[BobP]

I've tried several methods including gold leaf, silver duct tape and Mylar type foil.

Leafing was a fiasco - I couldn't manipulate the gossamer thin leaf without it tearing and the water based sizing glue sold at craft stores is not very durable. I admire some of the leafed lures I've seen on TU but darned if I can get the stuff to behave for me.

Silver duct tape is fast and easy but is rather thick stuff compared to the others and is has a dull silver finish. It's easy to apply a scale pattern by crosshatching a bolt over the foil. The adhesive is durable. It's a bit of a pain to cut out the foil to fit the lure since the adhesive has a tendency to foul your sissors.

For real flash, Mylar film is unbeatable. It has a shine that resembles liquid mercury, brighter than chrome. I got mine from a "Space Blanket", aka emergency reflective blanket sold in Walmart's camping Dept for $2. The stuff is a thin plastic film with metal deposited on one side. Don't know if all Mylar is like mine, but you need to be careful not to crease the film. Also, the metal can be scratched and solvent can also remove it. Therein lies the rub. You need to scratch some of the metal off to determine which side is the plastic and which is the metal. Mark whichever side you want DOWN with a Sharpie so you'll know which side is UP! If you put solvent based adhesive on the metal side, bad things can happen if you slide the foil around on the lure to position it. If the metal side is out, you can scratch it pretty easily if you smooth it down too hard. Hazmail makes some mighty nice looking Mylar foiled baits and he uses contact cement to glue it on. I tried it. Maybe I didn't wait long enough for the solvent to evaporate from the glue, or maybe my cement was whacked, I don't know, but it took off metal from the foil and ruined the effect. Lately I tried Devcon epoxy, figuring it doesn't contain any solvent so should be OK. With either glue, you want a THIN smooth layer, applied with a finger tip. I used 5 min Devcon and waited 4-5 minutes after application to put on the foil. Worked fine but not as neat as Hazmail's baits. Guess practice makes perfect!

With any type foil, you want to clearcoat it afterward. I use Devcon 2Ton because it has no solvent. Acrylics don't stick well to metal foil, plus the clearcoat covers the edges for a seamless appearance. Besides, you'll probably need to "clean up" overspray on the foil when you paint the belly of the lure. A Qtip dipped in lacquer thinner or denatured alcohol works fine but you want to be cleaning overspray from epoxy clearcoat, not from raw foil.

I don't do alot of foiling but made a few lures recently for a saltwater fishing trip. If you want real flash or want a custom painted bait that has a finish similar to factory chrome, you need to look into Mylar foiling. Obviously, I still have a way to go before I "get it down"!

[yankee jigger]

Thanks for the tip.
I used the metal duct tape a couple times and the only way i got any type of flash was by rubbing the tape,after applying,with the side of a plastic Bic pen.
What a pain.
Where can you buy mylar???????

[Dean McClain]

Mylar is everywhere! Or almost; I've use candy wrappers, the inside of potato chip bags (degreased), and it is especially prominent in gift-wrapping and/or craft shops. Candy-making suppliers are a particularly good source. It is not too difficult to accumulate many different colors if you consume some candy and chips.

http://www.happycraftnsmosaicsupplie...cGemTiles.html These folks care a product called BriteBak Tape, that will ease your foiling pains. It is an adhesive backed foil tape (not mylar) that is aproximately half the thickness and weight of the hardware store HVAC foil tape. It is also available in gold. I'll never go back to HVAC tape as long as they make this stuff!

Dean

[Palmetto Balsa]

Bob, thanks for reviving the topic with fresh information.
Dean, thanks for the link. I logged it into my favorites, and will go forth with foiling once again.
Have you tired lacquer and solvents over this type of tape?

[captsully18]

What Dean said! He turned me on to happycraftin's tape a few months ago. It is so much easier to work with than HVAC, and seems to have more shine to it. Really like the gold. Get some neat effects with it.

Bob, I have also used mylar and glued it on with spray adhesive called "tacky something or other". Got it at Michaels. I do wait til it begins to set up (or maybe that is flash-off), but at any rate have no problem with it. It sets up nice, and holds just fine.

Have been using foil more and more lately. Even figured out Husky's tutorial on faux finishes, putting tissue paper prints over the foil. Since my painting sucks so bad, this a big help.

One great thing about the mylar is the myraid colors you have to choose from.

David

[rjbass]

deja vu....Britebak is really the stuff....have used it for years....remember this post??

adhesive for the foil...

Rod

[smitty919]

i have been doing a lot of foil and am havein great results with it..
ac.more and Michaels carry a product called green leaf and red leaf as well as regular gold..
that stuff along with 3m spray adhesive its bullet Prof and super easy to work with..

i find that if you paint the plug a close color be for leafing it comes out better ...

[diemai]

Bob and Dean , thanks about your valuable hints , still got my first foiled one ahead !

Greetz , Dieter

[BobP]

Thanks for the tips! Ordered some Britebak silver and gold to see what it's like. I love the idea of self-adhesive foil, just not so thick as the duct tape.

[rofish]

My experience in foiling tells me that the glue on self adhesive foil, wether metal or not, does not withstand solvents. I do not think that there might be different formulations for such glue, and some of them could be solvent proof. But it is easy to check if the glue on the back of the foil can be neutral to solvents or not.
Therefore I prefer foiling with non adhesive foil, using contact cement (or at least this is how I think you would call the glue I use). Must be applied on both the lure and the foil, thin layers, and after 4-5 min. you bond the 2 parts. Metal foil is much easier to work with, because when you bend it the way you want, it will stay bent. And this is useful when you have wrinkels you want to get rid of.