Jump to content
RayburnGuy

Different Way To Apply Glitter

Recommended Posts

If your like me you've struggled with adding glitter to your paint jobs. I've tried sprinkling it on a wet top coat, mixing it in with the top coat and brushing it on, mixing it with Createx clear coat and spraying it on, etc, etc. While these methods worked with varying degrees of success very rarely did I get a truly professional looking job. I've just come from trying something different. For those of you that have one of the mini sandblaster guns, or glass etching airbrush as some folks call them, this is the way to go IMHO. It gives a truly random covering of glitter without any of the globs of glitter in one spot and sparse covering in others. If you decide to try this you will need to be careful the first time you try it as the mini blaster puts out a lot more glitter than it looks like. (to these tired old eyes anyway) There is a good bit of "overspray" so you end up wasting some glitter, but glitter is cheap so that wasn't a major concern for me. Give it a try. I think you'll be pleased.

 

Ben

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A great idea.

 

I guess you are using the spray booth, to prevent glitter fall out. Maybe there is a simple way to collect the spare, possibly a wet screen or some kind of separator.

 

Every time the even glitter question is raised, my mind goes into design mode. I will have to write some of the ideas down one day.

 

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another way to add glitter is to mix it in the 1st coat of clear and pour it on starting from the head of the lure.  Hang until dry. Subsequent coats are brushed on without glitter.  It gives a very uniform look.  The only drawback from pouring is there's lots of waste.

 

Now, I just use rattlecan glitter.

 

s54

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys.

 

Nate, the glitter I'm currently using is the ultra fine glitter from Hobby Lobby. Not sure of the exact dimensions. The mini blaster is a Master with a .5mm tip. The tip has a liner in it that I believe is made from some sort of hard plastic so you could possibly drill it out to shoot a larger size glitter. Or maybe they make a larger nozzle for it? Just guessing here as the stuff I currently have shoots fine through the .5mm nozzle. :?

 

Dave,

I hate to admit it, but this first try was done without the aid of any type of spray booth or collection device. You know me. Bull in the china shop until I see if something is going to work and if so then I'll start finessing things. It sure left my work area nice and sparkly though. :) From the way the glitter was floating around I'm thinking a simple shop vac with some type of filtration screen attached to a hood of sorts would suck it up fairly well. Not exactly sure how you would collect the glitter for reuse though. Instead of a filter maybe a water trap between the suction hood and the vacuum? The glitter water could then be strained through a coffee filter and left to dry.

 

 

Here's the link to the gun I'm using if anyone is interested.    http://www.tcpglobal.com/airbrushdepot/itemdetail.aspx?itemno=MAS+G78

 

Ben

Edited by RayburnGuy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info Ben.  Fine glitter sprayed on top of a color is a great way to make it into a reflective metallic color.  To me, how much glitter and where on the lure it ends up is critical.  I do use airbrush paints that contain extra fine glitter flakes but when I think of glitter, it's usually something larger that won't shoot through an airbrush.  What I do is dirt simple but works well.  Buy some cheapo $2 craft glitter at the hobby store that comes pre-mixed in a clear acrylic liquid.  Squirt a little into a shot glass, shoot a little water in to thin the mixture.  Then use a soft artist's brush to put it on the lure.  You can spread out clumps, reposition flakes, and you can closely control how much gets on the lure and exactly where it goes.  The brush also lays the glitter down so it won't stick up through your clearcoat.  The craft glitter is "medium size", too big to shoot through most airbrushes, but if you want larger or smaller glitter you can buy a bottle of clear acrylic and mix your own.  A buddy of mine uses some extra large 1/8" square glitter as a part of one of his color schemes and it makes the lure really pop.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm applying water-based glitter jelly onto the finished paint job straight from the bottle and smear it over the lure with my fingertip . A coat of matte acrylic clear insures a better adhesion of the glitter flakes after the jelly has dried away , so not too many flakes would get into the epoxy brush whilst topcoating afterwards .

Just working with handbrushes ,don't have any airbrush gear !

Cheers , diemai

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm new to bait making and painting, but i just mix my glitters in with my epoxy.  I don't use a whole lot of each color so it doesnt glob and i stir it really well.  when I brush it on, i make sure it's evenly spaced, then I put the bait on my horizontal drywheel over night ( made with a bbq rotisseiri motor).  I've had pretty good luck with that thus far.

 

I may check into the spary gun idea.  Sounds like something to try with an old airbrush that's in the junk drawer. :yay:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm new to bait making and painting, but i just mix my glitters in with my epoxy.  I don't use a whole lot of each color so it doesnt glob and i stir it really well.  when I brush it on, i make sure it's evenly spaced, then I put the bait on my horizontal drywheel over night ( made with a bbq rotisseiri motor).  I've had pretty good luck with that thus far.

 

I may check into the spary gun idea.  Sounds like something to try with an old airbrush that's in the junk drawer. :yay:

 

Not sure if it would work with an airbrush since the mini-blasters are set up completely different. Airbrushes feed either by gravity or by siphoning the paint. The mini-blaster has an enclosed hopper you put the sand, or glitter in this case, with a feed tube sticking up through the middle of the hopper. Some air is diverted into the hopper which makes the material swirl around and get fed into the feed tube. An airbrush may work, but I'd make sure it was an old airbrush that I didn't mind clogging up.

 

Ben

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like to use my daughter's fingernail polish. You'd be amazed at how many colors, sizes. I especially like one that is a transparent glitter in a clear finish. I haven't had any issues with bonding and D2T makes a good hard topcoat. Just watch the brush marks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've mixed very fine glitter in with my clearcoat and sprayed it using a Badger Crescendo 175 with heavy tip. I also loosen the screw that holds the needle in position and slide it back a little more to get more flow and this usually works. For other finishes that get a heavy glitter I do it the old way of spraying some clearcoat on the lure and have some glitter in an old salt shaker and sprinkle some on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

component system glitter nu.5 tip paasche airbrush.

mix glitter with clear thinned 2 ball bearings in bottle.

shake and shoot. bearings keep glitter suspended.. after that flash coat we apply the final clearcoat after the first has flashed over..

you will get an even glitter coat .

we have done that for over 30 years on all baits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I made the mistake of mixing some Hobby Lobby extra fine glitter in transparent base and trying to spray it thru an Iwata Eclipse airbrush. Yikes! I ruined a nozzle. I’ve returned to just mixing the glitter in epoxy top coat, mixing well, brushing it on and turning the lures on a turner. The only problem I’ve had with this method is when I’ve used too much glitter and it resulted in little bumps in the finish. As long as I don’t use too much, it comes out pretty nice

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Kayla said:

Hi Rayburnguy,

 

I tried your technique but my walls are streaked. What did you apply prior to getting the glue to stick? Please write me as soon as possible 

 

 

Thank You,

 

Kayla Worley 

kaylaeworley@gmail.com

There are a number of things you can use to get the glitter to stick to the bait. Anything from spray clears to epoxies. Pretty much any of your top coats that are normally used to cover baits. I ended up liking Createx water based clear. It can be applied in a thin coat and dried quickly with a hair dryer or heat gun.After the glitter was applied, and allowed to dry, it was then top coated with either epoxy or Dick Nite.

One suggestion I'd make is to spray into a deep cardboard box. This will keep most of the glitter from flying everywhere and making a mess.

 

good luck..................Ben

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...


×
×
  • Create New...
Top