more questions for Skeeter and hughesy

[Reaper lures]

I am wondering about the paint you guy's like I am using water based but after taking a good look at your baits I am thinking of trying laquer. How hard is it too get it cleaned out of your air brush? Also what brands do you recamend?

[Skeeter]

99% of what I shoot is water based latex house paint. I get it from Lowes. I tried lacquer to see what the deal is. I do like it. It seems I can be more accurate while shooting scale patterns with it. It also gives you that fade effect that everyone wants easier than with water based. It dries very quickly, so that you can remove templates or scale patterns easily without having to worry about smearing the paint. However, I have my own problems with it. You see..... I make mistakes. With lacquer, the mistake is on there. You really can't fix it. The only option you have it to shoot white base coat to cover it up and start again. You will use tons of thinner. Buy it by the gallon. If you don't have a ventilated spray booth then GET A RESPIRATOR!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are a fool if you don't. You can get respirators for about 25 to 35 bucks. Your lungs should be worth that. Water based paints dissolve. Lacquers do not. The thinners are highly toxic, I don't care what anyone tells you... none of it is safe to breathe. Make sure that you get the right filters on the respirator for shooting lacquer paints.

Now that I am done preaching...... I have some of Dick Nites paints, some taxidermy paints, and some Testors Pactra paints that are all lacquers. Dick's paints need to be thinned 3 to 1. They spray real nice. The taxidermy paints are just pour and shoot. You can see them at www.taxidermy.com The Pactra paints work well also. I don't thin the Pactra pearl paints, but I do the rest of them. I keep a 2 oz. air brush spray jar full of acetone for cleaning the gun between colors. Snap it on and shoot about 1/4 of the jar through it and then snap on the next color. When I am done completely shooting then I shoot acetone through the gun to get the paint out and then tear the gun completely down and clean it with hot soapy water.

Acetone as a thinner is the hottest. It evaproates extremely fast. This allows the paint to dry quickly. Some use MEK or Xylene. I have used them all. I prefer the acetone. The cheapest place I have found this stuff is at Wal Mart. Which ever you use, be careful with it all. These are very strong flammable solvents.

Skeeter

[Hughesy]

We use both kinds. There are certain colors available in one and not the other so what ever the bait calls for is the one we use. As far as brand names, I couldn't begin to list all of them but 2 of the top are: waterbase-Createx and lacquer-Dick Nite.