primers

[bazzman wes]

Hi all,

I had problems with primer not sticking to my alumilite baits, there were little spots where it would not stick. Should I dip the baits in alcohol to clean or wipe it down with a rag? also, what primers work well? I was just using spray can primer.

Thanks in advance!

[KcDano]

Did the areas appear like pinholes?

[captsully18]

I have some baits that are made from Alumilite. I wipe each one down with denatured alcohol when they come out of mold. I feel this rids them of whatever contaminates they have on surface, be it from alumilite it self, or mold. There is always a different texture to bait after wiping it down, and have no problems with primer, or paint sticking. I have one mold, made from quick-set silicone from Alumilite, that leaves the bait sticky, like it is uncured, until I wipe it down. Don't know why this happens, but it does. A good wet wipedown with denatured alcohol fixes the problem.

David

[MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF]

My boy Joe at the paint store told me those resins have a releasing agent that is on the bait.. me and fatfingers have had this same discussion many times... He believes the resin should cure for up to 1 to 3 weeks.. just like epoxy.. OH BOY here we go with more epoxy questions.. LOL!! anyway.. I use soap and water..then Simple Green... wash the lure before I scuff it.... But I also use epoxy to fill the small pin holes left over by the mold after I wash and scuff it..then I paint it...You really need to use a vaccum before you pour your RTV rubber when castin your mold.. I believe that is where the pin holes are coming from!!

HOLY CRAP BATMAN!! IM STARTING TO TAKE OVER VOKAMAN's PLACE as an informative post!!!!! This doesnt sound like one of my normal post.. screw this crap!!! THE REDS GAME IS ON AND IM LAYING IN FRONT OF THE TV FOR 3 hours.. If your waitin on baits.. SORRY!!! TATER TV TIME!!

" Just freaking wash the plastic with something in your house.. if it peals call Dean!!" their that's more like it!!!

The Rookie

[Sonny.Barile]

OK I am no "epoxy expert" but I think I know what the gummy film is on the surface. It is referred to as "amine blush". You need to do exactly what these lure building experts have told you below. Wipe it down with denatured alcohol. If you are not going to prime or paint within 24 hours, do it again just before painting. Depending on the cross section (thickness) it could reappear if not painted uo to a few weeks later. If you poke around on some woiod boat building web sites you will learn all about it. That is probably why you are getting spots that dont paint. It feels like some kind of greasey wax film and it doesnt hold paint on it...or even more epoxy. The boat builders reccomend sanding between layups if you are waiting more than a few hours to hit it again.

Hope this helps...........

[sagacious]

Hi all,

I had problems with primer not sticking to my alumilite baits, there were little spots where it would not stick. Should I dip the baits in alcohol to clean or wipe it down with a rag? also, what primers work well? I was just using spray can primer.

Thanks in advance!

Like KcDano said, did the spots look like pinholes?

In my experience, spray paint (rattle can) primer is notorious for making paint-pinholes on non-porous, non-wetting surfaces that have, well, pinholes. Doesn't have to be alumilite, any hard surface with tiny holes in it may show pinholes when priming.

Maybe someone knows a better fix, but here's what works for me. First, hold the can as close to the bait as practical-- the futher away you spray, the more likely the pinholes are to form. Second, if a you see a pinhole, touch it immediately with a toothpick dipped in primer (spray some primer on a piece of aluminum foil, and dip the toothpick in that). That's usually the end of that pinhole. If you miss a pinhole and find it later, do the toothpick trick again. Let dry completely. If there's a slight blemish in the primer coat, sand lightly with very fine sandpaper or put on a second light primer coat if you're sure all pinholes are fixed.

A wipe down with alcohol won't hurt, but probably won't prevent pinholes of this type. I suspect the problem doesn't stem from the specific primer type-- although dipping in a can of primer may avoid the problem in the first place. Not sure what the preemptive fix for pinholes is, seems like it's hard to prevent them 100% of the time. I just use spray primer, and attack any pinholes that may form.

Hope this helps, good luck!

[bazzman wes]

Thanks for the advice! Yes, they do appear as pinholes. I have lightly sanded before a second primer coat and they still appear. My molds are coming out smooth, there is an adhesion problem. Is primer not Necessary?

[redg8r]

All good tips.

Remember Silicone molds will exude small amounts of oil until they run out.

You should try priming the mold before pouring. I've had meager success with it, depends on the mold cavities, primer & application.

If it works for you then you'll pull a primed bait right from the mold.

You will still want to clean/degrease the primer before painting because the silicone oil is now on the outer surface of the primer instead of underneath it.

If you try it, report back.

Good luck.

[KcDano]

Sound as if there is a void in the outer layer of the casting. No amount of cleaning is going to solve the problem although cleaning with thinner or alcohol should be done prior to priming. You might have to push glazing putty into the hole to fill it before priming.

[sagacious]

Thanks for the advice! Yes, they do appear as pinholes. I have lightly sanded before a second primer coat and they still appear.

In my experience, sanding alone will not solve the paint-pinhole problem, which is why I recommended in my reply above to not sand until you're sure all pinholes are fixed before-hand with the primer-dipped toothpick. You can proceed with painting and see what happens, or you can apply another light primer coat and treat any pinholes as described above while the primer is still wet. Be sure to let the primer coats dry completely. Do not sand this coat unless you must, and sand VERY lightly if you do. Wipe down lightly with alcohol after sanding to remove any sanding dust.

My molds are coming out smooth, there is an adhesion problem. Is primer not Necessary?

If what you mean is that you don't see any pinholes on your molded baits, then that's not surprising. I don't see 'em until they pop-up during priming. If you have a separate adhesion problem, please describe it.

Most recommend priming. I do. I'd suggest you not jump ahead to the question of not priming until you solve your current pinhole problem-- as not priming may cause separate problems that we don't want to even think about right now. Solve one problem at a time.

That's what works for me, perhaps someone else can shed some light on your problem. Good luck!

Edited April 22, 2008 by sagacious

[mark poulson]

What would happen.........if you sanded the aluminite on both sides to purposely expose the air bubbles and open them, then primed and finished the lure?

Seems to me that would make a unique underwater hydro signature for the lure, but, since it's foam or plastic, wouldn't affect it's buoyancy or durability.

Just a question. I don't pour baits, so I'm totally ignorant about the process. I just remember Rick Clunn saying fish remember the underwater signature of lures, so he came out with a line of lures with notches on the side.