FloridaBassDude Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Hey everyone, I have seen many posts on here about people airbrushing cranks, and some look pretty awesome! That got me thinking, and I now really want an airbrush? Only problem is...I have absolutely no idea what to do. I don't know how they work, what I need, how to do it, etc. I'm not looking to spend too much either, from what I have read, $100 could get you a decent starter set. So, I am pretty much asking for a whole run-down on airbrushing, and hopefully some recommendations on gear, techniques and stuff! Thanks! So, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian M Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Hi BassDude! Here we go... Getting into airbrushing lures is a great hobby, and an even better way to find those colors & patterns that you just can't find in stores. However, like fishing, airbrushing its not a cheap hobby. I know there are guys on YouTube showing $20 airbrushes in action, claiming they could work. That simply isn't true. If you really want to put out some quality work, you're going to have to spend a bit more than $100 just on an airbrush. There are 2 types of airbrushes you will have to decide between, the first is siphon fed, and the second is gravity fed. Most siphon fed airbrushes cost less and are good at painting larger areas, but lack the capability to paint fine lines and details. The gravity fed airbrush, on the other hand, is good for painting both larger areas and very fine details. You can buy different size needles, caps, and tips for both types. When shopping for your starter airbrush, there are 3 major companies that you'll want to take a look at. Badger, Paasche, and Iwata. Badger, in general, is seen as the "cheaper" option, but if you get into their higher end brushes, they put out some decent equipment. Paasche is next, but not necessarily inferior to Iwata. I know professional artists that will only use Paasche, and others that will only use Iwata, it comes down to what you prefer, and what you can afford. I own a siphon fed Paasche, and a high end gravity fed Paasche. I use the gravity fed brush for lures because I can get very fine details at low psi, much finer than I could ever get with my siphon fed brush, which requires higher psi to operate. The next purchase you'll need to make is a compressor. You can go out and buy a kit compressor, which is a small, handheld compressor, which I strongly advise against. The major problems with these are that they constantly need to be running because they don't have an air reserve tank (extremely annoying), and they sputter while you're painting. I would recommend going out to your local Home Depot and buying a construction style tool compressor. There are several different styles and sizes, the most popular being a pancake style, but make sure that the one you purchase has a psi gauge and control. This will allow you to place the compressor somewhere away from your work station, this way you can paint in peace, and have a smooth air stream running to your airbrush. After you choose a compressor, you'll need to buy a moisture trap. This is an ABSOLUTE MUST. Without a moisture trap you'll have water spitting out of your compressor through your airbrush. After this, you'll want to buy some Createx paints, airbrush cleaner fluid, and clearcoat. For other tip, techniques and advise, go to www.tackleunderground.com, they have everything and anything you'll ever want to know on tackle making. Good Luck!! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaBassDude Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 Hi BassDude! Here we go... Getting into airbrushing lures is a great hobby, and an even better way to find those colors & patterns that you just can't find in stores. However, like fishing, airbrushing its not a cheap hobby. I know there are guys on YouTube showing $20 airbrushes in action, claiming they could work. That simply isn't true. If you really want to put out some quality work, you're going to have to spend a bit more than $100 just on an airbrush. There are 2 types of airbrushes you will have to decide between, the first is siphon fed, and the second is gravity fed. Most siphon fed airbrushes cost less and are good at painting larger areas, but lack the capability to paint fine lines and details. The gravity fed airbrush, on the other hand, is good for painting both larger areas and very fine details. You can buy different size needles, caps, and tips for both types. When shopping for your starter airbrush, there are 3 major companies that you'll want to take a look at. Badger, Paasche, and Iwata. Badger, in general, is seen as the "cheaper" option, but if you get into their higher end brushes, they put out some decent equipment. Paasche is next, but not necessarily inferior to Iwata. I know professional artists that will only use Paasche, and others that will only use Iwata, it comes down to what you prefer, and what you can afford. I own a siphon fed Paasche, and a high end gravity fed Paasche. I use the gravity fed brush for lures because I can get very fine details at low psi, much finer than I could ever get with my siphon fed brush, which requires higher psi to operate. The next purchase you'll need to make is a compressor. You can go out and buy a kit compressor, which is a small, handheld compressor, which I strongly advise against. The major problems with these are that they constantly need to be running because they don't have an air reserve tank (extremely annoying), and they sputter while you're painting. I would recommend going out to your local Home Depot and buying a construction style tool compressor. There are several different styles and sizes, the most popular being a pancake style, but make sure that the one you purchase has a psi gauge and control. This will allow you to place the compressor somewhere away from your work station, this way you can paint in peace, and have a smooth air stream running to your airbrush. After you choose a compressor, you'll need to buy a moisture trap. This is an ABSOLUTE MUST. Without a moisture trap you'll have water spitting out of your compressor through your airbrush. After this, you'll want to buy some Createx paints, airbrush cleaner fluid, and clearcoat. For other tip, techniques and advise, go to www.tackleunderground.com, they have everything and anything you'll ever want to know on tackle making. Good Luck!! Wow. Tons of info man!!! Really appreciate it all! Found out I already have a tool compressor, so that'll save me some money! Looked at tackleunderground.com too, found some great info, I am almost positive I am going to try and find a solid Paasche, seems like a good starter airbrush, but it'll still last me a good time. Can't wait to start! Thanks again for all the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunkist Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Get yourself an iwata neo for around $60 at hobby lobby. This is a great starter brush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian M Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Wow. Tons of info man!!! Really appreciate it all! Found out I already have a tool compressor, so that'll save me some money! Looked at tackleunderground.com too, found some great info, I am almost positive I am going to try and find a solid Paasche, seems like a good starter airbrush, but it'll still last me a good time. Can't wait to start! Thanks again for all the info! No problem man!! If you're set on getting a Paasche, check out the Talon. When it came out a few years ago it was their top of the line brush and was selling for around $350, but I recently went on their website and its gone down to around $130. Its apparently still their top of the line brush. I've had mine for 3 years and I still have the original needle and tip!!! It was definitely a great investment. One thing I can tell you is the cheaper you go with your airbrush, the harder it will be for you to learn. Don't break the bank, but definitely get yourself a good gravity fed brush, now that you found out that you have a compressor, maybe you can put that money toward your airbrush. Remember though its just like anything else worth doing, it takes a lot of practice. Good luck and enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User eyedabassman Posted March 25, 2013 Super User Share Posted March 25, 2013 Badger also makes a goog brush and another is a Aztek made by Testors,they are great because you can change heads so easy and the heads are color coded for the type of head you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User eyedabassman Posted March 25, 2013 Super User Share Posted March 25, 2013 Also DON'T buy a cheap starter air brush. Buy a good one,the cheap ones don't work that good and they won't last! You can buy a good brush for about $100 up to $300. Take a look at used ones on E-Bay or craigs list. I have a Badger 200 that I don't use but I am not sure I want to sell it. it is my back up. I do love the Aztek ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1099gl Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 is there something wrong with a siphon fed airbrush because I don't want to spend the money on a $300 brush in case I don't No problem man!! If you're set on getting a Paasche, check out the Talon. When it came out a few years ago it was their top of the line brush and was selling for around $350, but I recently went on their website and its gone down to around $130. Its apparently still their top of the line brush. I've had mine for 3 years and I still have the original needle and tip!!! It was definitely a great investment. One thing I can tell you is the cheaper you go with your airbrush, the harder it will be for you to learn. Don't break the bank, but definitely get yourself a good gravity fed brush, now that you found out that you have a compressor, maybe you can put that money toward your airbrush. Remember though its just like anything else worth doing, it takes a lot of practice. Good luck and enjoy!like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Siphon brushes work OK, just not as well as gravity feed brushes. They require a little more air pressure to suck the paint up into the brush and there is more to clean between colors and at the end of the day. The best and cheapest gravity feed brush I know of is the Iwata Revolution B, which sells for around $85-90 retail. It is made in Japan, has great quality, is durable, and its .3mm tip is right sized for painting crankbaits in my experience. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lure-Me-In Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 If your looking for a complete package to start your own business or just spray painting lures as a hobby you can buy the below package from ebay that includes everything to get started. I have the exact kit. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Custom-Airbrush-Fishing-Lure-Starter-Kit-Unpainted-Lures-Everything-Included/273125445725?hash=item3f978b905d:g:zykAAOSwOJJatZLL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckaholic Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 I really like Iwata airbrushes so I would recommend the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. It is an awesome airbrush for the money. You can by it for about $130 at Hobby Lobby with there 40% off coupon. It retails about $210. I’m sure you will get hooked like the rest of us and want to upgrade quickly so the Eclipse would be a great option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarborough817 Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 personally i use a fairly cheap airbrush its from princess auto which is similar to harbour freight. its a gravity fed and cost around $60, if you can spend more on a brush i would maybe look for one thats used and see if they are a little cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckaholic Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Here is a link to check out! Tcpglobal.com They have alot of options for getting started as well as advanced stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2tall79 Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 When I first started out, I went thru several before I settled on this one. It does everything I need it to do and is easy to clean and maintain. Good Luck. https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Patriot-Gravity-Airbrush/dp/B002W84GTO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JawjaBoy Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 I'm still using the old Paasche model H I got some 20+ years ago. It's siphon feed but it's been a good, solid brush. I generally haven't tried doing a lot of fine work with it but I've never had any trouble with fairly thin lines and spots. I probably will invest in a gravity feed brush eventually though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cemal Aydogan Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Hi; I have just started lure airbrushing. I will appreciate if you can give some advice how may I reach the following pictured texture on the bait. Thank you in advance for your help. Cemal Aydogan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Catignani Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 @Cemal Aydogan That is just a foil application...not air brushing. Jann's NetCraft calls it reflector tape 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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