mark poulson Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 Acetone dissolves the plastic that Norman DD22s are made out of. I found out when I tried to speed up the old paint stripping process by soaking a lure in acetone. Kind of funny, really. I had scraped and sanded the paint, but I figured I'd just dip the lure in acetone to get the last of the paint off. Well, the paint came off, and the lure that was left was crystal clear, but sticky. I hung it to dry, and the bill and head clouded up kind of milky white, but the plastic is still hard. I don't know how much of the actual lure body I dissolved, or whether is has been weakened significantly, but it is still hard and solid feeling, so I'll just paint it and coat it, and see what happens. Funny the things I took for granted, like that the plastic wouldn't be affected by acetone. Live and learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 They use that stuff to dissolve plactic cups for sealers dont they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downriver Tackle Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 Acetone is one of the more aggresive solvents. It will dissolve almost any plastic or paint. Just a matter of how fast. The lure body is fine. Just maybe a litte out of shape. Why strip the paint anyways? Those are descent factory paint jobs and just a little scuffing with 120 will give you a good surface to adhere to. No need to make it harder on yourself than necessary. I haven't stripped a lure for years and haven't had a failure in 10,000+ baits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted August 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 They do, but I never put 2 and 2 together. I guess all those math classes I slept through finally came back to bite me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted August 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 I thought I'd get away without having to admit this, but I was really trying to strip an epoxy top coat that didn't set up, and stayed sticky. So, there's the ugly truth. My name is Mark, and I am a top coat screwer upper sometimes. Next time, I won't be in such a hurry, and will mix it more thoroughly and let it sit for a minute, like I know I should. at myself. Why strip the paint anyways? Those are descent factory paint jobs and just a little scuffing with 120 will give you a good surface to adhere to. No need to make it harder on yourself than necessary. I haven't stripped a lure for years and haven't had a failure in 10,000+ baits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 Yup, could've told ya. but you didnt ask If the epoxy was properly cured, thats all that would've been left over time. Epoxy does have a decent ability to resist solvents once cured. I've taken the liberty of renaming your topic title from "Guess what?" to something a lil more descriptive. Hopefully it'll help someone else in the future, but hey, enjoy the newly frosted bait! I have a few myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b75nweav Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 You were just scared to ask another epoxy question huh, mark. lol. Isn't it fun to learn the hard way! That was one of my first lessons. I've learned a hell of a lot with the good ole fashioned trial and error... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downriver Tackle Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 (edited) I thought I'd get away without having to admit this, but I was really trying to strip an epoxy top coat that didn't set up, and stayed sticky. So, there's the ugly truth. My name is Mark, and I am a top coat screwer upper sometimes. Next time, I won't be in such a hurry, and will mix it more thoroughly and let it sit for a minute, like I know I should. at myself. Before I started weighing my epoxy and had those troubles also, I'd just wet sand the lure with 600 under the faucet with COLD water. I'd get as much clear off as possible without getting down to the color. Then I'd just go over it with a properly mixed epoxy and all was well. Even if I did get into the color, if you're good with the airbrush, you can generally touch it up over the bad clear and you'd never see it. Edited August 4, 2008 by Downriver Tackle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KcDano Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 That would have been a good time to shoot the paint while the plastic is sticky, that is if you are using lacquer, Super adhesion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted August 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 Jerry, If the lure had stayed completely clear, it would have been cool. The melted plastic wound up looking like an ice sculpture. But the frosted bill and head make me think I'll paint it again as a red/black craw, and paint claws on the bill with a water based marker. Since it's a deep diver, I want a darker scheme. And if I can keep it that long, I'll probably throw it in 10' of water in the spring, for prespawn bass. I may even do the bill in transparent light brown first, as a background, so it looks like mud that's being kicked up by the claws. Decisions, decisions! Downriver, I'm not that good, either at saving epoxy, or airbrushing. I'm just a carpenter who paints, too. I thought about trying to save it, but the epoxy was a little harder than gooey, but not much. Too soft to sand, at least at my skill level. And soft enough to make me worry about it if I had put another coat over it. I must have really under mixed it, or seriously screwed up the mix proportions. Probably both. Oh, well, I actually enjoy painting, and I need the practice, so I'll just do it again. Even better this time, I hope. b75nweav, I was just embarrassed to have made another dumb mistake, one that I'd made before and thought I'd learned from. It sucks to be a mere mortal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizza Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 I had an older but new in box norman floating minnow that was unpainted (and molded from an ugly yellow plastic to boot). Painted it black (with automotive touch up paint which also probably has some nasty solvent)and coated with D2T that was thinned with acetone. Everything seemed fine. For about a month. Now the lure is all deformed, bulging in places and the clearcoat is cracked in a bunch of places. Suprised me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 Mark, if more people posted their screw-ups, more people would learn. You haven't lost anyones respect, just gained more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 Hey, Welcome to the club, its mishaps like these that increase your knowledge. Some failures spark a new process or ideas & actually become fruitful. My experience was that the solvent didnt ruin the integrity of the bait, it simply soaked in & "hazed" the plastic. I'll still fish mine, shoot think of it as an etching compound. If the bait is a "must fix" you might have some success buffing it back to a reasonable gloss. I have some that were dipped a little TOO long & actually developed a textured/wrinkled skin similar to the finish on a "Rhino lining". I like the idea of hiding the lip somewhat with added claws, another idea would be to paint the exposed lip with a transparent neon, those are somewhat popular. but like I said, unless you let it soak TOO long, it's still fish-able. If I cant mechanically remove a finish, I go with mineral spirits/paint thinner. If the paint isnt lacquer based, it should wrinkle up & come off relatively easily. Someone had a quote in here along the lines "those who dont learn from thier mistakes are doomed to repeat them", I think it was Albert Einstein, but very relevent, none the less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted August 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 I thought Einstein said the same thing I did when it happened. "Whuda thunkit?" I actually coated a Lucky Craft lure with clear vinyl finish, and it wrinkled the crawdad decal finish. I like the added texture, and it's held up for two years now. I must not be fishing it enough, since I haven't lost it yet! I don't think my Norman lure's ruined, just mad at me for peeling a little of it's skin off. So I'll repaint it this week, and contemplate how to use that "solvent ice finish" to advantage in some jerkbait repaints. A clear suspending jerkbait, with an iridescent violet fog over the back and shoulders. Yeah, I like the sound of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VANNDALIZER Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 Acetone is also what they use to glue the body halves together!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike-A-Pike Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 So media or soda blasting would have probably removed the finish entirely and without damage??? I sometimes think that the different concoctions crawling out of the cauldrons would have gotten you burned as a Which in the simpler times of the 1680s. Enjoy, just don't hurt yourselves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downriver Tackle Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 (edited) You guys should see my blemish box, uh I mean my tackle box. During the learning process, I've acquired wrinkled lures, cracked lures, warped lures(cured too hot ) , tacky clearcoat lures, and some of the ugliest after a 6-pack creations you've ever seen. LOL Funny part is that most of them still catch fish. LOL Edited August 4, 2008 by Downriver Tackle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrydabassman Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 As Tony the tiger would say, "Frosted Baits are GREAT." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b75nweav Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 Some of my best baits in my box are my screwups. I probably couldn't give them away, But the fish seem to love those ugly critters.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 I figure a new DD-22 is $3.97? If it's screwed up beyond my ability to make it "perfect" again, I toss it. Life is short!. If the coating won't cure, a second coat of PROPERLY MEASURED AND MIXED epoxy applied over it will almost always make it right again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 Hey Mark, I for one appreciate the fact that you posted a goof-up, many of us will learn much faster because of it. The fact that you fessed up to it, earns my respect. Thanks! And to quote 'reeves' . . . . . "if you ain't makin' mistakes, you just ain't doin' nothin'" George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 You could try this! Dip the lip in Virgin Laquer Thinner let dry & see if it clears up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predator Bass Baits Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Mark, Why not just coat over the uncured epoxy with Dick nites ? I have had a couple that were slightly tacky and I coated over them with no trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted August 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Boy, you guys are making me air all my dirty linen. I can't get away with anything! Tough room! Bob, I did try another coat of epoxy, but the first soft coat was D2T, since the lure is plastic, and the second coat I tried was Etex. Probably my second mistake. That coat didn't set up either. Another bad mix, probably. When you're on a roll...... Swede, I'll try the lacquer thinner next time. Pred, I haven't tried DN yet, so I don't have any for coating on hand. But I was thinking about trying it, so maybe this will be the catalyst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predator Bass Baits Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Mark, I coat all my lures now first coat 2T and second coat Dick Nite because way too many times the Dick nite eats my paint. Since I started doing this I have never had another problem. Every once in a while my 2T is not mixed right and is slighlty tacky but once coated with DN it is good as new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
