Airbrush Newbee

[Tadpoletodd]

I would like to get into airbrushing lures, spinner blades, etc. My boys are interested as well for models, etc. and I'm looking for some advice on whether or not a Paasche VLSTPRO would be a good one to go with. Also, what size would you all recommend - 1, 3 or 5? I have an air compressor I use for nail guns around the house. Understanding CFM's and pressures are quite lower w/ an airbrush, can something like that even be regulated to work with one? If not, what compressor? I'm not sure exactly what the pros and cons are with those for an airbrush.

As always, your help is much appreciated.

[hydro]

I don't think you will go wrong with the Paasche VLSTPRO. Paasche makes good quality products and also offer this unit in a kit with accessories which I would recommend investigating. You will want things like extra cups, an air hose, tools and other goodies that come in the kit. For tip size, start with the #3 since the VL is a double action brush and you will be able to vary the pattern with the button. You can always buy the other tip/needle sets later if you desire.

As far as your compressor, if it has a regulator you are good to go. The CFM is determined by the tool, in this case the airbrush, and is not a concern. Just be sure to adjust the pressure and you will be ready to start!

[solbes]

Ah, how timely of you. I just got an airbrush on Friday and I'm hoping to do the same types of things with it. Since I'd never used one, I did some online research and came up with an Iwata HP-C with a 0.2 mm nozzle. Now granted the quality of work is probably 90% artist and 10% airbrush, but I've seen some fantastic lures made with this brush. At least this way I can blame myself for sub-par results!

From what I've learned, double action is a real plus (being able to turn on paint independent of air). The brush I got has a gravity feed on top, so hopefully I can use a little less pressure. I've heard good things about the Paasche's also.

I had a similar type of air compressor as yours. I bought a regulator and filter and it works great. I do recommend a filter also because you want to eliminate as much oil and moisture as possible. And my compressor is ancient, so I'm sure there's little rust particles in there.

I've painted 3 lures so far, but there is going to be a definite learning curve to getting this just right. Fun to do in the winter though.

[solbes]

I just checked and it looks like the Iwata HP-C is about the same price as the Paasche you were looking at. Since they moved to the HP-C Plus, you can get the HP-C's for $100 shipped to your door.

Put this entry "just fired up the air brush ohio" into Google and choose the first result. 41 pages of some really fantastic lures. The original poster has made most of the lures and uses this gun. Just my two pennies...

[mainbutter]

I'd also jump in and say that an Iwata gravity feed is something worth looking at. Even the cheaper models are fantastic. I much prefer gravity feed over siphon feed.

Double action is a must otherwise you'll just end up more frustrated than anything else IMO.

[Tadpoletodd]

Thanks a ton for the great advice. That's great news I can make my existing compressor work w/ a regulator. I'll look into Iwata's and keep the Paasche in my back pocket. What specifically are the pros/cons w/ siphon feed vs. gravity feed?

Also, my kids were asking me, "where do you get blank crankbaits, etc?" Actually, I don't know. Is is possible to get, for example, unpainted crankbaits from company's like Rapala, etc? What are some sources for getting lures to paint. We're specifically interested in crankbaits & similar. Can you tell I'm green on this subject.

[Cicada]

"Can you tell I'm green on this subject."

Start by pointing the airbrush the other way or pick a more flattering color.

[solbes]

I'm learning as I go as well. If you find a source for un-painted Rapalas, let me know!! I haven't found any, nor do I expect that I ever will. I doubt it would be in their best interest to do so. I had a deep husky jerk that caught fish like mad. So many that the finish was more than 50% gone and down to bare plastic. I stripped that down by peeling away the hardcoat and foil, but this was very tedius. Mainly because of the plastic gill pattern imprint. I would think stripping a balsa bait (like shad raps or floaters) or smooth plastic with sandpaper may be easier. Has anyone just done a scratch up jobby on Ralapa's with sandpaper, surface prep, and just painted over that? I wonder if the extra weight would affect the action?

I've made some of my own lures out of balsa with lead, bought some lips, screw eyes, etc. Lurecraft is a good HSOforum for some of that stuff. So is Jann's Netcraft. At Jann's you can buy unpainted plastic lures for $1-2, so that might be my next avenue.

Back to the airbrushes, I've read gravity feed should give better paint atomization at lower PSI setting than a bottom siphon feed airbrush, which in turn gives better detail.

In the Iwata, it's got a few layers of chrome throughout the whole gun. A color change with water based acrylics is as simple as wiping out the top cup with a paper towel, and shooting 2-3 cup fulls of windshield washer fluid through it (a little ammonia helps, and with chrome finish - no problem). Wipe the whole thing down after your done and it looks like new.

[Tadpoletodd]

Nice Greg! Can't hide anywhere from you!

[Tadpoletodd]

I've seen other unpainted plugs out there but figured raw Raps were a long shot. I suppose just finding low cost baits and sanding the top coat down to give it a profile and then repainting is the only other alternative. I imagine the extra weight would make the bait dive slightly deeper and dampen the wobble. But that's just an educated guess.

I hope others can give some answers to your question, "Has anyone just done a scratch up jobby on Ralapa's with sandpaper, surface prep, and just painted over that?" I'd like to hear some comments on that as well.

Thanks for the HSOforum links; that'll give me something to explore to start with.

You're doing a good sales job on Iwata. Easy cleanup and switching colors is definitely a plus. I'm liking them more and more. Thx!

[mainbutter]

All the crank blanks I've seen online have not been from big-name companies like Rapala.

However, just because it doesn't have the name behind it doesn't mean that they don't perform well.

Plenty of people do repaints on all types of lures including rapala. I never have personally, as I really like throwing chewed up lures.

[mainbutter]

As for airbrushes, I like gravity feed because you're not using any of the compressor's power to work against gravity pulling up paint. Also I can just put a drop or two of paint in the chamber and spray that rather than sticking a whole siphon into a paint container, it just seems easier to me.

If I was painting on a larger scale I'd probably want a siphon feed simply for the larger paint capacity, but for small individual jobs I find gravity feed to be perfect.

[Crusty old Swede]

Hagens, in Mitchell SD, sells blank cranks and a ton of other stuff to use the airbrush on.

[solbes]

I spent some time last night working on some basics (dots, lines, daggers, shading, etc).

[Note from admin: Please read forum policy before posting again. Thank you.]

I have a feeling my time would be better spent doing these type of things for a couple of weeks before getting too heavy into painting lures. Just spending one night doing this made me realize 2 or 3 problems I that I first encountered. I also took 30-45 minutes painting some coloring book pages (really Manly stuff here).

[Tadpoletodd]

I'll check out the site. I'm expecting much practice time as well when my time comes before laying color on lures, etc. Coloring books, now there's a good idea to fine-tune your skills.

I'll check out the reviews as well. I'm leaning heavily towards a double-acting gravity-fed system and Iwata is looking promising.

You mentioned problems. What are you running into?

[solbes]

I'm using water based acrylic paint (Createx Airbrush) which can have some viscosity and drying issues. I don't really have a choice because the only area in the house that's warm and unfinished is my furnace room, so flammable solvents in the enamels are not a good choice.

So first, getting the paint reduced some helps. The transparent colors that I got seem pretty good right out of the bottle. The opaque black and especially white seem to dry on the tip from time to time, so I've been reducing the viscosity some and it helps. It's like the paint will slow down and maybe stop, you increase the paint with the trigger, and bam you get a huge paint glob as the dried portions come through the nozzle. Pearl and iridescent colors also need a little reducing. Also learned not to mix the reducer and paint in the cup. And am continuing to play with air pressure. I'm currently only running 15 psi for the transparents, and 18-20 for the opaques. Using a hair dryer in between coats helps the acrylic to setup also. More learning to come I'm sure.

[TylerS]

Put this entry "just fired up the air brush ohio" into Google and choose the first result. 41 pages of some really fantastic lures. The original poster has made most of the lures and uses this gun. Just my two pennies...

I just checked that out. Good GOD...I wouldn't even know where to start. I think I need to do an apprenticeship with a custom lure maker...anyone need a gopher?

[jigginjim]

Air pressure can change alot on the quality of your paint job. I use the water based paints it's safer, but I would still say to wear a mask. As you still have over spray.

[solbes]

Air pressure can change alot on the quality of your paint job. I use the water based paints it's safer, but I would still say to wear a mask. As you still have over spray.

What pressure do you run, and with what type of water based paint?

I'm starting to get my feet wet, although I continue to have pleny of room for improvement.

[Tadpoletodd]

Ok, so I'm ready to order one but am trying to decide between Iwata HP-B vs HP-C. Is the Plus versions of both something I should be considering? The only reason I've been thinking HP-B is because of the smaller cup size and better vision to the workpiece. Any issues w/ the larger cup on the HP-C getting in the way? I guess I'm just looking for a few pros & cons on the two models.

[solbes]

I see the HP-B has a 0.2 mm nozzle vs the HP-C with a 0.3mm. Based on my limited experience (maybe 7-8 sessions), I would not want to go below 0.3 mm with water based acrylics. I've had 2 or 3 nozzle clogs. I would guess the 0.2 mm to be less forgiving on reducing the acrylics to the correct viscosity. I have not shot any lighter solvent enamels, but I would guess these would be less prone to that problem.

I have not found the gravity cup to really be a problem with line of sight. I'm usually looking at my workpiece slightly off angle anyway.

I think the HP-B is their flagship model, so I'm sure it's even more of a precision piece than the HP-C that I have. A little more coin as well. I don't really know what the "plus" versions add.

[Tadpoletodd]

Since I started this thread w/ questions on which airbrush to buy I thought I better come clean w/ what I ended up going w/. I was leaning towards an Iwata HP-B or C until I found an HP-C Plus version for only $30 more. A delivery from UPS is imminent and my kids and I are pumped to figure this lure-painting hobby out. FYI - I'll probably be starting another thread very soon titled, "Now what?"

Thanks for all the great comments and advice; especially the UMD fan. This site is an invaluable resource!

[solbes]

Yeah baby! Now can tell me why I need to upgrade

I would be careful though, it's kind of addictive. Already had an order sent from two lure makers websites, and am comtemplating a third order from a third source.