BobP

To fill in a missed spot you have to apply the exact amount of epoxy that should have been applied originally, which is unlikely to happen. To get back to a smooth finish you'll have to sand the bumps down before applying a new overall coat. Otherwise the unevenness will simply print through the new coat.

Yes, MCU seems pretty expensive even with the discount provided to TU'ers by Dick Nite. I haven't done the math but I think the price is competitive with epoxies like Devcon Two Ton when you take into account that the MCU is a much thinner coating and you get more baits out of whatever volume of finish you buy. Remember that Dick Nite is custom formulated for application on metal lures, specifically the spoons that are Dick Nite's main business. You found the same thing I did, that epoxy really isn't a good topcoat for metal lures since it is too thick and heavy, plus it tends to easily wear off quickly from any sharp edge. It also may yellow over time. IMO, MCU is definitely the best product to use on metal lures. I also use it on plastic lures with no problems. If you use the "tap the can" storage method, that avoids the problem of MCU going off in the container.

There is no finish regimen for crankbaits that is not a "witch's brew" of coatings from different manufacturers, so we mix and match trying to find a regimen that is compatible and in which all the coatings will harden and lay flat on the lure. The simplest I know is to undercoat with slow cure epoxy, lightly sand to promote paint adhesion, paint the lure, then topcoat with the same epoxy. Since epoxy does not contain any reactive solvents and is chemically inert after curing, it is a good choice. Not knowing precisely what coatings you are trying to use and not having tried them ourselves , we cannot really say why you are having problems except to say that different solvent based coatings can react with one another to cause each other to fail to harden, or to bubble, etc. As a first step, I'd lose the primer and paint directly onto the lightly sanded sealer with acrylic latex, then topcoat. If you still have the problem, your sealer and topcoat are incompatible.

Another source for airbrush paint is taxidermy suppliers. In addition to Createx, they carry brands like Van Dyke Nature's Gallery, Wildlife Colors, Polytranspar, etc. These are colors developed specifically for animals including fish species. They typically come in both acrylic latex and lacquer based forms and are pre-thinned to spray right out of the bottle. You can mix and match brands of acrylics with no compatibility problems. I shoot most paints with a .3mm tip and use a .2mm tip occasionally for fine shading. A .5mm tip would be useful for color base coating with a highly pigmented white paint like Polytranspar Superhide White. Most taxidermy flake and pearl colors will shoot ok with a .3mm tip, with only occasional clogging. Createx is the standard of quality for basic colors but the taxidermy palette is much wider in my experience.

I use epoxy for all hardware regardless of what other finish products I use. I glue in lips after painting and before topcoating. I haven't found anything that reacts badly with either epoxy or Solarez. I think once they're cured both are pretty non-reactive. I never use Solarez as a glue. It uses wax that rises to its surface in order to make the surface hard and slick, so I don't think it has any adhesive qualities if that's what you are asking. I use Rod Bond Paste epoxy 99% of the time to mount all hardware. I like it because it fills any gaps and will not run, plus it's long work time lets me work on a batch of baits at a leisurely pace.

I don't know. You might be able to find out by checking the MSDS sheet on the manufacturer's website to see if the product contains the plastic and solvent you want to use.

I think you'll find that some plastics will not dissolve in acetone and some dissolve so slowly that it is impractical to use them. This was a TU topic several years ago, mostly about using various plastic cups. Some tried it and found the coating would crack after drying. So the subject pettered out pretty quickly.

Yes, the first batch of balsa I ever bought was "competition balsa". I found out that meant very light 6 lb balsa intended for model airplanes. But I had a bunch so built with it until it was gone. Made very lively baits but the wood was pretty fragile and required lots of surface reinforcement. Now I use mid density balsa, which is twice as dense at around 12 lbs/cu ft. I just can't bear to use Solarez as a topcoat due to the white blush. But I undercoat with it. I use MCU or D2T for topcoating. To me, MCU looks more refined, glossier, and is tough as nails. But it is thinner and so will still wear through via hook rash eventually. There is no such thing as a damage proof balsa crankbait. In my experience, if you try to make one you inevitably begin to compromise buoyancy and performance. So you have to strike a balance. Fortunately you can build more!

Several guys dip in KBS MCU and report no problems. They thin it with a solvent if it starts to thicken. I've used several MCU' s but not KBS. I like Dick Nite's performance but it is sensitive and I never had a quart that didn't go off on me no matter what storage method I tried until I used the tap the can method. Quickly flood coating a lure with a brush takes only a few seconds and it's no more wasteful than dipping, so I'm happy with that. Of course the storage problems with MCU are largely dependent on how long it takes you to use up the amount you have on hand. I just build the occasional small batch of baits, so a quart would ideally last more than a year.

Propionate is sort of "old school". It takes 5-8 dips in a very thin solution with acetone to form a decent coating thickness. Also, it can turn out cloudy if the humidity is high. I've used it for undercoating balsa, but not for topcoating. It's also hard to find a source for it. Bottom line for me, it works OK but there are alternatives that work just as well, are less hassle, and easier to find. I don't dip in MCU because of the storage issues. I decant Dick Nite MCU it out of the original can via a screw tap into a foil covered jar lid and brush it on in a quick "flood coat", then hang the lures up to drip dry just as you would if you had dipped them. But I don't make more than 6 lures at a time and I'm using Dick Nite which is pretty sensitive to storage problems. A quart lasts me at least a year given my hobby rate of production. Several TU guys use KBS instead and report that it is less sensitive to hardening. My gut feeling is that if you are building baits in large batches, you might use up a quart of KBS before you have storage problems, and you can thin it with solvent (can't remember which solvent) if it does begin to thicken. And if it comes with less or different solvent, it might also be less prone to bubble after application over acrylic paint if it sits on the surface in liquid form too long before flashing off its solvent. I've tried lots of undercoats and topcoats. I think undercoats are important to balsa baits to strengthen the soft wood. I've found UV cured polyester works very well and is quick to use. I use Solarez Dual Cure clear gloss resin for undercoating but not for topcoating (I don't like the white waxy blush for topcoating). I also understand that Alumilite is now selling a version but haven't tried it yet. Whatever regimen you choose, I recommend doing a test batch to iron out any wrinkles before you jump into a large batch of lures.

If you are doing large batches and want to dip, I think it's MCU hands down. Specifically, I'd choose KBS Diamond Coat because it apparently is more resistant to "going off" in the container and can be thinned if/when it begins to thicken.

You can I suppose but there are options just as good that are cheaper, plus keep in mind that MCU is sensitive to ambient moisture hardening. I reserve mine for topcoating due to the expense and sensitivity.

If the surface the epoxy is on was smooth and nonporous, you can often heat D2T until it softens a little and peel it off. It's pretty hard to cut. Sanding usually works best.

I hesitate when you use the term "blast". If you must, just pass a heat gun or hair dryer quickly over the surface from 6-12" away at the bubbles you see. Too much heat will cause the epoxy to liquefy and run, or bubble. It is mainly the CO2 from the heat gun that bursts bubbles. I rarely put heat on epoxy, never on epoxy covering a wood bait.

Can't comment on the Talon, haven't used one. To change tip sizes in a standard Paasche VL or Badger 150 brush, you have to switch out the needle and the cone. These brushes usually come with 3 tip sets. Iwata brushes have screw-in nozzles instead of cones, which is a more precise system. They are less amenable to switching tip sizes because the nozzles are very small, many about the size of a grain of rice or even smaller. However, a .3 or .35 mm Iwata tip doesn't have to be switched out for a different size because it will shoot any viscosity airbrush paint. Crankbaits tend to be pretty small paint projects, even musky size baits. I don't see the need to use larger tipped brushes unless you plan to also airbrush other projects like a motorcycle tank. On the other hand, there are plenty of crankbait artists using Paasche and Badger brushes and turning out beautiful paint jobs. It's really more a question of artistic ability and knowing how to control a brush through experience than it is what brand of airbrush you choose.

The warmer it is, the faster it hardens so I don't think cold was the problem. D2T is different from Etex and has a shorter working time. If you mix it for one minute, you have about 3 minutes until it gets too hard to brush. Adding a little denatured alcohol extends the work time by another minute. That's quite different from Etex. But my main reservation is that all epoxies tend to draw away from sharp edges as they cure - D2T and Etex included. So I don't think you gained anything by switching epoxy brands. I'd switch back to Etex if you have some and are familiar with its application. It will create the thinner coating you are looking for. And the thinness at edges shouldn't be an issue in a mold. It doesn't disappear from an edge, it just gets thin and will wear faster there from abrasion. I assume you used Devcon Two Ton epoxy and not the five minute Quick Cure variety.

Createx is the standard of quality and has wide availability but the options you find in stores are often limited to a pretty narrow range of basic colors. Unless you are willing to mix intermediate colors (I prefer not to), you will probably want to explore other brands online including taxidermy acrylic paints from brands like Polytranspar, Wildlife, etc. There are hundreds of colors and special effects to choose from if you look online.

The Revolution B Iwata comes with a .3 mm tip that has been my favorite size for crankbaits. Small enough to do good shading, large enough that I can shoot flakes and pearls without clogging. It is also value priced compared to other Iwatas that are made in Japan. The Neo is not made in Japan like higher priced Iwata brushes. Some like them, some have panned them. Any Iwata in the .3-.35mm tip range is in the sweet spot as an "all around" brush, IMO. I run my compressor at max psi and control air to the brush with a secondary regulator with lower psi limit. That gives you the longest painting session before the compressor recycles.

If the lip is a molded part of a plastic lure, yes dipping it will make it clear. If it is polycarbonate, don't because topcoats will not adhere to it. If it is circuit board, there's no reason to dip because it isn't clear to start with.

I assume you are using Envirotex Lite epoxy. If so, there is a very good member submitted tutorial on using it by Fatfingers. Epoxy is forgiving in that it levels out better than most topcoats but best practice is still that you want it on the lure in an even smooth coating of moderate thickness. Etex is very slow to cure initially so there's no rush in doing that, even if you let it sit for 10-15 mins to expel bubbles before application.

It also helps to use the thinnest foil you can find. Venture used to make a foil for stained glass art that was perfect, but discontinued it. They do still make hvac adhesive foil in several different thicknesses and their thinnest is much thinner than the run of the mill tape found at home centers. I found some on EBay. The foil on it is thinner, as is the adhesive backing. But the typical tape will work ok if you burnish down the edges and cover them with epoxy.

If the turner works at 6 rpm you shouldn't have had any problem with the epoxy regardless of the orientation of the lure while rotating. That speed should have kept the epoxy in situ. Are you sure the epoxy did not pool to one side of the lure before you put it on the turner? Did you apply a heavy coat, maybe too heavy, before turning the lure? Something just doesn't seem right with the scenario to me. If you applied the epoxy immediately after mixing it versus waiting for it to gel for 10-15 mins, it may have remained liquid long enough to migrate.

Skeeter still shows up occasionally, just not as often. Send him a PM.

The Brian's Bees prop bait is flat sided. If you make the bait from balsa, it will be buoyant enough for either style bait.

You can make your own with feathers from a hobby store, any kind of thread, and a little finger nail polish. I use locking forceps held in my bench vise to hold the treble.