quickdraw

Are you saying that Target EM9300 doesn't have fumes? My concern about most urethanes is that they stick great to wood but what about a painted surface? Does this offer any kind of protection from hook rash and toothy critters? It would be great to find a 1 part coating. Even as a base sealer this may just be it.

When I bought my last clear coat this was one of the 2 I was trying to decide between. It all looks good on paper but I'd need to use it to know for sure. It could be a winner though.

Well that's good to hear. I was going by multiple posts from a few months ago where several people had said that it took forever to get and one guy said that he never heard back from them. I've only used a few of these topcoats and all of my other information comes right off of these pages over the last 2-3 months. DN's for me is a fail though because of the whole storage issue.

From What I've seen there is no perfect Clear Coat. Multiple threads have shown that every one is lacking. From my standpoint there are several needs that should be met. 1. Easy portion mixing not super critical to measurements 2. Mixes well without problems like bubbles 3. Easily applied 4. Self Leveling 5. Adequate pot life to do multiple lures in 1 batch (20 minutes or more) 6. UV Stabilized (not only resistant) 7. Hard but pliable so as not to chip or break from hook rash or big toothy fish. 8. Long term storage without special handling or containment. 9. Odor free or at least safe enough to be used indoors without special ventilation 10. Easily available with a reasonable cost. From what I've seen and read here nothing is perfect: Dick Nite's: Special containment and argon gas is only a part of the fun here. I don't believe it states that it is UV stabilized, maybe so. Also difficult to find and obtain with long order times. I've read about mixing and bubble issues also. EnviroTech Lite: I read multiple posts about bubbles and mix ratio but I think that may have more to do with humidity. Not UV stabilized but other than that sounds like good stuff. D2T: Not UV Stabilized and maybe difficult to do multiple larger bait like I build do to pot life. I've read multiple posts about it not curing properly but that also may be a humidity problem. Probably OK for repair or to install lips or a small bait . EnviroTech EX-74: From their site: (EX-74 has been formulated for improved UV resistance to reduce yellowing) so not stable, resistant to reduce yellowing and needs good ventilation. Other than that it sounds like maybe one of the best. Amazing Clear Cast: Also not UV stabilized but other than that it sounds good. AeroMarine 300/21: As with the rest not UV stabilized, other than that it's good. Most here score somewhere between 7-9 but I don't see a 10. All but maybe 1 aren't UV stable. From what I can se eit's a give and take with every one. So where is the perfect clearcoat?

Have you used EX-74? I went over to their site and in reading the MSDS it was using statement like use in a well ventilated area and what to do if breathing stopped. I think I'll pass on that one. HEALTH HAZARD WARNING STATEMENTS: USE ONLY IN ADEQUATE VENTILATED AREAS. AVOID BREATHING VAPORS OR MIST. SKIN SENSITIZER. WILL CAUSE EYE AND MUCOUS MEMBRANE IRRITATION. WASH WITH SOAP AND WATER AFTER USE. INHALATION: Inhalation of high concentrations of vapors may cause irritation to the respiratory tract. May cause Central Nervous System (CNS) depression. Prolonged or repeated exposure of high concentrations of vapor may asthma or other allergic responses.

Yeah I know, you said the same thing was said about 15 posts ago. I'm not the one concerned about it's UV rating, it seems to be others here. It's curious why everyone is so concerned about this topcoat not being UV stabilized where most others proclaimed to be good here are also not UV stabilized. Most don't say one way or the other which means that they aren't. This comany said it will yellow over time in respect to using it as a concrete sealer where it's in the sun everyday, all day. I could hang a bait outside for a month or so but it wouldn't matter because this seems to be the topic now, not a good topcoat without the problems most others are having. I'll revive this thread in a few years, maybe.

I understand what you're saying. 4 months for these baits means probably 60 hours in the sun being casted or trolled at the surface. My area has a daily UV index of 10. They also hang in my garage which has windows so although not in direct sunlight the garage is lit by sunlight. Most of what I have seen threads about here are topcoats without any UV stabilization or with various other problems that I don't have. I'm just sharing what I've found to work well. When I find something better I'll be happy to move on.

Here's my rack. In this picture the bottom 2 swimbaits have just been clearcoated and the top 2 are next.

I can't tell you anything about humidity because I'm in the Mojave desert. I know it isn't very touchy though. I use kitchen measuring spoons to measure it, then just mix it for 3 minutes. I use acid brushes to apply to my swimbaits while they are turning on my rack. It self levels nicely and I've never seen a bubble. It always amazes me the depth and color when it's dry.

I believe that it is a harder coating but harder may also mean less pliable. When I've peeled some of the 300/21 out of my plastic mixing cup it it plexible and still tough. It will stretch slightly when pulled and you can tear it if you get right next to an edge but if you just grab it it will twist and bend many times before you can get it to start to come apart. My 3/0 Owner hooks on my swimbaits give it hell when a big fish is on and it just scratches.

Well 4 months after starting to use this clearcoat and it has proven to be very durable. The earlier concern by a few was UV ( most manufacturers don't even post that info) . After 4 months of repeated use it hasn't yellowed at all. One of the uses for this epoxy is as a concrete coating and being used in that application is quite a bit different. Anyway I've gotten some serious hook rash on a few swimbaits from 20lb+ big fish and no tearing or chipping. It applies easily with a 30 minute work time and 4-5 hour set to touch time. No bubble issues, easy application, cost effective, stable storage, no fumes and it gives a very deep clear finish...what's not to like. I will stick with this clearcoat as it has proven it self.

I exclusively build large jointed swimbaits in the 9" to 13" range. I built a square frame the turns from the center of the frame when applying my epoxy topcoat. I have open eye screws on either side of the frame. The nose eye on the lure goes onto the one side and I connect a rubber band using an eye screw or pin to the rear and connect to the other side of the frame. I have it setup to be turned by a BBQ rotisserie motor at around 3 RPM. The swimbait is in place before I start applying the topcoat and I don't touch it during the process. Using a turner makes a huge difference in the thickness and clarity of your topcoat. If you need I can post or send you a picture as I'm just about ready to turn another batch. I need to use bigger clearances on the eye screws and pins to try to keep the epoxy from locking everything up but usually end up using a small dental type pick set to pick out what epoxy does get into the pivot points. It's a pain and you need to be careful to not penetrate the topcoat into the wood or it will blow-up. experience is a good teacher.

You could just use a cheese bait treble that already has a coil on it and spin it down till it is below the treble, then add a ball bearing.

I would imagine if you are going to use a wood plug the you could only drill from one side and stop short of penetrating the other side, insert ball and seal with the plug. The loudness of the sound would be proportional to the force of the impact and wood tends to damped sound. The size of the ball and action of the lure would determine the impact.

Well after building two different types now I've found two different sounds: The first one had aluminum discs cut out of a soda can on the ends for the ball bearing to hit. This type produces dull knocking sound like knocking on a heave door with one knuckle. I also found that the 1/4" ball bearing is putting a dent/dimple in the metal where it hits. Now that the clearcoat has setup it should be stronger. The second one was built using copper pipe as shown above. This one produces a sharp sound like tapping two metal tools together. This one also needs less effort to move the bearing from side to side probably due to the ball rolling on a metal surface. I plan to get out later this week to use these and see if the sound can produce any magic on some big fish.

This is exactly the same process I went through from having paint delaminate at the primer on up. I use a 1 part epoxy (Top Secret Coatings) to seal my wood after all of the cutting and drilling is done and spray with Rustolium flat enamal white to get the base coat color. I always let the sealer and primer dry for 24hrs each before painting just to let it bry and any residual fumes cook off. Now everything sticks to the previous coat very well and I have had zero problems like before.

I didn't want to take the time to cut a new blank so I took an old plug I had and modified it to hold the new model of rattle. After cutting and assembling it I found that this version is quite a bit louder than the previous version. I soldered the caps on the tube so it is watertight. The extra weight is countered by the air trapped within the chamber and the wood cut out to house the rattle. I'm waiting for the new topcoat that I used to seal in the rattle to dry before I can give it a swim test in the pool. When I build a new one from scratch it will be painted while assembled so the rattle won't be so obvious. The sound is very sharp similar to the Rapala Clackin series.

With the way you are bending over the end it would be better to braze the end to seal it. Solder needs to have have material on both sides to bond. I will start on my next version of a rattle chamber in a few days and post pictures. I have some 1/2" OD copper that is 3/8" ID that my 1/4" ball bearings will fit well. I can also get permanent caps for this size tube so I can make a tube slightly longer than the body is wide. I can solder the caps on to make it water tight, drill and seal the wood as I normally do, epoxy the rattle into the wood then seal with the topcoat and let the rattle protrude past the body sides maybe 1/8". It should be much louder than the first ones I just finished.

I'm using a straw as a liner and the ball bearing does roll very smooth and fast. My hole is 5/16 inch so the area where the ball is hitting is only 5/16" as well. Because the metal is secured with epoxy over the hole there is only that 5/16ths piece not touching anything. If there was some relief behind the metal say out to 5/8ths then it would create a bigger drum-head and louder sound. I think a thicker piece of material, like that coin, and a steel ball bearing would also make a sharper sound. I would also try to minimize the amount of material covering the drum-head. It will need clearcoat to seal everything, paint wouldn't hurt much but I wouldn't want to put filler over it. The new Rapala Clackin series extends their drum-head out beyond the edge of the lure body. Without filler the rattle would be somewhat visible but it would only matter to us, not the fish.

1/2" plumbing tube is 5/8" OD but you can get some 3/8" refrigeration tubing that is 3/8" OD. There is a definate increase in weight using the copper pipe though. Type M copper would help with that but once again we're back to water piping and 5/8".

That looks like a very nice rattle and being a plumber I certainly have some experience working with copper pipe. I just finished assymbling my first 2 prototypes and waiting for the epoxy to set.

I got the 1/4" ball bearings a few days back and did all of the woodwork yesterday. I drilled a 5/16 hole through the rear section on the plug just behind where the rear eye screw is located. I countersunk the hole with a 1/2" drill to recess the metal plate but after doing so I realized that the metal from the soda can is so thin that there wasn't a need because the primer, paint and clearcoat will more than smooth out the edge of the metal. I corrected that step. I then cut a standard straw to run through the raceway so the ball rolls very smoothly from side to side. Now with all of the woodwork completed I dipped the wood in Top Secret Coating 1 part epoxy to seal everything and I'll let it cure for 2 days before assembling the hardware and beginning paint. The amount of weight in removing the wood with the accompanying air chamber in the raceway will more than offset the weight of the ball. I will attach the metal plates with a thin coat of 5 min epoxy and the final clearcoat will make everything permanent and water tight. The only thing covering the metal plates will be paint and clearcoat so I hope that doesn't dampen the sound too much. The rattle function will be invisible until the plug is shook.

That is the nature of a soft material like that. If you've noticed most of the topcoats used around here are of an epoxy of some sort.

These swimbaits are fairly stable in the front section of the plug but the rear section has a swimming movement. I have several different styles where one type has an random action but the other 3 have great movement. I also am not concerned at all about the weight but may need to pay attention to the balance. These are all made to float and depending on the design some run the surface while others may dive as much as 10 feet when trolling or being retrieved, depending on the speed. I've checked out different types of worm rattles but they are too whimpy. My 1/4" ball bearings will be here the first part of next week and I'll get a prototype built. Then it's time to make some noise.

The smallest brush in this set will go right through the center tube of my Iwata airbrush after the needle and nozzle are removed. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001N3IX3Y/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00