seabasshunter3 Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 When using your D2T or what ever else you may use for your epoxy top coat does anyone use an electric epoxy mixer? would this be better than mixing by hand? and does it really cut out the air bubbles? I would only be using it for small qty's of epoxy at a time say for 4 - 6 lures and I wanted to know if it would be worth 30 bucks to buy one? Thanks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dampeoples Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 I've never seen one, but can tell you that the last time I mixed enough epoxy for 6 lures, it only took a minute or so. As far as air bubbles, mix it in a folding motion rather than stirring, you'll get less bubbles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b75nweav Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Sometimes if i get bubbles when mixing on bottom of soda can I will take my blowdryer and blow hot air up into the can and bubbles dissappear..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabasshunter3 Posted January 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 b75nweav, The can bottom works well for you? Guess I would not need to buy any of those expensive plastic cups and getting to empty those can's so I could use it as an epoxy mixer is much funnier than buying the plastic ones anyway. Guess it gives me a good excuse to tell the wife that I need to go out to the store and buy another 6 pack because I ran out of mixing containers....So how much D2T would you need for say 6 lures in the bottom of the can at any one time for a top coat? Do you brush it on with a flux brush; thin it out with anything before using? Thanks... I too am a fellow Florida cracker (Ft. Myers area). Fishing both salt and fresh growing up.....man do I miss it......the fishing here too is good in both the salt and fresh water....they do have a lot of bass here in Japan... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabasshunter3 Posted January 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Thanks DAMPEOPLES for the information also......great to know about the folding method and not just stirring it around the container, guess the stirring would create a lot more little bubbles in the epoxy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 I mix 4 teaspoons of epoxy for four large lures, and have some left over. If I'm guessing, I'd say 1 teaspoon for a large lure, and 1/2 tsp per small lure. It's not exact. I've thrown away more epoxy than I care to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lure--Prof Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 I use an aerosol can bottom which I have sittting in a glass jar upside down. to mix, I use a piece of stainless wire formed into a loop to stay in contact with a bit of the can bottom. This way you are constantly squeegeeing the glue cleanly from the bottom of the can, which insures 100% mixture. When I begin mixing, I never lift my wire from the can botttom until I'm finished--with practice you'll find you can eliminate most of your bubbles this way--a quick back and forth motion is a fast folding motion. I use the same deal for E-tex. This also makes it easy to mix very small amounts of epoxy. I clean my wire loops and can bottom with alcohol and reuse them. Makes for much easier and quicker complete mixtures than using a cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 A mixer SEEMS like a neat idea until you consider cleaning it before the unused epoxy cures inside. I'm with the other guys, I mix mine in a baby jar lid lined with tin foil and I really go to town on it, disregarding bubbles. There are more lures ruined by mis-measured or poorly mixed epoxy than anything in my experience. 99.99% of the bubbles will disappear as you brush on the epoxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 I also mix in a small plastic cup that I clean out afterward with alcohol, which I have poured into a 3X6 tupperwear container before I start. A half an inch in the bottom of the tupperware is enough to clean out the measuring cups, the mixing cup, the stir stick, the epoxy spreading brush, and my hands. I use a hair dryer on the epoxy after it's mixed to make it softer, more runny, before I brush it on, and that usually gets rid of most of the bubbles. Brushing it on takes care of the rest. I brush it out, and then, just to be sure, I use the hair dryer on the lures as they rotate on the drying wheel for a couple of revolutions. My wheel is 1 rpm, so it only takes a couple of extra minutes, and it gives me a chance to check for dry spots with no epoxy at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoodaddy Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 I use a small dispoable plastic cup to mix my epoxy with a bent wire loop such as Deans in a cordless drill. As far as removing bubbles something as simply exhaling on a freshly brushed lure dissapates almost all if not al the bubbles or you can make a couple of passes with a propane torch acroos them about 12 inches away. The CO2 in your breath or torch is what makes them dissapear. Just remember EXHALE not INHALE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabasshunter3 Posted January 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Again thanks for the information.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b75nweav Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 How'd a Florida boy end up in JAPAN. Yea, that six pack idea sounds like a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullin8s Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 the mixer says it takes 3 to 5 minutes to mix 6 oz of epoxy, maybe i'm doing it wrong but my epoxy is too thick to use after just a couple of minutes. I don't see how a mixer can work if it takes that long. Seems like the epoxy will be too thick to use by the time its mixed using that thing. Maybe they misprinted at Jann's on the time. Oh and I personally use a popsicle stick and a foam or paper plate to mix on. I stir a while, then fold, stir then fold, then I add my glitter and stir and fold one more time before applying. I get 2 to 3 lures per mixing before its too thick to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabasshunter3 Posted January 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 b75nweav (aka: Crankincracker), Love that name by the way....I retired from the Marine Corps a few years ago and thought I was on my way back to Florida (really wanted that job at the new BassPro in Ft. Myers) but ended up getting an offer to good to refuse here in Japan and Japan being the last place I was stationed it just worked out great. I still have family that live in S.W. Fla so we try to come home when the job permits. Got to take care of my addition of Snook, Red Fish, and Trout fishing, along with a few big mouths...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddoxBay Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 The mixers are great for long cure epoxys like flex coat and etex but for the guys using devcon and other fast curing epoxies I wouldnt use it. As far as clean up all you do is add another disposable cup in the mixer. The mixer works by twisting the cup at an angle and you drop a short solid steel rod in the cup. As the cup turns the rod rolls in the cup and mixes the epoxy. The guys making rods use them with the slower setting epoxies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsully18 Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Seabass, I mix my d2t in disposable med. cups using popsicle stick. After epoxy is mixed pretty well, I add denatured alcohol a drop at a time until I like the consistancy ( like well mixed paint ) then brush on. I can gep up to six crankbaits coated at a time. With the epoxy thinned there is no problem with bubles. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderbasser Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Hoodaddy is correct about the CO2. As a rodbuilder, bubbles (or the lack there of) are very important for pretty wraps. If you will spread your epoxy out on some foil, you can blow on it with a straw and the bubbles will magicly pop before your eyes. A dryer or a torch will also work, but be warned. Although the heat may briefly thin the epoxy which aids in bubble release and leveling, it will also reduce the potlife. Hope this helps. TJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Using a hair dryer on your lures after they're on the drying wheel helps it flow out, and removes any last bubbles that might still be in the epoxy. This works for Envirotex. I don't know about 2T Devcon or F/C. And the heat does decrease the pot life of the epoxy, making it stiffen more quickly, even though it makes it flow initially. I'm curious about why you would want to use a mixer instead of just mixing by hand? Unless you're mixing a quart of epoxy, it's not that hard to mix by hand. Stir for two minutes if it's a large quantity, and you're good to go. I mix four teaspoons at the most, using a small plastic cup and an ice cream stick that I cut square on the bottom, and mix for fifteen seconds at the most. Brushing on the epoxy removes an air bubbles in it, and the hair dryer makes it flow and cover everything. I blow the hair dryer into the mixing cup to soften the mix before I brush it on, and that gets rid of most of the big bubbles before I brush it on. And hitting the lures on the wheel with the hair dryer after they're coated, while the wheel is turning, gives me a second chance to look for dry spots, buggers, or other flaws that I can fix before it's too late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baitmaker2 Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 Normally just breathing on your bait after applying epoxy will disapate the air bubbles. It is the carbon dioxide that does the trick. Mix in a small plastic cup ONLY WITH A WOOD STIR STICK and fold the mixture instead of beating it should create a very small amount of air bubbles to begin with. I normally try to coat about 2 baits from each mixture, 3 if the baits are small. This allows me to take the time necessary to make sure the bait is covered completely and that no bubbles are present. Even with 2t epoxy it still sets up pretty quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabasshunter3 Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Does anyone use a heat lamp to cure the epoxy when the lures are on your dryer wheel? Would this help out with the bubbles or make the epoxy dry too fast? How does the cold effect D2T? The place on I am working on my lures is my garage (very small) and is build of concrete and it is cold during the winter. It's built into a hill with our house on top of it so there is no heat in it. I did get my hands on some D2T, got the 9oz bottles and wondered how long this would last me or I should say how many lures sould it be able to cover with two coats per lure?? The lures that I will be working on are between 3 - 4 inches (rattle trap type body). They are called vibration lures here in Japan but the sea bass can't keep off them...I have a tackle box full of ones I need to repair because of boucing them off seawalls and rocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 When I top coat or paint in my garage and it's cold, I leave the lights on for heat, and even run a small electric heater on low when I am putting on the top coat and while it's curing overnight. I don't use 2TDevcon, I use Envirotex, but I imagine all chemical reactions are slowed by cold, except making ice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel Pulse Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 MY spinners are in large plastic tubs with covers. I have a small light bulb in the tub thru the side. After I epoxy the plugs I turn on the bulb and close the tub so it stays at a consistent 75 degrees. You have to adjust the bulb wattage to get the temp you are looking for. I use System 3 clear coat, fussy but very durable or System 3 mirrorcoat, not as fussy but not as durable because it is much harder,brittle. They spin for at least 6 hours. I find all epoxies to be a royal PIA most of the time. Worst part of the whole plugmaking hobby. Closed tub also keeps out the cat,dog, and kid hair and dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabasshunter3 Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 I don't get much heat from my overhead light as it florescent but I did just buy me a craftsman light that is on a stand and has the selection of either 250watt or 500watt and think that I can get some heat from that.....thanks for the information.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderbasser Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 some epoxys will take days to cure, if at all, if the temp is much less than room temperature. I have one of those desk/reading lights...the kind with a flexible shaft and position it over my bait with a 100W bulb while it turns. It will help it cure much faster. TJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
castmaster Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 "Mix in a small plastic cup ONLY WITH A WOOD STIR STICK" I have been told the exact opposite to this, NEVER use a wood stir stick with Devcon 2ton. I use a stir stick that comes with the syringe's and mix in a small plastic cup. Brush on and toss the cup & brush. Cups are a couple bucks for 250 and the brushes are a little over $5 for 100, easier to just toss than clean up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
