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capt mike

Foil Under Clearcoat Issues

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Im having recurring issues with paint and clearcoat peeling off foil.  I sealed the foil with 2 layers of Bob Smith.  Then painted and sealed with Bob Smith epoxy again.  The hook rash starts the process and forms a small flake where the bare foil is exposed.  Subsequent casts result in the spots growing larger.  A bait painted and sealed with the same process, minus the foil, does not end up this way.  Is there something better out there to cover the foil with.  Is there something i'm missing.

 

I'm foiling big swimbaits with big hooks and big splashes. 

 

Sure would appreciate some help on this.  I love the look of foiled baits.

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It may sound like a foolish question, but are you allowing the epoxy plenty of time to fully cure before going to the next step? I really can't understand why the foil would cause problems when it's under 3 coats of epoxy. I use Bob Smith epoxy and have used it over foiled baits with no problems. If there were some type of contaminant, such as oil from your fingers, on the foil you should have noticeable problems long before you get to the top coat. I polish my foil with polishing compound and a buffing wheel chucked up in a Dremel to make it more reflective so I always give the foil a good wipe down with denatured alcohol, or acetone, before applying it to the bait. That's about all I can think of at the moment. Do you have a picture of the lure in question? Maybe that will help.

 

Ben

Edited by RayburnGuy
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I don't know personally, but a lot of musky guys use Envirotex Lite (aka Etex) because they feel it is more impact resistant.  Of course, it cures slower and requires more coats than other epoxies because it is a thin viscosity "table top" pour-on epoxy that contains some solvent.  You didn't mention what kind of foil you are using but if it is the aluminum duct tape variety, it may have a plastic coating that inhibits epoxy adhesion.  But basically, I think your epoxy is chipping off due to hook impacts/rash and the only remedy may be to find something tougher than epoxy.  I don't know what that would be for certain.  I think moisture cured urethane is slicker and tougher but it is a thin film coating that is hard to use in multiple coats without bubbling.

 

You also might want to investigate the hardness and flexibility of Solarez UV cured finish, though from the anecdotes I read so far, it can still chip.

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Short term, you can put clear Sally Hansen Hard as Nails polish on the area where your hooks swing.  It works.

Long term, the Solarez seems to be tougher than D2T so far, but hard enough to cut down on hook rash.

I have started turning my hook hangers 90 degrees, so all my trebles can hang with the belly facing hooks to the side.  That cuts down on hook rash, too.

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Not sure Solarez would be any better as polyester resins do not bond as securely as epoxy ie not a glue. I had a couple of topwaters with foil and d2t delaminate after wacking them on rocks. I now use DN and don't have any problems. Is the paint coming off with the clear? If so I would try a different paint.

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What kind of paint are you using under the DN?

I do notice that only one side of the bait has hook rash and that is where the problem started. The other side of the bait is fine. I guess t-ing the hooks would treat the symptom, but i still want to solve the foil adhesion issue.

Mark, where do I get that stuff you mentioned?

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..........had similar issues with Etex on spraypaint(not all lures of that bunch , but some) , so I know , how it goes , ...small holes would cause some kinda "bubbles" , as water creeps inbetween paint(or foil in this case) and the topcoat layers ,.........later they do chip off or one can peel them off in larger pieces and the lure would be bare of topcoat in the end .

 

I have some foiled lures(used aluminium plumbers tape) primed with short curing epoxy for once or twice , ....after they received a handbrush painted color design and finally another three coats of the epoxy .

 

Did not have such issues like you at all with the few lures that I did this way .

 

I strongly believe , that it is a matter of a lack of proper adhesion of the laquer to the foil , ........have you cleaned the surface thoroughly before applying the topcoat ?

 

...I always wipe off mine with a clean paper tissue soaked with denatured alcohol , after I'd try not to touch them anymore with nothing else but the epoxy brush .

 

                               Cheers, diemai :yay:

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Short term, you can put clear Sally Hansen Hard as Nails polish on the area where your hooks swing.  It works.

Long term, the Solarez seems to be tougher than D2T so far, but hard enough to cut down on hook rash.

I have started turning my hook hangers 90 degrees, so all my trebles can hang with the belly facing hooks to the side.  That cuts down on hook rash, too.

Hmmm, thanks for the info.  Might have to try turning the hanger then, it couldn't hurt.  At the very least, it's something different to try.

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