whittler

Some great looking baits Marty, looks like you have been busy latley.

Ryan, there are several people out there that can paint that well. The thing is if you go to his website the cost is $17 for the paint job, but there are always a few fools that think bidding is a competion instead of a purchase.

I do not usually seal between paint coats. About the only exception to that is when painting a bait that has a lot of small details or stencil use, then I use Createx clear and dry it very well before the next cloor. If you make a mistake with the next detail or color then you can wipe if off, I usually use a Q-tip, and paint it over.

Water will work fine to thin but adding a couple drops of Windex to it makes it even better. Make sure the wood is sealed and primed before doing the blending.

If all you have right now are brushes you can still do a reasonable job of blending, it requires more time but will work and time. You have to build the colors up in very light washes. Thin your paint on a plate, glass or wax paper till it is very thin and starting at the belly brush on very light washes, drying between each coat with a hair dryer. Use to do a lot of duck decoys and birds before I got an airbrush and this is the system I used to get soft transitions between colors.

Memo, just look at the top of the page under articles. When you go there you will find articles on making and fishing crankbaits, jigs and plastics. So can stay right here on BR and have enough reading to last weeks.

Every painter I know has a different style of doing fading and blending but here is how I do it. One note here a good quality gun and pressure regulator will simplify the proces a lot. I use an Iwata gravity feed gun and usually mix my paint right in the cup. 1. Prime the bait 2. Starting with a light belly color, for this lets say white, shoot the belly of the bait and about half way up the side. ( your colors will vary but the process is the same ) 3. Next I will add a couple of drops of the next darker color to the cup and mix it in the cup with a craft brush. Spray on a piece of paper to clear the previous color until you see the mixed color appear. Spray this color a little higher on the bait with each color change. In the avatar those colors would be, in order, White/ trans. yellow, / flo. yellow(chartruse) another couple drops of flo. yellow/ trans. light green. Like Ernel said, practice. experiment with pressures and with thinning of the paint, there is a lot of variationin the viscosity of paints even with colors from the same maker. It takes a while but it will all come together for you.

You have done it again Marty, gotta love those greems and browns.

To be honest most of the photofinish baits I have seen just look like a picture on a plank, rough texture and washboard seams, but these are the top of the class. Just outstanding workmanship, you have got to be the photofinish champ.

Fantastic jigs and I really like your method of attaching the skirts, looks rock solid.

Flechro makes a great point, you do not need to send a ton of money to get started in most tacklecrafting. I'll bet most guys already have the simple handtools they need to get started. ASK QUESTIONS

Mistakes are the thing that will eventually lead you to your own style, its learning how to correct your mistakes that teaches the most. Ask questions, experiment and practice.

Airbrush paints from color to color can vary a lot. Some will spray without thinning and the next color of the same brand will not work without a little windex. The more you spray the easier it will become to tell as soon as the paint hits the cup wether it needs to be thinned or not. After you shoot a couple thousand baits it will all begin to fall into place.

Createx paints are decent but Wildlife paints (Smith Paints) are better, especially their pearls. I have an HP-C and an HP-CS and their pearls are about the only airbrush paints that can be sprayed without thinning. These paints are available through the taxidermy suppliers, Wasco and VanDyke's. The more you use the brush the less paint you will find yourself using. If you are painting a gill detail on a dozen baits, in the Iwita about 4-5 drops of paint is all you will need. On a siphon feed gun it would require 10 times that amount of paint just to fill the tube between the cup and the gun.

Gotta love those small cranks, super color on that bottom bait. Flawless work, as always.

Unfortunately the hard bait business is getting much like the soft plastics business, knockoffs are easy to do. Using the bbz-1 for your master it is easy to modify the tail section to use either a soft plastic or microfiber tail then pour and assemble the parts. The paint is pretty decent however so I'll give him that.

Awsome baits there Marty, love that 2" diver. I hear you on the ultra thin baits, still have some I made a few years ago, 1/4" thick. I liked the action they had but think I was the only one who did or maybe they just didn't look right to fishermen. They do catch fish though.

Some really neat baits there, especially like the 4 jonit bait. If you have a Hobby Lobby in your area keep a close lookout in their store or their website for cupons and sales. I was in a Hobby Lobby a couple monts ago and as I walked by the airbrush case they had an Iwata HP-CS on sale for $53.99, needles to say I have one more, you can't pass up a deal like that.

The good news is you don't need much at all in the way of power tools to make crankbaits. There a few that can help with speed and accuracy however. A drill press and vise would top my list with a bandsaw and disc/belt sander next in line. For me the hand sanding is the thing I really dislike but difficult to get around for a good finish. I see you are from Ft. Wayne, I live about 45 minutes south.

A chunk of balsa + circuit board + artist = fantastic looking baits.

As usual Marty just some beautiful work. Still using E-tex?

WOW. Marty, those should get to the bottom in a hurry. They look great as always.

Installing lips straight is not a problem, IF, you cut the slot while the blank is still square. Lay your pattern out on your block then scribe a centerline adound it, any holes for hardware or weights can be drilled and everything will be in alignment. Lay out and cut the lip slot using a mitre box so that it is square and straight. Now put that Dremel to use and shape the bait.

Outstanding looking baits there Marty. like Ernel, #3 is my favorite. For shallow cranks all the "experts" say use a square slip or at least a coffin lip and here you go with a round lip, can't possibly work.

Been a long time woodcarver. I carve birds, duck decoys, animals and fish. Example: Fullsize Downy woodpecker.