Clear Coating Swimbaits

[Tierce12]

Im having a hard time putting clear coat on swimbaits like the Sebile and other jointed baits and without getting clear coat up in the joints and destroying the lure. How do you guys "clear" swimbaits and jointed jures so that they still work when they dry?

[CA Delta]

I to, have posted that same question. The feedback I got back was to take some frisk-et tape or put a small piece of modeling clay into the notched areas. Once the epoxy has set up, you can take your Exacto knife & carve out the tape or clay. Hope this helps.

I see guys in the gallery re-painting the Sebile & they look really nice. Hopefully they will see this thread.

Tim

[hazmail]

Lately I have been cutting elastic bands and winding them around the joints, before painting and finishing, seems to work the best out of those I have already tried (tape, and custom made PVC guards). I make pretty small baits (2"-3"& 4"), so you might have to scale the size of the rubber up a bit for larber lures.pete

[gunnie3035]

This is what I do on any jointed bait. I jam painters tape into the joints to hold it straight when painting. I try to keep it as small as possible. On the rear joint I generally use a piece of wood. I only epoxy the parts of joint that will come into contact with each other. If your getting epoxy in the joints then your either putting it on too thick or worrying about getting epoxy where ya don't need it. Once I have the bait straight for painting the tape/wood never comes out until the clear is done.

The only ones that are a little tricky is the Spro shad & Tru-Tungsten baits because of the hook hangers. I had to make a special clamp for those.

Think about it like this; you don't put epoxy on the bill of a crankbait so why worry about getting it that deep in the joints.

[jcheetam]

Someone posted a clever solution that has worked really well for me. Take the blade out of a coping saw and suspend the bait in the saw with wire (I use the green florist wire). Tighten it down like you would when putting the blade in and it pulls the bait perfectly straight. It's great for painting, and great for clear coating.

[hartwellbasser]

on sebile magic swimmers I have had the best luck by simply hanging the bait vertically and building 5 or 6 light coats of high grade spray lacquer. It doesnt build a really heavy coat to affect the action of the bait. This type of finish is not as durable as the epoxy or other gel type finishes though.

[atrophius]

I imagine you could also wax the metal. As in apply wax so that the coat does not stick to it. Im a noob, but just a suggestion.

[mark poulson]

Hartwellwellbasser has the best idea.

Since the baits you're repainting are hard plastic, the finish will hold up much better than with wood, and you can get away with a spray lacquer or acrylic. Most rattle can clear coats with UV protection will work, depending on what paint you use. Multiple coats, with the lure either hung vertical by the line tie, or suspended between two points so the joint are held apart.

[Piscivorous Pike]

Did not find this thread in time.

I dipped Sebile knock offs into DN. Got stiff joints. I removed the lure from the holders and dipped this kokanee pattern and hung them tail down. What do I do to remedy it now? And any suggestions other than the ones above to modify this system? I am thinking I should wrapp the joints with a rubber band material. I really believe diluting DN to spray it defeats the purpose of buying it in the first place for this application.

I have learned so much from this adventure. I hope I can get them to swim before next week and my Pike hunt.

Once I finish the 3 dozen in 3 patterns it is going to make an interesting post about all the tricks I learned from TU put together. What I learned most, I don't like this part of the hobby and likely will dump my airbrush and all hard lure supplies and stick with plastisol.

click to enlarge

Edited October 31, 2009 by Piscivorous Pike

[mark poulson]

PP,

Don't give up. Jointed baits are a bear.

If you can't take them apart, put blue tape into the joints, and hand brush them with the urethane.

I have never tried DN, but I know this will work with SC9000, which is another, one part, waterborne urethane.

[BobP]

I wrap rubber bands around the joints to keep spray out. It also keeps the joints from flexing while you're airbrushing, so you don't mar the paint accidentally. I get my wife to save the thick bands that come on produce at the grocery store.

[clamboni]

PP, if youre DN hasn't been curing too long, like less than a day they can be handled no problem. Depending on how much clear is in there you may just be able to bend the lure at the joints and break them loose without any damage. If not, try getting an exacto knife blade in there to weaken it where you want it to break.

If you're not willing to thin and spray it, next best bet is to just brush it on. Takes a little practice but seems like a good alternative. that way if you have a away to hold them so the segments don't touch each other it's easy to not get it on there by simply not putting any there. They might also break loose if you can get a pair of pliers in there and squeeze them.

Pesonally I'd spray it if you have the ventilation. Doesn't seem to use any of it's toughness and to be really honest, I don't really think you need to keep it off the joints anyway. Spraying it you won't be getting that much of it on the joints and after a few hours once you can handle it they'll break loose easily. You then can trim the clear off with a blade after they cure a little more.

Edited October 31, 2009 by clamboni

[Piscivorous Pike]

Thank you all.

Progress report:

With exacto knife I cut off excess over,on,around and in eye/pin joint. Still was too stiff to swim. Using a tube from wd40 can as a pipette I added less than a drop of laquer thinner, (an aknowledged solvent of DN) to each joint and wiggled it.

Immediately I then used the same procedure and put in a drop of wd40.

The large, 5.5 inch is 139.7mm, med. 4.75 inch and small 4.0 inch. They come from Mike Vann, dba, vanndalizer and crankbaitcomponents, saw same offered on TU by Maverick. BTW are they same person? No matter; The large swims now just like Sebile in neighbor"s pool, exaclty like the Sebile lead-in site video. After a few casts it lossened up more. I think it will be ok.

Now I will loosen up the smaller ones.

Then decide whether to spray DN or design a workable masking. Dipping sure makes a rich thick shiney top coat.

Thank you all for the encouragement and the help. 6 days to go utill my 1500 mile trip~ and counting!

[CL Rods]

Suspend them weighted or put them in the coping saw or on your lure turner or ??? to keep them pulled tightly. Spraying the baits is the best choice. I have used Dick Nites and TaterHogs Joe Moliki clear and either work. Dick Nites just takes longer to cure.

I have used both products on Strike Kings, Rapalas, SPROS, and Jackall knockoffs. But based on availability, cure time and ease of use overall, spraying a clear is just the way to go if you can.

[SMALLIEHUNTER]

The way I doit is, I mounted a couple of the THIRD HAND [ATTACH]4773[/ATTACH] to my lure turner. I use devcon and thin if the issue is that I can only clear 2 ay a time!

[Piscivorous Pike]

I just walked in from clear coating a dozen in Perch. Better than I expected, but I still do not like all the work involved, not for me.

I will post how I did it, what I learned when all done.

In the photo you see I use a C type mount, they are held tight straightt out. I wanted the thickness of dipped.

Perch took 17 steps and layers of colors.

craze with light spray of carb cleaner

under coat white

coat over all pearlessence white

cover with Tulle netting, two sizes for different size lures

bottom 1/3 side above white belly, gold

fethered up into green/gold (transparent green mixed into gold)

Parr marks, a template forrest green, some yellow to green it up, less blue, lots of black

black down back

remove netting

black down center of back, loose scale pattern there

flo orange brushed on fins by gills

flo orange by center hook hanger and on belly of last joit, like live perch two flo orange on belly

Set the Createx with a hair dryer.

add eyes

clear coat now.

Top coated with DN by using a shop brush and coating them nose to tail, a dab on the area by the hinges. Caught a lot in a drip pan I held them over and used that when there was an excess too. They are set up but tacky.

The hinges are loose so I did not get them soaked apparently and got the coating I wanted.

You all helped a lot and form what you gave I used and modified and learned from your experience and it worked.

Thank you again.

Edited November 1, 2009 by Piscivorous Pike

[CL Rods]

I just walked in from clear coating a dozen in Perch. Better than I expected, but I still do not like all the work involved, not for me.

.....Perch took 17 steps and layers of colors...

And people wonder why "CUSTOM" costs so much...

[shadetreepainter]

i

Edited November 2, 2009 by shadetreepainter

[Piscivorous Pike]

And people wonder why "CUSTOM" costs so much...

This is my first ever repaint with and airbrush, sure used rattle cans in the past.

Ten days ago I had never touched an airbrush. I went through three airbrushes, two air tanks and five comperssors in that time. Settled on a double action, internal mixing, bottom siphon airbrush and I centered and polished the needle. I learned from TU much more, how to hang the lure in a modified tension hanger. I crazed the virgin plastic with carb cleaner to better take paint. Set Createx with heat. Use Tulle in two sizes for scales. Removed stuck tulle by spraying with water and pulling the weave apart, stretching it against itself, to make it release without pealing paint. I learned to make stencils by making exact size pictures and size modifying it on the computer then onto acetate with an exacto knife and also how to hold the template to shoot is with a soft edge. I choose DN clear coat over D2T because of what I read at TU.

This thread save my project by solving how to clear coat this three segment lure.

But TU cost me a fortune. I thought I would save some money making three dozed of these in Kokanee, Perch and Threadfin Shad patterns. So far it has cost me around $350 to get these out.

How do they look for the first time custom paint?

Clear Coat look OK?

Click on thumbnail to enlarge:

DIRECT LINK:

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/9852/dscn1223s.jpg

[Piscivorous Pike]

What happened to you post?

Like this?

Lure tail hooks to frame, rubber band and paper clip from frame to nose. Tulle netting around lure held in place with clothes pins and tongue depressors.

Edited November 2, 2009 by Piscivorous Pike

[shadetreepainter]

I couldn't figure out how to attach a photo. I take a piece of wire coat hanger about 12" long then about midway bend a spring loop about 1/2" in diameter. Like the mouth spreader in the cataloges. Then I bend detents on the ends to slip thru the eyes. You might have to do some additional bending so you can paint without getting your hands in the way.

[shadetreepainter]

Hope this worked

[Piscivorous Pike]

I couldn't figure out how to attach a photo. I take a piece of wire coat hanger about 12" long then about midway bend a spring loop about 1/2" in diameter. Like the mouth spreader in the cataloges. Then I bend detents on the ends to slip thru the eyes. You might have to do some additional bending so you can paint without getting your hands in the way.

That will work. Post #9 shows my bracket, post #20, when it is in place. I have two racks each with two horizontal rows. By tipping it forward or backward you can avoid dripping from the top row onto the bottom. I can rack and paint 36 lures at a time. That jig you see in Post 20, allows clamping of the netting for scales.

On a pillow, plastic bag of shredded paper, I can put the jig back towards me, belly away and hold up the template for parr marks and shoot that way. You see the result in post 19, click on the thumbnail, you can see the parr mark fades and blends away at the anterior edge of it by doing that way.

Everyone on TU is ingenious and that is how I came up with my ideas, I read everybody elses' post for inspiration. To each what ever works. It is fun to have these discussion among us.

Nevertheless, I really do not like painting lures. I think after I finish the shad patterns I am going to sell all this new equipement and stay with soft plastics. Having that attitude is why I am surprised I did half way decent on making that perch you see above, there.

Edited November 2, 2009 by Piscivorous Pike

[mark poulson]

Hope this worked

That's clever, and cheap!

[shadetreepainter]

That's clever, and cheap!

I hate to spend money on commercial products since I usually modify them to my specific requirements anyway.