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Kribman

Epoxy cover coat

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Heat can cure faster (marginally), but not harder. It can also cause air in the bait's wood to expand and appear as bubbles in the topcoat if too much heat is applied. I'm not in favor of thinning Devcon either but in winter when temps in my house are below 70 degrees, I do it so I can get 2 baits brushed before it becomes too thick. When I thin, I use denatured alcohol because it won't flash out of the epoxy as fast as acetone or lacquer thinner. After mixing the epoxy, dip your brush in the solvent and drop a few (3-4) drops into the mix for 2 baits, then stir. That's usually enough. I can't say that I've noticed any weakness in the cured coating, except that it makes a thinner film than straight Devcon. Many epoxies come from the factory with solvent in them - including Envirotex Lite, Flexcoat and similar "table top" and "rod epoxies". Remember to rotate your baits longer when using thinned epoxy. I spin straight Devcon for at least an hour, thinned Devcon for 2-3 hrs.

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I am wondering all this, because I have coated a few lures and I tried to see how hard they were, and I could make a dent in the finish with my nail. I was thinking this could be a number of problem...

1. My local Home Depot does not sell Etex or Devcon, only a knock of pour on epoxy finisher...

2. I am not putting on enough layers...

3. I do not have a lure turner to make sure there is very even distribution. Are these necessary?

4. Is the squeeze bottle 2ton or 5 min epoxies better than the pour on?

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Kribman. I have the same problem. Devcon is not available in my local store and so I tried other brands of epoxy. They are all slightly different in their hardened properties.

If you can dig your nail in, then look on the bright side, the finish won't crack or shatter when it hits the rocks. It may even be useful against the teeth. If you are not selling the lures, use it and keep looking for the devcon, or try the dick Nites that everyone raves about.

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You can buy Envirotex Lite (aka Etex) at Michael's Hobby Shops. It is a table top pour-on epoxy finish. The Devcon Two Ton is sold at Walmarts, in a double syringe. If you clearcoat your baits and hang them up to cure, I recommend going with straight unthinned Devcon Two Ton. It cures faster than Etex and is thicker, so it tends to sag less. To "rotate" the bait, put a wire hanger on both ends and switch ends every few minutes for the first 30 minutes or so. Epoxy has to be measured properly and mixed thoroughly for it to cure to a hard finish It takes several days of curing to attain real hardness, and as long as a week to final cure. You should be able to handle a Devcon coated bait in about 8 hrs without leaving fingerprints. Guys being guys, we want to mess with the bait but just let the dang thing hang there for a day. If you need a second coat of Devcon to repair fisheyes or voids, you can brush on another full coat anytime after the first 2 hours. If you have bubbles, let it fully cure, sand them out and recoat after 24 hrs. You do not need to sand between coats of epoxy. Devcon 2 Ton is not better than Etex, it's just has different qualities.

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I think there might be a strong reason to thin the epoxy before brushing it on a lure. I speak for those using the printing foil technique. I have discovered that if you thin the the first layer of epoxy, the foil will show itself through the printed image. If you do not thin it, or if you use propionate solution, this will not happen. After the first layer of thinned epoxy, you can add layers of other clearcoats, including unthinned epoxy, and you can still see the reflectiveness of the foil. I add 10 - 12 drops of thinner (with a pipette) to prepare the necessary quantity for 2 baits, about 2 1/2 inches long.

The picture shows 2 lures which were first coated with thinned Devcon 2T, then with 8 layers of propionate solution.

BopP,

I am very surprised to see that you rotate your baits for at least an hour with unthinned Devcon, and 2-3 hours if you thin it. The Devcon 2T I have, would not be good to brush it on a bait after about 10-12 min. from mixing (it hardens very quickly). I "eyeball" the quantities coming out from the syringes. Let's suppose I am wrong and I put more from the "A" component. Next time I use the epoxy, I will be necessarily wrong in the other direction (I will put more from "B"). But in both cases the epoxy becomes too hard to apply in about 10-12 minutes. Anyway, why do you need to spin the lures for this long? And what does the "30 minutes" refer to? I am just begining to "get aquaintance" with this material. I do not know what denaturated alcohol is. Do you think I could use 96 degrees alcohol (alimentary stuff) or sanitary alcohol (60 degrees) ?

picture1.jpg

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The two ton I have to secure lips and hook hangers seems to dry way too quickly to paint on, after all it is known as the original super glue, right?

Also, I don't see how it can't pay for itself after a certain point. I mean the production cost of one my lures is only $5.00 for a musky bait or so and $2 or $3 for a bass sized lure. With the airbrush and compressor, paints, and wood, the cost is large. But the average musky crankbait can be up to $10 and they can easily go up to $20's. Thats a $5 to $15 savings on every lure. If you make 40 lures, The cost is only about 200 dollars. 40 musky baits at $15 is $600. savings: $400. That easily covers the cost of my cheap airbrush and compressor, both only costed about $120. I got a large lumberyard nearby that'll sell maple and red oak cut-offs $10 for 3 20''X15" pieces. I think, as long as one normally buys 40 lures a year, you would be saving some moolah!

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Rofish - There's little chance of Devcon sagging after about 30 minutes. But it is still a liquid (a very slow one) and will migrate a little - just like a glacier :) You can't handle the bait for 5-8 hrs anyway so why not turn it for an hour or two? I usually buy Devcon in the 9 oz bottle pack to save a few cents and I eyeball equal amounts out of both bottles simultaneously. The closer you are to 50/50, the harder it will cure. Properly mixed and measured Devcon cures to a nice slick hard surface. If you goof up, you will feel some drag when you grab the bait and run your fingers down both sides. The bait will also show hook rash more quickly when fished.

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BobP

I'll tell you why I don't want to rotate my baits for this long: it's because the electrical motor would get hot. I bought it as a second hand one (the only possibility for a new one seems to be to buy a microwave oven and take the motor out of it). So I don't know if a microwave electrical motor would normally get hot after an hour, or there is something wrong with the motor I have.

What about thinning the epoxy with alcohol?

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I got my motor off of a reindeer. the kind that is made of wire and minature lights. they are sold at christmas time. the motor made the reindeers head move. it is geared to turn approximately 4 RPM's. they cost about 20 bucks and as an added bonus, you can use the minature bulbs to make the glass rattles.

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