[I still can't get a good clear coat. I need some help!]

9 hours ago, 21xdc said:

Ditch the epoxy and try KBS diamond clear... 

I am about to. I'm just nervous by the steep price and the stories of it going bad.

[I still can't get a good clear coat. I need some help!]

Some pictures of the issues I am having.

http://imgur.com/a/iBDcz7Y

 

All these baits have only been handled with gloves during the painting and clear coating process.

I use Devcon 2 ton epoxy and made sure the baits got fully coated before putting them on the lure turner. I am constantly having this issue of empty spots on the clear coat but the spider webbing on the one bait is something that has only happened once. I really want to get some baits in the water but I keep screwing up this process.

What process do you use from start to finish to make sure you get a solid clear coat?

Any idea on what is causing these issues?

[Having issues with clear coat.]

1 hour ago, 21xdc said:

Fish eyes are from oils from your hands etc... The epoxy shy's away in oily areas. It's not the brush's, cups, etc  unless you are getting a foreign substance on them. Some wah their hands really well with dawn dish soap before they paint/handle their baits... Some use latex/nitrile gloves. 

 

I use KBS Diamond Clear and all of those issues went away. 

I plan on going to KBS once I am out of this epoxy. But even in the future I think I will use some 2 step epoxy so I can use some glitter on the bait.

So in the meantime just don't ever handle the bait with bare hands once the painting process starts and until the bait is fully clear coated?

[Having issues with clear coat.]

I can't get clear coat right for the life of me. I keep getting spots like the ones in the pictures. Here is my process.

1. Squeeze epoxy out of the syringe (Devcon 2 ton epoxy) into a plastic cup

2. Slowly stir with a plastic stir stick or paintbrush

3. Use a paint brush to apply the epoxy making sure there isn't any part of the bait without epoxy on it

4. Put the bait on the lure turner

 

My first bait I did was perfect and I've had issues ever since that one. I used a nicer paintbrush with that one as opossed to cheaper paintbrushes out of a 5 pack on everything since. Could this be the issue? I'm going to pick up some different paint brushes today and see if that helps.

[What makes a more expensive bait worth it over a cheaper one?]

I see a lot of places with lures in the $2-$3 range but other sites are offering baits at less than half that price. What makes these more expensive lures worth it?

I have tried searching for what people are recommending for blank suppliers but I can't find anything recent. What do you guys use? What do you stay away from?

[Is it ok to test lure blanks without coating them?]

I got some blanks from a new website and wanted to test how they run. Will it be ok for them to be reeled through the water before painting and clear coating?

[I got some lure blanks with sanding marks on the bill...]

Is there any way to get the sanding marks of the bill of a lure blank?

[Struggling with clear coating. Any tips?]

2 hours ago, RonH520 said:

I agree with the previous advice, with a little to add.  On a whim, I bought some UV hard resin to try since I had a UV light from trying Solarez a couple of years back.

The name of it is DecorRom.  I tried it today on three cranks by brushing it on.  It went on smooth, and quickly dried to a hard finish.  It cured in about 5 to 10 minutes using the UV nail light, to a high gloss, non tacky finish, and is the best I've seen yet.  I know there has got to be  catch, so I'll find out when I get to fish them and bang them around.  I've  been using Dev Con 2, with pretty good results, but this is so much easier.

Just something to think about.

 

Do you need to have the bait spinning while using the UV resin? Or just put it under the light?

[Struggling with clear coating. Any tips?]

3 minutes ago, 21xdc said:

Epoxy is not mixed by weight, But 50/50 by volume... Notice the bottles are the same quantity?  Use a syringe or medicine cup and measure equally. 

 

I switched from epoxy to KBS Diamond Clear and never looked back... I keep it in a mason jar and wipe the lid clean before the top is put back on. 

I was looking into the KBS since it looks so easy to use. I've heard stories of it going bad on people though. I'll try a syringe next time and see if that helps!

[Struggling with clear coating. Any tips?]

I've been having issues with clear coat. It's not very smooth and I'm getting lots of bumps and some spots where there just isn't ant clear coat (air bubbles?). 

 

I've been using BSI 30 min Epoxy from hobby lobby and brushing it onto the bait then throwing it on the lure turner. I've been using a small scale to measure to make sure I'm mixing the right amount.

 

Any tips on what I could do that may improve this? Is there anything I can do with the baits that I screwed up one or are they just useless at this point?