mark poulson

Dave, It holds up fine on hard baits, as long as you don't leave it in contact with a soft plastic bait for more than 5 minutes. The softener in the plastic will melt the Rustoleum. When I make a bait like a rat that needs a soft plastic tail, I'll coat the area around the hitchhiker attachment with clear nail polish, and it's fine. I make sure the tail doesn't lie next to the bait on the deck,and I remove the tail when I put the bait away. But I have baits that I coated with it that are several years old, and are still fine. I caught a dozen crankbait fish today on a bluegill crank I painted and coated with the Rustoleum. They also make a matte that I use as a final coat when I want less gloss. Two coats of the gloss, five minutes apart, for strength, and then one coat of the matte, to knock down the gloss. For me, it's a cheap, easy topcoat that only needs a day to cure before I fish it. Plus, since I can make it work, it must be idiot proof! Hahaha P.S. Spray it outside and stand up wind. It has some fumes.

Since the unmixed stuff seems to be super soft, I'm guessing it's the hardener that settles out of suspension. I am careful to swirl my gallon of med. every time I think of it, even if I'm not pouring. Once it packs at the bottom, it takes serious mixing, like with a drill and mixing tool, to get it back up into suspension.

12 oz or 16 oz? Does it matter? Hahaha

No clue about how to do it, but that guy's baits are amazing!

I really don't know enough about colors to help with that, but I do know that the large red flake will give a clearer/lighter colored bait a reddish cast. That's why I always add my flake right after the plastic kicks over, and then add my color, drop by drop, to see how the two work together. I have found that, for me, heating the flake while the plastic is being heated to 350 initially can cause it to bleed, and change color. If I were trying to match that bait, I'd cook a cup of plastic, add the red flake, and then pour some into two different heating cups, so I could play with the two different colors suggested here to see which one is closer.

Heat stabilizer will help you to be able to reheat without scorching, and a digital thermometer will help you insure that you don't overheat your plastic. Take it's temp after you've stirred it, because the middle will always be hotter when you heat in a microwave.

If you're asking for an alternative clear coat for plastic crankbaits, I use Rustoleum 2X Gloss Clear Acrylic most of the time. It's cheap, dries/cures overnight when I help it along with a hair dryer, and doesn't distort colors. I just have to make sure to not let the cranks lie in contact with soft plastics for more than a few minutes, or the finish will melt.

Sir, yes sir!

Thanks. The Rapala is more muted, and that seems to be what the fish want in our now clear CA Delta water. I mixed up a really pale orange/transparent base and shot it over the finished lures, and it seems to have toned them down some. I'll find out Monday. There is a really good crank bite going on right now on the top of shallow grass flats.

I asked because the lead on my weighted swimbait hooks oxidizes and turns a chalky white when I pour it into a swimbait.

I just posted two versions of my second attempt at matching the Rapala Pumpkinseed in the Hard Baits Gallery. All Createx paints. Details are with the photos.