Well I got an Iwata HPC Plus for christmas and have been playing with it a bit.

I have painted 5 or 6 six of the big baits that I build, but this Bagley B3 was in pretty bad shape so I thought i would freshen it up a bit.

I could have done alot more surface prep, and it definitely shows, but it came out alright. At least I think so

Quick coat of epoxy thinned with denatured alchohol and that is where its at right now. When it cures, I will clean up the hangers and stuff.

When you mix the epoxy how much alcohol do you add? :-?

I mix my alcohol  to taste ;D

You can use as little or as much as you want. I just kind of wing it. Add a couple drops then stir and add more 1 drop at a time till you get a consistency you like.

I'm struggling to find an analogy for the consistency that I like, but "egg nog" is pretty close.

It does prolong the curing of the epoxy and make it obviously more prone to runs.

On my big baits I typically do 2 unthinned coats but on this one I decided to thin a bit.

I think you done good.  I'd fish it! Table Rock Shad color? 8-)

The official color is

" I just winged it somewhere along the lines of chartreuse shad with purple back, but now that jimzee mentions it, it is table rock shad, but not on purpose"

Kind of a long name for a color, but oh well.

well lets see the big baits you painted! That Bagley shows painting skill.

Thanks Matt!

I'm not sure I wanna show the kids my cards yet ;D

I know how you feel I just painted up some prototype hard baits and its killing me not to be able to show them. They have top secret designs to them so I cant show certain parts of them until I am ready to release. I sure do like painting with real airbrush paint though.

TEASE! ;D

Nice Job FourBizz

Fourbizz, very nice color pattern there.   Here's a little tip, put a coat of thinned devcon on the bait before you paint.   It's all the surface prep that you will need.

looks good Fourbizz.

Nice job 4Bizz.

The more you get use to your Iwata HP the more you will like it.

Are you using a drying wheel?They're a big help with leveling your topcoat.But if you thin out your epoxy to much,you'll take away from it's self-leveling ability.

Big M is right.If you use a coat of epoxy prior to priming you can sand out your lure to cover up the rough spots,it's kind of like body work.I have gone as far as using fake fingernails to fill in chunked out spots and to fill holes I've drilled to add BB's.

Nice work though.Definantly better than my first paint job.Look foward to seeing some more!

Thanks guys!

I use a coat of epoxy to seal my big baits before painting, but i was afraid that it might affect the action of the crank. is that not a problem?

I just got ahold of an old microwave and have yet to get started on the build for a drying wheel. Since I do not thin it on my big baits and i do it in a room that is only about 60 degrees, i have been getting away with no wheel. but on the crank i had to hold it in my hand for 20 minutes while i watched tv, it was a pain.

A drying wheel is a must, now you will want to paint every bait in site.

You can put several coats of devcon on that B3 without causing any problems.   Bagley baits are so light to begin with.

Nice job!     The thinned devcon is the way to go to seal. Not only is it easy, but it wil harden the outer "shell" of the wood as well. Definatly makes for a smooth paint job.

love that color its like a mix between chart. shad and table rock shad, sweet