Steel Pulse

U POL. As good as I have found but not as durable as an epoxy finish and a stink that will end a marriage, so do it with lots of ventilation. Does work nice though in a pinch. U-Pol Clear #1 UV Resistant Clear Coat (Aerosol Can)

I find using Sys. 3 Clear Coat applied to a heated plug, via stove or microwave , soaks in fine and hardens and seals up soft woods very good.

I have friends who do just that. Protect your lungs

Helmsman spar urethane . satin.

I thru drill from both sides in the lathe. Put the drill in the headstock in a collet or drill chuck I then push the bait into the drill with the tailstock with a center in it. Get about a 98% accuracy and very quick. Just remember to clear the chips often. I am talking about roundish baits not hand carved, which i don't do very often.

Terrible stink for sure. I get the same results with sys 3 clear coat. Heat up plug in oven say 225 for 20 min then apply. Wipe off excess after 10 min and let dry. Both work great, especially on soft woods. I think the epoxy sealed plug is a tad harder, durable, than the CPES.

Lots. I used mirrorcoat for quite a while. Mirror is a very hard brittle finish. Sometimes it cracks when bounced off of rocks. I have moved onto clear coat. A little more flexible, for lack of a better word. It is the best for plugs IMO, and many others, and also the most aggravating. Temperature, above 70 to dry. Mix exact. Use a sponge brush. Thin coats, it is a very thin product to begin with. I usually do 2 coats, letting the plug dry for 24 hours before next coat. You can do a lot of plugs with one bottle of each. You have to spin them for 6 hours min. though. I also use it for sealing my plugs too. Heat plug in oven at 225 for 15 min. then put on rubber gloves and spread all over. Use pipe cleaner for thru holes let soak in for 10 min and wipe away all, I mean all, excess. Not as messy as it sounds. Takes primer nice and you will have a very hard product after you finish clear the outside. Like anything there is a learning curve involved. Takes some practice but for me the best epoxy product for the job. Good luck. Paul

I use Liquitex to thin Createx

I like to seal a soft wood like red cedar with epoxy first then paint. It will strengthen the cedar and then 2 light coats of top coat epoxy. I wipe with rubbing alcohol a day after the first coat and then apply the second. No sanding.

Lu you are a sick sick bastard. Machinists are proud of their tools

Alaskan Yellow is my favorite, a pleasure to work with, and many other salt water plug makers. Pretty easy to get here in the NE. I also use red once in a while and white, being my second favorite, lighter than AYC. Cypress is also a very nice wood to use. AYC is actually a cypress.

U-pol http://www.levineautoparts.com/upclear1uvre.html is a decent spray clear used over water based paints. A few coats. Pretty durable. I often use it as a scratch coat before epoxy. Not as good as epoxy though. Stinks to high heaven. I don't envy you.

If you buy a compressor with a large tank you only have to listen to it once. If you are doing 100's of plugs it will run a few times, but I don't, it is a hobby. Crank it up and shut it off and paint. That way you can listen your favorite Frank Zappa tunes. I also have the Peak too and like it but prefer the bottle feed Iwata for most of my painting. I am a sprayer not an artist though.

I would wait till you can afford something decent because once you start this madness you are only going to want more so you are better off buying quality stuff and not budget stuff. Wait and save is my motto. IMO you can't go wrong with Iwata, Eclipse BCS is a nice brush. Do everything a beginner can want. Might be the only brush you ever need. Probably pick up the brush and hose for 90 bucks. As far as compressors go I like the largest tank you can afford. I bought a Sears 15 gallon tank, not oil less, as they wear out faster. I can crank it up and then shut it down and paint 20 or 30 plus plugs on a tank of air. I do large salt water plugs.The little compressors are going to cycle on and off frequently as their tanks are very small. Noise drives me crazy, a very short drive. Look for a sale at Sears. Hope this helped and this is what works for me others my have different opinions. I like Createx paint, although I know people who use cheap paint from the craft stores and do great things. Good luck and keep it fun. P.

I spin mine for at least 8 hours. I am using system 3 Clear Coat, done the same with System 3 Mirror Coat and Envirotex. Usually comes out like glass. I have seen that uneven finished product with 2 ton sometimes. Dries much faster than the above products though. If bubbles occur I hit the plug just lightly with a propane torch quickly. Don't over do it. I find that keeping the environment at least between 70 and 80 degrees makes a world of difference. I explained the spinner in detail below in the spinner post. Good luck. Paul

I put the whole spinner, what ever design you decide on inside a large plastic container with a cover, like you store crap in. I also put a small light bulb inside, thru the side of the container so I can keep the temp. between 70 and 80 degrees, I am in Massachusetts and it is cold inthe cellar. I find temp. very important in a good end result. You will have to adjust the wattage to find which works for you. I have a cheap outdoor thermometer in the bottom of each container, I use 3 of them, containers that is. I use System 3 clear coat and it takes a good 6 hours to set up. I then shut off the spinner, if I remember. I keep the cover on the containers after I apply the epoxy for 2 reasons. 1 it keeps the temp stable and 2 it keeps all the crap in the air settling on it. With a cat, dog, 7 year old, pellet stove, and wood stove, there is lots of stuff in the air and it always finds it's way to the plug, always. Nothing worse than seeing a big hunk of smegma stuck in the finish after all that time put in. The top eliminates it pretty much. Good luck

MY spinners are in large plastic tubs with covers. I have a small light bulb in the tub thru the side. After I epoxy the plugs I turn on the bulb and close the tub so it stays at a consistent 75 degrees. You have to adjust the bulb wattage to get the temp you are looking for. I use System 3 clear coat, fussy but very durable or System 3 mirrorcoat, not as fussy but not as durable because it is much harder,brittle. They spin for at least 6 hours. I find all epoxies to be a royal PIA most of the time. Worst part of the whole plugmaking hobby. Closed tub also keeps out the cat,dog, and kid hair and dust.

Thanks. I pretty much do the same. I do a mackerel pattern, salt h2o, and I use a template. I have to use the hairdryer on the pattern to dry the black paint or i could never get it off without smudging the whole thing.

When you say heat set how long are you going over the bait with the hair dryer. I usually go back and forth on high from about 6 to8 inches away and I am always afraid of melting the paint off if i go too long. Do you heat set every coat you put on or just at the end? I usually let them sit for a few days after the final heat setting. Thank you. Paul

Great. All I use Createx. Do you have to discard the brush after each use or can you clean it and what would you use to clean it? Thanks again. paul

And this stuff won't eat water based paints? Thank you for all the info guys

I used the search. Lots of interesting info. What kind of brush would you use to apply? Think I would like to go that route.

Thanks. What is this stuff? Epoxy? 1 or 2 part? dip and hang or do you need to spin it? How long does it take to set up? I am curious. Toxic or smell bad? Ventilation needed? I have heard of it but never seen it offered anywhere. Man just what I need another top coat. Between clearcoat, mirrorcoat, e-tex, u-pol, some other 1 part epoxies, and various others I use, but I will give it a try if you think it is worth it. Just don't know enough about it.

Can it be applied over water based paints?

Thanks I have tried it but I feel Val oil is a step above the BLO, but the BLO is used widely by many and does work. I am real curious with the propionate since I am trying it and hope it is all it is cracked up to be.