BobP

I bought a couple from strikeprousa.com and from Cultiva that are more streamlined and shad-like. But neither rattles or swims well and they tend to turn on their side at high speed. They're now in a box in the garage where loser crankbaits go to die Action and rattle are important so I'm sticking with U.S. and Japanese brands like Lucky Craft, Xcalibur, Strike King, Cordell, and Bill Lewis. I like the new Strike King Red Eye Shad - as advertised, it does shimmy as it sinks so is a good bait for a yo-yo retrieve.

I think a majority of guys on TU use acrylic latex paint formulated for airbrushing. It's relatively cheap, less toxic, comes in a wide array of colors, and cleans up with soap and water. Createx and Smith Wildlife Colors are my favorites but there are other brands like Van Dyke Translatex and Polytranspar. Find them at Dixie Art or various taxidermy-centric websites. Createx is available at hobby shops and is the most popular brand but I like to use some Wildlife colors to fill out Createx's rather basic color palette. You'll need a white for color basecoating, black, brown, gray, neon yellow (aka chartreuse), pearl white, orange, red, plus light and dark shades of green and blue. You can mix them to get intermediate shades. I like transparent colors to overlay color over color and get more depth in the finish. You can see through light coats of transparent color but they're opaque when applied in thicker coats. How to start? Just blast away! Read tutorials about airbrushing on airbrush websites for techniques. It's really a eye-brain-hand skill that takes practice to develop: you learn and get better only by doing it.

I'm using an $8 timing motor. I drilled an appropriate size hole in the wooden axle and simply epoxied the shaft into the hole. Has worked fine for the 3 yrs and counting.

Hmm, I'm not sure I buy the idea of thinner = harder, but then, I'm no epoxy scientist. Seems to me epoxy curing is a chemical reaction between the 2 parts and exposure to air has nothing to do with it. If we're talking epoxy cut with a solvent, a thin coat will allow the solvent to flash off faster - but again, I don't know that it would enhance the hardness of the cured epoxy. Could your friend have confused hardness for cure state? Most epoxies reach max cure and max hardness after about a week - long after the floor installer has moved on to other jobs:?

If you're looking for a surface sealer and something to make the surface smooth, I recommend brushing on some epoxy/denatured alcohol 50/50 or dipping the bait multiple times in propionate/acetone. Less mess and fuss, and less sanding. An excellent hole and gouge filler is a stick of epoxy putty. Cut some off, knead it and smooth it on, it has a density similar to hardwood. A wet finger works to blend it into surrounding areas. You can sand it 5 mins after applicfation and should do so before it cures completely hard. Not something you'd want to coat a bait with, but great for spot repairs.

Mark, Re: solvents. Etex contains solvent and I'd guess Nu-Lustre also does if it has a similar consistency and work time. I see pros and cons to all of the clearcoats discussed here on TU. I can't say I have a favorite - using several depending on what clearcoat qualities I want to get on particular baits. I have very rarely seen any delamination like you describe with D2T - 1 or 2 baits out of hundreds. On those few, I suspect I did something "different" underneath the D2T that precipitated the problem. I use D2T on soft balsa baits (I'm sorry I got SOFT balsa, but that's another story). You can squeeze the baits, denting the surface, and it will spring back into shape, D2T clearcoat intact - so the epoxy displays quite a bit of flexibility. I guess what we're all after is an epoxy that's tough as nails and flexible as rubber. Call me when you find it.

Yum! Why catch fish when you can be eating lobster?

When you see one of the Dick Nite banner ads at the top of a TU page, click on it and you will be taken to the TU DISCOUNT are of his web page where you can order at a significantly reduced price, or can even get a sample to try for the price of shipping.

I use low tack "frisket material", a pliable plastic film with adhesive on the back and a peel-off paper backing (bought it from Dixie Art). One 12" wide roll of the stuff lasts a lifetime. It's designed to draw a pattern on the backing, then cut it out with an Xacto knife and peel off the backing, sticking the stencil on the work. That usually results in pulling paint off baits, so I leave the backing on the film and just hold it against the crankbait. That also lets you flip the stencil over to do the other side of the bait (after drying the paint!). Pretty soon, you collect a library of stencils for gills, kill spots, firetiger, crawdads, you-name-it. The nice thing about frisket material is that it is fairly pliable and easy to fit to crankbait curves.

I dip it, others brush DN. A few spray with a cheap single action airbrush. I wouldn't use my Iwata either. Don't forget a mask!

Craig, I agree. They're the same right down to the lip angle. What are the chances that 2 companies would independently come up with precisely identical body shapes, hardware and lips? Zero. Sisson advertises that his baits are made from Jelutong, except for the P-20 model in balsa. He made baits for a BUNCH of companies before starting Sisson Lures. Obviously, Davis was one of them.

Phil - I think flexibility is a good thing. It keeps the finish from shattering or cracking on that EXTREMELY rare occasion that you cast your crankbait into a rock:lol: As far as hook rash, I agree if you keep trebles as sharp as you should, most crankbaits will show a rash eventually (or darned quick if you troll them). However, DN takes longer to show a rash than epoxy. We may have a similar attitude about crankbaits. Fish them hard if you want to catch more fish. Forget about making an indestructable crankbait - ain't no such thing! But build them as durable as good performance allows so they will catch as many fish as possible during their limited lifetime.

MT, I think DN is good stuff but does have handling and storage quirks that are very different from epoxies (search on DN for tips and techniques). I still get more consistent results with D2T and I still go with it when appearance is critical. I'm also more likely to use D2T on a bait that will benefit from a thick finish that levels out very well (often on balsa). I'll use DN when I'm after a more durable surface or when a thin coating is preferable, like on repainted plastic lures. I'm a hobby builder who focuses more on performance than appearance, so I use DN more as I learn its quirks.

I can't tell a practical difference in flexibility among ETEX, D2T, and DN. It does seem to me that epoxy on older baits becomes less flexible over time, possibly due to UV exposure. The DN tends to soak into and bond with the underlying paint and I've never been able to flake it off of a bait to see how it flexes. Contrary-wise, you can usually remove epoxy by running a sharp knife between it and the underlying paint, causing large sheets of epoxy to delaminate from the lure for easy removal. Hook rash - both Etex and D2T seem to have moderate scratch resistance. How long the coating lasts under hooks is mostly a function of how thick the coating is versus how sharp you keep your trebles. But they will show rash pretty quickly. JMHO, DN seems to be more rash resistant than any epoxy I've tried. It's slicker and harder than epoxy in my experience. The specific performance of any of the 3 (especially the epoxies) varies due to mixing, application and curing procedures. Tiny bubbles - ignore them. They won't make the coating any less waterproof.

A comment about cleaning brushes: Never wipe a brush loaded with epoxy on a paper towel, then reload it with epoxy for the next lure. The brush WILL pick up fibers from the paper towel. It's OK to use a paper towel to clean the brush before swishing it around in solvent at the end of the day. The solvent will release any loose fibers. But then dry the brush on a lint free cloth.

Epoxy is epoxy. Devcon is a little thicker when cured so may last a little longer.

I admit that I still need more experience with DN. I like it alot - the toughness and gloss are superior. But in my experience, it does produce more "goofs" and irregularities than epoxy and it requires more "technique" (both storage and application) to use successfully. It is much thinner than D2T and of course nothing levels as well as epoxy, so any little surface glitch on the lure is not going to be "paved over" as with epoxy. DN's solvent flashes out quickly (usually within a few minutes). But if there is any area on the lure where DN has pooled, you will have problems after it goes on the drying wheel. It quickly forms a skin over a pooled area and still-liquid DN runs back and forth underneath until it wrinkles the underlying acrylic latex paint. All problems with DN get worse if you are using some that has begun to thicken in the storage container. So you need to be careful about storage and application. I'll stop whining now. p.s. - I'm still waiting on some Bloxygen to spray into my DN containers to stop any "cure in the bottle" problems. The supplier says the Bloxygen folks had trouble getting aerosol cans for the production so I was backordered for 2 months. Hopefully it will be shipped next week!

Tyjack, I don't make musky lures but am using Dick Nite and find that it is tougher and slicker than epoxies I've used, so have to believe it would be good on a musky lure. The drawback is that I think you need to let each coating of DN cure for 24 hrs before recoating. How many coats on a musky bait? Got me! I never use more than 2 on a bass bait.

JMHO, like Clamboni sez, don't get actual chartreuse Createx. It's an ugly greenish yellow. The Createx fluorescent yellow is a clean bright shade.

I think the short answer is YES, do it like TheDude said. I use a #6 single foot guide for the the 90 degree bumper guide. If you start messing with guide spacing, you'll have to refinish the whole blank.

I dimple (aka countersink) the holes for the screw eyes a little so I can position the segments together as close as I like. Hand wound screw eyes have lots of glue surface and can be any length you desire. I install the screw eyes in one segment after painting, purposely getting epoxy on the eyes so they remain stiff, then clearcoat the bait. Last step, clean out the eyes and join the segments. Use a Dremel with a small drill bit to remove any epoxy from the joint after curing.

Get the idea yet that there are lots of ways to do it? Yep. I seal mine with a 50/50 mixture of Devcon Two Ton epoxy and denatured alcohol, brushed onto the lure. Buy Devcon Two Ton in a 30 ML double syringe at most Walmarts for $2. Mix the epoxy first, then stir in the solvent.

lurehardware.com has them but last time I tried to order, I got no response to emails via their website (which is still up), so I don't know whether they are active.

Createx is water based acrylic latex airbrush paint. It's toxicity is low, especially compared to solvent based lacquers. That said, an airbrush atomizes paint very efficiently and some of the spray ends up as acrylic dust including the flow enhancers and anthing else that Createx throws in there. Using a paint booth minimizes the dust suspended in a closed room. Using a particle mask minimizes the amount of ambient dust you breathe. A majority of us probably spray acrylics with no booth and no mask, without noticable ill effect. That doesn't mean it's the best thing to do. If your basement is connected to the rest of the house via a heating/cooling return and you plan to do much airbrushing, it would be ideal to use a booth with some kind of dust filtration.