Navin_R_Johnson Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 Going for ease of finish, I tried water based Minwax "Polycrylic" dip on a lure and it made the acrylic paint run terribly. The lure dried for 2 days before dip and using a few different brands of paint that all look to have runs. (pic attached) Any ideas on where I went wrong here? Wrong Poly? Are there any other options for an easy "dip and forget" finish? I've got 2 kids, the wife and the occasional tag along friend. Between 4-5 of us fishing a few days a week we lose a lot of lures every summer so, long term durability is less of a concern than how much time I spend on paint and finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 I have no idea what solvent your topcoat contains that caused running. Dipping puts the maximum amount of a finish on a lure and causes the maximum runoff, which is the worst case for color running. You can probably eliminate it by shooting a coat of acrylic clear as a last painting step to act as a barrier, or by using a lure turner to minimize the amount of topcoat movement after application. Another concern I have is using a water based topcoat. I’ve never heard of or tried one that held up to sustained immersion, so good luck with it but I have my doubts. Fastest, most trouble free topcoat for me is flood coating a lure quickly (with a brush) with a moisture cured urethane that is dispensed from its can by the “tap the can storage method”. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 I coated with water base and it sucked try KBS and have no problems. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcromerangler Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 KBS diamond clear is the best thing ever for dipping baits. Never had any problem with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navin_R_Johnson Posted January 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 Thanks for the input all and I think I've figured out the issue. My son painted a few lures and was complaining about how paint wasn't sticking to the silver undercoat we were using. After a few tests we figured out the silver is for some reason reacting with the other paints and not allowing the top layers to cure properly. It's an old bottle and chances are good myself or one of my boys contaminated it with something. I've also read up on the KBS recommended and have a quart on the way to try out, sounds like good stuff. I'll save the poly I have to resurface our work bench this spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcromerangler Posted January 13, 2020 Report Share Posted January 13, 2020 I dip my balsa baits once painted and dried good. I take a blow dryer on non heat option and lightly dust the surface of the lure prior to hanging. This eliminates the option for the top coat to bubble up. For my personal lures I will repeat this process three dips. Usually 2hrs apart...hope this helps. Also store the KBS in mason jar with small sandwich ziplock bag under the top to keep from curing on ya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 What do you guys think of using concrete floor sealer as a clear coat? It's $30 / gal at wal-mart... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 4 hours ago, Big Epp said: What do you guys think of using concrete floor sealer as a clear coat? It's $30 / gal at wal-mart... In the past I used AC1315 concrete sealer for top coating cranks. It works, but you can't let it lie in direct contact with a soft plastic bait for more than 30 minutes. Longer than that, and the softener in the plastic bait will soften and melt the concrete sealer. I would suggest doing a test first with a small test blank, to see if that is true for your concrete sealer. I still fish some of those cranks with concrete sealer top coat. I am just careful not to let them lay against any soft plastic baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted January 20, 2020 Report Share Posted January 20, 2020 On 1/17/2020 at 1:17 PM, mark poulson said: In the past I used AC1315 concrete sealer for top coating cranks. It works, but you can't let it lie in direct contact with a soft plastic bait for more than 30 minutes. Longer than that, and the softener in the plastic bait will soften and melt the concrete sealer. I would suggest doing a test first with a small test blank, to see if that is true for your concrete sealer. I still fish some of those cranks with concrete sealer top coat. I am just careful not to let them lay against any soft plastic baits. Thanks Mark! Price is a big concern for me, as I'm trying to make the hobby pay for itself... I got some Envirotex Lite I'm going to try, so the concrete sealer idea is me looking forward to when that runs out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 20, 2020 Report Share Posted January 20, 2020 1 minute ago, Big Epp said: Thanks Mark! Price is a big concern for me, as I'm trying to make the hobby pay for itself... I got some Envirotex Lite I'm going to try, so the concrete sealer idea is me looking forward to when that runs out. I've found that any acrylic top coat, whether it is a concrete sealer or Rustoleum's X2 Gloss Acrylic finish, is affected by the softeners in soft plastics. Maybe they are too closely related, chemically. Whatever you find to try, do a test first to make sure it's not affected by soft plastics before you buy a large quantity. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
