CL Rods Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Does this stuff EVER harden up similar to D2T or does it always stay feeling more like a dipped vinyl coating on metal? I have done 3 batches of lures now and they all just feel for a lack of better description, 'pliable'. I guess I am just very used to D2T type products that get harder and the ETEX just doesn't feel right in my mind and if I had bought one coated with the stuff I'd probably think who ever used it screwed up. ie: it doesn't feel like any 'factory' lure feels. While it goes on with fewer headaches the EXTENDED turning time required may out weigh the ease of application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21xdc Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Etex has many different products. I use crystal sheen and it is their hardest finish. The Easy cast is the next in line if I remember right. Environmental Technology Inc. Environmental Technology Inc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21xdc Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 I have been wanting to try EX-74 (UV) but I don't think it gets as hard and only offered in gallon sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 I think any decopage-type material, like Etex, is going to be more flexible, because it has to be able to move with the large wood surfaces it covers. In the 70's I used the early version of Crystal Sheen for rod wraps, and it stayed flexible, too. I think Downriver would be the person who could really answer this question better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 All of those mentioned dry hard as a rock. If it is still pliable then one of two things happened, either you didn't use equal amounts of A and B or you didn't mix the product long enough. Go to an animal supply store and buy two syringes, they are about a dollar each. Mark one A and the other B. Use these to draw out an equal amount of each half of the product then mix them together for a couple of minutes making sure you get all the edges and the bottom. If you do this you will find it dries every bit as hard as Devcon. Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21xdc Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Even when mixed perfectly, The e-tex products have different hardness's. Their web site even shows the differences, But I called E-Tex and comfirmed my post a very long time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Jed, I haven't had that experience with D2T, Etex, and Nu Lustre. When I've stripped D2T off lures where it had chipped and flaked, the pieces were very stiff, and brittle. They chipped off in big flakes. When I've had to strip Etex, which I just did on one of my wood lures, it peels off in flexible strips, almost like vinyl coating. I haven't had to redo any lures I've done with Nu Lustre yet (fingers crossed), so I don't know how it strips off, but the residue in the mixing cups I've had left over after coating lures has remained flexible, where the D2T I've had left over is rigid and brittle. I do think there's a difference in the basic formulas of the two different kinds of epoxies. D2T, which is meant to be a glue, first and foremost, needs to be more rigid and stronger, to hold things together as a fastener. Typically, a glue line is thin, just enough to fill the void between two surfaces. The decopage epoxies need to be more flexible, since they are meant to cover large surfaces subject to expansion and contraction. That's been my experience. The epoxies we use in construction to embedd bolts in concrete are even more brittle than the D2T, but they have very little flexibility. I think, in structual language, that's called creep, or deformation under load. But my experience isn't scientific. Maybe Downriver could weigh-in with an educated/informed opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt duarte Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 whats the difference between there Crystal Sheen - Clear Polymer Coating and there EasyCast - Clear Casting Epoxy resins? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 matt, Go to their website, and email them your questions. Last time I did that, I got some really helpful information from the gal who was their tech. rep. at that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21xdc Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Skip the e-mail and just call them. I prefer the more personal method. Very nice people there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 (edited) There is some difference between the clears so far as hardness is concerned. However, the point I was trying to make is that Etex whether it be Etex lite, Ex74, etc., all cures to a very hard surface. It is difficult to make a fingernail mark in dry etex, it is very hard. If for some reason it is not hard after curing then something was done incorrectly. Jed Edited December 17, 2008 by RiverMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
