Problems Powder Painting

[AKFerzy7]

I have been powder painting jigs for the last few months not having many problems, but I did not care too much for the colors protech offers with the flake premixed (well some of them junebug looks good). I was heating my jig with a blow torch then dipping into the base color in my fluid bed then dipping them into the jar of clear coat mixed with glitter that protech makes. My problem is I wasn't getting much glitter on the jigs no matter what temperature I would preheat the jigs to. So I ordered a second fluid bed from TJ's tackle for my clear/glitter mix and it hasn't solved my problem. Every now and then I will get one with an amount of glitter that I like. Is there any glitter out there I could buy and add to the cups of clear/glitter mix to get a higher ratio? Also I could not find anywhere that sells a clear powder coat with out glitter. Any input would be greatly appreciated

Edited March 27, 2010 by AKFerzy7

[Richard Prager]

I have been powder painting jigs for the last few months not having many problems, but I did not care too much for the colors protech offers with the flake premixed (well some of them junebug looks good). I was heating my jig with a blow torch then dipping into the base color in my fluid bed then dipping them into the jar of clear coat mixed with glitter that protech makes. My problem is I wasn't getting much glitter on the jigs no matter what temperature I would preheat the jigs to. So I ordered a second fluid bed from TJ's tackle for my clear/glitter mix and it hasn't solved my problem. Every now and then I will get one with an amount of glitter that I like. Is there any glitter out there I could buy and add to the cups of clear/glitter mix to get a higher ratio? Also I could not find anywhere that sells a clear powder coat with out glitter. Any input would be greatly appreciated

I am very new at jig making but have been fooling around with the flake myself. I found the same hit or miss results with the pre-mixed pro-tec flake/powder. I think the mixed results is either because the flake is heavier than the powder or it just doesn't mix very well or evenly. Along the same thoughts as why it is hard to mix two color powders and get consistent results. I tried sprinkling on some .015 flake I had from my soft plastics and then 'flicked" some clear over it and it came out just fine. I want to try some smaller flake like .008 and see how that works. The flake I used took the heat very well. It did not discolor or curl even after curing in the oven for 20 minutes at 325 degrees. TJ's does have a clear powder without flake.

[reeves]

I have found that the pre-mixed clear/glitter from Pro-tec is very heavy on the glitter for my liking. It is also near impossible to fluidize in a fluid bed because there is so much glitter in it. You can buy just plain clear powder from Pro-Tec, I believe it is item #10. I use it to mix my glitter in to get the level of glittter I want. I have a cup mixed with each color of glitter and clear.

Some things to remember about this stuff:

Glitter is heavy and will tend to settle in the fluid cup if the proper amount of air is not used to keep it floating.

As you use the mixture in a fluid bed, the ratio you started with is constantly changing so it is necessary to add either clear powder or glitter as required.

You should dip fast into the mixture and swish to get a more even coat of glitter, and remove from the cup. If you hesitate for a fraction of a second while dipping the lure in the mixture, you will get a ton of glitter often all on one side or the other and not consistent throughout.

Proper heating of the lure is very important. The hotter the lure, the more glitter will stick to it, the less heat will attract less glitter.

Seems like different shaped lures require different swishing motions to get the right coverage of glitter. Some shapes just dipping in and out do the job, while with others I have to swish in a circular motion to achieve best results. It is all an experiment.

I hope this helps you conquer your problem. Let us know how it goes.