Infos needed on preparation betwen coat of epoxy

[Helmout]

Im making wood bait form red cedar, before painting i seal them and sand them a bit to get some grip for my paint....

After the paint i coat them with a 2 part epoxy product similar to envirotex call nu lustre found here in canada.

I read everywhere on this site that wee need to do a litle sanding between each coat of epoxy. I'm making musky bait so i will do a lot of coat.

I dont realy like to sanding ......

I read somewhere that we can rub the lure with alcohol to get a similar result before coating.... is it true i need more info on this thecnique......

thx....

[philB]

Hi

The best way of applying a second coat to a lure is to coat before the first is cured properly. If you apply a second coat to a fully cured first coat what you get is two layers of epoxy one on top of the other. The lure which has a fully cured coat of epoxy can be cleaned with denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol, this ensures the epoxy will adhere to the first coat fully. As for sanding, you can sand between coats if you wish with 1000 grade wet and dry paper, when you do this you will believe you have ruined the lure completely as it will turn opaque white, don't worry, when you apply your second coat it will miraculously turn clear again. If the epoxy you are using is any where near as good as envirotex you should only need one coat anyway.

philB

[Snax]

I have been using Nu-Lustre 55 for years now and you can do multiple coats without sanding as long as you haven't gotten any finger prints or oils onto the surface. I usually clear coat each coat the next day once the first has set but has not yet reached it's full 24 hour hardening duration.

Also musky teeth will penetrate no matter how many coats you do unless you are doing a 1/2" thick layer which would be ridiculous. What mostly damages finishes is the hooks as you are fighting the fish. All that thrashing buries the points into the finish and can shred even the most carefully clear coated bait.

The best thing you can do is to make sure that the wood is sealed and has a good hard surface underneath the paint which is why I now use the propionate dip method of sealing.

[cheesehead]

For multiple coats apply the subsequent coatings as soon as the first has set but not begun curing for devcon this is around 1 hour later. doing this allows the coating to cross-link and become 1 instead of multiple layers.

[Steel Pulse]

I like to seal a soft wood like red cedar with epoxy first then paint. It will strengthen the cedar and then 2 light coats of top coat epoxy. I wipe with rubbing alcohol a day after the first coat and then apply the second. No sanding.

[mark poulson]

Snax,

Someone on here suggested "T"ing my trebles to avoid hook rash (shame on me, I don't remember who). It's something guys who troll do to keep the hooks from fouling in the lure.

I did it, and it works.

Ting just means bending the two hooks that would normally face toward the lure belly flat, until they are straight across from one side to the other. The person who suggested this also said to bend the hook points away from the bait a little, too, but I haven't tried that.

By Ting my trebles, my topcoat doesn't get torn up.

[goldenshinner]

it seems to me that i remember a chemistry lecture on the curing of epoxis. that the surface will produce somekinda cured layer chemicaly similar to wax. it might not mater depending on the formula, but alcohol cleaning might increase the bonding between layers. just my 2-cents.

[cheesehead]

What you are referring to is amine blush. this usually happens after 36-48 hours of cure. more or less dependant upon the epoxy used and it's curing conditions.

like I stated earlier you are better off working wet on wet to get a chemical bond. if you wait until full cure all you get is a mechanical bond. this is still strong but chemical bonds are better.