Which Brass or Nickel accepts paint better?

[BIGfryFish]

I would like to build some more inline spinners.   The first time I got some kits with painted bodies.  Those inline spinners turned out fairly well.

This time I would like to try my hand at painting my own spinner bodies.

 

Which metal would accept paint better Brass or Nickel?   I know I will have to scuff either up before painting.   But will one work better than the other?

 

I'm thinking of trying out the nail polish method.   Any tips on doing it?

[cadman]

If I remember correctly the nickle plated blades are just brass blades with nickel plating over it. Brass is softer than the nickel plating. In the end it doesn't matter lightly sand both to scuff them up and then paint over it. I prefer powder paint because once you bake it it is really durable, but nail polish will work. Below are a couple of pics of powder painted blades one side.

 

  

 

 

[BIGfryFish]

So it doesn't really matter which I get brass or nickel?

 

I was looking at the various lure bodies here:

https://www.jannsnetcraft.com/brass-lure-bodies/

 

Does any one body shape paint easier than the others? 

 

If I liked the way the bodies came out, I was going to also paint some blades.

 

 

 

[smalljaw67]

It doesn't matter as long as you scuff the bodies. The thing is with nickel the plating will flake off when you scuff it so get the brass and you don't have to deal with that. Also, make sure you know if they are lacquer coated, if they are then you will need to soak them in acetone or paint stripper and rinse off first.

[tholmes]

Get the brass, they're generally cheaper and the paint will adhere just fine (better than with plating, in my experience) if you rough them up a little. 

 

Tom

[BIGfryFish]

Thx guys, brass it is.  

 

To scuff them would sand paper be fine?   Which grit #?    Or should I use steel wool?

 

I was thinking of stringing some on a steel wire to scuff them up in batches.  

[cadman]

9 hours ago, BIGfryFish said:

Thx guys, brass it is.  

 

To scuff them would sand paper be fine?   Which grit #?    Or should I use steel wool?

 

I was thinking of stringing some on a steel wire to scuff them up in batches.  

 

You can use course steel wool, or I use 400 grit sand paper. The main thing is to lightly scratch the surface so it looks like the blade has a grain direction. Just make sure once you are done, wipe off the sanded surface with alcohol, to get any brass particles off and any oils from your fingers. I would use latex or rubber gloves when wiping the blades this will keep your blades clean to accept your paint job. Good luck. 

[Jigfishn10]

11 hours ago, cadman said:

 

You can use course steel wool, or I use 400 grit sand paper. The main thing is to lightly scratch the surface so it looks like the blade has a grain direction. Just make sure once you are done, wipe off the sanded surface with alcohol, to get any brass particles off and any oils from your fingers. I would use latex or rubber gloves when wiping the blades this will keep your blades clean to accept your paint job. Good luck. 

That's a great tip, I learned this the hard way...?