What Are These & How Did I Get Them?

[rufthumbs]

I sealed my balsa with bob smith 30 min with a few drops of D alcohol dropped in after mixing it. I brushed it on and let rotate for a couple hours. A couple days later I lightly sanded the plug prior to laying base coat with createx(this when I saw the craters). So I wiped off the createx and tried to brush on liberal amounts of zinnser bulls eye hoping it would fill the craters. As you can see in the picture the bulls eye didn't help so I've since taken the Bulls eye primer off the plug.

I'm certain one of y'all have experienced this at one time or another so hopefully someone can shed some light on what the heck I'm doing wrong to get these "holes" in my seal.

[MarkSpolarich]

I suspect they are the results of air bubbles rising out of the balsa. You could go with multiple light coats to seal with sanding in between coats and this may help.

It has been a long while since i made wooden baits and i have forgotten almost all of the tricks we did. I know others will have some advice on how to prevent it or work around it.

[mark poulson]

I've had good luck sealing balsa with super glue, the runny stuff.  I drip it on, and use my finger to spread it.  Just be quick, or you'll have finger prints on the bait, or worse.

[BobP]

It looks to me that the craters may be where the epoxy was sucked into the bait while curing, or maybe it just penetrated into the surface differenttially because of woodbgrain effects. If you lightly sand it and apply another coat of epoxy it will probably disappear. I apply the epoxy pretty thickly and cure it at room temps (no heating, etc) and this rarely happens.

[Skeeter]

It was caused by air bubbles in your mixture of epoxy rising to the top and popping while curing.

 

Skeeter

[nedyarb]

Super glue seal first

[rufthumbs]

Thanks for the information and trying to help me out...I will adjust fire.

I don't remember for sure but it seems like I may have hit em a lick or two with a blow dryer the other day when they were turning. I know I didn't lay super glue down on these because I switched the guts around on these when I made them just to see how the swim would be effected...wasn't expecting much out of em so I just slapped on that BS epoxy (I didn't apply it as carefully as I do with the top coat which I better stop doing) and let em turn in the garage while I started a new batch.

I never can feel em or see them little holes until I lay that first white coat down which is the frustrating part.

[Richard Prager]

When using DA with BSi make sure you mix the epoxy first and then add the DA. The bubbles should disperse once mixed. I does look like the epoxy was "sucked" in.When bubbles bust they don't look like that.....I've been wrong before, though just ask my ex-wives!

[BobP]

When you are using epoxy as a sealer you need to be careful not to heat the bait after application because air can be forced out of the grain areas of the raw wood. If the wood is heated before the epoxy goes on, some will be sucked into the grain areas as the wood cools. Either can cause fish eyes., It isn't as much of a problem later when you topcoat because, assuming you used epoxy or a tough sealer, the air in the bait cannot escape unless you heat it so much that you soften the sealer/undercoating.

Personally, I gave up heating sealers or topcoats a long time ago. Just too easy to screw it up.

[RayburnGuy]

Properly mixed and thinned epoxy needs no heating. If you feel the need to use heat then warm the epoxy BEFORE you apply it. That way any air trapped inside the wood won't be expanding and causing problems. Just be forewarned that heating the epoxy cuts into the time you have to apply it and have it self level on the bait.

 

Ben

[Fishwhittler]

What I used to do (and will go back to doing if/when I start building lures again) is warm the epoxy resin and catalyst separately with a hairdryer, then mix them together.  The epoxy mixes better that way.  One other trick - warm the lure body itself with a hairdryer when you're ready to start brushing on epoxy.  Don't warm the epoxy.  If the lure body is warm, it'll heat the epoxy as it is applied and thus the epoxy will spread more easily.  Without heating up the mixed epoxy and shortening the work-life.

 

Otherwise, yes, those are air bubbles from inside the balsa.  Two coats of thin superglue prior to epoxy will take care of that issue.  The superglue soaks into the lure body and seals the pores - I found two coats were necessary because some wood can be very porous.  Plus the superglue helps harden the wood and strengthen it in a way epoxy doesn't.