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jim45498

Did my own test

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I have been wanting to try E-Tex and D2T for a while now. I finally decided to compare E-Tex and Devcon2T. Everyone has their own final decision between the two. Here is mine.

I put the Devcon2T on one lure and E-Tex on the other.

The Devcon was quite a bit thicker and went on quite well.

The E-Tex was very thin and went on very easy.

Both were put on the turner for an 8 hour period. I decided on 8 hours because it was time to go to bed.

Next morning I checked the lures. Took them off the turner and made a comparison. They both looked really great. I touched the E-Tex very lightly with the tip of my finger and it was tacky. I then touched the Devcon2T the same way. I found the Devcon lure dry to the touch. I waited another 8 hours and checked them again. The E-Tex was dry to the touch as was the Devcon lure. I found the E-Tex needed another coat. The Devcon did not. I put the extra coat on the E-Tex and put it on the turner again.

Here is my conclusion...I liked both as far as clarity. Neither had sagged any at all. They were the same. What I did not like was having to put another coat on the E-Tex. After consideration, I have decided to use the Devcon2T. I made this decision because 2T is the easier of the two to use. I don't know what the long range answer will be. I do know that either will make a great clearcoat. I just wanted something simple.

BTW these lures are going to be used for Bass.

Edited by jim45498
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I did the same with D2T, it felt dry to the touch after 8 hours. I assumed the lure was finished and handled it, as you do. Big mistake.

24 hours later, the D2T had a matt finish. Warning, do not handle for at least 24 hours, 48 hours would be safer.

Dave

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The thing I like about etex is thats it has some flexability to it, d2 is like a rock and doesnt handle throwing in the rocks as well. Ive chipped and cracked several baits with d2 were etex never did ,thats why I went back to etex. maybe it was just a couple of bad batches of d2 I dont know but it didnt take me long to switch back.I thought about trying some of the clear that Mark Poulsin uses ,I need to pm him and find out the goods on this clear.

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I just can't get this etex stuff down. For whatever reason I just can't get it to cover baits painted with creatix. I can get it to cover craft paints fine, but not creatix. Both are heat sealed and the etex is carefully meassured. I also take extra steps to make sure I don't ever touch the bait. Adding a 2nd coat does not fix the problem area either. It seems the problems are worse on the baits that don't have scales, like a pointer 100. I really want to use etex so I dont have to deal with chipping and yellowing.

But, yesterday I had some muti-jointed swimbaits that needed a clear coat. It was Sunday and since wally world quit selling 2-ton I was stuck with etex. I took these baits [painted with creatix] and sprayed some automotive clear on them. Dried it with a blow dryer and applied etex. Threw them on the wheel and they turned out better than a factory finish. The only thing I can figure is something either in the paint or how it is applied is causing the etex to pit for whatever reason. Perhaps the automotive clear sealed these imperfections and allowed the etex to self level.

Can anyone explain this one??

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Gunnie, when you had the trouble with the etex over Createx, how long did you wait after painting to apply the etex? I'm thinking that perhaps the paint did not cure fully, but I'm not sure really, just trying to figure out the possible variables. I've not had such problems with etex over Createx.

I do think that the automotive clear is a good idea as an intermediary between the two. The automotive clear is usually a great sealer, but even with that step included, I like to allow any paint, water-based or enamels to dry at least overnight before top-coating with anything.

As to the main question, I prefer etex and I was a diehard Devcon guy for a long time. The etex does preclude a lot of the problems with chipping and yellowing.

The downside of etex was mentioned also...it does not provide the same thickness per coat. There is a way to improve the application of etex...mix it, set it aside for about 10 to 14 minutes or so and allow it to thicken a bit. (see my tutorial on "trying to achieve a flawless finish" in the tutorial section of this website)

Three things are accomplished by allowing the etex to set up a bit before applying it:

  • It get a bit thicker and goes on thicker as a result.
  • The waiting period allows a lot of the bubbles created by mixing to rise to the top...after they rise to the top, just pass your heat gun or blow dryer over them and they're gone for good.
  • It loses it electrostatic charge, which it seems to have right after you mix it. That electrostatic charge draws dust from the air like a magnet and will make you crazy and old before your time.

Of course, a thicker mixture has a lower propensity to "fisheye" on the bait too.

The downside of waiting? Well, it is going to shorten your work time window a bit, but the etex is pretty forgiving in that department unlike Devcon. When Devcon gets too thick to apply, you'd better quit, or you're going to be sorry. It hardens on the bait and you will have a fight on your hand to sand it down the next day so you can apply another coat to cover the wavy mess it creates.

Etex, on the other hand, will allow you to push the envelope a bit after it begins to get so thick that it wants to go on too thick. Put it on anyway, hit it with the heat gun and just brush it out a bit. You have to heat it just enough to soften it a bit and get all the bubbles out of it, but you will be pleased with the nice, rich, thick coat, which will strongly resemble a nice coat of Devcon.

Can you push it too far? Too thick to a point where it simply won't flatten out even with heat? Yep, but you have to work at it and you'll easily see figure this new "window" of working time out for yourself.

The upside? No yellowing, no brittle finish. Less of a problem with hook rash overall. The bait will thank you, the fish will thank you, the women will swoon and fall upon you like ravenous vixens bent on having their way with you and...well, you get the idea. You'll be happy, live long, die rich, with your freezer so full of fine, fresh, fish fillets that all your heirs, your neighbors and even your neighbor's children will speak in flowery, respectful tones at your wake and your name will be etched in granite pillars near all the launch ramps.

See? Etex wins.:teef:

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These baits had been sitting on the hanger for better than a week. I will try the auto clear on a regular crank and see what happens with the etex. Perhaps I havent been waiting long enough for it too loose its charge and dust is causing the problem.

Edited by gunnie3035
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I was a devcon guy for over 5yrs and would not even think of using anything else. Now I'm using flexcoat hi build and it's the bomb imho. It dries crystal clear without the nasty yellowing that I got from devcon. Down side is that you must apply a least 2 coats per bait. You must let this stuff sit for about 10min after mixing or you will get runs and sags but I can coat 3 baits per mixed batch. This product is not brittle like devcon and makes the colors just pop.

I hated to have to tell devcon good by but flex coat is a better product to use for my final clear coat.

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These baits had been sitting on the hanger for better than a week. I will try the auto clear on a regular crank and see what happens with the etex. Perhaps I havent been waiting long enough for it too loose its charge and dust is causing the problem.

Ugh, Gunnie I have had the same kinds of issues with ETEX over Createx. Dryer or no dryer, sit overnight... I have let the stuff sit and gas off and get thicker ... UGH. But I do tend to force dry baits and I really have issues more with wood baits versus plastic.

So what kind/brand of clear are you spraying over the top? PM me if you'ld rather not say.

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These baits had been sitting on the hanger for better than a week. I will try the auto clear on a regular crank and see what happens with the etex. Perhaps I havent been waiting long enough for it too loose its charge and dust is causing the problem.
Are you trying to thin your paint down with something maybe the thinner (if used ) is causeing the problem. I know that sometimes I will buy this paint and I dont know if the paints old or what ,but it will be airbrush paint and I still have to thin it down because it was too thick.
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jamie,

I use Nu Lustre 55, which is just like Etex except it has UV inhibitors, so it says clear forever.

Snax turned me on to it.

I coat the insides of my swimbait joints with D2T, lapping it onto the face of each section a little, so I get an overlap when I put the Nu Lustre 55 on the faces. I use at least 2 coats of the Nu Luster, and it doesn't like irregularities on the surface, like trout spots put on with a drill bit dipped in black paint, or a very raised scale pattern.

Someone here mentioned that epoxy pulls away from sharp edges, or it draws/shrinks back on itself like concrete curing. Since it's not possible to put shrinkage joints in epoxy to control the shrinking/cracking like we do with concrete, I usually just watch the lure and re-brush the epoxy while it's still brush-able, and then pay attention when I re-coat, trying to make sure any thin spots get covered well. Sometimes I have to put on a third coat.

I also found that putting a drop of the runny crazy glue, just a small drop with a piece of wire as an applicator to avoid putting too much on and having it run, onto the thin areas or fish eye spots, helps the next coat adhere.

Probably the same thing the automotive clear does.

I do know that if I spray pastel fixative on the entire lure before I epoxy it, the epoxy seems to go on better, with less problems.

The thing I like about etex is thats it has some flexability to it, d2 is like a rock and doesnt handle throwing in the rocks as well. Ive chipped and cracked several baits with d2 were etex never did ,thats why I went back to etex. maybe it was just a couple of bad batches of d2 I dont know but it didnt take me long to switch back.I thought about trying some of the clear that Mark Poulsin uses ,I need to pm him and find out the goods on this clear.
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Thanks for the info on nuluster55,it seems to have good reviews .Dang just when I thought I was happy with Etex this pops up...now you know I have to try it.

I'm not sure if the extra cost is worth it though,claims too have extra uv inhibitors in it,I fish my lures hard ,durability is more important to me ,I have yet to see yellowing with etex anyway.

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Seafoam,

I had sunlight yellow several Etexed lures, and turn vibrant silver finishes into dull gold, which isn't what I wanted.

That's why I switched to Nu Luster 55.

It may have been that the silver glitter I used is what actually yellowed, but the bottom line is that the Etex didn't protect the underlying layers, and the Nu Lustre does.

And someone (sorry, I can't remember who, but he's a saint) on this forum recommended using small syringes, set into tight fitting drilled holes in the tops of the epoxy and hardener bottles, as a way to get exactly the correct proportions, by volume as recommended by the manuf., for mixing my epoxy.

I haven't had a problem since.

Now I can mix just the amount I need, perfectly and quickly, every time, and not waste anything.

I never go out to my drying wheel worried that the epoxy won't set up right, like I used to when I tried to eyeball the mix, or mix by weight.

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I don't see why it would be a problem. But the D2T will be a raised area, and not smooth with the rest of the finish.

Before you resort to D2T, try wiping your lure down with denatured alcohol before you put on the second coat of Etex and letting it dry. Sometimes solvent residue can rise to the surface of the paint, and interfere with the Etex coverage.

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