borderbasser Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 I need a little advice. I have noticed that on some of my swimbaits my paint is peeling and clearcoat busting around or near the hinge pin hole. Because I don't like to glue the pin in, I know it is due to water intrusion. It is the only place on the bait that doesn't get sealed. I like to use thinned D2T for my sealer beacuse it covers up some of the "rough" around the carving detail in the head and leaves a very good slick finish to sand and paint but I don't think I can get it in the holes for a proper seal. I'm thinking about trying to swab the hole with some DickNites to seal the hole and then sealing the bait as usual with with the D2T. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks. TJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 (edited) I use a cheap biro pen. I dismantled it and drilled out the point to 2.5mm dia. A cotton bud tube (a recent TU discovery, thankyou) was a nice push fit. I then cut the pen shaft short and pushed the rubber end of the ear dropper onto the pen shaft. It worked perfectly, leaving enough space for the air to escape as I injected the resin into the 3mm (1/8”) diameter hole. For a clear tube, the ink tube could be cleaned out and used instead of the cotton bud tube. It is 3mm dia and might give more control via visibility. Not tried yet though. Only did this yesterday. Ironic that you asked the question the very next day. The make shift injector can be re-used many times, just by squirting acetone through for a minute and leaving to dry. I cannot see why the same method would not work for D2T, even though it is slightly more viscous. I seal inside all the holes with resin. After curing, I re-drill the holes. Then inject the resin and insert the twisted eyes. Thanks to Mark Poulson for the method of loose twisting one wire around the other. A far superior method than a plain twist, giving more area for the resin or epoxy to grip. A pull test is in progress, 46Lbs, 20 hours so far. Dave Edited October 12, 2008 by Vodkaman almost a hijack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderbasser Posted October 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Thanks for the reply Dave, but I think we are talking about two different things. What I am trying to seal is the inside of the holes for the removable vertical pin that runs from the belly to the back...the pin that runs through the twisted wire hinges on the opposing section. Does that make sense? I am not quite sure I understand how your injector is made but it sounds very interesting. I'd love to see a pic or illustration if you have one. It sounds like it would work good for injecting epoxy in the holes for the hangars and the other side of the hinges. Thanks. TJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Yes, I was on the wrong page! I have thought about this problem, as it has been discussed recently. If I were doing this construction, I would drill the pin hole 3mm dia. Seal with resin (or thinned epoxy), working the liquid into the surface with a tooth pick. This first coat will be absorbed into the wood, giving a good seal, but rough, raised surface. Then, after curing, I would re-drill 3mm dia. Add a second coat, slightly thicker, but not blocking the hole. After curing, drill through using 2.5mm dia drill. The cotton bud shaft should be a close fit into this hole and provide a nice bearing hole for the hinge pin and no possible wear on the sealed surface. If you don't want to go the cotton bud shaft idea (Snax originally posted the idea, thankyou), just modify the drill sizes to suit your application. Here is the pic of the pen injector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 borderbasse - I am not up with all these bits you guys are adding to a lure, BUT, maybe you could dip the hinge pin in hot wax, let it set, and then glue it in , when glue is set, you should be able to move the pin , the wax would give you the 'free-play'.pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderbasser Posted October 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Thanks guys for the replys. Dave, I think what you are saying in theory will definately work. The only problem I have with it is I am afraid that when re-drilling the hole, there is no way you are going to get the bit perfectly straight and perfectly centered in the original hole so as not to remove any sealer from the original wall. A bushing in the hole is not an issue because the pin does not rotate in the hole. Thanks for the pic by the way...I understand now. Pete, your idea sounds interesting as well. I think it might work, but gluing the pin is a real pain if not completely impossible to do cleanly and completely with epoxy. One thing that might be worth trying though is inserting the pin after being dipped, and instead of using glue, use a few drops of thinned DickNites and see if it will run down and around the pin and soak into the wood. I think that it would be just as easy to drop the DN in before the pin and letting it soak into the wood being carefull not to block the hole. Anyway, I think I am just going to have to do a little trial and error on this one and see what works best. Thanks guys. TJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 The drill does centre itself. But for the same reason, I do the operation twice. Also, the first coat has soaked in slightly, so you are unlikely to destroy the seal. I guess a soak test would be in order. I'll add it to my list. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snax Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 Check out the thread I just added on wood sealer. This stuff is the perfect product for us lure makers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 (edited) I used to use runny crazy glue, letting it run down through the pin hole until it exits the other side. It gets soaked up by the wood on the way through. Then I re drill the hole using the same wire I made the pins with, but one that I've hammered a little flat to make it cut better and ream the hole a little. I also use the crazy glue for a sealer on small baits, because it set quickly and lets me proceed with priming and painting in a matter of minutes, instead of hours. Now, for larger jointed swimbait type lures, I use Minwax Wood Hardener for the sealing process. It runs through the hole, too, and is absorbed even better into the wood, since that's what it was designed for. I use it to seal the entire bait, since it penetrates the wood, so any dings won't leak immediately, and I can do an on the water fix with brush on crazy glue, and touch up/repair the damage better when I get home. I just dip a cotton Q tip into the metal bottle, and swab it on. I've been doing it like this for about six months, and, so far, no problems. I do let it dry overnight. They just started stocking trout in our SoCal lakes last week, so it's on for swimbaits from now until the post spawn. Edited October 13, 2008 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
