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Has anybody tried to use a rotisserie oven like the one seen on tv "set it and forget it" to oven bake ETEX on or am I wasting my time? I am figuring you can set the temp to about 120 degrees and maybe oven bake it on! or is the drying whell at room temp the best bet?

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Epoxy hardens by a chemical reaction between the resin and the hardener. Heat can speed the reaction but it won't be any harder than epoxy that has cured at room temperature, so there's no "baking it on". I've read of putting a lure turner inside a box lined with foil containing a 100W bulb to raise the temp and speed the cure process with Devcon 2 Ton epoxy. How something like that would work with Etex, which is much thinner when brushed, is an open question. Heating an Etex covered bait immediately after coating may cause the epoxy to drip off the bait. Etex also contains solvents. How would that mix with the heating element of an oven? Not well I'd guess.

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I use a foil lined box and light bulb like BobP mentioned. I originally built the box just for dust protection because of the close proximity of my finishing area to my shop. I later lined it with foil and added a light bulb to speed up the drying. It works great but there are a couple of issues, for my use a 100 watt bulb was way too much, that is what I tried first. I am down to a 40 watt not and that keeps it between 85 and 90 degrees depending on where you place the thermocouple. Also, I don't turn the bulb on right away anymore as it wants to pull air from the lure and cause bubbles, especially with a foiled bait. I usually let it rotate for a few hours then turn on the light.

Normally I only use the light for my first coat of etex before paint and the final coat. I like to add my additional build coats while the coat underneath it is still tacky and 12 hours under the light will make the etex fairly hard. If I were to build it again I would change it up a little and use a sheet of plexiglass on hinges for the front. Any heat loss could be compensated for with a higher wattage bulb.

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I do have an old "set it an forget it" rotisserie that I've been considering using as a turner, but with the heat off. The main upside is that it has a lid that closes, thereby shielding the bait from dust, etc.

I haven't had any problems with dust in my topcoats, so I haven't taken the time to rig it up. I have also considered it for a powder paint oven.

Right now it's sitting in the basement, but it'll get put to use sooner or later.

-sam

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Well Im glad I didn't just try it and got some feedback first. I love making plugs and lures but I don't want to burn down my shop! thanks guys!

You are right to be cautious with solvents. One of the projects I was considering was sealing lures with propionate dissolved in solvent. To speed up the evapouration of the deeply absorbed solvents, I was considering a bulb heated oven. But you have to consider, what if a bulb bursts. The solvent/air mix could easily reach explosive proportions.

You can lessen the chances of this situation by building in a fan and vent holes, so that fresh air is constantly introduced. But then for top coat applications, this could introduce fresh dust and defeat the object of an enclosure.

At the end of the day, the top coats do not need heat, just avoid winter workshop temperatures. Once the lures are coated, they can be brought into the house without worry. The vapours from a couple of square inches of epoxy are not going to constitute a life threatening hazzard. JMHO.

Dave

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