Painting Chatter Bait Blades

[Taxin_that_bass]

What is the best method to get stainless chatter bait blades black?  I have been using a sharpie but it just doesn't look clean and wears off.  I did buy some already black ones but they are pricey plus i ordered some coffin style blades from china and they only come in stainless.  Anyone try that spike it blade dip?   I have heard people say air brush or quick dip in a fluid bed to get a thin coat but i worry it will chip off and also change the action.  

[EironBreaker]

I've dipped chatter blades in green pumpkin powder paint and had no issues with the action.  Seemed just the same to me.  I've done other colors for customers.  I don't think it changes the action and nobody as said anything negative about it.

[smalljaw]

Spike-it lure and blade dip. That is a dye and won't add weight to the blade.

[JBarlow]

Buy the black nickel blades.  Spike It will work but it too will wear off.

[rfdong]

Heat them with a torch but away from the blue flame slowly they will turn bluish/blk

[mark poulson]

Use black nail polish.  Clean them first by wiping them down with clean acetone.

It works for all colors, and on spinner bait blades, too.

 

Edited March 10, 2018 by mark poulson

[Jeff Hahn]

I also use fingernail polish.  It might chip now and then, but it's easily touched up.

[Taxin_that_bass]

Wow, a lot of different responses.  I might try a couple different methods and see what holds up best.  

[phishirman]

dont mean to hijack the thread, but it might help the OP too...  Has anyone used the blade dip and then epoxied a thin coat over it?

[Basseducer]

I like to spray mine with Candy Black  powder paint. Gives it kind of a Black Nickle look. Gloss Black looks pretty good too.

[J.Bowerman]

I get mine just warm enough to take powder paint when dipped into a fluid bed. Nice even coverage that doesn’t add weight and doesn’t affect the action at all. If you want to darken a blade and give it a burnt metal or gun metal look you can take a torch and heat it while watching the color change. Both were mentioned above and they both work great. You can also airbrush and dip in KBS but that’s some work and can be aggravating. 

[Dink Master]

Powder Paint with fluid bed.

[J.Bowerman]

34 minutes ago, Dink Master said:

Powder Paint with fluid bed.

Yes Sir, those are nice and clean. That’s the best way I have found. Love a green pumpkin blade as well.

[Ballin21]

Dink master,

What fluid bed do you use ? I've been looking/wanting to make one.

[J.Bowerman]

To be honest min is  just a home made thing. I have a fish tank air pump (Milton air 200) some tubing for air line, a small valve that is screwed into a pvc pipe cut about 3” tall and my cups are pvc that fit into the 3”. The bottom of the cups have an air stone type material that air can pass through. They are simple to make and cheap if you make it. I haven’t looked online but I bet there are all types of do it yourself videos. You can also find them online at auction type sites. They work well for all your jig head or anything you can dip in the cup powder painting.

Edited March 14, 2018 by J.Bowerman
Update

[Taxin_that_bass]

12 hours ago, Dink Master said:

Powder Paint with fluid bed.

 

Beautiful, that is the look i am going for.  I have built fluid beds but i have lots of trouble with them volcano-ing and it just doesn't work for me.  My only thought is that my pump is too big, although i Tee'd off another valve just to bleed off some of the air to make the pump act smaller so not sure if this is really the issue.  

[Taxin_that_bass]

How do you put your bend in the blade?  I'm trying to come up with a consistent process for it, but i don't want to go through the effort of making a die/forming jig to really do it right.  Currently i place in a vice and tap with a hammer, its not very consistent and also wish i could get a little more radius in the bend.  

[mjs]

Got some gun blueing for dipping bead chain for fly tying. Maybe another option? Haven't tried  it yet...

[Dink Master]

18 hours ago, Ballin21 said:

Dink master,

What fluid bed do you use ? I've been looking/wanting to make one.

I think it is a TJ's Tackle 3" Fluid Bed.

https://www.tjstackle.com/

[Dink Master]

8 hours ago, Taxin_that_bass said:

 

Beautiful, that is the look i am going for.  I have built fluid beds but i have lots of trouble with them volcano-ing and it just doesn't work for me.  My only thought is that my pump is too big, although i Tee'd off another valve just to bleed off some of the air to make the pump act smaller so not sure if this is really the issue.  

You need to add a valve to your Fluid Bed. You have to restrict/adjust the air flow.

[Dink Master]

9 hours ago, Taxin_that_bass said:

How do you put your bend in the blade?  I'm trying to come up with a consistent process for it, but i don't want to go through the effort of making a die/forming jig to really do it right.  Currently i place in a vice and tap with a hammer, its not very consistent and also wish i could get a little more radius in the bend.  

I don't have a consistent process either. I bend my blades by hand with  Vice Grips & my thumb. You can get a little more rounded look my way.

[Dink Master]

On 3/13/2018 at 6:36 PM, J.Bowerman said:

I get mine just warm enough to take powder paint when dipped into a fluid bed. Nice even coverage that doesn’t add weight and doesn’t affect the action at all. If you want to darken a blade and give it a burnt metal or gun metal look you can take a torch and heat it while watching the color change. Both were mentioned above and they both work great. You can also airbrush and dip in KBS but that’s some work and can be aggravating. 

I bead blast my blades first, then heat enough to take powder paint (velvet look)

Hold blade with Needle-Nose Pliers when heating. Hold warm blade with Round-Nose Pliers when dipping blade into the Fluid Bed.

Let the paint flow in the Toaster Oven.

Left blade blasted - Right is stock

[EironBreaker]

I don't usually put a bend in the blades but when I do, I made a jig out of a 1x2" board and an old axe handle.  I clamp the board to the bench and I have a slot cut in the board for the bottom section of the blade.  Its deep enough to make the bend in the right section of the blade. 

The axe handle is about a foot or so long, it was a broken handle that I cut off square on the end.  I cut the nearest side at 45 degrees, about 1/3 of the end, so when you bend the blade, there is a smooth motion.  Other wise the handle would kick off the blade.  I guess you could round the edge also on the pulling side.  Then I cut a slot in the handle for the blade to sit in.

1) Clamp or screw the board into a bench.

2) Insert the blade in the board slot.

3) Drop the handle onto the top of the blade.  The grooves are deep enough so the board and handle come together.

4) Give it a pull towards you and make the bend.  After a few tries you will know how far to bend it to make the same bend each time.

This is much easier then trying to use a vise and pliers since the blade is pretty stiff.  The wood has enough give to make a nice smooth bend.

[rfdong]

I just put them in a vise, clamp tight and bend with my thumb as far towards the vise as I can.  Bends nicely and crisply. I don’t put a big bend generally so works well.

[Taxin_that_bass]

So tried heating the blades up slowly, i got it to darken a little bit but not as much as i would like.

 

I did buy some of the black blades from barlows and i modified them in the shop at work to be a coffin style by nipping the sides off with a small sheer press.  The one thing i notice is that these blades are black by some sort of film or coating.  Has anyone had any issues with this film or coating flaking off from use?  I think i have increased my risk of that by cutting the edges off.