[txbazzman]

I have a couple of questions about painting plastic crankbaits.

1. Do I have to seal the Plastic before I paint the plastic crankbait?

2. If I want to repaint an old plastic crankbait what is the best way to take the paint off? If sanding what grits?

Thank you. I have found a lot of info on painting wooden crankbaits but not plastic. I have never done this before but want to try. Thank you.

[Basseducer]

txbazzman,
You don't have to seal plastic cranks, but it helps to rough up the surface a little with some fine sand paper. It helps the paint stick better and gets rid of the join marks where the two halves come together. On pre-painted baits, you would also wand to rough up the surface a bit.

TJ

[txbazzman]

Well I stripped the paint off with a razor blade carefully and the sanded it with 150 then followed up with 220. Does this sound right?

[Basseducer]

I don't know that I would strip the old paint all the way off (IMHO), I kind of use the old paint as a guide to keep both sides even. Just be careful not to leave any flat spots or gouges with that razor blade. If it feels good paint it and float it.

TJ

[txbazzman]

Well I stripped the paint off cause I read that the added weight affects how it runs and that the added paint dulls the sound of the rattle. Is this true?

[rlcam]

I have been doing this very thing lately.I have been sanding a little,and on some I have removed all the paint and some I haven't.The first thing I do after sanding is paint with Krylon Fusion and then paint.If you want the bait to be clear in some areas,after you sand it there will be scratches,but when you clear coat it they will disappear.All this I learned thanks to the guys on here.I have been using rattle cans and so far have had pretty good luck.I am going out of town this week,when I get back I will post some pics.Hope this helped....Robert

[txbazzman]

I have noticed that everyone talks about white as a base coat. If The main color is going to be something else should I use a KRylon that is close to that color?

[Basseducer]

A white base coat makes your other colors a little brighter and a must if you use florescent colors. Plus it's always a good belly color.

TJ

[Arkie]

I use a white base coat. In extreme cases where the original paint (fire tiger) is easier to leave on the bait, and weight is not an issue, I will use black, which covers better with fewer coats. Keep in mind, a consistent base coat yields better results. In other words, if you always use white, you will learn better how to blend your other colors onto the bait. I believe this is the true form of mixing and achieving desired tones...not pre-mixing.

[BobP]

Tx, if you need to take the old paint off, sanding is the quickest way. I never had much luck with solvents, they just make a mess. I start with 220 and go to 400 grit to finish. If the old paint is not trashed, you can just sand it lightly with 400 to give it a little tooth before applying new paint. Yes, if it's important to keep the same weight as the original, you need to take all the paint off AND you need to use a thin clearcoat similar to the factory clearcoat. But we're only talking about a couple 1/100ths of an ounce either way, on a typical bass bait.