baitem Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Hi everybody let me introduce myself. My name is Kyle and I've fished my whole life but never made a single lure. Then about 3 weeks ago i found Bear's and started pouring some soft plastics. Needless to say I was hooked which is what led me here. I think this stuff is awesome and even though I am BRAND new at it, I already love it. And the way that everybody is so willing to help others figure it out is just amazing to me. I really wish I would have known about this stuff (lure making and the forums) years ago, but anyway, here i am. So today i made my first crankbait. from scratch outta wood. carved it sanded it, put in lip and screw eyes with epoxy, no rattles, just keeping it simple since it's my first try. i just wanted something respectable. The thing came out pretty damn good considering I never worked with wood, or to be honest, really any tools my whole life. Well, it looked pretty damn good, until I got to the airbrush that is... what I did with the airbrush, well... I can't really even describe it, it was so bad. I need help!!! I think it came from 3 main reasons: 1.) lack of skill, which i'm not worried about, i'll develop over time. i've always been good at art. 2.) i didn't have anything to hold the lure up, like the aligator clip stand things i see people on videos using, so i'll have to order some of those. I was holding it up with pliers (i know haha) and it just caused a mess. 3.) This was by far the worst, I had no idea how to properly clean the airbursh while using it, and it's still not clean as I am waiting for advice. I had some cleaning solution that I was trying to follow the directions on, and it had me running from room to room to find a sink, grab a cup and paper towels, it was just frantic. 4.) do i need some sort of lacquer before painitng or will just the white base do? I'm using a paasche VLS double action airbrush, paasche DSR500 compressor w filter, trap, and gauge, and createx paint. Needless to say it's not the tools fault, obviously, it's mine. Any help you guys can give me to get started would be greatly appreciated, especially when it comes to cleaning the airbrush efficiently during changing colors (set-up is not in room with sink). I also don't thing I waited long enough for the paint to dry and it just clogged up. I pretty much did everything wrong! I say this laughing at myself, so don't worry, i know I sound down but I'm not discouraged, just can't believe i did such a bad job. Thanks in advance for the help!!! you can count on me being back with more questions about wood and plastic cranks... I will prevail! (with your help of course.) -Kyle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluetickhound Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 You've come to the right place my friend!! I can't really offer anything new in the way of advice other than to say using the search function and typing in "airbrush" will yield page after page of threads on the subject. The alligator clip deal a lot of us (including myself) use is called "helping hands" and i get mine from Harbor Freight (along with my nylon bristle airbrush cleaning set) although they can be purchased from many different sources. I think Ace hardware has 'em also. Keep at it and soon enough you'll rise to the level of mediocrity i have myself attained!!! Seriously though, welcome aboard and do spend some time using the search function for practically ANY subject you can think of from soup to nuts!! Karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJR Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 (edited) Kyle, the following link contains a series of videos about painting lures and two about cleaning an airbrush that might be helpful. http://www.youtube.c...d&view=0&page=1 Ron Edited July 31, 2012 by DJR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyo1954 Posted July 31, 2012 Report Share Posted July 31, 2012 Mark Poulson's thread on airbrush cleaning: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/24702-easy-air-brush-cleaning/ It's the way I've been cleaning mine since he posted it and it works for me. No sink, keep a tub of water on the table. I use an old Country Crock butter tub about half full. It works. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baitem Posted August 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 awesome thanks guys for the info and the warm welcome Karl. Karl, done and done! I will buy the helping hands and the nylon bristle set shortly, as much as i've spent already, what's a few more bucks? Ron that certainly gives me something to follow, I'm gonna try it with this solution that I bought from HD that the guy said should work for this (wagner cleaner lube), then probably go buy nail polish next time i'm out anyway... G, I will do that next time with the back flush in the tub. Does that just mean the tip of the air brush is underwater and so is a little bit of the paint cup so it kind of just shoots it back into the tub? and is it just water, or soap too, or some sort of paint cleaner? also, how do u back flush anyway? just put your finger over the nozzle tip? Also, I dont mean to bombard the forum but i just keep thinking of questions. Do you have to wait for the paint to dry in between each color? Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJR Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 Here are two more videos that might be helpful. Also, there are plenty of airbrush related sites that could assist with some of your questions. http://www.howtoairb...sh-lessons-179/ http://www.theairbru...m.com/forum.php Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baitem Posted August 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 OK thank you. I've been doing some research and i'm sure that i'll pick up a lot. I appreciate it a bunch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoonpluggergino Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 Kile I have been making baits and painting for about a year, also I have been reading article on this site for about 3 years. Here some advise I can offer when you find something bookmark it and take notes right away. For me the most important thing is to know your airbrush inside out, dont be afraid to take it apart. I clean my brush thorogly after each use. All you need is a bucket of water,spray bottle and widex ammonia free to clean your brush. I also purchased a airbrush video how to paint baits advertised on this site. I believe is the Amistad Tackle, It helped me immensely. For holding your baits go to Home Depot and get couple of their Heavy duty clamps. Here is another thing that I discovered on my own. I use Envirotex to clear coat my baits, we use cheap brushes and than are trown out this gets expensive. I purchased a cheap brush at Home depot about 5/8 wide than i squized the metal around the bristle so tha hairs will not come off. Now when I use the brush I dip it in acetone clean it with paper towel than I put the brush back in to a jar half full of acetone, now the brush is ready for next time, just paper towel it to get the acetone out. I have used the same brush for six months as of now. To mix the envirotex I use small clear tiny cups, smaller than a shut glass. To measure the envirotex I use small siringes found at Wallgreen the one used for small children to measure medicine This is a great site, everything you want to know is here. Have fun Gino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted August 1, 2012 Report Share Posted August 1, 2012 I didn't see where you said what type of paint you were using. If your using water based paint, such as Createx, then any of the cleaning methods above will work. If your using lacquer, or any solvent based paint, then you will need to clean your airbrush with the appropriate solvent instead of water. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baitem Posted August 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 OK. Thanks Ben and Gino, and once again everybody who chimed in before. You guys have helped me out immensely!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
