. I do not have a lot of money to spend as I am a kid and have been spending lots of money on vital tackle making tools, equipment, and supplies. So I don't have enough money to buy an airbrush, I have been using some paintbrushes and acrylic paint from the dollar store. I used a sharpie for a Firetiger lure I made and it looks pretty good butt as I only used it for the detailed flames and stripes I wont be able to use it for much other than details, which I am uncomfortable using because it made impressions in the balsa wood. Can somebody give me any tips or techniques on using paint brushes. Thanks and tight lines.

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I can't help you with using brushes to paint with, but if you have any super glue you can give your balsa baits a light coating of the super glue and it will harden the outer layer of the balsa and make it quite firm. After the glue is dry just give it a light sanding for a smooth surface. That will make the balsa firm enough to use your sharpies on.

There are several people here at TU that paint their baits with brushes and hopefully they will chime in. Diemai and Littleriver are two members that come to mind and they are both really good at it. Take a look at some of their work in the gallery.

hope this helps,

Ben

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Hello YoungForge,

I like to use small water color brushes. I do most of the work with a small round brush. An expensive one would be under five bucks. I generally thin the color first I am going to paint with by taking a very small amount on the end of a paper clip and put in a small medicine cup. Then add a few drops of a solution of 50/50 rubbing alcohol, highest %/ demineralized water and a few drops of glycerin. (All these things can be found at your local walmart. The alcohol and glcerin are pharmacy items.) By adding more and more paint you are able to achieve a range of color from transparent to opaque with any water based acrylic paint you like. Paper clips and needles are good for dots and spots in a range of sizes. The rest is really up to your imagination. Best regards.

Vic

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Hi, YF, Just Like you, I started early in making the lures the way I wanted. One of the easiest ways to start inexpensively is try using nail polish. you can get your basic colors and mix to match your needs and you can find some really crazy flipflop colors that are great to work with! Even clean polish for a top coat. You don't have to spend a lot to customize the lures the way you want. Its a great way to start and its amazing the colors you can do this way. A couple of cheap brushes, some Q-tips, toothpicks, etc... theres no end to the imagination...

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@ YoungForge

Great to hear that you've made your way in here on behalf of my humble YouTube videos .

As RayburnGuy had already described you've gotta seal and harden your balsa blanks somehow , .......not only in terms of sharpie painting but , even more important , in terms of the durability of your lures .

I haven't made a lot of balsa lures so far , ......but one can seal off such baits with a stuff named "propionate" :

http://www.tacklemaking.com/default.php?pageID=112

A more economical way is probably using modelling dope and it's thinner(read this on an Australian site) to dip the balsa blanks .

Modelling dope does not seem to be too expensive , go for the clear type , seems to adhere better than colored versions .

For brush painting I am using modelmaking enamels , .......started out with these so many years ago and I meantime I've got a pot of almost each available color down my shop .

I'm used to these paints because when I was a boy I used to make a lot of plastic models , .........I know a guy on a German forum using acrylic paints , with very good results , .......if I had to start new , I'd go for these as well , as one has more options and possibilities using acrylic paints , .....my modelmaking enamels can't be mixed to different tones nor thinned easily , acrylics are just more versatile .

I only don't want to litter all of my paint stock and buy all new in acrylic !

For brush painting you won't need so many different colors , ......three or four contrasting colors are enough to make up for a nice looking pattern , .......mottled or a simple spotted pattern as well .

Apart from brushes you can also use ear cleaner sticks , pieces of sponge , etc . .....to achieve different effects , dot on round dots and so on .

Check out the gallery pictures of TU member John Hopkins , he is brush painting his most beautiful swimbaits as well , .......admiring his work you'd get an idea , what someone can do with just a hand brush and acrylic paints !

You'd only have to take care of your color paints to be compatible to your topcoat , some kinds of topcoat laquers do dissolve prior paint coats and ruin them , ........solvent based paints(like my modelmaking enamels) are more vulnerable compared to acrylics , ..........clear modelling dope as a topcoat can be hazardous to prior paint coats , as it contains a strong solvent !

To prevent such issues I've got used to paint over my color designs and permanent felt pen signature with two coats of acrylic clear , ....after that I'd apply a few coats of my prefered epoxy topcoat .

good luck , diemai :yay:

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@ YoungForge

Great to hear that you've made your way in here on behalf of my humble YouTube videos .

As RayburnGuy had already described you've gotta seal and harden your balsa blanks somehow , .......not only in terms of sharpie painting but , even more important , in terms of the durability of your lures .

I haven't made a lot of balsa lures so far , ......but one can seal off such baits with a stuff named "propionate" :

http://www.tacklemaking.com/default.php?pageID=112

A more economical way is probably using modelling dope and it's thinner(read this on an Australian site) to dip the balsa blanks .

Modelling dope does not seem to be too expensive , go for the clear type , seems to adhere better than colored versions .

For brush painting I am using modelmaking enamels , .......started out with these so many years ago and I meantime I've got a pot of almost each available color down my shop .

I'm used to these paints because when I was a boy I used to make a lot of plastic models , .........I know a guy on a German forum using acrylic paints , with very good results , .......if I had to start new , I'd go for these as well , as one has more options and possibilities using acrylic paints , .....my modelmaking enamels can't be mixed to different tones nor thinned easily , acrylics are just more versatile .

I only don't want to litter all of my paint stock and buy all new in acrylic !

For brush painting you won't need so many different colors , ......three or four contrasting colors are enough to make up for a nice looking pattern , .......mottled or a simple spotted pattern as well .

Apart from brushes you can also use ear cleaner sticks , pieces of sponge , etc . .....to achieve different effects , dot on round dots and so on .

Check out the gallery pictures of TU member John Hopkins , he is brush painting his most beautiful swimbaits as well , .......admiring his work you'd get an idea , what someone can do with just a hand brush and acrylic paints !

You'd only have to take care of your color paints to be compatible to your topcoat , some kinds of topcoat laquers do dissolve prior paint coats and ruin them , ........solvent based paints(like my modelmaking enamels) are more vulnerable compared to acrylics , ..........clear modelling dope as a topcoat can be hazardous to prior paint coats , as it contains a strong solvent !

To prevent such issues I've got used to paint over my color designs and permanent felt pen signature with two coats of acrylic clear , ....after that I'd apply a few coats of my prefered epoxy topcoat .

good luck , diemai :yay:

Thanks deimai! I really appreciate you giving me such great and informational reply, this information will be very usefull.

I sprayed clear coat on the one I have made so far and it seems pretty good but I will take your word for it considering you are a very experienced and skilled craftsman.

I was wondering if wood hardener would do the trick?

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Here is an idea that I think will make it easy and non-toxic. The product is Alumidust, and it works awsome.

http://www.makelure.com/ProdDetail.cfm?Category=Support%20Products&Name=Alumidust

Cheep brushes work, they are reused, the finish is excellent, can be used on soft plastic or hard plastic pours, etc.

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@ YoungForge

Can't tell about wood hardener , .......to be honest , I can't just figure out exactly what it is , ...maybe a product that I can't obtain over here , .........but I remember , that mark poulson used to write a lot about it in here .

greetz , diemai

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@ YoungForge

Can't tell about wood hardener , .......to be honest , I can't just figure out exactly what it is , ...maybe a product that I can't obtain over here , .........but I remember , that mark poulson used to write a lot about it in here .

greetz , diemai

Diemai it's used to reharden rotten wood but it also works on hardening soft woods

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BUMP! :rolleyes:

 

One thing I haven't seen mentioned mentioned about brush painting with acrylics is moistening the edge of a color to blend. I used to do decorative birds with acrylics over gesso and thin washes and or wetting the surface is used quite a bit. A web search on the technique should turn up some info.

 

bill

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