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Yes I've seen it posted somewhere but can't remember what it all detailed. It was someone saying that they would take a lure off the curing rack after a day or so of sitting with MCU and toss it in a bucket of water and then dry it off to speed up curing time. Is this true and what kind of tips if it is?

 

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I've never heard of doing this and am doubtful about it. While it's true that MCU cures via a reaction with moisture, I just don't believe a dunk in water will speed up the cure process. Mine are dry after a few hours but it takes a couple of days before the cure toughens up the finish to a point I can fish them, and I'm sure it takes even more days until the cure is complete.

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Humidity and temp can affect open time and cure time. I work in a urethane development lab. We have many customers that use misting systems on their production lines.. These are mostly used on lines where to nonporous substrate s are used. The issue is once surface cure happens the interior areas can affectively be sealed off from ambient humidity. This will drastically slow down full cure time. I would try a controlled humidity/temp chamber before submersion.

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I've tried Garco and like Dick Nite better.  The Garco can be found cheaper on the net but I think you can't really depend on the age of the finish you get from misc net sources.  The DN was thinner, clearer, and dried quicker than the Garco I tried, so for me it was worth the money.  A quart of MCU lasts a long long time if you are using single coats on lures and if you take the right steps to preserve the finish.

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How do you keep the whole quart from curing up after you open the can? I have a quart of a boat finish called Coelan sitting on a shelf because I haven't been willing to blow the whole quart on just one or two lures.

 

Do a search for "tap the can" and it will tell you everything you need to know.

 

Ben

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MCU contains some very active solvents.  If the MCU stays on top of acrylic paint in a liquid form for too long a time, it will cause water based acrylic paint to bubble or crack.  You can have the same problem if any of the finish coatings you use underneath the MCU are solvent based.  To avoid the first problem, I apply the MCU quickly and hang up the lure to let any excess drip off the tail of the lure.  Do not rotate the lure after application, as you would with an epoxy.  To avoid the second problem, I just don't use anything that contains solvent under the MCU.

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Generally speaking, most petroleum based solvents.  The only solvent I've used that has not caused problems is denatured alcohol, which I use to thin Devcon Two Ton epoxy as an undercoating.  Spray-on auto primers, enamels, etc contain solvents that may react with MCU solvents.  I'm not saying ALL solvents will because I haven't tried them all. I use Dick Nite MCU and that company manufactures spoons painted with lacquer and topcoated with MCU.  So there's a case where it works OK.  If you follow good application practices and your finish bubbles or cracks, that is an indication that it is probably reacting with an underlying coating.  So you have to judge this by trial and error to eliminate the problem.

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I tried a very popular MCU that guys use on this site. I have brushed it on and even shot it through an airbrush. The only problem that I experienced was that it took 3 1/2 weeks to FULLY cure. In 24 hrs. it looked hard, slick and clear. However, I was able to take my finger nail and crease the clear for over 3 weeks. Once it was completely cured it was hard as a rock. I just can't let a bait go to anyone until it is ready. That is just too much time for me. If it did truely cure in a day or so then I might use it. But all of the precautions (bloxygen, storage, shelf life, etc.) that you have to consider with it is a show stopper for me. The stuff is just too unstable and complicated in my opinion.

 

Skeeter

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Do a search for "tap the can" and it will tell you everything you need to know.

 

Ben

I have been using a canning jar with a vacuum seal lid and hand pump for my KBS Diamond coat.  So far so good.  The first time I pulled a vacuum in the jar you could see air bubbles rising up through the clear coat.

 

http://www.thriftyvac.com/

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Skeeter, I certainly get what you're saying about MCU being touchy and hard to store.  With Dick Nite MCU, it flashes off its solvent in a few hours but all you have at that point is a fragile urethane finish that takes several days to cure and become durable.  I regularly fish them after about 3 days with no noticeable wear.  I like Dick Nite because it is thin, hard, very clear, and very glossy.  It's the closest thing to a one part factory-look clearcoat I've tried.  I favor it when painting plastic crankbaits or spoons.  For wood crankbaits, I'd just as soon use Devcon epoxy for a couple of reasons.  One, it is thicker and levels out well over any minor finish or sanding faults that may be left on the wood.  Second, if you are building a wood lure that will be trolled, a single coat of Devcon will resist hook rash longer than a single coat of MCU.  As far as ease of use, to me Dick Nite gets the nod there.  Once you practice the "tap the can" storage method, all you need do is decant a little finish, quickly flood coat the lure with a brush, then hang it up to drip off excess finish and cure out.  No epoxy measuring and mixing, no lure rotation after application.  Both of us have used Devcon for a very long time.  It's second nature for us to prep it, brush it, and cure it.  No surprises, no failures.  If I built wood lures for sale, I'd probably stick with Devcon or an alternative epoxy.  But as just a hobby builder, I don't mind trying new finishes just to experiment a little.  You never know - "Try it, you might like it" can happen.

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Ha!  Strike King would go bankrupt in 10 minutes unless they fired me 5 minutes after hiring me.  Same for any other lure business.  So I AM just a hobby guy.  I do it for pleasure and to have lures to fish. Building over a thousand crankbaits through the years slowly, painfully taught me what works and a whole bunch of stuff about what doesn't.  Reading TU posts by more experienced builders like you made the trip a lot easier.  Not easy, just easier.  If there's an easy way to make a really excellent crankbait, I've never found it.... and don't expect to.    

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