automotive grade clearcoat as a top coat?

[bigbass101]

has any one ever tried? did it hold up? i dont have a drying wheel and i only build lures in the 7-10 inch range ive red on here about the differences about D2T, ETEX, and NU LUSTER but i think a spray on clear would be easy and no need for the lure turner

i will try in on a few and see how it holds up

[matt duarte]

sounds interesting....how thin is the etex and nu lustre? can it be sprayed thru a airbrush wit ha big nozzle?

[clamboni]

Yes. I don't personally, but lots of people use it and it works very well.

I spray dick nite's with good results. Thin 3 parts DN to 1 part Acetone. The easy to see advantages of auto clear are no thinning to spray and it cures faster than DN. And all cars nowadays have a clear on them, so you see the durability of the stuff. If it can holdup to stones hitting it at 60mph it can hold up well to fishing.

[philB]

Hi

I have been using recently 2K clearcoat. It will never match epoxies for hardness so longevity will be an issue but you can get a super epoxy style finish, very high gloss, just not as hard. Also great care is needed with application as 2K finishes are pretty nasty in content and can have dramatic health issues if correct precautions are not used.

So far though it is a cautious thumbs up with reservations.

[clamboni]

Hi

I have been using recently 2K clearcoat. It will never match epoxies for hardness so longevity will be an issue but you can get a super epoxy style finish, very high gloss, just not as hard. Also great care is needed with application as 2K finishes are pretty nasty in content and can have dramatic health issues if correct precautions are not used.

So far though it is a cautious thumbs up with reservations.

Yes, I'll add that with any clear that you can spray, GOOD ventilation is necessary.

[diemai]

@ bigbass101

I am using sucha stuff as well , two final coats brushed over two coats of epoxy .

It is curing a little bit harder than the epoxy , that I use , but provides thinner layers , also has a very liquid consistency .

I also don't use a rotator , that brand of epoxy also sets pretty fast , only have to flip over the lures hanging in my rack to dry for two to three times within the first 40 min.

That automotive 2K starts to set almost instantly on the lures , but as PhilB said before , it emits smelly vapors .

Since I paint with solvent-based paints(rattlecans , modelmaking enamels) , that 2K clear gloss might also dissolve paintcoats underneath(especially metalic paints) and/or permanent felt marker signatures and smear them , as I brush it on .

To prevent this , I coat the lures with two layers of clear acrylic paint prior to further topcoats !

But my method like this never can provide as thick coats as if a rotator applying thicker clearcoats like "Etex" ,..etc. would be used , unless I'd apply still a lot more of layers , but it is quite time-consuming , anyway .

greetz , diemai

Edited December 17, 2008 by diemai

[philB]

Hi

I am not a chemist and will be corrected here but 2K paints do not contain solvents but cure by chemical reaction so should be ok to use over solvent based paints. I use Cellulose paints and cover them with 2K clear coat without any problems at all. I cannot cover them with any clear coat that contains a solvent which I think the Dick Nites coat does and of course the other much talked about coating propionate. So can you use 2K over solvent base paints ? yes.

Just to press a point though, 2K's contain isocyanates (cyanide) so be carefull

[FishThanks]

I spray Dupont Chroma Clear over automotive urethane base coats on larger Muskie baits. I use an airbrush with a #5 tip when clearing smaller numbers or a touch up gun for quantities. I usually spray two or three coats ten to fifteen minutes apart. I believe the Auto Air clears are a two part so I believe it should work over Createx, however I like to stay in a system designed to work together. Automotive clears are designed to be flexible, durable and not to yellow. I feel it holds up very well and Muskie teeth will destroy wood and all, and the clear still does not peel or crack. I think you will find it plenty durable for Bass lures. I do have a commercial duty small spray booth, however I used to use an Artograph spray booth and it worked well with the airbrush until the pre filter would plug up and then I would peel a layer of pre filter off(app. 10 baits). If you paint very much you will grow out of a light duty booth pretty quick. It is very sticky on a filter compared to paint. The fumes from Urethane paints and Automotive clears are not good for you and are flammable.

[Snax]

I'm thinking that I may give the Automotive clear a go on one of my new molded baits. It's better to have a harder surface like the Featherlite for the clear to sit on as it helps avoid potential damage. With all the scales carved in it will have lots of little nooks to cling to as well.

I'll post the results for sure.

By the way I already have a spray booth and the proper equipment as I also airbrush helmets and such on the side. You definitely want to protect yourself when spraying automotive urethanes.

[FishThanks]

Snax, I used the clear on some plastic Storm Thundersticks I repainted and it held up well. On one of the baits I scuffed the factory finish, cleaned it with denatured and just shoot a lat line,some spots, head and belly and recleared leaving the factory holo showing through. I thought it might react but it held up well. The rest of the Storms I primed with two part automotive epoxy primer and it worked real well. It might be worth a test on your new body. I used it on my wood baits over propionate last season and it worked real well. I had a couple that had some real minor lifting on some small spots on the belly, I did not scuff the propionate real good because I thought the primer being an Acetate base would self etch more than it did. The primer flashes off pretty quick. I will scuff the next batch better and HOK makes an adhesion promoter for plastic I might try. I am being picky they were small and I picked them with a needle to see what let loose. I only noticed it after cold fall water and they were both favorites and chewed up that spent probably forty hours or more being trolled. It was my first season on this body shape and my first year painting my own. If you want to try the primer on one of your new baits and do not have any I can prime one for you and ship it back before you buy any if you want. I use Shop Line from PPG. Good luck with your new baits.