[Soupysayso]

I'm itching to get started and I HAVE to do something! So I thought to my self, I should strip some baits of their current paint scheme and make them sacrificial lambs for my early airbrush lessons. Then it hit me, how do you strip plastic baits? If you sand the clearer ones, it scratches them up something fierce. Also, certain fluids would yellow the plastic. So what's the secret methods?

[onlybass]

First,check out the post in this section titled "advice needed on airbrush supplies".I have found the need to strip many factory paint jobs due to bumps in the finish,be it glitter or an imperfection.If you try to just sand the bump, then you may end up with an area where you have a shallow pocket surrounded by original coatings that will show up after you repaint the lure.With that in mind, I find it necessary to strip the entire bait.If you think you are putting too deep of grooves in the plastic I would guess that you are using too large of grit.Try 200,320 or even 400 grit and see what works best for you. If your stripped lure has a matte finish,I think you will see that your repaint job will be just fine. You will also notice that some manufacturers coatings are easier to remove than others.I prefer to use a cabinet sand blaster.That is a whole new ballgame and expense.

[the-bass-catcher]

If you want the clear plastic to go back to crystal clear after sanding the existing paint off, you'll need to clearcoat it in epoxy OR spray it with a Gloss Spraypaint, such as Krylon's. Either way, make sure you seal the bait with epoxy after painting. I've had problems keeping the scale patterns showing up...only solution I have found is to sand off some of the epoxy, take a push pin and chip off the paint. If the finish on the lures you are painting are flat, just add tooth by sanding, put a bascoat on , and airbrush away! Hope this helps a little bit.

[Hughesy]

Another way to clear out your foggy sanded clear bait is to saturate a small piece of paper towel with MEK and wipe the lure with it. It kind of melts the plastic just a very little bit. Removes the sand marks also.