Thinking About Starting

[Texas10Man]

What is the cheapest I could go and get everything I need to start airbrushing baits? Please post links to the products

[Steven Ladner]

I get all my paints from bearair.com, not sure if it's the cheapest though. But they have a great selection. I'm sure someone else will chime in shortly to help out.

[bnwcrankin]

When I started out I got a cheap airbrush from www.airbrushcity.com. They have some pretty good stuff to start with. I also used (and still use) some folk art paint from walmart. It just need's to be thinned with water enough to shoot through your airbrush.. Good luck and better think hard about it! Once you get started it's hard to quit, and as far as I know they don't have any tackle rehab center's as of yet... ;D ;D

[ToledoEF]

I just started a few weeks ago, DO NOT GO CHEAP, I say this bc its what I did, I took everything back I bought and got an Iwata eclipse gun and havnt looked back since. I will be getting another Iwata soon for "High definition" lines. I will also be getting a gun after that for lacquer paints. My only regret is not getting a gravity feed gun, but I will live with that and what I have now is great! I have got most of my stuff from hobby lobby since its 10 minutes from my house. With that said, I heard of TCPglobal.com, chicagoairbrushsupply.com, wasco aka taxidermy.com!

[.dsaavedra.]

www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com has great customer service! WASCO has a good selection of paints but i kinda feel like i got ripped off by them, so i will not be ordering from them anymore, instead i'll order my paints from www.smithpaints.com

anyway, i have the Iwata Revolution BR brush and i'm liking it so far. only 72 bucks for a quality brush.

i also have a $99 Husky Airscout aircompressor from Home Depot that has served me well in airbrushing.

[Texas10Man]

I dont want to go pro I just want to match my local forage and maybe add a little extra to my baits like a yellow stripe or orange throat. Also, do you apply clearcoat with the airbrush?

Would this work? The $110 kit.

http://www.airbrushcity.com/kits24/popular_featured1.htm

[.dsaavedra.]

that kit WOULD work, but you should seriously consider buying a small tool compressor and a dual action airbrush.

the tool compressor will cost you around 100 bucks but will be able to maintain enough pressure so that the motor isn't running constantly while brushing. those little airbrush compressors can only put out like 40 or 50 psi, and so the motor will be running a whole lot while using. plus you can use a tool compressor to do around-the-house jobs like fill your tires and dust stuff off, and even run small air tools if you have them. have a look at this compressor: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?jspStoreDir=hdus&catalogId=10053&productId=100645228&navFlow=3&keyword=airscout&langId=-1&searchRedirect=airscout&storeId=10051&endecaDataBean=com.homedepot.sa.el.wc.catalog.beans.EndecaDataBean%40499a7124&ddkey=Search

a dual action airbrush is just so much easier to use (with a little practice) and provides a whole lot more control than a single action. gravity feed is also a plus because you can shoot at lower psi. this is a nice dual action gravity feed airbrush that will serve you well: http://www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com/iwrebr.html

you don't have to "go pro" but i have a feeling if you get that 110 dollar kit you will wish you got a bit nicer stuff. the products in the link above have worked great for me and i would recommend them to anyone looking to start out.

as for spraying clearcoat, it all depends. some people use epoxy, some people use polyurethane, some people use a moisture cure urethane, some people use automotive coatings. if your clearcoat is thin enough then you can spray it. clearcoats like polyurethane and Dick Nites (moisture cure urethane) can be sprayed if thinned slightly. these can also be dipped. automotive clear's can also be sprayed, as this is how they're meant to be applied. epoxies need to be brushed on.

[ToledoEF]

I got a Porter Cable 6 gallon "pancake" style compressor. It holds 150lbs of air doesnt cycle a lot and its terribly loud. They can be had for around 170$ and then I got an Iwata Eclipse HP-BSC airbrush, looking back I wish I would have gotten gravity feed, but I am happy with the brushes performance! You can find good deals on Iwatas online! I got mine at hobby lobby when they had a grand opening (they had coupons at 40% any item at regular price)