Fishwhittler

Does anyone use Dick Nites over aerosol paint? I'm painting some plastic lure bodies, and I would like a thinner topcoat than the epoxy I'm using now. I don't have an airbrush, so practically all of the paints that I use are solvent base spray paint. Also, has anyone tried U-POL Clear#1?

If you're looking for lexan, try usplastic.com. You can get a 12"x 12"x 1/16" sheet for $2.73.

Thanks everyone! I thought there wasn't any problem, but I just wanted to make sure.

I've tried scraping the paint off the nozzle, I've sprayed the cans upside down, I've even swapped in a new nozzle, but none of those works for long. I've started wearing a latex glove on my right hand when I use this paint.

Does anyone else have problems with some Rust-Oleum spray paint cans leaking around the base of the nozzle? The paint comes out the front of the nozzle, but it also leaks at the base of the nozzle. This time it sprayed out the left side and gave me a green-speckled left arm. For me, the main one that does this is the Fluorescent green paint, although I've had it happen with other colors too, generally fluorescent colors. This makes me wonder if there's some chemical in their fluorescent paint that makes the can leak? Also, this usually seems to happen after the can has been used quite a bit. Another paint that I've had problems with is the "Painters Touch" series from Rust-Oleum. I've had several cans of this stuff, and on just about all of them the nozzle clogged for good before I used all of the paint. It was sitting for weeks in between uses sometimes, but I've used other paint the same way and it still works fine. Another thing that I'll mention here: I haven't had any of the above problems with Krylon spray cans. I'm not crazy about how thin Krylon is, but at least it only sprays in the direction the nozzle is pointing.

Thanks! So garolite may soak up water to a very small degree, but if you clearcoat the lip than that isn't an issue. Actually, since I'm using PVC I may not bother coating the lip if I decide to go with garolite. @Vanndalizer, does coating the lip have any effect on the action of the bait? I use epoxy topcoat, and so clear-coating the bill could make it considerably thicker. Could this affect the action?

I'm considering trying circuit board for my crankbait lips, but I noticed on the McMaster website that it says garolite "offers excellent strength and low water absorption". Does that mean that micarta soaks up water?

That's what I'm trying to do here. A lot of guys come on here asking what to use for topcoat or similar questions, so I started this thread as an attempt to provide a "Topcoat database" for new tackle builders, or for guys looking to try a new topcoat.

How well does Diamond 2 hold up to Muskie teeth and hook rash? I fish for bass and so there isn't much danger of them chewing through the finish, but I wouldn't mind a topcoat that is more resistant to hook rash. I super-sharpen my hooks, and when I'm done with one it will stick in my fingernail at the lightest touch. If a fish bites one of the hooks it's almost sure to get hooked, but the downside is that the hooks will also chew up the finish on my lures very quickly. Also, have you or anyone else tried Trondak U40 rod finish on lures? If so, how well does it work?

Thanks Vman! Like most other lure builders on here, I'm also still looking for the single best topcoat, but right now it doesn't exist. Here's what I think are the main criteria for the "perfect" topcoat: 1. Waterproof (without this one none of the others matter!) 2. Hard enough to withstand a fishes teeth, but flexible enough to withstand heavy abuse (such as smashing it into a rock on a cast) 3. Doesn't react with paint to ruin the finish 4. Non-yellowing 5. Non-toxic, at least enough so that you don't need to wear a mask 6. Single part (as opposed to two part epoxies such as Ultra V) 7. Doesn't set up in the can (like I've heard of Dick Nites doing and had spar urethane do) 8. Reasonably short drying time (this one isn't very important, but since I'm designing the ultimate topcoat why not? ) 9. Reasonably priced That's about what the perfect topcoat would be, for me at least. The closest I've come is Ultra V; it fulfills 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 9. I don't give it #2 because it can crack or chip if you bang it against something hard, but in my experience this has only happened when I didn't mix the epoxy well. It doesn't get #6 for obvious reasons, and I don't give it #8 because it takes 1-2 days to cure fully. It may yellow over a long period of time, but I've got some lures coated with Ultra V that are closing in on a year old and they still show no signs of yellowing, so I'm giving it #4. Final score: 6/9 There you have it: even the best topcoat I've tried only gets 6 out of 9 for the "perfect topcoat" test. Probably this is true of just about any of the main lure topcoats you measure by my list above. But on the other hand, 6 out of 9 is pretty good! For the other topcoats I've tried: Polyacrylic misses #1, so it gets thrown out at the start. Score: Thrown out Seal Coat gets all of them except #2 and possibly #7. Based on personal experience, I just can't give it #2. Score: 7.5/9 overall, but it misses one of the most important 2. Adjusted score: Thrown out Spar Urethane gets 1, comes close to getting 2, and also gets 6 and possibly 9. Score: 3.5/9 Lacquer gets most of them (1, maybe 2, I don't know about 4, and also gets 6, 7, 8, and 9) but it misses 3 & 5 entirely! Maybe #3 isn't as much of an issue if you're using water-base paint, but for me that's enough to chop it. Score: 5.5/9 Regular Flex Coat gets the same as Ultra V, except it misses #4. Score: 5/9 I hope this is helpful to anyone that reads this. Anyone else have similar experiences searching for the "perfect" topcoat? If you do, post em' up!

I was recommended Flex Coat Ultra V by Big M over at bassresource.com; I'm not that much of a pioneer! I've thought more than once about trying Etex or Devcon, but I've always come back to deciding to stick with Flex Coat. My reason for this is that I don't want my topcoat to turn yellow, and I've seen some guys talk about Devcon and sometimes Etex yellowing so I steer clear for now. The main reason I haven't tried Dick Nites is that I use solvent-base spray paint on most of my lures, and after seeing what lacquer and urethanes can do to solvent-base paint I'm leery about trying it. I would have tried all three of these by now if I thought that there would be major benefits, but right now I don't think it's worth it to me. Really what it comes down to is I want a topcoat that is non-yellowing, doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and that won't react with the paint I use. Flex Coat is the only topcoat that I've tried that does all three of these so I haven't bothered to experiment any farther. I do intend to try all of them (D2T, Etex & DN) eventually, but right now I'm going to stick with Flex Coat.