Sorry I was late to respond to the thread. I make my lures in the same very fashion. Spar urethane to seal with. I cut it with mineral spirits, to help absorb into the grain deeper. I use semi gloss, the first coat absorbs quick, and the next coat fills in fine seams and levels everything out. I use 500 grit in between coats,and before paint prime. All my lures painted in the gallery so far are done with rattle cans, no airbrush. And I use Versachem 2 Ton epoxy for my topcoat. I don't leave any templates on more than 60 seconds.