dpalinsk

Has anyone tried the aerosol spray can KBS Diamond Clear? I'm working on some 9" wood lures and thinking about using it as a seal coat before painting and top coating.

DRDMH, I feel your stencil making pain. A couple of years ago, my experience was the same as yours and I gave up on vacuum form stencils. Recently, I decided to give it another go. After trying all the methods describe throughout this thread, I settled on the Xacto knife method for cutting stencils. Local hobby shop recommend the Excel Double honed blades as they are a better quality blade. He warned me that I would use a lot of them, and I do. After cutting, then I use the knife, sandpaper, Dremel sanding disks and a Dremel cutting bit to further shape and smooth out the stencil. It's a slow painstaking process and there is a lot of trial and error, but for me it's worth all the effort. I was looking for a "silver bullet" method of just draw, cut and use, and I didn't find it. I'm happy with my process and waiting to get more Petg sheets delivered so I can knock out some more. Added photo of the Fire Tiger template I made for a six oz jig. David

X2 on the Micron 005 Black. I've learned that you need to let it sit for awhile before topcoating otherwise it will smear. I typically hit with hair dryer and then let 'em sit at least 15 minutes

Thank you! They appear to be the only ones making these kits. Looks like they used to sell a 4" kit, but I'll call them on Monday to see if they plan on making the 4" kit in the future. Regards, David

I'm looking for a source for this lure and the necessary parts to complete the assembly. I believe this is a four inch lipless crank bait. Any leads would be appreciated. Thanks!

Another method to consider is to glue something like Thule material to the lure and then apply the foil. I used my thumb first to force the foil into the netting and then a pencil eraser to fully press the foil onto the lure.

So how much DA are y'all adding when thinning your epoxy in a case like this? I've never applied a second coat of epoxy to a lure but I have a need occasionally to fix missed spots or boo boos and a thinner epoxy I think may be less noticeable. I typically add 6-8 drops of DA to a teaspoon of 2 part epoxy (D2T or BS 30 min). Thanks, David

I think aulrich's issue is the nozzle threads in the body because he's looking for info on the right tap to use to clean up the threads.

I haven't had this problem, but if someone isn't able to help here, you might want to call Coast Airbrush. I know they repair Iwata's and I have always found their staff to be very knowledgeable and helpful both in-store and over the phone. David

Hmmm, I haven't run into that issue DevCon. I mix mine directly in the cleaned can bottom but I'm using the syringe type dispenser. I mix for about 30 seconds then add a few drops of DA (varies by amount of epoxy) and mix it up another 30 seconds. I then gently exhale over the expoxy several times reduce air bubbles and then apply with an artists quality type brush and place on my lure turner. (All recommendations I got from this site.) Mixing the expoxy for 3-5 minutes seems excessive to me and I think it would cut into the amount of time you have to coat your lures. I never tried so I could be wrong. Is there a reason why you don't just mix the epoxy in the plastic cups? Transferring to the soda can bottom sounds like an extra step that may be decreasing the working time of the epoxy. I'm buying some Bob Smith epoxy and plan on using graduated plastic cups to measure and mix and then throw away. FYI, Using my method, I can just barley get two 4" lipless cranks top coated and I work fairly quickly. HTH, David

When I started using Solarez, whether I dipped or brushed on the Solarez, they would eventually end up on my turner. I setup a table outside and would take the turner there and let the turn for 15-20 minutes. They always came out with more of a matte type finish which wasn't desirable. I like a glossier look. I've since bought a UV nail light ($25 on Amazon) and followed a procedure previously posted on this sight. 1. Stir the Solarez real well 2. Apply the Solarez (I brush it on mostly these days) 3. Place on lure turner for a least 10 minutes to level out 4. Then three rounds of 1 minute on one minute off in the UV nail light box This proceed results in fairly high gloss result. You might just need to cure it in the sun to a get more of a matte finish. Good luck!

I' new to building wood lures and on another forum, I asked a related question and there are some responses you may find helpful. FYI, in researching screw eyes, it seemed that 30 minute epoxy was preferred for screw eyes and 5 minute for belly and tail weights. http://www.stripersonline.com/t/956424/screw-eye-finishing-washer-question HTH David

Three other things I learned from TU when applying epoxy are to 1. Exhale gently over the epoxy after having mixed and before brushing it on the lure as this helps disapates air bubbles. 2. Use an artists brush as it tends to apply the epoxy with fewer bubbles than an acid brush does IMO. 3. Exhale gently over the lure after applying the epoxy which will also help get rid of bubbles that were introduced when applying the epoxy.

MG: Solarez is compatible with the Wicked and Auto Air paints. Because of it's ease of use and lower cost, I now using it instead of DEVCON 2 Ton. Wasn't happy with it at first, but after following recommendations from TU members related on how to apply, I've been really pleased with the results (clarity) and durability. If you don't mind me asking, what paint do you use for the base coat for wood lures? Thanks, David

Ben, I should have mentioned that I'm testing on some AYC lures that came in a lot of lures I bought off eBay awhile back. I'm buying 4 - 6.5 Spook style kits and bodies from Salty's and they are made from AYC and Red Cedar. The kits come pre-drilled for tail weights, belly weights and hook hanger for the through-wire kit. I used Solarez because that's what I am top coating with these days, and I like the ease of use and cost and thought it best to use Solarez as an undercoat if I intend to use as the top coat (learned that from this site!). That said, I have concerns with using either Epoxy or Solarez because of the space it would occupy in the pre-drilled holes or water entry if I don't seal those areas. Sorry, I may be completely clueless or over thinking all of this or both! This is why I'm running both tests. Also why I am searching for answers. Hmmm, you've got me worried about the Solarez not adhering to the wood. Is that an issue you encountered early in your testing or after you were testing on the water? It seems to be adhering real well on my test lure, but I haven't tried poking or trying to chip it yet. I'll test that at some point. David

I finally got around to trying to figure out the process that will work for me to seal, paint and top coat wood lures. Leading up to and through this weekend, I've been researching and reading everything I can. I completely understand that getting compatible products that play nice together is necessary, but that is easier said than done and that one has to go through a trial and error process to figure out what works best for their application. This weekend, I've been working on two separate test process. For both of them, I'm at the point where I need to figure out what to use to prime the lures before painting. For painting, I use Auto Air and Wicked airbrush paint. Lately, I've been using Solarez for top coating. When I paint plastic lures, I use what I believe is an adhesion promoter recommend by the guys at Coast Airbrush called Save Teem (contains resin, toluene, ethly acetate, etc.), and then hit the lure with opaque white or black Wicked. Target species is Stripers for these lures Information needed: For each test process, looking for primer recommendation and why (I really want to understand and learn.) Test #1: I dipped and soaked the lure in Zinnser SealCoat sanding sealer which is wax-free shellac alcohol based product. Completed two cycles, lightly sanding after each one. Test #2: Dipped in Solarez, hung, spun and then cured in UV nail light. Lightly sanded and now its ready for the next phase. I'm trying to limit how test iterations I need to go through before getting this figured out and appreciate any and all info. Regards, David

I've completed around a dozen Topwater lures with Solarez over the last couple of weeks using the UV nail light dryer. Got very satisfactory results brushing on the Solarez, turning them on my lure dryer for 10+ minutes and then 1 minute on, one minute off 3 times in the UV light box. Also shake the can of Solarez before using. I'm really pleased with the clarity now and find it way easier to use than Devcon. I fish in the California Aqueduct for Striper which is a pretty rough environment for lures. Between the Stripers slamming the lures and then beating them against the cement walls and gravel, I was curious to how well the Solarez would hold up. Over 20 Stripers landed and probably another 30-40 blow ups and farmed fish, the lure is holding up really well and Solarez appears to be more durable than DevCon.

I use something from RadioShack called Helping Hands. Stripped off the magnifying glass and soldering iron holder. It's infinitely adjustable so you can rotate a lure into most any position. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3928375

Just had a couple near disasters this weekend because of old rubberbands and I like the carb spring idea a lot. Thanks Ben!

It depends on what you define as clear. I just started using Solarez recently and it is a low gloss finish and in my use, it is less clear than Devcon 2Ton. One of the things I noticed is that the reflective quality of the eyes is diminished as is some of the reflective quality of the paint. Haven't fished the lures enough yet to tell you if it makes a difference to the fish. I need to qualify that I have cured most of my lures top coated with Solarez in the sun on my lure turner and let them turn for 10 - 15 minutes. They seem to come out a little clearer when dried in a UV finger nail light box, but I haven't spent the time to rig that up properly yet and it's a pain to hand hold them.

I fish exclusively for Striped Bass in California, mostly in the Aqueduct. Based on my limited experience of about year or so painting lures, I would have to say that the answer to your question depends upon what patterns you'll be painting. I started out with the Createx paints then moved up to Wicked and now I've fallen in love with the AutoAir line, especially the transparent paints. I think Transparent Sepia is a must have. (Just picked up the Hi-Light green and Hi-gold and love the color shift effect they add, especially the green.) if you think you're going to really get into painting, IMHO I'd go straight to Auto Air line. I was just at Coast Airbrush a couple of weeks ago, and was told that they are working with Createx on a new line of air brush paints that from a base set of primary colors you'll be able to mix an array of colors following provided color mixing ratios. The dude told me a bunch more details about related products, and it sounds like a pretty good and cost effective system. Supposed to be released on May 1st. You may want to wait for that new stuff and give them a call to learn more about it. I wish I could remember the dudes name cause he was really knowledgeable and very helpful.

A friend of mine (Carl) helped me build this lure turner/dryer. Actually, I helped design it and he built it. I wanted it to be multi-purpose, something that could dry lures and jigs. We were looking at other turners on that Interweb thingy, when we (Carl) came up with the idea to use a spring fitted into a beveled area on one of the wheels. It was a good idea and it works well. It's whisper quite and runs smoothly. Carl took lots of pictures while making and incorporated those with his notes on how he built it a PDF file. It's too large to post here, but I would be happy to email to any who would like a copy.

Second on the bees wax on the nozzle threads. Solved the same symptoms you describe for me.