Repairs and Repaints

[MuskieChuck]

First off I would like to start off by saying I am fairly new to lure painting. There may already be a thread for this but i couldn't find it so i apologize if there is! I have a few Muskie baits that are beat up or damaged and causing the bait not to run right. I will use my 10" Deadhead Widow Maker for example. The clear and paint has lifted of the wooden body in a couple spots causing the action to be off. If i were to try to fix it should strip it back down to the wood or just repair the spots?

[azsouth]

I do the whole bait..... patching is just for a day or so.

My .02

[SlowFISH]

It would probably take longer and more effort to patch and touch up unless you really know what your doing than to strip and start from scratch.

   J.

[JD_mudbug]

Another vote for strip the whole bait in that situation. The paint is lifting from your bait. It is better to strip it, allow some drying time, and restart. Paint lifting could be caused by several things: water got in the wood and it swelled, the seal coat wasn't dry or didn't off gas, something on the lure prevented the paint form bonding. Whatever the cause of the lifting, it won't get better by a touch up.

I do a touch up where the paint and clear coat are bonded well but got chipped from say a rock impact, fish teeth, or a hook point. Once the chip occurs, I try not to use the lure anymore to prevent water from soaking in through the chip. If everything is still bonded around the chip (no lifting around the chip), it can be touched up with paint and slightly thinned epoxy. 

If I am going on an fishing trip away from home, I usually pack super glue and clear nail polish. That way if I am at a remote place without a replacement or back up lure, I can temporarily patch a bait to stop water penetration. 

[Skeeter]

Strip it.  If your clear is epoxy, then you will have to sand it off. But what you really need to do is find out the reason your clear and paint flaked.

Skeeter