Painting cranks

[rlcam]

I was wanting to know from you guys that use rattle cans to paint,what do you prime or seal with before you paint? Do you sand the sealer,then paint,and do you seal with the spray Lacquer.One luremaker told me he likes Krylon,so I looked a little today but there were several kinds of paint(acrylic,latex,etc)I think I can get the tecnique of the scales,stripes etc. but just didn't know exactly the steps,brand of paint,etc.Also do any of you have trouble with the paint and sealer cracking after a few uses on a Cedar bait.Have some store bought Cedar baits(great baits)but the sealer and paint always cracks....Thanks, Robert

[Spike-A-Pike]

I think I just saw a post by RiverMan a day or so back on this subject and he said to use Rustoleum Lacquer as a top coat and I kind'a got the feeling he may have the knowledge your looking for.

Good luck,

Bruce

[BobP]

Rlcam, if you have trouble with the finish cracking, it's usually because the bait is absorbing water. I'd sand them smooth and brush on an undercoat of Devcon Two Ton epoxy thinned with denatured alcohol, to insure against water penetration. Pay special attention to the hook hangers and little places where water could enter. When dry (give it at least 12 hrs), sand it with 400 grit to remove the gloss, paint with whatever and brush on unthinned Devcon Two Ton as a topcoat. Hang it alternately by the head and tail every few minutes for half an hour then let it cure for 24 hrs. Clean up with denatured alcohol, acetone, or lacquer thinner.

[mark poulson]

Bob P.,

Can you recoat DTT without sanding? I use Envirotex Lite, and just wipe down with alcohol between coats.

I'm too lazy to turn my lures by hand for half an hour, and I haven't made a drying wheel yer, so I hang my lures by the head after I coat them, and they drip dry/set/cure over a cardboard box. The finish is thinner at the head with this method.

You post gave me the idea to hang them by the tail for the second coat, so the finish evens out. It will involve a little more eye tie cleaning, but the finish being thicker and more durable on the head should make up for any extra work.

Thanks.

[BobP]

An epoxy chemist on a rodbuilding site said that separate coats of epoxy chemically bond into an indistinguishable whole if done within a couple of days. I used to hang lures on nails driven into the edge of a shelf over my workbench, suspending them by little bent wire hangers, sort of like Xmas tree hangers. If you put a hanger in each end of the lure, you can switch ends a few times during the first minutes of cure to prevent epoxy collecting at the tail. It's a little easier with D2T because it forms a thicker coating than EL and cures faster. I never recoat unless I screw up the first coat. You will get much better results with a drying wheel.

[MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF]

Bob what is the ratio on the mix to thin out the epoxy... I tried it once and didnt have much success with it.. It was a nightmare.

[Lure--Prof]

One aggravating thing about rattle cans, unless you're using something like Fusion or the latex with soap and water clean-up in the same brand family, you can easily end up with an incompatible paint in the mix, even when staying with the same brand, that can cause cracking and/or curing problems, especially when you start adding primers and sealers into the mix. Developing a painting system with airbrush paints, and utilizing the same sealers and clearcoats time after time eliminates a lot of X factors, and detective work when a problem surfaces. If you are committed to building good lures for even just yourself, I'd advise this route; It doesn't have to be expensive either--a little over a $100 will get you airbrush painting with a brush, compressor, and some paint, that you can use inside the house if you want or need to. You can go with waterbase paint to eliminate the fumes, and you'll find yourself spending much less money on paint than with rattle cans, not to mention having a much wider color selection, less mess, and more paint control. You already know where to get any questions answered.

Dean

[BobP]

Thinning epoxy: In winter when I coat baits in the cold garage thinning is unavoidable. I mix enough D2T for a couple of baits max, then dip my brush in denatured alcohol and drop in a few drops and mix it in. We're talking 3-5 drops here! I've thinned with acetone, denatured alcohol and lacquer thinner. To me, the denatured alcohol does the best job. I've had occasional problems with Acetone, namely the epoxy curing not so hard with it. Always thin AFTER you mix the epoxy - no sense screwing up the epoxy chemical reaction. Thinned epoxy will begin to harden a little slower than unthinned but should be rock hard after about the same total time.

Tater, you do great paint. Clearcoating with Dick Nite poly would make those colors "pop" even better IMO. Dipping = fast. Brushing = not so fast. JMHO, DN is worth the extra handling restrictions.