DN not holding up too well?

[Thad]

I started airbrushing DN a little while back and now it seems every bait I used it on is chipping and flaking after a short time fishing with them. I thinned it with acetone about 3:1 and sprayed about 4 to 5 coats on it. I started with very thin coats and worked to heavy coats to make it glossy. I'm using all HOK paints.

[KcDano]

Some basecoat paint will require a inter-coat clear if the finish isn't clearcoated in a certain time frame. Otherwise, the clear coat in some cases won't stick to the underlying paint. You might also try a slower drying thinner than acetone which should help the paint bond better.

Edited April 27, 2009 by KcDano

[mark poulson]

I haven't used DN yet, but I would look at the thinner, which might have weakened the finish, or altered it's properties and film strength, making it more chip-prone.

If you can, try dipping a lure and see if the finish holds up better.

[Thad]

I've been thinking of dipping and it seems like it would be faster but not sure how to not waste so much DN that way. I've been able to use every drop with my spraying method now.

You guys that dip, what container do you use to dip in? The original that DN comes in?

[jcheetam]

Thad, try brushing on the DNs. It may take a little more time, but you can control the coverage, you don't need to thin it, and if you only pour what you need when you need it you won't have to worry too much about waste (if you store it correctly, of course).

[Thad]

Thad, try brushing on the DNs. It may take a little more time, but you can control the coverage, you don't need to thin it, and if you only pour what you need when you need it you won't have to worry too much about waste (if you store it correctly, of course).

How many coats are you putting on when brushing? And how long in between? Sand between coats?

Also do you just hang them or turn them?

Edited April 28, 2009 by Thad

[BobP]

I dip but brushing gives similar coverage. I do 2 coats for bass baits, 24 hrs apart and I hang them to dry. No need to sand unless you are fixing a problem. I don't feel dipping/dripping is especially wasteful. Don't you have unused DN if you brush or spray? The only problem with dipping is keeping DN in the dip jar from curing. I keep the jar topped off and spary a little Bloxygen in the jar before storage, which seems to work.

Edited April 28, 2009 by BobP

[Thad]

I dip but brushing gives similar coverage. I do 2 coats for bass baits, 24 hrs apart and I hang them to dry. No need to sand unless you are fixing a problem. I don't feel dipping/dripping is especially wasteful. Don't you have unused DN if you brush or spray? The only problem with dipping is keeping DN in the dip jar from curing. I keep the jar topped off and spary a little Bloxygen in the jar before storage, which seems to work.

I was in the middle of asking you this before you edited it. What do you mean when you "top off" the jar?

Thanks

[BobP]

Top Off = adding DN until the jar is full again. If I start with a full dipping jar of DN and just use it up, it will begin to cure when it's about 1/3 full. There gets to be too much air and moisture in the jar during use and storage. One thing that seems to help is shooting some Bloxygen into the jar before sealing it. Bloxygen is an aerosol argon/nitrogen gas mix sold to preserve solvent based finishes. Sounds similar to welding gas, which has the same function, i.e., to exclude oxygen.

[Thad]

Makes sense, I don't know what I was thinking about "top off" though. For some reason I thought you were removing the top layer.

Thanks though. I think I will give dipping and brushing a try. I would like to dip my solid baits and brush swimbaits and such.

[jcheetam]

I brush on two coats for bass baits. You can wait 24 hrs in between coats, but I have done it in as little as 1 hour or so. I don't sand in between coats, and I hang the baits to dry. I tap my can of DNs with a self-tapping screw (I keep forgetting who it is on TU that first mentioned this method for storing it, but it works well) and only take what I need for the amount of baits I will be coating. So far, my one pint can has lasted over 1 year.

[Vodkaman]

Captsully18, post No1: http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/hard-baits/11080-dick-nites-top-coat.html

Dave

[Predator Bass Baits]

Brush on works best for me but you need to turn the lure after unless your using very thin coats and brushing off as much as you can.

I buy it by the pint and fill a Hot Sauce bottle with a long neck for my usage.

I then just pour out of that into a paper cup like a Mcdonalds ketchup cup and then just toss the cup.