Juice780 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 hey guys i just started making my own crankbaits and ive found this website very helpful. i bass fish alot and i want to make several baits of certain colors in case i loose some or they get damagened, so i always want to have plenty of backups. i was wondering what you guys might suggest as a sealer for my crankbaits before i paint. ive made a few and use slow curing epoxy like most on here, cant get d2t around here so i use 30 min cure epoxy from hobby town. i want to make around 10 at a time and that stuff sets up too quick before i can get em all sealed and have to mix again and again, is there something i can use and just dip them in instead of epoxy. i normally dont like cutting corners and making cheap stuff so i still want it to be hard and durable. ive read some that some people use proportinate and from what i have read its plastic pelets mixed with acetone, not sure if thats right but if it does a good job i might try that but i havent been able to find a recipe for it. i also have some questions about the tim earick video on youtube, im sure most people on here have watched it and i think he dips his baits in someting to seal, looks like a homemade solution in a mason jar. when he paints the crankbait in the video looks like he does his stencil on one side then imediatley flips it over and does the other side if i did that mine would smudge because i use createx and have to heatset it so i wont smear the paint anyone know what he uses. he makes some good looking baits and i would like mine to look like that but i need alot more practice on my painting skills there not too good. i emalied tim and asked some questions but he hasnt emailed me back yet. well guys i hope this isnt too long and not too many questions any advice would be much apprecitated. thanks p.s heres a pic of the first bait i have painted looks pretty rough so i cut out a bunch more to practice, theres no belly weight in it yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juice780 Posted July 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 ok i think i have found one of my problems, i am building my lures in the basement of my garage and there is no ac down there and i live in NC and it is very humid right now so i guess this explains my problem of my epoxy drying so fast and i have little time to work with it. What kind of effects will the heat and humidity cause me when i am airbrushing? I might have to move it to the basement of the house to do my sealing and painting its nice and cool in there and just do my cutting and sanding in the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 ok i think i have found one of my problems, i am building my lures in the basement of my garage and there is no ac down there and i live in NC and it is very humid right now so i guess this explains my problem of my epoxy drying so fast and i have little time to work with it. What kind of effects will the heat and humidity cause me when i am airbrushing? I might have to move it to the basement of the house to do my sealing and painting its nice and cool in there and just do my cutting and sanding in the garage. The heat is a problem. Heat speeds up the reaction, the faster reaction generates more heat and a vicious circle starts turning. You are probably mixing in a cup or container, which confines the mix and just makes things worse. After the initial mix, pour the epoxy onto a flat sheet of aluminium foil. Ally is a very good conductor of heat and will help prevent heat build up. It will also help with bubble removal. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent R Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 The heat is a problem. Heat speeds up the reaction, the faster reaction generates more heat and a vicious circle starts turning. You are probably mixing in a cup or container, which confines the mix and just makes things worse. After the initial mix, pour the epoxy onto a flat sheet of aluminium foil. Ally is a very good conductor of heat and will help prevent heat build up. It will also help with bubble removal. Dave @ dave Someone told me that he uses a coke can with the coke in it that has been in the freg....he lets the can warm up a little and then pours the mixed epoxy on the bottom of the cold can...He says this way he has more time before the epoxy sets up.....what do you think about this method?? thanks for your help Brent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) hey guys i just started making my own crankbaits and ive found this website very helpful. i bass fish alot and i want to make several baits of certain colors in case i loose some or they get damagened, so i always want to have plenty of backups. i was wondering what you guys might suggest as a sealer for my crankbaits before i paint. ive made a few and use slow curing epoxy like most on here, cant get d2t around here so i use 30 min cure epoxy from hobby town. i want to make around 10 at a time and that stuff sets up too quick before i can get em all sealed and have to mix again and again, is there something i can use and just dip them in instead of epoxy. i normally dont like cutting corners and making cheap stuff so i still want it to be hard and durable. ive read some that some people use proportinate and from what i have read its plastic pelets mixed with acetone, not sure if thats right but if it does a good job i might try that but i havent been able to find a recipe for it. i also have some questions about the tim earick video on youtube, im sure most people on here have watched it and i think he dips his baits in someting to seal, looks like a homemade solution in a mason jar. when he paints the crankbait in the video looks like he does his stencil on one side then imediatley flips it over and does the other side if i did that mine would smudge because i use createx and have to heatset it so i wont smear the paint anyone know what he uses. he makes some good looking baits and i would like mine to look like that but i need alot more practice on my painting skills there not too good. i emalied tim and asked some questions but he hasnt emailed me back yet. well guys i hope this isnt too long and not too many questions any advice would be much apprecitated. thanks p.s heres a pic of the first bait i have painted looks pretty rough so i cut out a bunch more to practice, theres no belly weight in it yet I don't think humidity has anything to do with epoxy curing. Temperature does. I work in my garage near Greensboro and have no problems in summer or winter. If you thin 30 min epoxy with denatured alcohol (no other solvent works as well, IMO), it extends the work time considerably but does not affect the final cure time. I have no trouble brushing 5-6 lures with a batch of thinned D2T. Mix the epoxy thoroughly, then mix in drops of alcohol until you get a viscosity similar to light maple syrup. It will give you 4-5 mins of brush time, which is plenty for 5-6 lures. Then put the lures on a lure turner until they are sag-free, about 1 1/2 hr. Re-coat after 24 hrs if needed. Propionate dissolved in acetone also works OK if you use a very thin solution and multiple (5-10 dips). It takes only 5 mins for a dip coat to dry, but when finished, you should let the lures dry thoroughly for several hours before painting. I use about a rounded tablespoon full in 16 oz of acetone. Takes a couple of days to dissolve. Make sure the container has a tight top so the acetone will not evaporate. I use templates and Createx, just flip them over to do the off side after wiping any wet paint off the template with a tissue. Edited July 25, 2011 by BobP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) @ dave Someone told me that he uses a coke can with the coke in it that has been in the freg....he lets the can warm up a little and then pours the mixed epoxy on the bottom of the cold can...He says this way he has more time before the epoxy sets up.....what do you think about this method?? thanks for your help Brent The fridge thing I think is not necessary, but the coke can works, that is all I ever use. Cooling the epoxy before use is counter productive, because it becomes thicker and more difficult to apply. I live in a very humid climate, 90%+ most of the time. I don't have any problems with epoxy. The room temperature as I type is 85F, which is about normal here. A sealer has to be thin enough to at least soak into the surface (wood bodies), so Bobs thinning method is preferred. I don't have the patience to seal with epoxy, so I use CA glue. Dave Edited July 25, 2011 by Vodkaman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent R Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 The fridge thing I think is not necessary, but the coke can works, that is all I ever use. Cooling the epoxy before use is counter productive, because it becomes thicker and more difficult to apply. I live in a very humid climate, 90%+ most of the time. I don't have any problems with epoxy. The room temperature as I type is 85F, which is about normal here. A sealer has to be thin enough to at least soak into the surface (wood bodies), so Bobs thinning method is preferred. I don't have the patience to seal with epoxy, so I use CA glue. Dave @ Dave When you say CA glue....are you talking about ....Super Glue????? thanks for the time Brent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 @ Dave When you say CA glue....are you talking about ....Super Glue????? thanks for the time Brent Whenever you see an abbreviation or phrase that is highlighted in blue and underlined that means the definition is included in the glossary. If you don't know the meaning or are unfamiliar with the term just click on the highlighted text and it will carry you to the definition (as it's used here at TU) located in the glossary. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent R Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) Whenever you see an abbreviation or phrase that is highlighted in blue and underlined that means the definition is included in the glossary. If you don't know the meaning or are unfamiliar with the term just click on the highlighted text and it will carry you to the definition (as it's used here at TU) located in the glossary. Ben Thanks Ben.....I did not know that......learn something new everyday........i got my answer.....it is super glue......... Take care Brent Edited July 25, 2011 by Double Trouble Lures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juice780 Posted July 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 hey guys thanks for all the info, i bought me some minwax sanding sealer the other day and cut out 12 new baits and i dipped em 4 times. after the 2nd dip dried i sanded em down real smoth then put on 2 more coats and they have a glass finish and very smooth with no bubbles or runs. i'll get em painted up and top coated and see how they do. i have a question can you use sanding sealer as a top coat? i wouldnt think so cause there not rock hard like i would like them to be but maybe i need to let em cure out for a couple of days and maybe it will harden up some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtoolsniper Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 (edited) hey guys thanks for all the info, i bought me some minwax sanding sealer the other day and cut out 12 new baits and i dipped em 4 times. after the 2nd dip dried i sanded em down real smoth then put on 2 more coats and they have a glass finish and very smooth with no bubbles or runs. i'll get em painted up and top coated and see how they do. i have a question can you use sanding sealer as a top coat? i wouldnt think so cause there not rock hard like i would like them to be but maybe i need to let em cure out for a couple of days and maybe it will harden up some. Sanding sealer is a very thinned down version of a top coat type of finish.below is a link to a book written by Bob Flexner that breaks down most wood finishes to potato head. Wood expands and contracts and there is nothing you can do to stop that. Each piece of wood is going to be different as far as density and a multitude of other things that cannot be controlled. Most lures are plastic because that can be controlled. My father told me with wooden plugs he would buy two dozen of the same lure and the ones he caught fish with went in his tackle box and he sold the others to other fisherman who saw his catches. He was convinced more wooden lures would not catch fish than would. He thought one in twelve would work and then you were lucky to find it. He was born in 1919 and I don't remember him ever letting a fish go and I don't recall ever seeing a plastic lure in his box. Something else to consider is those lures you see being sold on E-bay from 60-70 years ago were painted. They did not have all of these super hard non-reversible finishes we have today. The closest thing to water based paint back then was milk paint, everything was lead based oil paint. I would venture to say that plastic or rubber worms have destroyed more of those old lures than any fish has. Those things eat the finish on everything. I remember my dad teaching me how to cut gasket cork to put in my tackle box to protect the paint on my lures from the metal the boxes were made of. Now they are plastic too! http://www.amazon.co...R/dp/B000H6EJ4U Edited July 27, 2011 by oldtoolsniper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
