Gino Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Hi guys I'm new to this and I have to say it's a great site guys I do have a question I hope someone can help I bought a dozen rapala tail dancers and a bunch of husky jerks the colour and finish of these lires are terrible and the epoxy clear coat is not that great I got a great deal on the whole lot I am wondering I do plan on reprinting them and giving them a light epoxy clear coat do you guys think it will throw the bait out of tune or ruin the action of these baits by doing so guys thank you and I hope someone can help thank you guys stay safe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW Lures Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) No you will not ruin the bait if you keep the coat thin and even. When I revamp a lure, one of my concerns is will I make it heavier then what I want out of the performance of the lure. Put some weight on a lure and checking the float (performance) is a easy way to make sure. But normally this is not a issue for one's that I've done. Most lures that I use have a floating characteristic. Therefore the lure can take a small amount of extra weight that the clear coats that we use don't effect them much. Turners as shown on YouTube will help with certain clear coats. They will turn the lure and keep the clear coat even. Then some clear coats don't need no more then hanging them up on a line. All of these processes seem to be a learning experience, which gives you knowledge for the future. Give one a try and see what's needed. Cheers, Dale Edited January 31, 2016 by DaleSW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) I don't think members understand about the amount of weight that is added, it is a lot less than you think. Epoxy and other finishes have a specific gravity (SG) of 1.2 water has an SG of 1.0 so only the .2 is adding weight or in simpler terms, 1/6th of the weight of the epoxy added is ballast. This is a hard concept to grasp, but I can explain in more detail if you want. Dave Edited January 31, 2016 by Vodkaman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gliders Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Dave is spot on,sussed this year's ago when epoxy started being used in fly tying,people thought they could use epoxy instead of lead to make diving or fast sinking flies,in fact in most cases it actually made them sink slower due greater surface area.A gram of epoxy is not like a gram of lead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW Lures Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 That's about what I was trying to relay in my comment Dave. What I was really trying to get over was balance or a even coat. As we discussed many times about baits that suspend, this could effect that. Compared to a manufacture coat. Example a suspending lure. IMO, a suspending lure is a fleeting thing. Since I have seen that even water temperatures effect the performance of a suspending lure. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gino Posted January 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Hey guys thank you very much for the help the one thing I forgot to add is I will be trolling these baits for Lake Erie walleyes the tail dancers are the 11s they have a large lip on them and I'll be trolling them between 15-40 feet on leadcore line my concern is if it would affect the action of the lure as well I think I'm going to give them a quick sanding and then a light coat of paint then just a light coat of epoxy I'm holding I don't ruin them at the cost of these cranks these days guys I appreciate your expertise and help Gino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass100 Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 Until I started making my own jerkbaits I used Husky Jerks for about 15 years and I have a lot of them. All of the suspending Husky Jerks actually float and you need to add weight to them to get them to suspend so you have a bit of wiggle room to paint and clear coat. There are a lot of guys that bring their jerkbaits to me so that I can tune them to suspend. I have been able to get most brands of jerkbaits to suspend with the exception of Lucky Craft jerkbaits as about half of them tend to sink out of the package, even after trying to eliminate weight such as putting on smaller split rings, down sizing hooks, etc. Most jerkbaits you will have to add weight to get them to suspend and my trick for that is to simply add an extra split ring to one of the hook hangers. You will have to figure out which size split ring to add, I use #0 to #3 sizes. All of my jerkbaits have the hooks upgraded to #4 hooks. I know this is more information than you wanted but I hope it helps you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 Bass100 - here is a simple technique, no calculator required, to find the weight that the lure (with hooks and rings) needs to be to suspend. All you need is an accurate gram scale and a plastic cup filled with enough water to sink the lure without touching the sides. 1 - place the cup of water on the scale and zero (tare button). 2 - using tweezers or long nose pliers, suspend the lure in the water so that it is just submerged. 3 - read off the weight in grams. This is the weight the suspended lure needs to be. 4 - compare with the actual weight and you will know how much to add or subtract. DAve 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass100 Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 Thanks Dave. I have tried that method after reading another post you did, unfortunately, it did not work for me because it is dependent on the accuracy of your scales. It took me a little bit to figure out why it wasn't working for me. My scales are accurate to +/- 1 gram. Although I don't use the method for my small baits I do use it to get me close on my big baits. Your method has saved me alot of time. Thank you for always having the time to help others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 Bass100 - I am glad you gave it a shot anyway. My scale is 0.1 gram, so gets you very close. My next scale purchase will be 0.01 gram which should do the job on the small cranks. I worked out from my experiments, that the difference between a float and sink is 1/200th the weight of the lure. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 Plus water temps affect lure flotation, too. Lures that suspend in colder water will sink in warmer water, because it is less dense. I use an unheated bucket of water in my garage to test float my lures, and check it's temp. to allow for differences between the garage and the on-the-water temps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
law651 Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 I custom paint DHJ 12 and Taildancer 11s all the time for walleyes.. You will have no problem with a light sanding and airbrushing on a color pattern you like. I coat mine with etex or Art Resin epoxy.. I use 2 light coats.. No problem with the action of these baits. Devcon also works well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gino Posted February 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2016 Law651 thank you for your help I appreciate it I did a couple tonight gave the a light sanding the washed them up well and gave them a white coat of base with created autobourne paint I'll add the colors I want tommorow night law do you fish Lake Erie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
law651 Posted February 3, 2016 Report Share Posted February 3, 2016 I will be fishing Erie for the first time this coming May. My home water is Green Bay and Winnebago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
