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RayburnGuy

Wooden Lure Sealing Choices

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I've read a good bit about sealing wooden lures here at TU. It seems most folks use either prop or D2T. Just wondering if anyone has used DN to seal lures? And if not, why? Are there characteristics about DN that make it unsuitable for this purpose? This question is more to satisfy my own curiosity than anything else since the old formulation of DN will no longer be available.

thanks guys,

Ben

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I have used Prop, D2T, Crazyglue, and a bunch of other stuff... Currently I use Minwax sanding sealer and it has been working great. I then top coat with DN and no issues with wrinkling or anything and the createx goes on smooth. The only reason I havent used DN as a sealer is because i do not want to expose it to anymore air than I have to and it is much more costly than other mediums availible. JMHO

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From my experience, I don't seal with DN for several reasons. First, I occasionally got a bubble or wrinkle when I put DN topcoat over a DN-sealed lure and I suspected (true or not) that it was reacting with itself. I want to move along in a reasonable time when finishing and don't want to wait 24+ hrs for the DN sealer to begin curing out. D2T or prop is faster. Second, I'd just as soon limit the number of times I have to open my DN dip jar and add Bloxygen when I reseal it. Lastly, and this is just personal preference, when I use 1 or 2 coats of sanded D2T thinned with denatured alcohol for the undercoat, I know I can get a glass smooth and very durable undercoat that is not chemically reactive - every time, without fail. I hate "do-overs" and "every time, without fail" means a lot to me.

I guess this is sort of a moot point since when my current stock of DN is gone, it'll be a new ball game. But I'm looking forward to trying the new DN formulation.

Edited by BobP
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I have recently started using polyester resin (fiberglass resin). What the long term effects of this material are for lures, I do not know, but I do know that they used to make fairing parts for aircraft and small boats, so it cannot be that bad. I accept that like a lot of materials, it is not water proof, but water resistant. To what extent it is water resistant, I guess this is another test I shall have to add to my list.

The good points: very cheap, ready to sand in 20 minutes, very hard surface but sands quite well, accepts all paints without problem, clean-up is easy with regular paint thinners, brushes are re-usable.

The bad points: liquid to gel happens very quickly, so leveling is not good, so no good as a top coat. Yellows in UV, so no good as a top coat. Pungent smell, so not very healthy. Skin irritant, so precautions needed.

Application: It can be thinned with regular paint thinners, but complete curing takes much longer, so I have abandoned this idea. I add two drops of acrylic automotive touch-up paint to the mix, this does not affect the curing time. This serves several purposes: Easier visibility for thorough mixing. It is easier to see missed spots. When sanding, I can see the surface contour blemishes clearly as the coating is sanded away.

For the second coat, a different color is used. This helps to see progress when sanding and deciding if a third application is required. I use a flap wheel mounted in a drill press. This may seem a bit brutal, but once the wheel has been broken in, I find it an effective tool for the job and works well with the hard resin.

Dave

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Thanks for the replies everyone. I knew there had to be reasons DN wasn't mentioned as a favored lure sealer. I kind of figured the added exposure and extended curing time would be a couple of the reasons DN wasn't used as a sealer, but you guys brought up some very good points I hadn't thought of.

thanks again,

Ben

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I've read a good bit about sealing wooden lures here at TU. It seems most folks use either prop or D2T. Just wondering if anyone has used DN to seal lures? And if not, why? Are there characteristics about DN that make it unsuitable for this purpose? This question is more to satisfy my own curiosity than anything else since the old formulation of DN will no longer be available.

thanks guys,

Ben

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I've used D2t as the sealer but I just like the way super glue soaks into the wood and makes balsa rock hard. I cannot say if one method works better than the other.

O.K, Thanks benton B'. In the case that I were to seal with super glue, what method would you recommend to apply it with ..... cheap disposable brushes, rubber gloves, or some other?

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I just rub into the wood with my bare finger. As long as I don't apply pressure my finger does not stick to the bait. I normally do around 10 baits at a time so the super glue just peels off my finger in a solid sheet. I've thought about getting a box of finger cots for that job but never got around to it.

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Re: Benton's super glue method - I never tried it 'cause I can see my finger permanently grafted to a crankbait :unsure: but I can see the attraction. I don't think super glue necessarily makes a bait more durable than epoxy alone but a very hard balsa bait gives a 'ping' on impact with cover while more flexible epoxy makes a 'pong'. I notice a similar effect using prop versus epoxy. OK, maybe I'm over-thinking it but shallow crankbaits to me are basically ricochet machines and the sound they make while doing that is part of the attraction.

Edited by BobP
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Re: Benton's super glue method - I never tried it 'cause I can see my finger permanently grafted to a crankbait :unsure: but I can see the attraction. I don't think super glue necessarily makes a bait more durable than epoxy alone but a very hard balsa bait gives a 'ping' on impact with cover while more flexible epoxy makes a 'pong'. I notice a similar effect using prop versus epoxy. OK, maybe I'm over-thinking it but shallow crankbaits to me are basically ricochet machines and the sound they make while doing that is part of the attraction.

Great! Now I'm going to have to go out to the boat and thump all my balsa lure to be sure they're in tune! :lol:

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Have you ever tried a product called DEFT. I purchase it from home depot in quart containers for about $10.00, dries quickly, water proof, and seals the wood well. Createx has no problem sticking to it and I seal with E-Tex with no problems. I just dip the blank into the liquid and hang the lure for about an hour and then redip. Lightly sand and it is ready for paint.

Rotorhead

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Have you ever tried a product called DEFT. I purchase it from home depot in quart containers for about $10.00, dries quickly, water proof, and seals the wood well. Createx has no problem sticking to it and I seal with E-Tex with no problems. I just dip the blank into the liquid and hang the lure for about an hour and then redip. Lightly sand and it is ready for paint.

Rotorhead

Very interesting!!

Is the second coat also dry after one hour?

And have you been using this method for any length of time.

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