[mark poulson]

If I do decide to put a UV resistant clear over my Etex epoxy, would I need to scuff the epoxy for a bond, or do you think the acrylic would stick?

[Downriver Tackle]

Definitely scuff.

[borderbasser]

I'll give you guys a little tip for measuring out your epoxy. Get yourself some syringes. DO NOT get them from a medical supply store...the kind with the rubber plungers. Most of these are lubricated with silicone and will cause all sorts of problems. The ones you need, you can get from Flexcoat, a rodbuilding finish company. You may be able to get them directly from flexcoat, or you can order them from Mudhole.com. Anyway, drill a hole in the cap that the syringe tip (nipple) will fit into snugly. Then, the syringe itself becomes the cap because you will never have to take the cap off again. Just turn the bottle upside down and draw out what you need. Just make sure that you don't share syringes between bottles. I promise you guys, this method is the absolute fastest and best thing since sliced bread for mixing epoxy from a bottle. You will never weigh it out or pour it out in puddles again.

[mark poulson]

Sounds good. How long do the syringes last?

[BobP]

Downriver, it's nice to have someone around who knows chemistry! Speaking of yellowing, I haven't seen any significant yellowing on > 100 baits topcoated with Devcon 2T. Some are more than 5 yrs old. 95% of the problems I see or hear about regarding D2T not hardening result from poor measuring or inadequate mixing - especially the latter. I mix it like crazy, until it looks milky with air bubbles, then add a FEW drops of denatured alcohol to help it release bubbles while I'm brushing it on the lure. No failures for a couple of years now.

[borderbasser]

Mark, they will last a long time. If you want, you can clean them with denatured alcohol after each set of bottles if you want. Also, when you do get a new set of bottles, don't drill holes in the new ones, just replace them with the old caps that already have the hole.

TJ

[mark poulson]

TJ,
I think I'll try the rod building syringes.

Bob,
I've had yellowing, both with D2T and Envirotex. I wonder if it's really the paint underneath yellowing through the clear. I use Krylon spray on glitter over my paint jobs before I clear, and the can says archival safe, but it doesn't say anything about UV. I've also use pastel fixative between coats on some lures. As soon as I get some free time, I have to repaint and re coat some lures that had the D2T flake off. When I do, I may do one with glitter, and one without, and see if it makes a difference. I haven't had either yellowing or flaking on cranks I've repainted, only on wooden swimbaits. Weird.

[Downriver Tackle]

Originally Posted by BobP

Downriver, it's nice to have someone around who knows chemistry! Speaking of yellowing, I haven't seen any significant yellowing on > 100 baits topcoated with Devcon 2T. Some are more than 5 yrs old. 95% of the problems I see or hear about regarding D2T not hardening result from poor measuring or inadequate mixing - especially the latter. I mix it like crazy, until it looks milky with air bubbles, then add a FEW drops of denatured alcohol to help it release bubbles while I'm brushing it on the lure. No failures for a couple of years now.

That's good to hear. It must hold up for a few if so many people are using it. If you don't leave your customs out in the direct sun, yellowing takes a long time, even with Devcon, if it's mixed correctly. I used it repair a support for my boat cover and it was visibly yellow in a week or so in direct sunlight all day. After a year it was amber, cracked, and fell off.


I'm still a stickler for weighing epoxies. I made a chart with the proportions for however much I need and use yorker caps to dispense it. Takes about 60 seconds longer, but it's peace of mind having zero doubt that it was proportioned correctly and can ship lures tomorrow morning.