Adventures in Foiling

[BobP]

I've tried several methods including gold leaf, silver duct tape and Mylar type foil.

Leafing was a fiasco - I couldn't manipulate the gossamer thin leaf without it tearing and the water based sizing glue sold at craft stores is not very durable. I admire some of the leafed lures I've seen on TU but darned if I can get the stuff to behave for me.

Silver duct tape is fast and easy but is rather thick stuff compared to the others and is has a dull silver finish. It's easy to apply a scale pattern by crosshatching a bolt over the foil. The adhesive is durable. It's a bit of a pain to cut out the foil to fit the lure since the adhesive has a tendency to foul your sissors.

For real flash, Mylar film is unbeatable. It has a shine that resembles liquid mercury, brighter than chrome. I got mine from a "Space Blanket", aka emergency reflective blanket sold in Walmart's camping Dept for $2. The stuff is a thin plastic film with metal deposited on one side. Don't know if all Mylar is like mine, but you need to be careful not to crease the film. Also, the metal can be scratched and solvent can also remove it. Therein lies the rub. You need to scratch some of the metal off to determine which side is the plastic and which is the metal. Mark whichever side you want DOWN with a Sharpie so you'll know which side is UP! If you put solvent based adhesive on the metal side, bad things can happen if you slide the foil around on the lure to position it. If the metal side is out, you can scratch it pretty easily if you smooth it down too hard. Hazmail makes some mighty nice looking Mylar foiled baits and he uses contact cement to glue it on. I tried it. Maybe I didn't wait long enough for the solvent to evaporate from the glue, or maybe my cement was whacked, I don't know, but it took off metal from the foil and ruined the effect. Lately I tried Devcon epoxy, figuring it doesn't contain any solvent so should be OK. With either glue, you want a THIN smooth layer, applied with a finger tip. I used 5 min Devcon and waited 4-5 minutes after application to put on the foil. Worked fine but not as neat as Hazmail's baits. Guess practice makes perfect!

With any type foil, you want to clearcoat it afterward. I use Devcon 2Ton because it has no solvent. Acrylics don't stick well to metal foil, plus the clearcoat covers the edges for a seamless appearance. Besides, you'll probably need to "clean up" overspray on the foil when you paint the belly of the lure. A Qtip dipped in lacquer thinner or denatured alcohol works fine but you want to be cleaning overspray from epoxy clearcoat, not from raw foil.

I don't do alot of foiling but made a few lures recently for a saltwater fishing trip. If you want real flash or want a custom painted bait that has a finish similar to factory chrome, you need to look into Mylar foiling. Obviously, I still have a way to go before I "get it down"!

[yankee jigger]

Thanks for the tip.

I used the metal duct tape a couple times and the only way i got any type of flash was by rubbing the tape,after applying,with the side of a plastic Bic pen.

What a pain.

Where can you buy mylar???????

[Lure--Prof]

Mylar is everywhere! Or almost; I've use candy wrappers, the inside of potato chip bags (degreased), and it is especially prominent in gift-wrapping and/or craft shops. Candy-making suppliers are a particularly good source. It is not too difficult to accumulate many different colors if you consume some candy and chips.

http://www.happycraftnsmosaicsupplies.com/MosaicGemTiles.html These folks care a product called BriteBak Tape, that will ease your foiling pains. It is an adhesive backed foil tape (not mylar) that is aproximately half the thickness and weight of the hardware store HVAC foil tape. It is also available in gold. I'll never go back to HVAC tape as long as they make this stuff!

Dean

Edited August 21, 2008 by Dean McClain
corrected address for tape

[Palmetto Balsa]

Bob, thanks for reviving the topic with fresh information.

Dean, thanks for the link. I logged it into my favorites, and will go forth with foiling once again.

Have you tired lacquer and solvents over this type of tape?

[captsully18]

What Dean said! He turned me on to happycraftin's tape a few months ago. It is so much easier to work with than HVAC, and seems to have more shine to it. Really like the gold. Get some neat effects with it.

Bob, I have also used mylar and glued it on with spray adhesive called "tacky something or other". Got it at Michaels. I do wait til it begins to set up (or maybe that is flash-off), but at any rate have no problem with it. It sets up nice, and holds just fine.

Have been using foil more and more lately. Even figured out Husky's tutorial on faux finishes, putting tissue paper prints over the foil. Since my painting sucks so bad, this a big help.

One great thing about the mylar is the myraid colors you have to choose from.

David

[rjbass]

deja vu....Britebak is really the stuff....have used it for years....remember this post??

http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/hard-baits/8075-adhesive-foil-2.html

Rod

[smitty919]

i have been doing a lot of foil and am havein great results with it..

ac.more and Michaels carry a product called green leaf and red leaf as well as regular gold..

that stuff along with 3m spray adhesive its bullet Prof and super easy to work with..

i find that if you paint the plug a close color be for leafing it comes out better ...

[diemai]

Bob and Dean , thanks about your valuable hints , still got my first foiled one ahead !

Greetz , Dieter

[BobP]

Thanks for the tips! Ordered some Britebak silver and gold to see what it's like. I love the idea of self-adhesive foil, just not so thick as the duct tape.

[rofish]

My experience in foiling tells me that the glue on self adhesive foil, wether metal or not, does not withstand solvents. I do not think that there might be different formulations for such glue, and some of them could be solvent proof. But it is easy to check if the glue on the back of the foil can be neutral to solvents or not.

Therefore I prefer foiling with non adhesive foil, using contact cement (or at least this is how I think you would call the glue I use). Must be applied on both the lure and the foil, thin layers, and after 4-5 min. you bond the 2 parts. Metal foil is much easier to work with, because when you bend it the way you want, it will stay bent. And this is useful when you have wrinkels you want to get rid of.

[Lure--Prof]

I never use any solvents directly on the tape, as i would expect it to possibly lift the edges. I do take an alcohol damped cloth, however and carefully give the foil a wipe before a coating of Createx clear or Parma Fascoat, after which I heat-set thoroughly and then paint.

I also use the 3-M spray adhesive when using plain foils or mylar.

Dean

Edited August 22, 2008 by Dean McClain

[CL Rods]

So does everyone put some form of filler or epoxy on after the initial foiling. The few I have done without doing this I was never able to blend out the edges of the foil without having a definite ridge. The last couple I did were rattle traps and I didn't care about the extra layers of epoxy and they came out sweet.

[captsully18]

The ones I have done, after I have applied the foil I coated with Etex and then painted the back and belly. This seems to add a lot of depth to the finish.

David

[Palmetto Balsa]

I was wondering the same things as Gator. Wood sealer, a thin layer of adhesive and foil, a coat of epoxy, paint then a topcoat of epoxy. While having beautiful results, it seems like it might diminish the action and make a heavy, thick outer shell on the bait.

The other thing I am curious about is how well does the epoxy bond to the foil on that first coat? When I used epoxy I would mixed it on a piece of foil or plastic. After it would cure it seemed like it was very easy to peel of. Does the epoxy bond to the foil or Mylar, or do you just have to build it up enough to make a plastic type of shell around the foiled bait.

I have some old Wee Baits and they are foiled and still have good action (2 of the older ones do leak around the front eyelet and have a little separation). Does anyone know the process used to make those?

[rofish]

Sometimes I need to paint the back of the lure after foiling, but sometimes not. I use the printing foil technique, using thin paper glued to foil. You can see the ridge there, but I think the fish won't.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/rofish_2006/rofish_2006-4/foiled002.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/rofish_2006/rofish_2006-4/foiled003.jpg

[mark poulson]

rofish,

Nice looking foil jobs. Where'd you get the textured foil?

[BobP]

I haven't had problems with epoxy delaminating from the foils I've tried so far. Does it add a little weight? Yes. I wouldn't refinish a suspending bait with it but the extra weight isn't much on a typical bass bait, maybe .02 oz including a thin epoxy overcoat. I use diluted Devcon under and over the foil before painting. The over is because acrylic paints don't adhere well to most foil.

BTW, got some BriteBak reflective foil tape today. It's half as thick (1 mil or .025mm) than foil duct tape, not as thin as Mylar or silver leaf. It has a "permanent acrylic adhesive" that seems very strong and I think there's a vinyl film over the metal. It's easy to use and lays down well on a crankbait. Reflectivity is slightly better than duct tape but well below Mylar. Comes in silver and gold (brass). It's designed for backing stained glass. One advantage of foil tape to me (besides being darned handy to use) is that the adhesive allows you to emboss a scale pattern with bolt threads on it, something you can't do easily with Mylar or leaf.

Edited August 26, 2008 by BobP

[rofish]

Mark,

I have such foil because I drink sour milk and yoghourt. :)The plastic glasses for such products are covered with a lid made out of such foil. There are many food stuffs which come in packings that include such foil - margarine, cheese, sliced fish in different sauces, etc. One side of the lid is painted with a brand name, expiry date, a happy cow perhaps, but the other can be used to glue the printed image on.

[mark poulson]

rofish,

Thanks for the tip. I can just see myself trying to convince my kids to eat stuff because I want the labels!

Funny thing is, here in the US, there used to be an aluminum foil sold with a scale pattern already stamped into it.

"Kaiser foil is quilted, and it's the only foil that is."

That was there slogan, and they touted how strong their foil was compared to others due to the cross hatched quilting it had.

Now, when I could finally use it, they're gone!

[diemai]

@ rofish

I was also wondering about that texture on your foil , funny , and I eat such stuff almost everyday as well !

But I think , only one label , that I am familiar with , has this texture on its lid , the others are plain , but very rigid compared to household foil .

But obviously only suitable for smaller lures !

Very good idea !

greetz, Dieter

[rofish]

Diemai,

Here there are also foil lids on yoghourt plastic glasses that are plain. But I choose to eat the brands of yoghourt or sour milk that are covered with textured foil, even though I don't like very much their taste. This is a burden that someone has to carry on his shoulders if he enjoys making lures

I have seen large margarine packs covered with such foil, which would be suitable for large lures, but we do not eat many times margarine in our house, so I will not go so far

[diemai]

@ rofish

Just had a good laugh about your statement eating those milk products , that you don't like too much , for gaining lure material:lol: .

One has to make sacrifices , lol !

good appetite furtheron...... !

Greetz , diemai

[Wayupnorth36]

Mark - Some company still makes a foil that has a scale type pattern on it, I saw it in the kitchen of a cafeteria the other day, but I couldn't quite see the name on the package :(I was too embarassed to ask them the name of the foil manufacturer, and also to wash the grease off of the piece of foil that came with my patty melt.But the next time that I am there, I will grow a pair and find out who the manufacturer of that foil is.Alex

[Lure--Prof]

Alex,

Yes, in the name of luremaking ask! Keep a lure you've made in your pocket at all times, and should you hear the whistling sound of that giant beer can falling from the sky to crush you into a greasy spot, just pull that lure from your pocket and thrust it skyward in a manly pose. No harm will come to you. Sometimes the Macho-Gods can get a little carried away, and this action will remind them that there is nothing more noble than making a fishing lure by hand, justifiying whatever you must do to make said lure.

I've had to use this trick before when buying fingernail sanding pads, and, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails clear (which can also be used as a thread sealant on gun screws) before in the cosmetics section of Wal-Mart before. I'm still here.

In this case, the end justifies the means.

Dean

[mark poulson]

Alex,

Yes, in the name of luremaking ask! Keep a lure you've made in your pocket at all times, and should you hear the whistling sound of that giant beer can falling from the sky to crush you into a greasy spot, just pull that lure from your pocket and thrust it skyward in a manly pose. No harm will come to you. Sometimes the Macho-Gods can get a little carried away, and this action will remind them that there is nothing more noble than making a fishing lure by hand, justifiying whatever you must do to make said lure.

I've had to use this trick before when buying fingernail sanding pads, and, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails clear (which can also be used as a thread sealant on gun screws) before in the cosmetics section of Wal-Mart before. I'm still here.

In this case, the end justifies the means.

Dean

Dean,

I can just picture you in the cosmetics section, thrusting your gun skyward in a manly pose!