BobP

Tony,

There's no replacement for an airbrush unless you want to try spray paint cans. Look for an airbrush with a .2mm to 3.5mm tip. The Iwata Revolution B goes for about $70, has a .3mm tip (a good general size choice) and is high quality. I've owned Paasche, Badgers, and Iwata brushes and the Iwatas are far and away the best. You also need a compressor that has a working pressure (not max pressure) of at least 35 psi. Small tool compressors with air storage tanks are very popular due to their high pressure and low cost if you paint in an area where noise is not a big issue. If you want a smaller quieter airbrush compressor, choose one that advertises at least 50 psi. The effective pressure at the brush will then be about 35 psi. You'll need a moisture trap, a pressure regulator and adapter fittings to connect to your airbrush hose. A trip to Home Depot or Lowes can secure all these. A good place to buy airbrushes and paint online is dixieart.com. Their prices are competitive and shipping is free on orders more than $50 (but quite high on less!). I recommend using ONLY acrylic latex airbrush paint like Createx, Smith Wildlife, Van Dyke's, etc (NOT solvent based lacquers and not cheaper and coarser hobby acrylic paints). You can buy Createx at hobby shops like Michael's, Hobby Lobby and order other brands online. Airbrush paint has more finely ground pigments and flow enhancers. It shoots better, doesn't clog as often and makes a smoother paint finish.

When you're equipped, sand the surface of the old bait with 400 grit to remove any chalking, nicks, or contaminants. Wipe it down with denatured alcohol. Shoot a color basecoat (usually white) over the whole bait, then paint the colors starting from the belly up. I dry each shot of paint with a hair dryer to speed the process. When you're finished and if the bait is absolutely dry (should be with the hair dryer!), you can apply a topcoat. You can try epoxies like Devcon Two Ton (very popular), Envirotex Lite (aka ETEX, also good but requires at least 2 coats) or a polyurethane. I prefer moisture cured polyurethane like Dick Nite Fishermun's Lurecoat because it is thin, very tough and very glossy - closest thing to a factory finish I've found. Whichever topcoat you choose, do some search on TU about it. There are lots of ins and outs regarding each topcoat's application, handling and storage. Dick Nite has a banner ad that appears often on TU and will lead you to a discount section on his website to get a reduced price or even a sample. Well, that's a quick and dirty overview and I hope it helps. Like I said in the forum, there's LOADS of more detailed info available in the Hardbait Forum postings. Good Luck!

You gotta break the last one I made ya first