Repainting, Or Just Plain Painting For That Matter....

[BasskingKeith]

I've seen a lot of people repainting their hardbaits. I got to admit, I am very impressed and would buy one of those off the shelf just as quick, if not quicker than the ones already out there. But I would like to know, aside from having a keen eye, how do y'all do it? For example, is there a special paint or paints for this? I'd like to repaint my Tru-Tungsten swimbait, and would like to do so in a similar manner. Thanks.....

[Ge Khang]

airbrush and a lot of practice with patterns and mixing colors.

[BasskingKeith]

airbrush and a lot of practice with patterns and mixing colors.

Yeah, airbrushing? would of never guessed, but makes sense now. Alright.... did you paint that lure in your photo?

[JIGFISHERMAN.]

Is there anywhere to learn the baisics? I've actually got three Air brushes and even a compressor just for air brushing, but still haven't done it yet.

[Fishwhittler]

I've seen a lot of people repainting their hardbaits. I got to admit, I am very impressed and would buy one of those off the shelf just as quick, if not quicker than the ones already out there. But I would like to know, aside from having a keen eye, how do y'all do it? For example, is there a special paint or paints for this? I'd like to repaint my Tru-Tungsten swimbait, and would like to do so in a similar manner. Thanks.....

If you want to start repainting lures, swimbaits aren't what I would recommend for a first attempt. The painting itself isn't much different than one-piece baits, but top-coating is considerably more difficult with jointed baits.

Is there anywhere to learn the baisics? I've actually got three Air brushes and even a compressor just for air brushing, but still haven't done it yet.

If you post a question, there are any number of guys that can help right here on this forum. Plus, there's boatloads of info in the archives.

As for what you need to paint lures:

Airbrush/air hose/compressor - I would recommend a double-action gravity-feed airbrush; it will use far less paint than a siphon-feed brush. I started with a Master G22 airbrush/compressor combo, but a lot of guys like the Iwata Revolution or Eclipse series. I now have an Iwata Eclipse (thanks to Whittler1), and suffice to say, if you can afford to shell out the extra bucks for an Iwata, do it.

Paint - Createx and Plaid paints work well, are non-toxic, and don't cost an arm and a leg.

Hairdryer - for heat-setting the paint; just about any hairdryer will work.

Masking tape - for covering bills while painting.

Topcoat - the best paint job in the world isn't going to hold up long without a good topcoat. I personally like Envirotex Lite epoxy, but a moisture-cure urethane such as Dick Nite's may be a better choice if you're just starting out, as you can just dip-and-hang lures when using urethane topcoat.

Scale mesh - not strictly necessary, but it does allow you to create cool effects.

That should help you get started. Look at other guy's work to get ideas for paint patterns, but the best way to learn is to sit down and start painting.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Ben