Search the Community

A simple, cheap technique to finish lead jigs. Not perfect, but good enough to catch fish. Not quick because each layer of etex requires 12 hours to cure. First, I prime lead jigs with a layer of etex I add another layer of etex mixed with titanium dioxide powder to get a bright white jig. Etex in the curing process, gradually hardens and gets sticky, Depending upon temperature and how much etex is applied, at about 7 hours +++ the etex will be sticky but not come off the jig if you touch it (with your finger or some other object) You can use etex applied to scrap jig for this test. At this point, apply the nail foil, rubbing gently with cloth, and then pull off the cover plastic. The foil is stuck on the jig. For some reasons, I only get about 90% transfer of foil on the jig (not perfect) but this is good enough for me. Wait a couple hours, then add a protective coat of etex. You can also add dots, eyes, stripes, colored etex at this point. Dots or Stripes- I use oil based sharpies (regular sharpies will bleed with etex because they are alcohol based). You can also use gel ink pens with med or thick point. Colored Etex - I mixed neon micas with etex and brush on the jig. Glow powder can also be mixed with etex. Nail foil doesn't come neon. Sources: Art nail transfer foil I get thru aliexpress.com. comes 4 cm x120M (or150M) for $5-$10. This comes out to 1 cents per foot. Comes holographic, solid colors, and transparent. Etex I get at Michaels http://www.michaels.com/envirotex-lite-pour-on-high-gloss-finish/M10178984.html. Get the 40-50% coupons. Horsehair brush I get at harbor freight https://www.harborfreight.com/36-pc-12-in-horsehair-bristle-acid-shop-brushes-61880.html. I reuse them over and over, clean with rubbing alcohol and stored in jar with an inch of alcohol. Neon Micas I get at tkbtrading https://tkbtrading.com/search?type=article%2Cpage%2Cproduct&q=neon**.Colored mica powders including fluorescent. Used in makeup and soap making. They are powders, suspended not dissolved in etex. This make brushes easy to clean Titanium dioxide get at crafts or sculpture store like Douglas Sturgis. This is the bright white powder. Tips: I mix etex in 2" wide plastic cap which I use over and over. It is important to get exact 1:1 ratio and mix the 2 parts thoroughly. I weight the etex on a super accurate gram scale ... so I can mix as little as a few grams to coat a few jigs. I don't bother to clean the cap, when the etex hardens, I just do a new mix on top. Thanks to Gliders in hardbaits forum, check out Foiling on E-Tex http://www.tackleunderground.com/ommunity/topic/30355-foiling-on-e-tex/. His hardbaits are works of art and show what is possible with this foil technique. I can brush over foil with neon micas to color the foil pink, blue, red, purple, yellow, etc, thin enough for the foil to show thru . Cheap - cost of foil, micas and etex on a lead jigs comes out to less than 10 cents per jigs. If all foil is not sticking, I add another layer of etex and do it again right over. The foil is so thin it doesn't change anything. These jigs are used in 30-100 foot depths low light and murky water conditions, where I believe the holographic flash, neon accents are important. Over 100 feet, glow becomes more important. To get near perfect quality, probably need to polish the lead jig and remove any imperfections, fill any divots. Then add multiple layers of etex. For me the quality is good enough for me, I'm fishing in murky waters and the fish don't care about perfection, I'm bouncing them on the bottom and losing them to snags. .