I am thinking about buying an airbrush for painting baits, can anyone give me some hints for getting started, what gun to buy, where to buy paints, ect...

Thanks for the help.

talk to csob on here, not sure if he posts here anymore but do a search for him and he is the man when it comes to airbrushing

thanks

lookie here i found his website
http://www.paintyourbait.com/

tackleunderground.com is a good site and there are others as well.

SE Kansas grass grower

iv got mine from a loca; hobby shop for 75$ and the compressor for 35$ but mine is a single stage they have them thats more complex for mixing paints and detailing

Wally world had some in their hobby section next to the plastic models last time I looked. May not be what your looking for, but then again...........

Yes, go to this site and search the forums everything is there that you could want to know. Hurry though they are proposing making the site a pay site in the very near future. Snap up that knowledge while its still free.

Like any hobby your starting out right by asking questions. But do plenty of research. Single stage guns verses 2 stage is a big difference. The air source is also a big thing. The type of paint, clear coats etc. Make sure you have a good place to paint. Inside the house/apt you'll need to make a small paint booth for the fumes. Use a mask at all times. And the biggest thing is CLEAN your gun thourghly! Once you get the basics down it will be much easier. Also have plenty of practice plugs. Your going to goof up now and then.

Iwata is the way to go with the airbrush. The one in the link is the one I have and its a great brush.

http://www.iwata-medea.com/products/airbrush/hiline/hpch_info.jsp

Go to the Jann's Netcraft. They have a brush kit. Walmart carries a small compressor that is less expensive than the one Jann's offers. Also, buy extra empty jars. they come in very handy when custom mixing colors. Also, buy extra white. It is good to use it as a base coat. I modify Pop-Rs and use the vinyl paint. Make sure if you are painting plastic bodies don't use laquor or something that will eat the plastic. You can have a lot of fun with this. I also pour stand up jigs and the brush is also handy painting those. Hope this helps.
Gary ...

Consider using Acrylic paints. You can by them at some of the hobby shops, and at Hobby Lobby in some really nice pearls, transluscent and metallic colors. They are made to spray with an airbrush, the colors can be mixed, they dry much faster, cleanup is with water, and there are no fumes so you can paint inside. You use the same epoxy coatings as you would with other paints. If you are going to paint your own baits, this is the way to go.

I was wanting to do the same thing, theres a cheap airbrush at my local hobby shop and I was thinking about getting it for painting baits

Like Ring Fry said tackleunderground is the absolute best resource out there for custom making your own stuff. If it is not there just ask and someone who has been doing it will answer. Plenty of tutorials on there also.

Thanks for all the help

I use the airbrush to make my living. You can see some of my work on my Big Dandy Lake Fork Spoons and Shibui Spinnerbait pages - the detailing on these baits is completely airbrushed by hand. By all means check out tackleunderground.com, but be careful - some of their ideas there are really quirky and at times a bit entertaining and completely misguided.

We've used Paasche equipment http://www.paascheairbrush.com/ for over 25 years. Not the most expensive or considered the "highest quality" in the world by some of the bike painters, but I'd put my Paasche work up against theirs any day! Hobby Lobby carries a Paasche airbrush starter kit. Gary Jville is right, buy extra jars preferably the ones with solid caps. And buy extra tips, #1, #3 and #5. You'll use the #1 for fine detail, #3 for most of your work, and #5 for glitter and clearcoat.

Try out Component Systems http://www.csipaint.com/ for paint. They have smaller sizes for hobbyists and it's easy to order. I'd stay away from their "water based" line. House Of Kolor http://www.houseofkolor.com/ has awesome paint and effect additives, but it's best to have a bit of experience before investing here. For top coat I recommend an exterior grade 2-part epoxy for small jobs - it's easy to mix in small quantities and can be thinned with MIBK.

Get a decent compressor, something like 18 gallon 5hp. It's bigger than you'd think you'll need, but it won't run all the time. Plus, trust me, you'll find all kinds of neat gadgets to run with it. Keep the moisture drained out of it and it will serve you for years. Also don't forget to use an adjustable pressure regulator (you'll want it where you can reach it from your paint bench) and air dryer in your supply line.

Whatever you do, do not paint indoors unless you have some sort of exhaust system in place! I'm talking at least 3000cfm for a small space like 1/4 of an average garage! The thinners are highly flammable and hazardous to breath! You will need to use a real respirator (not a dust mask) http://www.uline.com/Browse_Listing_992.asp?desc=Reusable+Respirators+%26+Supplies (use the Organic Vapor cartridges).

If you'd like to PM me I can give you more info.

Andi

This is good information. Do any of you have links for custom carvining balsa crankbaits as well? I am gathering the materials now, and have started researching building methods.

I just started airbrushing, and it is definitely awesome. I love it! I purchased an IWATA BC-S and a 1/5hp compressor with moisture tap. Compressor was $150 and the brush was $85 (normally $150+...got it on ebay). Anyway, I paint in my house on the kitchen table with no problems. I use water based paints, as most lure painters do, which do not have any fumes and clean up easily.

I have been making and painting Crankbaits for a little while now. I am by no means real good yet, I learn new things everytime I make or paint a bait or everytime I am on tackleunderground.
I use the Paascha Airbrushes (3 of them) and a small pancake compressor I bought at a pawn shop ( beats using the bigger one I was using). These brushes are really good. You can get them at Hobby Lobby.
I use water baised paints for my baits. As staited earlier, easy clean up. I thin them out with glass cleaner instead of water, something I picked up on one of the airbrush sites, and it works better then water. I also run it through the brush with every color change and for cleaning. The brand of paint I use is called Apple Barrel. You can get it at Wal-Mart for less then $1.00, so it is easy to have many colors.
For a cover I use Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy also from Wal-Mart. Once applied you will want to put it on a bait wheel to turn the baits for about an hour.
If you have any questions that I might be able to help you with, please just PM me. I would be glad to help with anything I can.
Here are a couple of the baits that I have made. These are from Basswood, like I said, I still have a long way to go, but getting there.

Emmett

Try airbrush depot. They have about every possible airbrush and compressor made. They also have any and everything you would possibly need to get started. I would recommend making your own paint booth. You can make one easy and cheap(about $60-70). Also, you can use the water base and have easier clean-up or try csi paints and you will get a much brighter finish. I would highly recommend a 2-stage airbrush for detail, but for base coating your better off with a 1-stage and #5 tip. I use 4-5 different brushes for different applications. Any questions, I am always available to lend a hand to fellow lure crafters.