if you are using a cresting lathe just be sure to cover it when spraying so you don't color your lathe also.

I use all lacquers for cresting so there is no problem with adhesion and I can easily clean all paint off with solvent. I avoid enamels for that reason.
I top coat with plain clear lacquer. Sometimes spray, usually can.

Wayomic - I actually got a bit more creative with my spraying. Instead of covering everything to protect from overspray, I took a box and poked a hole in it at the level of my arrow when on the lathe. Taped off the arrow where I wanted the dip to be and ran it into the box. Sprayed the shaft in the box with just some of the taped part of the arrow poking thru the hole.

Perfect with no overspray on anything - other then the inside of the box.

Using enamels though cause I couldn't find the flourescent color I wanted, rustoleum had it near perfect match. 1 Coat flat white then Flo Green. Going to tryTestors for crest paints. Those are enamels too, the only lacquersI seem to find are spray or limited in color selection. I will likely coat with an acrylic lacquer to protect and for adhesive reasons.

But I figure it's gonna be some trial and error before its all done

It doesn't always work like this but usually if it doesn't say enamel, it is a lacquer. Lacquer just means that it dries by evaporation of solvent where enamel cures by chemical bonding/reaction. Simply, if you can dissolve it easily after it has dried with the same stuff it was canned in, it's a laquer.
I just would keep to using paints that use the same solvent. Automotive paints are normally lacquer, so are many hobby paints, while most of what you find in a spray and many in a can at a hardware and building store like Lowe's will be (labeled) enamel.
(those automotive touch-up sprays and jars you can find at places like Pep Boys, etc and even at Walmart are lacquer) Cresting paint from an archery store will be lacquer, of course. I only point it out because enamels are a pain in the _$$ to remove if you goof up or need to repair a chip, etc while lacquers can be removed fairly easily. Then all you need is a rag and some of the same solvent (lacquer thinner, or whatever if on the can), wet the shaft down with it and rubb off the old paint.

With carbons, as long as you don't go too crazy, using lacquer you could pretty much remove and repaint them every week if you wanted to without hurting the shaft.

My first 1/2 dozen crested. Had to redo a couple of em but overall think I got the hang of it. Now comes the shoot test to see how they hold up, but I am definitely hooked on cresting!

They look good,Gerald!!Nice job.

Thx JP - sprayed em with a base of flat white enamel, then flo green (rustoleum), was the only green I could find to match the vanes.

Crested with Testors enamel, then dipped em when done in a water based polycrylic.

Don't know how much weight I added to the shaft, but saw a video on spraying and the guy showed that one coat added about 1 grain of weight, so with the 2 coats and dip of poly I'm guessing I added 5-6 grains of weight. Need to get a digital scale - heck I need to get a lot of stuff.

I've used it all and in the end, its a lot of fun, gives great character to the shafts and helps the feathers bond and makes arrow flight easier to read, and recovery of shot arrows easier too.

I like using white Gasket Laquer, enamel paints on top of that I believe works, and then using Duco to fletch (or better to use fletching tape)

But ...... I sure like arrow wraps nowdays especially for carbons. You can use color pens to "crest" them, and then use fletching tape and voila! you have a durable crown, good looking crest and the bond of the feather to shaft is almost unbreakable.