dicknite

Sorry hazmail, but I don't use this forum as my main means of communication. I only jump on here once or twice a month to see what is up. I am extremely busy most of the time, so depend on email and phone to do most of my communicating. Just so happens for the past week I have been out of state at a sportsmen's show and decided to check in tonight, since we got off early (8 pm) and I had some time to kill, saw your post and thought I would answer. In the future, my email is listed in my profile, or here (in case this thread gets lost) dicknite@dicknite.com and if you have direct questions, it will probably be faster to send them that way. As for your question, regarding the new top-coat being available in Australia. The S82 (Water Reducible) MAY be able to be sent there - the others will NOT, as they are flammable and UPS charges an arm and a leg to ship flammables by air (since they don't use ships, that is the only way for it to get there...). I will explore the possibility of sending the S82 to Australia when I get back to my office on Tuesday of next week. Again, sorry for the delay in responding. Dick

After. No discount on 2 Oz., but those prices are the prices I charge large manufacturers for the paint. Dick

Here's a link to the message I left on a different thread regarding availability, price and all for the new top-coats: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/21350-dick-nite-clear-coat/page__view__findpost__p__159175 Dick Dick Nite Spoons, Inc. 1-888-321-LURE dicknite@dicknite.com

Hey Yardape! Sorry for the delay - here is a link to the final outcome and announcement: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/21350-dick-nite-clear-coat/page__view__findpost__p__159175 Thanks for your patience! Dick Dick Nite Spoons, Inc. 1-888-321-LURE dicknite@dicknite.com

John, Yep - DN3! Actually it is #S83 LPTC (Liquid Plastic Top Coat). This stuff was designed to DIP. I tried spraying it and it gets a LOT of bubbles in it and doesn't work as well as dipping. Did not try brushing it, but that would probably work quite well, as like Nathan said, it is self-leveling. Should work well either under OR over any type of color coat, be it water based or lacquer. Dick Dick Nite Spoons, Inc. 1-888-321-LURE dicknite@dicknite.com

Thanks Nathan! I know we talked about it and I'm glad you are doing some testing and reporting. It is now available and I will send out samples to anyone who is willing to pay the shipping, if anyone else is interested. Just email me and tell me you are a TackleUnderground member. Thanks again! Looking forward to what you find on it as a top-coat as well. Dick Dick Nite Spoons, Inc. 1-888-321-LURE dicknite@dicknite.com

I'm Baaaaack! Okay guys - the long awaited moment has arrived... And I need to first thing, most importantly of all, thank you all for your patience and assistance. TackleUndergrounders are AWESOME! I have the old, and two new, top-coats ready to ship! I will put ordering info at the bottom of this message in case the banner doesn't show up while you are reading this. The Top Coats: #1 Part #: S81 Description: Moisture Cure Urethane (some will call this the "old" Dick Nite Top Coat) This is exactly like the "old" formula except that I have now licensed the manufacture out to a larger company that has no problem ordering the quantities of the components that the chemical companies didn't want to bother with my small amounts. The "new" Moisture Cure Top Coat (MCTC) is slightly more glossy and slightly more durable than the old formulation, but those are both good things. #2 Part #: S82 Water Reducible Description: This is the Water Reducible Top Coat that I had a lot of you folks from TU test and evaluate. Many of you liked it, a few didn't, and several have emailed asking when it would be available. I had a packaging problem with it, because if it comes into contact with iron or steel (Metal Paint Cans) it will turn pink. It still works well, but the discoloration in the can could cause concern for folks painting works of art like you all make! It is now available in plastic pints and quarts as well as the glass 2 ounce jars. The Water Reducible Top Coat (WRTC) has less storage issues than the MCTU, as opening the container does not begin the curing process. Tests indicate that the hardness after 12 - 14 days is complete, which is several days longer than the MCTU, but if you don't plan on instant fishing, or are able for whatever reason to deal with the longer cure-time, this probably won't be a problem. #3 Part #: S83 Liquid Plastic Description: This is a High Build Polymer that I have dubbed "Liquid Plastic" Top Coat (LPTC). It has an odor similar to those balloons that we as kids used to get in a tube and squirt out onto the end of a straw, then blow up. It was formulated for coating styrofoam and wood tackle both prior to and after painting. Would be an excellent pre-paint finish for making a smooth surface. Overall durability as a top-coat has not been tested, so your mileage may vary from others experience. Also, adhesion to different paints has not been fully tested. Will have to hear back from some of you on that. All of these, the #S81 MCTC, the #S82 WRTC, and the #S83 LPTC are priced the same. Pricing: (Before anyone yells at me, I have not had a chance to change the TU Lander page on the web, so it might be incorrect...) 2 Ounce: $8.28 Pint: $23.08 Quart: $41.93 Gallon: $153.62 These prices are now in effect and do not include shipping, which will be by UPS ONLY. We can't ship through the mail or FedEx or by my brother-in-law's truck, ONLY UPS. (Was that clear enough? <grin>) To order, either click on a banner that might rotate past on this website at the top, Click on this link: TackleUnderground Order Link or send an email to: TU_Order@dicknite.com That will notify me that you are a TU member and you will get your 52% discount on all but the 2 ounce jars. As for the 2 ounce jars, I will still send out a sample of any of our paints for free if you pay for the shipping. This is a 2 ounce jar, not some little paint chip, so you can see if it is something you could use or not... Just email me at the same email address as above requesting the samples you want. Again - thank you, thank you, thank you, for your patience and help. Hopefully this whole changeover / reformulation thing will become a distant memory... You guys are, as I said before, AWESOME! Dick Dick Nite Spoons, Inc. 1-888-321-LURE dicknite@dicknite.com

I'll have to look again - it was 10 years ago that I was looking. Thanks for the input! Dick

Hey Jed - Yes, I have explored UV Cured coatings a little for my own manufacturing needs. It wouldn't be something that I could add to my line of paints, as the main ingredient, as you pointed out, is the curing lights (and conveyor system, if needed). And you are correct, for anything but a sizeable manufacturing process, they are cost prohibitive. I haven't stepped up yet and don't see it in the near future. I know one manufacturer who put in a UV Cure system last year and it was over $100k. Only a few of the larger tackle manufacturers that I know of use UV cured coatings, and even they don't use them on 100% of their lines - not sure why. I'll keep trying to find that perfect top-coat! Believe me, with almost half a million lures coming out of my shop each year, I would love that as much as the next guy! Dick

Just to clear the air a bit, I have been divorced twice, so it takes quite a bit to hurt my feelings. <grin> I really appreciate ALL the comments and help - nothing that is said here could do anything but make the process / product better! I too used the early water-born clears (along with GM, Ford, and a bunch more of us "early adopters") and absolutely HATED the performance. When I got this new (DN2) stuff going, I was really quite impressed with the difference between it and the original water based stuff - the dry-to-touch time was within ~12 hours, where that 1990's stuff was 3 - 5 days, the durability was fantastic in comparison (remember any GM / Ford products running around showing primer patches almost as big as the car?), and overall the user-friendliness was good. That being said, I think this whole process has really cememted in my mind that there really is not ONE good top-coat... Hence my attempt to bring out a selection that will more fully fill the needs of the tacklemakers our there. I really do appreciate ALL of your comments and help - if we keep discussing both the positive AND negative results obtained, we might just get this thing whipped! Thanks again guys! Dick

Well, some good news and some other possibly good news. I have decided to go with the DN2 as you guys have been calling it - the Water Reducible - for those of you who it will work for. I am anticipating being able to ship it within 2 - 3 weeks. Hopefully sooner. The other possibly good news is that I have a new vendor for making the original moisture cure lined up. I won't be making it in-house now, but it will be to my specs and the first batch of it looks exactly like the old stuff - except it levels even better (so, glossier) and is a touch more durable than the original. Same storage challenges, but for those who that is not an issue for, it will (everyone cross your fingers) be available. No timeline just yet. Another bit of news - in my search, I found what can be described as a liquid plastic. It will work well on wood, foam, and cork type lures for a sealer or a top-coat, but won't work well on metal lures as expansion/shrinkage of the metal causes it to lose adhesion and fall off. With soft materials, it soaks in and adheres. This stuff is pretty cool! Looks like I will have a line of 3 different top-coats that folks can use depending on their needs... So, if we can, I would like to get a bit of a handle on how many of you would be interested in the new (DN2) water reducible formula either in the interim or as a replacement for the old formula? Thanks for your patience guys - and for all your help and insight. I could never have moved this fast without all your help and ideas! TackleUnderground and the TackleUndergrounders ROCK! Will know more and post more about the new (DN2) within a week or so... Dick

On the contrary, Bob! I really appreciate all this feedback. I'm not looking to get a bunch of "Yes Man" answers... One of the main reasons I put this stuff out to be tested by all you folks is exactly that - to find out the failings. I know the tests I did came out good, but I don't paint all materials in all the different ways they can be painted - so you guys are an extension of me (kind of, don't take that the wrong way... <grin>) and if I had thought to test it on wood, with water-based paint under it, I certainly would not have hidden the results from myself! Since your posting with the picture, I have done a little re-testing of my own with similar conditions. The only real difference is I have mine over lacquer paints on metal (now that I read that, it is COMPLETELY different than your test!), but I let them cure for 12+ days, then scratched them and soaked them in water (well water, actually) for 48 hours. Not a hint of anything loosening, the water simply beaded up on the finish when I pulled them out. There was no sign of seepage under the top-coat, and of course the lacquer would not absorb any water, so it seems that the problem in all actuality exists with the relationship the top-coat has with the underlying paint and/or the bonding of the top-coat to the product and base material. That being said, I certainly don't want people to switch to lacquers - I want to develop a top-coat that works on ALL types (within reason) of paints and finishes. So, it isn't necessarily back to square one, I simply have to work with the chemists to come up with a way to get the top-coat to bond better with the water-based paints and lure material to avoid the seepage that seems to have caused the catastrophic failure (I really like that phrase! Makes it like we are working for NASA or something!) on your blocks. One person suggested to me that if the top-coat was applied to the water-base colors PRIOR to the water-base color drying, maybe they would bond together better, making a better final finish... Has anyone tried that? I know with the old top-coat, we had to make sure that the underlayment was completely dry - maybe this is the opposite... Don't give up yet! I have had about half of the test sheets come back, and I am going to be quite open about their findings with you guys. I have no reason to keep any of it a secret, because as any of you who have worked with me know, I don't try selling something to someone that does not fit their needs or work correctly - I simply want to come up with a good product that works for a majority of the people who use it. So, please keep up posting BOTH good and bad results - I really do appreciate it and have been checking back multiple times per day to see what is currently being found. Keep up the good work. This might not, as you said, be the final product. It worked well in the tests I did on metal lures with lacquer finishes, so that may be the place of this particular product. I have another chemist coming out tomorrow or Thursday to try something completely different... They are ever-optimistic! Thanks again for all your feedback! Dick

Okay! I have finally gotten the mix "just right", and sent out the emails to those who made it through to being testers tonight. This turned into more of a thing than I thought! But I have got the packages made up and they are awaiting final confirmation from the testers to ship. Sorry I haven't been able to respond to all of you who wrote in - you are a pretty active (and voluminous!) bunch! I'd like to thank all of you who wrote offering to help with the testing - I got so many responses that I had to make a whole new email folder just to keep track! Like I said, I sent out the "You're In!" email tonight and will start shipping the test samples tomorrow (10/13). Looking forward to getting feedback so that we can get you back to doing your thing! Thanks again - for your patience (gotta get it right) and for your willingness to do the testing. Dick

Hey Folks! Sorry for not being responsive - the proverbial perfect storm hit about 2 months ago and we have been running around like heads with our chickens cut off! A bit of background first - remember the vendor issue I had last year, where they simply stopped making the component? Well, turns out the replacement I found was simply a repackaged product from my original supplier - I had discovered the shortage before the "new" vendor did. When I went to order the second time, they too told me that it was no longer available. I have since tried 3 different components and none of them produce the same resulting product. All is NOT lost though, for 2 reasons: 1. I am still (when I say "I", I mean 3 different chemical suppliers) searching for a replacement for the original component. 2. I have come up with a completely different top-coat. Still in testing, and I won't release it until it is at least as good as the old. 2.a. This is a water reduceable one-part clear that in initial testing stands up as well as the old moisture cure with none of the storage or handling problems of the old one. 2.b. This product should pose none of the bleeding problems users had with the old top coat - it should go over water based paints without heat setting. 2.c. There should be no problem with reacting to different types of color, primer, or eyes and the like. I am looking for a few of you guys to do some testing for me - I know this is probably asking a lot, but the community testing on many different types of surfaces will be much more complete than my testing on my spoons alone. You guys are the experts on each of your different lures. If you are interested in trying out a sample, free of charge, free shipping, with the only cost being a report back to me about how it works for you and what you use it on, I would really appreciate putting an end to this polyurethand component vendor hell I (and you) have been going through. I don't expect to get this testing done for free - if you decide to test for me, after it is all done, for your help, I will send you a gallon of the product we finally decide on. Those interested, please email me with your shipping address and phone number. If you have ordered top-coat from me before, you will have priority, since you will be able to compare it with the old. I have 20 spots open for testing (that's all I have of product to send out...). I will email back and let you know if you are in and with the tracking number for UPS. I am hoping to send out samples as soon as 9/20 (wholesaler show in Portland, Oregon all next week). Thanks for your help guys, I really am sorry for the problems with keeping the old top-coat available - I have rattled so many cages out there in the vendor world I'm starting to feel like a zoo-keeper! Email address to send information to: testing@dicknite.com Thanks again for all your patience - I really think this is going to be a better product with less hassle along with being more environmentally friendly (which equals less vendor problems). Dick Figgins Dick Nite Spoons, Inc. PO Box 175 Lake Stevens, WA 98258 800-324-5651

Hey Guys! I would like to apologize for the delays some of you have been experiencing when ordering Top-Coat or samples. After the supplier fiasco, we were backloaded to the max and catching up has been difficult at best! Our processes are coming together again, now that we do not have the backlog to deal with, and you should see pretty prompt response to orders. As always, I welcome you to call or email if you have questions or think maybe we did not get your email. Generally, I will have a response out to you within 2 days of receiving your order or question - if you don't hear back from me, feel free to rattle my chain! My toll-free number is 888-321-LURE (888-321-5873). We are a small shop, so if I don't answer, it probably means I am out running around like a head with my chicken cut off! Leave a message or try back. Thanks for your patience and business - I really appreciate all of you. As a matter of fact, I have started referring people here to TU when they call with questions - I tell them that getting information from hundreds of users is better than getting it from one. You guys have tried more ways to use our product than any testing lab could do! Dick

Exactly - the solvents in Top-Coat will dissolve plastics. So using natural hair (or, at least, not plastic of any kind) is the only way to go. Also, the plastic from the brush will contaminate the Top-Coat, with probable undesireable results... Acetone and Lacquer Thinner are the best for clean-up. Dick

Good News! Our new formulation has passed all the tests I could throw at it. While I am sure there are some combinations of materials, atmospheric conditions, and processes I missed, it passed all the tests I did with flying colors. Most people will find absolutely no difference between our new and old formulation. Chip/Scratch resistance, Worm resistance, Leveling qualities, viscosity, color, and everything else is THE SAME as before. So, I would like to take this time to thank you all, first for your business in the past, and secondly for your patience during this fiasco our vendor put us into. I have notified several folks by email, but if you have called and spoken with me in the past 2 months, you know the frame of mind I have been in (can you say, "Frazzled"?), so I may have missed some. For your patience, I will be giving an additional 10% discount on the top-coat to all you TU members on orders placed through the end of this year as a kind of "Thank You" for being such a great bunch of folks and supporting us through this trying time. As always, if you have questions, suggestions, or whatever, please feel free to email (Orders: TU_Order@dicknite.com or anything else: dicknite@dicknite.com) and I will be happy to talk to you! I am going to post this as a separate thread in case anyone has tired of this one, so forgive the duplication if you see it. Thanks again folks - you are appreciated! Dick Nite Dick Nite Spoons, Inc. PS - if you have posted here that you wanted to order, please do NOT assume that I have you on the list. Please order again and I will catch any duplication in my order system.

Good News! Our new formulation has passed all the tests I could throw at it. While I am sure there are some combinations of materials, atmospheric conditions, and processes I missed, it passed all the tests I did with flying colors. Most people will find absolutely no difference between our new and old formulation. Chip/Scratch resistance, Worm resistance, Leveling qualities, viscosity, color, and everything else is THE SAME as before. So, I would like to take this time to thank you all, first for your business in the past, and secondly for your patience during this fiasco our vendor put us into. I have notified several folks by email, but if you have called and spoken with me in the past 2 months, you know the frame of mind I have been in (can you say, "Frazzled"?), so I may have missed some. For your patience, I will be giving an additional 10% discount on the top-coat to all you TU members on orders placed through the end of this year as a kind of "Thank You" for being such a great bunch of folks and supporting us through this trying time. As always, if you have questions, suggestions, or whatever, please feel free to email (Orders: TU_Order@dicknite.com or anything else: dicknite@dicknite.com) and I will be happy to talk to you! I am going to post this as a separate thread in case anyone has tired of this one, so forgive the duplication if you see it. Thanks again folks - you are appreciated! Dick Nite Dick Nite Spoons, Inc. Fishermun's Lure-Coat

Just to let you all know, I have gotten the new ingredients in from a new (reliable) vendor and have formulated and mixed our top coat. From what I can surmise using the MSDS supplied, there is little to no difference in the product we are replacing and the new - a slight variation (4% give or take) in one of the solvents. I have applied the top-coat to several different painted and non-painted materials, as well as a few different woods. I have been watching them for a few days now and the results are promising. I do notice a little crazing on one of the test sticks (a thick un-thinned coat over thick modified lacquer fluorescent paint), but other than that the resistance to scratching, chipping, and hook rash is the same as it used to be. I have probably another week to go before I am comfortable enough to release it to you guys - I would hate to rush it and find out after some of you have used it that some problem arose that I hadn't given enough time to occur. I am going to ask a couple of you folks do some testing for me on your baits. I will email them and ship the product off on Monday if I get a reply. That way we will get tests done on multiple products with multiple application techniques and atmospheres. Thanks for all your patience guys - I hope we have this mess nearly behind us... Dick

Actually, Piscivorous Pike, you and Kris got the last two cans. Your order is still going out - it will ship Monday. The better news (I try not to get my hopes up too high in these situations...) is that I may have found a replacement for the ingredient. I will be getting a sample next week and reformulating and testing... Thanks for all the kind words and support I have gotten off-list and here from you great folks! I will post here as soon as I have the Top-Coat back online. Dick