Striped Bass Fishing Forums Forum banner

Priming and Painting Lures-Please Help Me With This Question.

19K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  Roccus 
#1 ·
First off, thanks for opening and reading this. I am currently at a point where i am ready to paint my first lure. After searching and reading through this forum, here is what i came up with.

After sealing plug Etex, here is what i plan to do.
1. Prime with Kilz Latex. I am going to attempt to use my air brush for this by thinning.
2. I plan on using acrylics to paint.

The questions i have is:
1. Will I be able to use my airbrush with the kilz and what do i thin it with?
2. Can I use acrylic over the kilz latex?

I will clear coat with the etex after painting.

I will continue to research but if any of you pro's can toss some advice my way, i would be very much appreciative of it.

Thanks,
Chiefmurph:navy:
 
#2 ·
Ok... there sealed right. Now you can put kill on and let it dry. then put some enamel or laqure white paint on. Let it dry and then air brush over that with cretex paints... the stuff your using is so thick that we don't use it. You can thin the cretex paint with drops of water and then put some clear enamel or laqure over that... If you use enamel then stick with it and don't mix enamel paint's and the clear laqure or you'll screw up all your hard work and post a pic so we can see your work.
 
#3 ·
Rockhopper,
I'm a little confused. Are you saying not to use the Kilz? I know it is thick and I do want to prime with an airbrush without thinning.

I will always try to use acrylic paint and will use the stuff that i buy at Walmart. Paint is not the big concern of mine.

The way i look at it, as long as my sealing, priming and painting types (chemicals) are compatable with each other, i beleive the paint is the least critical of those three operations.

They just need to be compatable with each other.

I'm looking at BIN primer now instead of Kilz.

Thanks for pitching in with some advice. Let me know what you think regarding how i look at the priming, painting and sealing operations.
Thanks,
Chiefmurph
:navy:
 
#5 ·
To get either the Bin or the kilz to shoot through an airbrush you will need to thin them significantly and then filter the paint. My recommendation would be to by the Bin in the spray can depending on the number of plugs you are priming. If you have many to do and own an hvlp gun I would thin and filter out of a gallon can of the bin.

TO thin the primers you can use a number of different methods. If you are thinning oil based primer you can use penetrol. With Water based primer use Floetrol. Double check the packages for their useful applications.

As long as you have a nice even prime job you will have no problem shooting the acrylic and getting coverage with a light coat. You are far better off shooting thin coats and allow the color to build on the plug rather than trying to complete a finish with a single coat. The thinner the coats the faster they cure and the better your adhesion will be for additional coats.

Another thing people will do is use a clear finish in between certain coats. So as not to screw up the under coats. This method will also give the finish depth. Many often will clear and then scale and stripe their plugs. I try to maintain a consistent finish medium when applying final coats. I have learned the hard way that certain finishes do not mix. If I am using water based finishes I maintain water based throughout. Using createx Clears etc. Or whatever brand paint you are using. Just take your time and you can make your finishes as clean as you want them to be.
 
#6 ·
I've scanned this quickly , so if I repaeat some ones answer, forgive me.. I dont have alot of time..

first...thinning Kilts ( which is crappy cheap primer to beging with) will ruin the primer, if you are going to spray primer, use and auttomotove type sprayer...one can be bought at lowes for short money..

if your plug is sealed with epoxy ( which is what I've gotten from the thread) you would be better of using a spray can of rustolium or another brand primer, one suited for plastic would be best......

latex based products like Kiltz or Zinsser are best applied over wood, and if you seal with oil, an oil based primer is best...beyond that the world is your oyster...remember, your finish is only as strong as the weakest link, too many layers of different products can lead to failure.... it's not rocket science ( as some would have you believe) but is does follow a progression... take your time, sand before and after priming, keep it clean and remove dust with a lint free rag of dry ( non gummy) tack cloth, use products in the manner they were designed... after all.. the advise on the can was put there for your benifit..
 
#11 ·
if your plug is sealed with epoxy ( which is what I've gotten from the thread) you would be better of using a spray can of rustoleum or another brand primer, one suited for plastic would be best......
That is what I would do. Roc has done it all as far as plug building goes. Chances are if we've though about it he has done it. No need to re invent the wheel
 
#9 ·
I prime with zinzer cover stain,find it sprays easier than bin,dries flat.I paint automotive base coat.acrilic waterborn on zinzer primers.I have bin and like that also but like i said it doesn't spray friendly. Epoxy plugs with e-tex.Rattle cans work fine also for painting
 
#10 ·
I truely thank you all for the input. Just to throw something on the table. I used to paint aircraft and do understand the importance of keeping certain types of chemicals matched up due to their adhesive/bonding/chemical reaction properties.

I just get a little confused as there are so many posts on painting where builders use a boat load of different types of epoxy's, sealants, primers and paint.

My goal is to stick with water based types of chemicals and stay away from the flammable/hazardous types as much as possible. Or at least get it to where my chances of burning down my house are reduced as much as possible.

So my sealer is going to be Etex.
My primer is going to be _______<-----your help needed here.
My paint will be acrylics.
My finish coat will be Etex again.

I like the idea of a base coat of either white or gray right after priming the plug.

You are all not only gentlemen and scholars, but true artistisans at what you do here.

Also i will post when i get one painted but i'm so anal retentive that it may take a while!

Thanks,
Chief Murph

:navy:
 
#12 ·
I myself don't even prime. The reason being is primer is used to seal the wood and if your using epoxy to seal then your covered. I had tried several different primers/zinsser and paint. I found I like lacquer based paint for my first coat the best for a few reasons. If cured properly it dries super hard, you have many options for color and if only doing a couple plugs you can shoot base with a rattle can then finish off with airbrush. I will either shoot it through a gun or use rattle cans, it all depends on how many plugs I'm painting.(due to clean up) When I paint white body and red head or tail plugs, many times I will just used red and white lacquer based as it is super quick. I have painted a slew of them as the Musky on the lake have taken a liking to them. You can see some of the red/white plugs in the following pic
 

Attachments

#13 ·
I myself don't even prime. The reason being is primer is used to seal the wood and if your using epoxy to seal then your covered. I had tried several different primers/zinsser and paint. I found I like lacquer based paint for my first coat the best for a few reasons. If cured properly it dries super hard, you have many options for color and if only doing a couple plugs you can shoot base with a rattle can then finish off with airbrush. I will either shoot it through a gun or use rattle cans, it all depends on how many plugs I'm painting.(due to clean up) When I paint white body and red head or tail plugs, many times I will just used red and white lacquer based as it is super quick. I have painted a slew of them as the Musky on the lake have taken a liking to them. You can see some of the red/white plugs in the following pic
If not for bad information , you wouldn't give any info at all..you started this crap last year DO NOT START IT AGAIN THIS YEAR...... primer is NOT for sealing wood.... it is for preparing for paint... the exterior of the plug is ones LAST worry... the inside where water infilltratres the hook and through holes is.. and if not sealed properly they will soak up water and possibly split....

I've been a propenant of lacquer as a clear/scratch coat for a few years now... Creek chub sealed their plugs by dipping in lacquer... it dries hard and is amazingly durable... but primer is a MUST if you want a finish that lasts...
 
#14 ·
Thanks everybody. I'm tossing everything i've turned into the paint practice box and will turn some new ones after i build a lip slot cutting jig. I think i will prime with rattle can rustoleum and paint with acrylic and possibly shoot some laquer. Thanks to all that added input.
Chiefmurph
:navy:
 
#16 ·
Roccus...I posted on a forum that i was sealing with zinnzer latex primer...Was told that oil primer only ...Latex NO....Well I ran across Kelly Moore 123 primer I had left over from paint jobs.. same as Zinnzer Since I had a couple of gallons, I thought why not try it on plugs for back east...I have a good plastic bucket with good removable lid for dipping several at once...The center hole is 3/16 & allows plenty of primer in..I do this twice ...sand & another 3rd coat...These plugs are over 4 yrs old & aren't splitting...All sealers I checked said to let dry for 6mos or more...Which i did'nt have time for...Am I just lucky The plugs hold up or what?...Only problem I've ever had was paint wrinkling from different types of cans....And the occaisional blue that decides to ruin my paint job....Jim
 
#17 ·
Hi Jm .. good to see you posting...The fact that your plugs are not/have not split can be attributed to many factors... for one.. your method allows plenty of product surrounding the plug and penetrating/protecting the end grain...splitting occurs from the end grain.. so if you keep that bugaboo at bay your ahead of the game... ( this includes the belly holes as this makes an end grain).. also , oily woods like cedar are not prone to splitting...they may swell... but rarely split... some people dont seal cedar at all... the problem is sooner or latter it will absorb water and change the balance with the plug...if you try that with maple or birch..I think you will find the results less than satisfying.....

the problem with latex is once/if water gets under it it will peel like a snake skin ( been there done that)... primers do not penetrate the wood... they adhere to it.. .. so depending on what you are trying to adhere to.. you choose your product....oil primers tend to grip/adhere better in this application.. if your happy with your results.. then continue...

I'm giving advice for the best time proven results ( not just mine, but many, many builders before me)... do other methods work.. you bet... it's all about what you want to acheive...and how you view your results..

happy building
Roc
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top