Big-D Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 I finally broke down and bought a (Wagner) heat gun for powder painting since I purchased some clear, high-gloss PP to use over the superchrome on my jigging spoons. Reccommended by Caswell Plating (my PP supplier) the clearcoat is supposed to keep the bait's sheen. Wrong. It turned the chrome to a shiney silver/grey that is pretty, but not mirror-like (like the base chrome). Maybe I'll have to try some clear laquer or vinyl over it. On the positive side, I started dabbling in multi-color paint schemes. I tried it last night and am pleasently suprised. Timing is much less important as you can add more heat after the application of paint without scorching the finish or being overly careful! I was too bullheaded to get away from my trusty torch, and should have made this switch years ago:whistle: I've found that the Superchrome is the closest thing to a plated lure- but it gets roughed up pretty bad when you're jerking a slab all day. Does anyone have any ideas? I'll try to post some pics tomorrow of what I have. Big-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 Big D, I want to congratulate you on getting into multi-color powder painting. It opens up a whole new world to colors on jigs. I know it’s not the easiest thing to learn, but with practice, you will get to love the outcome of all your jigs. I have been a big proponent of multi-colors since I joined TU, and have always posted here about guys going to multi-colors. When I joined TU, George Reeves e-mailed me one day, and said ok show me how this is done. That’s how my multi-color tutorial started, (Thanks to George Reeves). The only drawback to all this insanity is that now you will be buying more shades of red, blue, green etc. etc., and like me you won’t be able to stop, because you will mix and blend another color and another color. The possibilities are endless. As far as the Wagner heat gun that you bought, what model did you get? I found that when you do multi-colors, you have to add all your colors on a much lower heat temp., to your base color. Also you have to watch what colors go on first, second and so on. All colors blend really well, when they are applied, but when you put them in the oven, you may not get the results you wanted. Also not all colors can be put through an oven when you start getting into 6 colors. There is a solution for that though. Another thing I personally found out about heat guns is that no matter how long I keep my powder over my heat gun, I have yet to burn the paint when I do multi-colors. That is a definite plus for me personally. Lastly as far as chrome powder, I have yet to find the perfect chrome, like the one you get on a car bumper. I have talked to many powder chemists, and they say, that since we are using a powder paint, it will never turn out like we all want. I too have put a clear coat over some of the chromes, only to get a duller looking chrome. The next two solutions are your best bet for pure chrome finish. The most costly is silver plating or bright nickel. I had several hundred jigs done this way, for a customer, and the process when finished was beautiful. Cost….$75.00 lot charge. The second solution, is to pour your jigs flawlessly, so there are no imperfections in the pour, and if your jigs come out like mine do (really shiny like bright nickel), with in a day or sooner, clearcoat the raw lead. This has worked very well for me, and this is about as close to pure chrome as I can come to without paying an arm and a leg for plating……I hope this helps you and some others looking for some answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big-D Posted October 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Cadman, Thanks for the reply. The heat gun has two temp settings: low is 700 deg. (I think). The PP is Caswell's extreme chrome (not superchrome as stated earlier. Clear vinyl is on order as the PP has a good mirror finish but low durability. I don't go through enough slabs to shell out $75 for a batch to get plated! As for clearcoating lead, the tire weights I pour with do not give me a satisfactory finish to just use a clearcoat. Guess I could try some pure lead or pewter. No pics yet... but soon. Big-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turkeylegs1246 Posted April 10, 2010 Report Share Posted April 10, 2010 Cadman, Thanks for the reply. The heat gun has two temp settings: low is 700 deg. (I think). The PP is Caswell's extreme chrome (not superchrome as stated earlier. Clear vinyl is on order as the PP has a good mirror finish but low durability. I don't go through enough slabs to shell out $75 for a batch to get plated! As for clearcoating lead, the tire weights I pour with do not give me a satisfactory finish to just use a clearcoat. Guess I could try some pure lead or pewter. No pics yet... but soon. Big-D http://www.barlowstackle.com/new-fishing-tackle.html Scroll down for holographic tapes available from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
