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The only thing I can add is that I read somewhere (can't remember where) that using wooden stir sticks can introduce bubbles into your epoxy when mixing. I use a metal rod bent into a shepherds stick shape and seem to have a lot lot less problems with my epoxy than a lot of guys do. Ben

Cloudiness in a color can come from a few sources but one to consider is if there is salt in those bait samples. Salt will impart cloudiness with only a minor shift in the overall color. Its always hard to tell from a photo how to go about matching a color. Looking at those images I dont see any Hi-Lite effects but the resolution on those images is low. Adding Pearl White can impart cloudiness but usually it will also impart a sparkling effect similar to glitter that is easily seen if present. Hi-Lite colors tend to show at the surface of a bait and are usually easily detected if present. Not sure of the manufacturer of those baits but something else to consider is companies like Berkley and Keitech add a proprietary blend of stinky stuff to impart scent that also affects the color. I had a custom color match for someone that sent me a Keitech Swing Impact. It had stinky stuff only in one half the bait (the back portion of a laminate) similar looking to fish meal. It wasnt easy trying to match what I call fish meal with pigments. I got as close as I could but spent the better part of a day going round and round on that one. For me when I start out trying to match a color it is always best to work in small batches. I use a baby food jar about half full of plastic ( a little less than 50g) I start with what colorants I think will get me where I need to go (experience goes along way in this department). At this point I am not concerned about measurements just getting on the right trail. Pour small "chips", let cool, and compare or evalutate the color. Here it is critical to not only evaluate the surface tone (look at the bait holding it in your hand) as well as the undertone (hold the bait up to the light and look through the bait). Another thing to consider is lighting. Fluorescent lights often in the shop will make a bait look different than taking it out into the sun and evaluating. Tweak your sample batch as needed or you can discard it if it isnt getting you there and start a new sample batch. This can go 3 or 4 iterations before I feel like I am on the right track. Its a process of elimination of what colors to use or not use. I have gone 20-25 iterations on more difficult colors. Once it is looking good I can scale up the batch size and start taking notes on measurements of glitter/pigments etc. The key to a good color match is does the surface tone and the undertone match the surface tone and undertone of the sample. Physically having a sample bait in hand is the only real way to achieve this. This is where you learn how glitter can shift a color. How salt affects transparency of a given color. How laminates colors can wrap and blend at the margins and throw you for a loop. Also dont rule out the idea of "ehh close enough" so you dont drive yourself crazy. Good luck and let us know how fare.

This is being offered to distributors as a lure top coat. I was given a small sample to test and the results were very promising. Good gloss and coverage and thinner coats. Much thiner viscosity than we are used to with epoxy coatings. Without a doubt the hardest epoxy I have used. It's going to be marketed as "ClearShield-HD Lure & Fly Coating" A web site for the distributers is up and offers some information that users may be interested in. http://www.lurecoatings.com/index.html I have no financial interest in this product just letting you know to keep you eyes open, you might like to give it a try. The lures below are finished with "Clearshield - HD" Have fun, Jim P

Ok thanks. I appreciate the tip.

Eastman03 - I don't think you can slow down the cure time, but I cannot remember the need to. What I do know; is that acetone is a solvent for CA glue, useful for clean-up. I design lures. I love the engineering, the theory behind the action. I do not fish the lures as lures are not permitted on the artificial ponds that I frequent. I do test the lures on these ponds away from competition times. I get ideas, build them, then store in a bag which eventually gets lost in my busy life. My principal quarry is bawal, a very aggressive predator/scavenger. Here is a pic of a 4.5Kg (10Lb) specimen (size 10 / 44 shoe for reference). I do not want to distract from this interesting post, so any further discussion on this side issue should be done by PM. Dave

I let it run for at least 18 hours. I have a scale and I work at a hospital so have siringes at home. I just put the second coat on measuring with a syringe. Let it sit 10 min and then applied. This time I put it on while turning and would stop and go periodically to make sure I got good even coverage. Will shall see. Worst case if it happens again is lightly sand down in spots

Eastman03 - the point of CA glue (super glue) is that it dries in seconds. You can make any mods, add a few drops of glue, and you are good for the next test. CA glue is the perfect prototype tool. Dave

My takeaway is this, great review. Thank you. There are many factors to consider but the one I must look at is the finished product, That given it would seem lure builders would want the best finish possible. Clear, hard, durable, and easy to work with is the key. I suggest watching the video many times to make your own determination, but remember this, I have found a product that is Rock hard, bullet proof, and almost indestructible as far as a finish is concerned, the only down fall is the cost, pot / shelf life and does not lend it's self to doing a few lures at a time, to bad but if you want the very best finish you can get at all cost, look into Sherwin Williams, Rexthane Amorseal, the only problem is cost per lure. So this brings us back to how many lures are you clear coating at a time? and how many do you do in a month? if you don't do several hundered or thousands, the Rexthane will not do you any good. Seems the best products have the shortest life span, so now lets be honest and say if your looking for friendly usability you will have to compromises, thus let the battle rage on of which clear coat is the best.

I don’t use ETEX but many who do mix it and let it sit for 10-15 min before brushing it so it thickens slightly. So no, I don’t think premature curing is your problem. Use syringes to measure it, mix it really well for two minutes, and try applying it with a cheap nylon artist’s brush with finer bristles and you should not have problems. Clean the brush with lacquer thinner or denatured alcohol and you can use it indefinitely.

hi envirotex will stay brushable for hours. sounds like you did not equal amounts or wrong mix procedure. rotate your baits manually or a spinner..as on screw eyes drill a tiny pilot hole3/4rs in insert screw with a dab of 2 part epoxy..on screw eyes when finishing,make sure screw eye opening is facing forward..if it happens to get slightly opened the hook will stay.

Looks like a laminate to me. Clear plastic with some glitter on one side, light watermelon and a light brown on the other.

It looks like moisture can get into the lure through the belly hook hanger. How about trying a vacuum with an attachment on the line tie / hook hangers or leaving the lure in some uncooked rice to dry out the inside? I had a fogged-up squarebill with a transparent paint job. There was no scale foil inside. I think it had a tiny leak at the rear hook hanger. The moisture in the lure didn’t dissipate without some help. I used a small shop-vac attachment rigged up to a small rubber hose with duct tape to suck out as much moisture as I could. After that, I left the lure in a sealed Ziploc bag of rice. I forgot about the lure and found my bag of rice a week later. Then, I sealed the 2 hook hangers. It has been clear for a couple of years.