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captsully18

Dick Nite's top coat

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Had the privilege of spending the day with Dean Mclain this past Wednesday. What an experience!

Anyway, we were talking about dn topcoat and it came up that he was trying everything to try to keep it fresh and not loose so much of it. I was unfamiliar with the product then and was not aware that it is an air and moisture cure urethane. He showed me the container that he had just recieved. A light bulb went on and I knew how to help him and others out with this problem. I use a similar coating in my rod building. My coating comes in a glass bottle and unless you use it daily and build ten to fifteen rods a day you will loose most of it due to curing in the bottle. I learned from the manufacturer that the way to store it is in a metal can with the lid sealed as tight as possible. Before pouring the urethane into the can, punch a small hole in side of the can near the bottom. Start a small thumbscrew into the hole, but not all the way. Pour liquid into can, seal top, watch for leakage around screw. Allow some leakage, then tighten screw just enough to stop lead. From this point you just remove screw and let enough liquid for job at hand and lightly replace screw, allowing for a little more leakage before tightening screw. After a while there will be a good buildup of urethane around hole and it will be naturally tapped for the screw and you won't need to let it leak ( on purpose ).

After looking at the can that DN comes in, I believe that a hole can be punched into original can by turning it upside down, punching hole, setting screw, then turning rightside up.

The basic premise here is to keep the air at top of can, and you are always using from the bottom. There will always be air introduced to the can, but it will go to the top. Yes, there will be a skin form at the top. You can't avoid this, but lost product will be much less.

Hope this helps. I have a can of DN on the way and I am going to try to use the idea of punching hole in that can. If it doesn't work I do have an empty can ready to use. If it doesn't work I'll let you guys know.

Later

David

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As soon as i get a thumb screw, I'm tapping a can! And btw, David, I hope that it was mostly a good experience :). It certainly was for me, we caught a bunch of nice living-room fish, & played with some lures. It is certainly great to meet like-minded fishing fanatic folk, and as the above post demonstrates, you can always learn a new trick or two!

Dean

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The fumes are substantial while DN is flash drying, which takes 30-60 minutes. I dip baits in the garage, turn them for 60 mins and take them inside after a couple of hours. I do a 2nd coat after 24 hrs, same routine but leave them hanging inside for a couple of days for the moisture cure to develop. Curing continues after that, for how long I don't know, but it's a nice glossy tough finish.

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I put the lips in after I paint so I don't have to tape them. Use some scrap circuitboard or Lexan to make a "false lip" to have something to hold onto with hemostats while painting, and stop undercoating and paint from getting in the lip slot. Drill a hole in the false lip to hang the bait up during painting.

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...or you can brush it on, which is what I do anyway, in large part because of the bill. It brushes on fast, because you don't go back over it or work it like you can do epoxy. Start going back over dicknite's, and you'll make a mess. If you're going to dip and mask, I wouldn't wait more than about 30 minutes to remove the tape.

Dean

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Dean, I haven't brushed DN. I tried that with Famowood Dura Tuff and it was not a good experience. The DT was thicker and flashed faster than DN and it was very hard to get around the lure before the first edge had already tacked up. Big mess. DN is more forgiving and thinner so should work OK, obviously it does for you - but frankly I'm enjoying dipping for a change.

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Bob,

Part of it is just what you get used to--and is seems that at least as many people dip it as brush it. I have just gotten in the habit of applying my last two coats of clearcoat after I put the lip in the bait--it's just the way I like to finish the bait around the lip area--if I've wiped the lip slot area a little too clean after installing the lip, I can cover it with the dicknite's; even if this almost never really actually happens, it's part of my thinking process. I could just as easily do it exactly the way you're doing it, with the "dipping lip" and be just as happy, after I'd rearranged my topcoat storage just a little. In the end, both of our methods work perfectly for us, and achieve precisely the same end.

:)

Dean

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