Paint Over Or Paint Removal

[PondBoss]

I'm getting into crank painting, and while my blanks are on order, I was going to practice on a bunch of cranks my buddy gave me.  These are all brand new baits.  How do I remove the paint?  Or would it just be easier to paint a white base coat and go from there?  Any help or ideas would be appreciated.  Thanks

[kylek]

I don't know anything about painting crankbaits but I would imagine that it is similar to painting cars.  I would take the new crankbait and scuff it up with fine sandpaper.  Just enough to knock the shine off.  Then apply the base coat/primer. Let it dry and then add your color. When that is all dry then apply the clear coat/ sealer for the outer layer.

 

I may be way off base too,  but this is how I would do it.

[keith71]

I don't know anything about painting crankbaits but I would imagine that it is similar to painting cars.  I would take the new crankbait and scuff it up with fine sandpaper.  Just enough to knock the shine off.  Then apply the base coat/primer. Let it dry and then add your color. When that is all dry then apply the clear coat/ sealer for the outer layer.

 

I may be way off base too,  but this is how I would do it.

Your not far off at all.I like a scotch-brite pad to scuff my bait it gets in the little grooves better than sandpaper.Tape off the bill before you start anything and after a quick scuff spray your groundcoat.After that its netting,stencils,freehand,whatever you want to do. Hope this helps.

[PondBoss]

Thanks guys, that's kinda what I was thinking.  Thanks for the confirmation.  Now if I can just find time to paint.

[S Hovanec]

If they are floaters, I'd just scuff and repaint. If they are suspending, I'd strip the paint first. I have a couple suspenders that were repainted by a friend and he didn't remove the paint. Now they're sinkers.

[PondBoss]

If they are floaters, I'd just scuff and repaint. If they are suspending, I'd strip the paint first. I have a couple suspenders that were repainted by a friend and he didn't remove the paint. Now they're sinkers.

What would you use to strip the paint?  I'd like to turn some of these into ghost baits so removal would be great.

[Swamp Johnny]

What to use to remove paint???

 

Well, what kinda paint did you use? Water-based? With water-based paints you can run them under warm water and (using a scuff pad or rag) wash the paint off. It takes time but is the "safest" way to remove the paint, (without discoloring the bill) or affecting the seams of the crank. 

 

You can also try Denatured Alcohol. I use D- Alcohol to clean all my blanks before painting- works well. However, too MUCH DA and the glue that seals the crank together will get diminished and possibly unseal, (which isn't that big of a deal as long as your clear coat is thick).  

 

Let me know if you need any tips on painting Cranks. I got so good at it I started selling them! (lol)   

[S Hovanec]

I would think that any solvent would have the possibility of clouding the bill and possibly the bait, if it is clear.  I'd suggest some type of citrus stripper, but I really don't know how it would react to clear plastic.

[PondBoss]

I didn't paint any of these baits that I want to remove the paint from.  A buddy of mine had a bunch of cranks from China that he gave me.  So I assume they have clear coat on them over the paint.  One of them I did paint with a water based paint and warm water does nothing to it.

[Swamp Johnny]

Yeah, if they have clear coat on them already,  the only thing you can do is scuff them up a bit with a sanding sponge, remove the eyes, (have you got some 3D eyes?), hit them with some FLAT white paint and go from there.

 

(Although, If you have the time, you can hand sand them down to the blank- but, it's extremely time consuming. (And If you use a Dremel/Sanding tool be CAREFUL! One slight mistake while sanding and it will eat into the blank itself,  causing the blank to have a skuff,  which, "can" be fixed with epoxy resin.....but, now you've got even MORE time in on a 12-15 cent blank)

 

 Better to scrap the ghost concept on those particular blanks and use them for practicing. You can pick up blanks at a variety of places for $1 - $2 a blank- which will require almost zero prepping before painting...

 

Warm water and a good scrubbing should remove the water-based paint from any lure. You may have to use a bit of "elbow grease",  but, it should come off.........You can try Denatured Alcohol- but, I'd suggest you go with the warm water/scrubbing first. 

[BobP]

Most factory lures are painted with solvent based paints/clearcoats and the finish needs to be removed mechanically.  Any solvent strong enough to remove crankbait finish will also cloud the lip and even if you are careful, solvent removal is very messy.  One method that does work quickly is to burn finish off with a propane torch.  But you have to be a torch artiste to avoid screwing up the bait - and many commercial wood baits have a thick undercoating that is very flammable!  Ask me how I know!  If the bait is a floater, just go ahead and use the method already suggested - sand the gloss off the topcoat and then paint it and clearcoat it.  That's certainly going to be good enough for some Chinese crankbaits.