Garco Or Famowood Users..........

[joetheplumber]

Are there any folks here that use these products and can give some advice? Been using etex on my inshore baits such as rapala twitch n raps and mirrolures but want something thinner for 3d cranks and wakebaits. Don't like the way the epoxy covers the gills and scale patterns. Dick nite sounds like a great product but it's a little out of my price range. And how and the heck do you post pics? Been trying for a year.......(computer dumb) Thanks in advance for any help and this place kicks some serious but. You guys are awesome! !!!!!

[BobP]

Joe, Garco and Famowood are moisture cured urethanes, like Dick Nite S81, and should be used/stored the same. I've used all three products. There are numerous discussions on how to store and use Dick Nite S81, which you can use the SEARCH function to peruse.

As far as uploading pics, if you go to one of the Photo Galleries and look in the upper right hand corner of the screen, you'll see a big black UPLOAD button. Click on it and it will step you through the procedure of uploading a pic to a gallery.

[joetheplumber]

I've read about the storage issues and don't see that being a problem but was wondering how well they hold up. Pretty sure I'm going to use the "tap the can method". I'm guessing that I should do two dips instead of the one you guys do with the DN product. Currently I use all createx paints but plan to switch over to their auto air and wicked paint as I hear the MCU may cause the paint to buckle under the top coat. Is there a preffered primer for plastic baits in this application? And as far posting pics I can get through step one but it will not let me go to step two......reveiw and publish. I formatted all my pics to the correct sizes and still nothing. I uploaded a bunch on photobucket but haven't tried that route yet. Maybe it's my computer......who knows What I do know is the speckled trout and redfish here in eastern NC are chewing, I got a bunch of new toys and I can't go cause I dropped the tranny in truck Oh well guess I'll sling some paint until......(sorry had to vent a little) Thanks Joe

[BobP]

Joe, one reason I stopped doing multiple dips in MCU was the likelihood of the 2nd coat causing the first to bubble. I've never worked out the best re-coat time between coats of MCU. I also decided one coat was perfectly OK for baits I use for bass and coastal baits, too. One dipped and cured coat of DN is as good as the topcoat you will find on any factory bait. I'm pretty darned sure the same goes for Garco or Famowood. IMO, you don't need to get esoteric about what acrylic paint you use under any MCU. If it's thoroughly dry, the MCU will work fine. I use any brand that comes in the right color including Createx, Auto-Air, Smith Wildlife, etc., with never a problem. It's not the paint that causes problems, it's either the MCU pooling and remaining liquid on the bait for too long, or the MCU having a reaction with a coating UNDER the paint - like various solvent based primers. I never use primers on baits I coat with MCU. Just a white acrylic color basecoat, then the colors.

BTW, It seems counter-intuitive to me that you would use the "tap the can" method of storing MCU and then plan to dip finish your baits. Do you plan to throw away the unused MCU from your dip jar?

[joetheplumber]

Going to remove some from the original can using that method into a jar for dipping and save some in the can to be used for spraying a different project.. Sorry for the confusion I didnt mention that before.

[RayburnGuy]

Going to remove some from the original can using that method into a jar for dipping and save some in the can to be used for spraying a different project.. Sorry for the confusion I didnt mention that before.

You should give spraying lures with it a try. If I remember correctly Dick said it could be thinned with acetone.

Ben

[mark poulson]

Can you dip over the can if you use Bloxogen immediately afterwards, or does the moisture in the returning drips contaminate the entire can anyway?

[RayburnGuy]

It will contaminate the entire can Mark. It takes very little moisture to start the curing process in DN. I loved the finish and durability of DN, but I never could get the storage process right.

Ben

[joetheplumber]

I may try an spray a couple lures with the mcu but would like to stick with the dip process once I figure it out. I'm sure I'll make a big ole mess before I get it right but thats what the 200 plus old crankbaits I have are for. I have some chrome plated baits that I want to use this stuff on or will it cause any bad reactions that I should be aware of on those baits. Going to pick up a cheap airbrush for trying to spray a little of this stuff thinking about putting a nice fire tiger or shad pattern on one of my golf clubs. Thanks.........Joe

[BobP]

I like dipping in MCU - it's the easy, fast way to get a super durable finish on a crankbait so I accept the storage limitations. I build dozens instead of hundreds of baits per year nowadays and a qt of MCU will sit in my garage for a year or more. Even with the best storage regimen I can devise (Bloxygen, decanting the DN into 2 or 3 good airtight jars) my DN still begins to cure in the dipping jar eventually. But it's a "five second finish" - dip it, hang it, and you're done. And I REALLY like that!

re: chromed crankbaits - I dip them too - no problem at all. JMHO, you hear lots of thoughts about why someone thinks a finish fails. After working with DN for several years, I believe there are really only 2 situations where a MCU will screw up. 1) you let it pool on the bait. For instance, you put a DN coated lure on a lure turner and get areas where the DN pools. The rotation prevents the DN from dripping off the bait. The solvents in the DN evaporate quickly so It skins over fast but an underlying pool of liquid DN is trapped and causes the paint to wrinkle and bubble. Solution: Forget the turner! It's not epoxy! just hang it up to let any excess drip off the tail of the bait. 2) you put DN on a lure with an undercoating or primer that is incompatible with the solvents in the DN. It wrinkles. DN tends to soak into dry acrylic latex paint and adhere to the underlying surface. This is a good thing because it makes for a very durable finish. But if there's a coating UNDER the paint that still has incompatible solvents in it, the DN will react by bubbling and wrinkling the finish. Solution: either experiment with solvent primers and undercoatings until you stumble on something that won't react - or just stop using them. I chose the latter solution. I use either epoxy or propionate dissolved in acetone as an undercoating. Both work fine. I never use solvent based "primers". I don't think they work unless they are used in a finish regimen they are designed for, with a compatible paint and topcoat. And acrylic latex paint is rarely part of that regimen. Besides, they actually make baits stink and I don't like that.

[joetheplumber]

Thanks for the tips BP makes me feel better about the chrome baits. Also have a problem with etex running away from the sharp edges on pop r's and other baits 3-d features. Dipping in a MCU should take care of this issue too I assume? And I finally got the picture thing to work. Been using my computer at work to try to upload with no success so tried it on my new laptop and its pretty easy now. Must be something with programing on the one at work. Thanks for the all the help.........Joe

[BobP]

I haven't noticed any thinning of MCU on sharp edges like you get with any epoxy. Can't say it doesn't happen... just that I haven't noticed it if it does.

[joetheplumber]

Thanks Bp sounds like another plus to me.