Custom Painted Crankbaits

[CiK]

I am thinking about having some crankbaits custom painted.  Is there any particular brand of crankbait that most people use to have painted? 

I have a bunch of old crankbaits that I don't use anymore because of my poor choice of colors years ago and thought if they were repainted I might use them again. 

Thanks for your thoughts.

[5bass]

[movedhere] General Bass Fishing Forum [move by] five.bass.limit.

[Sam]

Bandits 100 and 200.

Not that expensive and easy to remove the existing base coat with sandpaper.

I watch a friend do magical things with Bandits and we have some wonderful craftsmen on this site that produce outstanding crankbaits.

Interested in what the guys add to this post as I bring Bandit 100s and 200s to my friend and if there is a better crank to use I would like to know. 

[CCP]

I don't know if there is any one particular that is far and away the favorite but, I know that I do paint alot of the Rapala DT series of baits. They have limited colors compared to other brands so I think that makes them popular.

Others popular ones are:

Lucky craft RC series

Spro little johns

Norman Deep little n and DD 22's

Xcalibur XR lipless baits

Luhr Jensen hotlips

These are just a few that I see very regular

[.dsaavedra.]

just about any factory bait can be repainted, i don't think any are really preferred by painters, at least not me.

[BobP]

Unless you get a talented friend to do it for free, a repaint costs more than most old crankbaits sold for at retail.  So I'd take a critical look and choose only those baits that are 'tried and true' fish catchers for repainting.  Brands/models?  There are lots of old classics in high demand but if you are doing it to fish them, just choose the ones you already have confidence in.

[CiK]

So I'd take a critical look and choose only those baits that are 'tried and true' fish catchers for repainting. Brands/models? There are lots of old classics in high demand but if you are doing it to fish them, just choose the ones you already have confidence in.

I was thinking about having some old Bandits painted.  They were bought many years ago when I first started fishing, and I picked colors I normally wouldn't fish now.

Are Bagley's off limits for painting?

[BIG M]

No baits are off limits to the painters.   Your Bagley baits will last a lot longer if you get them refinished.

Most custom painters use a better clear coat than Bagley.

[CCP]

No baits are off limits to the painters. Your Bagley baits will last a lot longer if you get them refinished.

Most custom painters use a better clear coat than Bagley.

+1

[MattyIce]

So what clears are some of the ones you guys use? I have tried most and the only thing I like is auto clear but its so darn toxic its scary. DN is just a pain along with any other moisture cure urethane. D2T is too heavy for cranks in my opinion and yellows... Brushing lacquers react with plastics... So I would like to know what some of you guys I look up to use if anyone is willing.  :-/

[BIG M]

Flex Coat Ultra V (high build)

[Fishwhittler]

My personal favorite is U-40 Duragloss LS Supreme.  It's the toughest epoxy I've tried, although you have to use U-40 Color Lock under it to keep it from fish-eyeing. 

I've also used Flex Coat Ultra V high build (on recommendation from Big M ), and it works very well.

Another option is Envirotex Lite epoxy.  I've found it to be more brittle than Flex Coat or Duragloss, but it's still very tough and I know a lot of other lure builders use it. 

[Steven Ladner]

Automotive clear. But I don't spray it, I dip.

Disadvantage is I can't do hinged baits with this method. Also, it's only a good choice of you plan on clearing about 20 cranks per batch. Otherwise you'll end up with a lot of waste.