new member

[ono87]

Hello,

brand new member to this site! I am saltwater angler who enjoys all types of lure fishing. Since pretty much everything I go after has teeth, I do my best to restore and reuse my lures as often as I can. I just finished repainting several of my topwater lures from my Costa Rica trip. My question is this, is there a product out there to put a finishing protective coat on my lures without using a spray gun? Still haven't decided to buy one yet. thanks

ED

[mainbutter]

Many people here use a clear epoxy as a topcoat/protective coat. Epoxies are strong, many are clear, and i think all are waterproof (a good thing for fishing lures, lol)

I thin my epoxy with acetone before painting it over my lures as a topcoat, other people thin using denatured alcohol, some people don't thin at all. I like to do so because it just makes it easier for me to apply it as it flows faster etc.

A popular brand/variety of epoxy for lures is Devcon 2-ton epoxy, I can get it at my local ace hardware, but have not seen it at big stores like home depot/lowes/menards. I do sometimes use loctite epoxy if I have it laying around. Just about any epoxy that sets in 30 minutes or sets in 5 minutes probably will work for you.

Edited September 29, 2009 by mainbutter

[mark poulson]

If your lure bodies are soft, there is nothing that will protect them from bluefish, or tuna, or barricuda. Same with muskies and pike.

If your lure bodies are hard plastic, then a thin paint and a urethane or lacquer top coat will work best.

The thicker the paint/top coat combination is, the easier it is to damage, because it's softer than the plastic lure body.

One of the jointed salt water swimbait makers here uses PVC decking for his lures, with a urethane top coat, and he reported that the combination has held up fine to the salt water toothy critters.

[.dsaavedra.]

don't use 5 minute epoxy, it yellows, doesn't allow enough application time, the finish often comes out lumpy because it doesn't have time to self level, and it turns very yellow very quickly. if you're going to use epoxy use the 2-ton (30 min) epoxy. I also like using polyurethane like Mark.

[ono87]

If your lure bodies are soft, there is nothing that will protect them from bluefish, or tuna, or barricuda. Same with muskies and pike.

If your lure bodies are hard plastic, then a thin paint and a urethane or lacquer top coat will work best.

The thicker the paint/top coat combination is, the easier it is to damage, because it's softer than the plastic lure body.

One of the jointed salt water swimbait makers here uses PVC decking for his lures, with a urethane top coat, and he reported that the combination has held up fine to the salt water toothy critters.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the tip! Do you know any urethane products that are easy to find, that a novice like me can use.

Ed

[mark poulson]

Ed,

I use Super Clear SC 9000, by Target Coatings.

Super-Clear 9000 Polyurethane

I've found both the gloss and the flat work great. They are one part coatings, you can dip them without problems, and they don't skin over when exposed to air.

You can redip after a full two hours, and three dip coats is a good coverage for a lure.

But you can dip more if you want more protection. It takes 72-90 hours to fully cure out, depending on both temperature and humidity, since it's a waterborne urethane.

It dries, as it says on the label, super clear, so there's no color change, and it has UV blockers.

And I haven't noticed any fumes to speak of.