clear coat question for the engineers out there...

[CL Rods]

Holy mackeral! I am a computer programer and you guys are making my head hurt! I feel like a box of rocks!

After all the engineers are done, someone send us a note with the best products to use or mix together for finishing swim bait joints (meaning how to avoid too much build up yet being totaly waterproof, especially for repaints of someone elses baits, and oh if this means just use lacquers or ??? for painting just say so), what products would be better for jerk baits (because they tend to hit lots of docks and rocks), and then what is the best overall finish for painting over wooden baits. I'll use this one on plastic repaints too, because well, uncle!

[mark poulson]

In the past, on my wooden swim baits, I've used D2T, which chips off wood lures, and Etex, which I love, but it yellows if the lure is in the sun all day.

I've just started using Nu Lustre 55 epoxy on my wood swimbaits.

It has UV inhibitors, which are supposed to stop the yellowing that drives me nuts, after I've spent so long coming up with a paint scheme I like.

For balsa cranks, I used Etex, and will now use the Nu Lustre 55, over Createx.

If I'm repainting a plastic crank, I use D2T over Createx. It is harder than the other epoxies, and holds up well on plastic baits.

If I'm touching up a jerkbait, or adding glitter to a lure, I use cheap $.99 NYC nail polish, which, I think, is similar to vinyl lure paint. It comes in clear, too, and each bottle has it's own brush.

To touch up gashes on the water, I use brush-on super glue. I just make sure the lure is dry first, and let it set for 15 minutes or so after I apply the glue, to avoid the chalky white that forms when the glue gets wet before it sets.

[BobP]

Mark, to fix gashes while fishing, I use a really fast method. Cut off the crank, toss it in the bottom of the boat and tie on another crank! Cuts that 15 min wait time down to nothing!

A comment on treble hooks: Gamakatsu Round Bends are sharper out of the box and stay sharper than any I've used including japanese hook brands. They're also tempered to be tough. I found this out when cutting replacement hooks for blade baits (cut the eye of a treble with wire pliers, then bend it closed on the blade bait). You can't use Gamys because the temper is hard enough that the wire in the eye will break before it bends. I can't remember the last time a Gamy hook bent out on a fish. Not so with other brands, including the VMCs and Mustads I also use. I'm not knocking them. I put Rapala Inline VMCs and premium Mustad Triple Grips on some baits and like them. But Gamakatsu's are worth the extra cost to me because their light wire penetrates well and they are very strong and sharp.

[Downriver Tackle]

Here's a bit of info, just to cloud the words HARDNESS / TOUGHNESS, a bit more. The last paragraph, is a bit deflating. pete

The results obtained from this test are a useful measure of relative resistance to indentation of various grades of polymers. However, the Shore Durometer hardness test does not serve well as a predictor of other properties such as strength or resistance to scratches, abrasion, or wear, and should not be used alone for product design specifications.

EXACTLY!!!

[mark poulson]

EXACTLY!!!

Downriver,

Is it possible to have a UV activated epoxy with UV inhibiters?

Seems like the UV inhibiters would prevent the UV light from penetrating and curing the epoxy.

[Downriver Tackle]

Downriver,

Is it possible to have a UV activated epoxy with UV inhibiters?

Seems like the UV inhibiters would prevent the UV light from penetrating and curing the epoxy.

Shouldn't be much of a problem. The UV rays needed to cure are a pretty narrow band. Even if it did affect it, the initiator that makes it cure could probably be boosted. Not something a consumer could do. It would have to be done in the formulation.