Balsa Repaints

[2TBone]

Ha Guys

Can any of you pros out there provide some info on the best way to strip balsa baits for repaint.

Thanks

2TBone

[BobP]

If I have a prized balsa bait that needs repainting, I'm not gonna use a stripping agent on it because you never know how it will react with that particular bait's finish. Most strippers/solvents will cloud the lip. And they are really messy. And if they soak into the wood, the repainted lure is gonna smell like paint stripper forever. So I can't help with chemical or solvent stripping but have done quite a few balsa repaints where I sanded the existing finish to remove blemishes and give the surface some 'tooth' to promote adhesion of the paint. If you follow that route, definitely do not sand down to raw wood anywhere. If you create a raw wood spot while sanding, it's soft wood surrounded by hard remaining finish - which is almost impossible to sand without distorting the shape of the lure. Balsa has high buoyancy and the finish on a bass crankbait adds only .03-.04 oz to a lure, so I've always had good results just sanding the existing finish smooth with 400 grit paper. If you do it that way, you also avoid the necessity of doing the undercoating on the lure again. Just sand, paint, and topcoat.

[2TBone]

Thanks for the info BobP.

I wasn't sure if there was something to strip them with or not. I would assume that if there was a spot that was down to wood it could be filled and sanded smooth.

Thanks again

Terry (2TBone)

[BobP]

Yeah, you can use filler but then you run into the problem of the filler being harder than the balsa, so when you sand the filler smooth you will be taking away too much balsa around the patch. It can get to be a real PITA once you breach into the balsa. Been there, done that, don't want to again.

[benton B]

Set it on fire with a propane tourch. Any and all clear coats just peel right off. Light sanding coat of epoxy and it's ready for primer. Try not to heat up the lip, doesn't work well at all.