jcarman

I use Testors decal paper. You can print right on it from an inkjet printer, or by hand with a pen, then you seal it with a spray on material to keep it from running. Here is a link to the package... Testors Most hobby stores carry it. It's a little delicate, but once you get the hang of it no problem. And, it is so thin, the top coat goes right over it no issues! Good luck!

I have been making some topwater lures out of the white foamy looking lure bodies you can get from Hagens, Janns, etc. Some of these bodies are a little prous, and even though I prime them, then paint them, when I put on the topcoat it seems like the bodies have small air pockets trapped in the porous areas and this leaves bubbles in my topcoat. Typically a second coat will fill in the bubbles and all looks OK, but I am waondering if there is something I can do to seal the bodies before I start painting and thus won't have to topcoat twice. Any advice? JC

Thanks Mags!

Thanks Tim, I'll give it a try. My whole goal here is to increase production by dipping rather than brushing on D2T. While it sounds like a much faster way to top coat, all these little extras you have to do might just be as easy to brush on D2T! I'll give this a try as well. I appreciate the help- jc

Thanks Mags. Is this something I can find at Home Depot or Ace or where? Thanks for the help- Jeff

Thanks Bob- Me, wait for the paint to fully dry? I will do that on my next batch. I will heat set each coat and see what happens. I did follow your previous instructions and dip and let drip dry towards the tail end. It seemed to work well in the places that didn't wrinkle. I have shot DN before, but the vapors get so bad. I am not really set up to spray volatiles, so I am hoping the heat set thing will work, thanks again for the advice! jc

OK, I am trying the dipping method with DN lure coat. The problem I had was that the paint wrinkled pretty bad after dipping. I am using createx and faskolor water based paints. Did I not let the paint dry long enough or what could be the problem. The areas that didn't wrinkle came out looking very nice, but the wrinkles are a problem... jc

Skeeter- Are you spraying water base paints? If so, sounds like you might be trying to spray too thick of paint. Try thinning until the paint is milk like consistency. Turn your air pressure up next. Too much is better than too little I think. If you bought a mask and are still getting dizzy, you must be shooting solvent based paints. I suggest you switch to water based. I spray my baits in a bedroom converted to a project room. No harmful or flammable vapors, and I don't get the munchies! I prime all my plastic bodies with a water based rattle can white primer from Rustoleum. It is very forgiving, doesn't stink, and dries fast. It also seals the foam bodies very nicely. I only clearcoat at the very end of the job. Hope this helps, there are many ways to do things, so this is just my opinion, and keep your eyes wide open on this site as there is a lot of experience and you can learn something every day! Most importantly, just keep trying new things! Jeff:yay:

Dave- I use D2T on all my baits and have not had this problem ever. My baits are used for stripers and muskies, blues, tuna and halibut, including surfcasting into the rocks and sand, and I don't have this problem! Are you spraying or thinning the D2T? My baits are ABS and lexan, but can't imagine PVC being a lot different. I use createx and faskolor paints, but again that should seem to matter. Are you brushing the D2T on your baits? Have you tried to apply a second coat and see if that stops the chipping? Jeff

OK, so I have come to the realization that in order to speed things up in my production process that dipping my crankbiats in DN is the way to go. Can anyone answer a few questions about this process? 1. I make 6"-9" striper baits with the lips already on them. When dipping, do you just immerse the lip in the DN too? Or do you try and tape them off....? 2.Once you dip the lures, do you just hang them and wait or is there some work that needs to be done while they are drying such as turning them over, etc. 3. Do you think the DN top coat? Is dipping the best way or should I be looking at spraying? The only problem with spraying that I can see is the vapors...they are bad! Also, I tried dipping some dodgers that has some graphics applied to them and the DN didn't run off all uniform, but instead left a lot of runs and drips around the graphics. Was it too thick? Any advice from the TU group would be appreciated. JC

Thanks Bob, I appreciate the info. It's not that I don't like Dick Nite's topcoat, it's porbably more that I don't understand it yet and need to dig into it more. I like the idea of dipping lures, so I might try that in the coming days. Sounds like a great way to speed things up! Maybe I'll put something out on dipping DN and see what great advice I come up with. I'll tell you this, the TU folks have saved me some time and given great advice over the years. Nothing replaces experience! Thanks for the help- Jeff

Thanks guys, I appreciate the info. I have a Michaels where I live and am heading over there today to get a box! As far as lure turners go, a few years ago I got one of those chicken rotisserie units at a yard sale for 5 bucks. It already has two wheels and about 12" between them, so I just added some eye bolts and use springs to suspend my lures. Currently it takes four lures, but I think I can up that to 8. It even has a timer on it! If I could find another one of those I'd buy it too! I'll check Craigs list, thats a great idea! Thanks again- JC

Does anyone know who the manufacturer is for the clear, unpainted 5" and 7" minnow bodies that barlows and Stamina sells? I need to buy a large quantity, but neither barlows or stamina provides a quantioty discount over 50 pieces. I'd like to buy them direct if anyone might know where to start. I know I can get them from china, but I'd rather buy domestic products. jc

I am sure someone out there has gone through this same issue... I make striper lures, mostly 8" - 9" minnows and some large poppers too. I topcoat all my lures with D2T and have great success with it. It provides such a great depth to the lures, impact resistance, etc...but it's slow to brush on every lure. I have a few bait shops and many customers demanding more lures and I would like to increase production, but the D2T is really the bottleneck. Does any one have any ideas or know of another topcoat that will provide the same depth and lustre without having to brush the product on? I have never used etex, but read many posting about it...do you dip or brush it on? I have toyed around with DN's topcoat, sprayed it on and got a reasonable finish, but not as nice as D2T. Maybe thats just my technique! Many people have talked about dipping DN's top coat, but I tried and ended up with drips, seemed messy, etc. Please let me know any and all ideas. Thanks- jc

Jamie- I did try to use Stamina's containers, but their 9" box was really only 8" anf their next size up was 11" long but it was 3" wide, pretty big for a stickbait! Thanks though... Cartoonmark, this idea interests me. Do you know where I can get these? I'll look around and see if I can find some...just wondering about closing up the ends...? Thanks for the thoughts!

Hopefully someone can help out there. I need a clamshell or other clear box to package my deep diving striper baits in. I need at least 9" length and about 1.5" x 1.5" on the sides. I cant find anything out there, and if I import from china they want such a huge quantity. Anybody got any ideas? Thanks- JC

Try this mail order store, I buy my D2T from them. I also use the 9 oz size, it saves a ton of money! JC

Thanks for all the help. I duplicated what I had done the day before only heat set the paint thoroughly and warmed everything up. Its cold out here in California..68 degree high yesterday and 54 last night...chilly! And if we don't get any rain in the next few months, all this lure building is for not cuz there won't be any water in our lakes anyway! I digress...the DN top coat went on very nice and smooth. I was just rushing things I suppose. I am using the Bloxygen and it works great, thanks for that tip. I am going to try and find a container that will allow me to dip some lures and some dodgers and see how they come out. I like the FAST, FAST, FAST part! Is anyone using DN on striper or bluefish lures? I am still using D2T since it is so rock-hard, but if I could switch to DN it would sure be faster! I just don't know how it will compare and hold up! Thanks again for all the hellp- Jeff

Guys- Thanks for all the tips. This site is the goods! As far as contamination, I went straight from paint to top coat, so they were never handled. I didn't think the DN, so that wasn't a possibility either. What do you guys think about maybe the createx wasn't completely dry? Would that do it? I did not heat set it, and it is cool back here right now. maybe it still had some moisture to it. I have never tried dipping stuff in DN. Does it leaf a drip at the bottom when you hang the lure? Do you have to tend to that before it dries? I am interested...what kind of a container do you use..something tall and narrow I assume. Thanks again for all the help. I really appreciate this website! Snax, those eyes are awesome! I am going to need to order some more, can you PM me and let me know the info again? Thanks again- Jeff

Hey guys, I need some help- I am making some thin blade dodgers for trout and kokanee fishing. They are a stainless steel blade about 4/5" long. Usually I just use some WTP prism tapes to decorate them, but this time I painted them with some createx paints. They came out awesome, but when I put the DN top coat on many little craters appeared on the surface. When I first sprayed it on it came together real nice and glossy, but then after a few minutes it started to make the craters. :eek:All of them but one did this. I have used DN on my lures over createx paints with no problems and even on straight nicklel blades. Anyone have this happen and have a remedy for me? Thanks in advance for any help you can give- jc

I am in the graduate program at the school of hard knocks when it comes to the china import stuff! I have learned to- Ask for samples before you order. They will tell you that the freight is huge, this and that, but hold your ground and let them know you will not buy without samples first and the freight is minimal through what they call EMS. Pay half of the charges until you get the order, then inspect the order thoroughly when it arrives, including seeing how the baits swim! Then pay the balance. If you go through the 3rd party Alibaba.com, you can first see a companies profile and track record before you deal with them. They will quote you a very high minimum order quantity, but you can very easily negotiate that down, so don't let that intimidate you. There is some good stuff at good prices to be had overseas, but there is also some junk to weed through. Good luck- Jeff

DC- I am importing unpainted lure bodies from China and have found that if you do your research and press them, you will quickly find out who is doing good business and who isn't. My only advice is to specify every detail and have them verify that they understand what you mean. They will use their language barrier to defend themselves. Aside from that, the good ones are happy to work with you and anxious to develop relationships. Good luck- JC

I am buying D2T in 9 oz. bottles through http://www.hobbylinc.com in the 9 oz size for about $13. I use the epoxy mixing cups, and squeeze both parts in at once and since one of the parts is a little yellow, you can see if you have equal parts or not based on whether or not the dividing line is down the middle. It's not that exact of a science, and so far (knock on wood:roll:) I have never had any that didn't set up right. Just remember a tip I got fomr someone else on this site....before you start, clean your work are up well, blow off your lure good to remove all dust, and blow off your epoxy brush well and make sure there are no loose bristles or dust hanging in there. I use a small heat gun I got at a craft store to get the bubbles out, but don't overheat because you can yellow the epoxy and boil it too! One other thing I have discovered about D2T is that one small amount of the stuff can cover an entire mans body, including clothing, hair, and eyelids in a matter of seconds. I always keep a rag with alcohol nearby to wipe down my hands!

I have talked them down to 200 lures of each color, thats the lowest I can get them to go. I am working with another company over there right now which specializes in "small orders". We are still in the honeymoon phase:lol: but I'll keep everyone updated.