Will Another Coat Fix This?

[Flatfish]

I have 72 swim jigs that look like this (see attached photo)........Uugh!

My questions:

What causes the epoxy (I used Devcon 2T 30 minute) to "seperate" like this, leaving "holes" in the coverage?

I was mixing small batches of it and painting 12 or so at a time before it would start getting to "sticky" to apply right. Is there something you can do to actually get the "30 minutes" of work time out of a batch? It seemed like after 5 or 10 minutes it wasn't manageable any longer.

Also, the brush I was using started to stiffen up about 3/4 of the way through. Should I just use disposable brushes and throw them out every 20 minutes or is there a trick to that too?

The most important question -- fixing these jigs -- will another coat cover the "holes", or am I going to have to sand these down before applying another coat?

Thx for any help on this, and for hopefully helping salvage these jigs.

[RayburnGuy]

The "30 minutes" is the time it takes to bond. That does not mean "working time". D2T is a glue and was not designed to be a top coat for lures although it does work well for that purpose. You need to only mix up enough Devcon that you can apply in the 5 to 10 minute window you've described before it gets to stiff to be manageable. A few drops of denatured alcohol added while your mixing the D2T will extend the working time by a couple of minutes, but don't add too much alcohol as this can supposedly weaken it. Hope this helps.

[BBK]

Devcon 30 minute has a 5 minute working time. Cures in 30 minutes.

As for the separation, you did one of two things. You either did not add enough and it did not fully coat, or you added too much and it all ran off the head.

[Musky Glenn]

Looks like "fisheye" to me. That is where the finish separates because of oil, usually, or silicone or wax. You can just recover with another coat if you have the time to watch them closely as they dry and keep the finish spread until it tacks off. This may require taking a brush and smoothing the finish out where it separates until it gets dried just enough to stop the creeping. Sometimes it is caused by the paint that it is being placed over. I use disposable brushes that I buy in large lots of 50 to the pack. I just happened to find them at a "as seen on tv" store in Cherokee, NC. They are made in China and these were 50 for $1.00. I bought 200.

[Flatfish]

Thx for the feedback everyone. I hit them with another coat tonight so we'll see what happens tomorrow. All this because of stick on eyes -- geesh. I think it'd be easier to start painting them on!

Thx again!

[patrick reif]

that jig will catch fish as it is.

[Vodkaman]

Should I just use disposable brushes and throw them out every 20 minutes or is there a trick to that too?

I use the same brush all the time. Fold some tissue and squeeze out as much epoxy as you can between finger and thumb. I put a small splash of acetone in the concave bottom of a fizzy drinks can. Dab several times in the acetone, then dab on clean tissue, repeat this several times.

NEVER touch the brush with your bare hands, not even to test if dry or to test if the bristles are good, oil from your fingers can transfer from the brush to the epoxy and cause the 'fish eye' effect.

If you have handled the jig bodies, or you suspect others may have, then they should all be cleaned/degreased. Clean one in acetone, to test that no problem occurs with the coating, allow to evaporate dry. If acetone is a problem, use soapy water and rinse thoroughly with clean water a few times and drip dry.

Epoxy just a few, to check if the new method is working. If the 'fish eyes' occur again, report back here and the TU members will explore further.

Dave

[cadman]

I had this all typed up and forgot to post it yesterday. But it seems like you got all of your answers. So I'll post it anyway as there are other things you can try as well for the future.

My questions:

What causes the epoxy (I used Devcon 2T 30 minute) to "seperate" like this, leaving "holes" in the coverage? Several things can cause this. If your jigs are tacky than you did not use the correct proportions, or you didn’t mix it well enough. If your jigs are not tacky and the epoxy is hard an you have holes than here are your causes. #1 Make sure when you put on your epoxy, your jigs are free from oils and fingerprints. Take your jigs and wipe them with a clean rag just slightly dipped in rubbing alcohol. Put on a rack to dry and it should dry in a minute or two. Also when you do this whole process don’t touch the jig with your fingers, use latex gloves on both hands when cleaning jigs and when you epoxy them. #2 Over brushing Devcon(D2T) will do that as well especially when the epoxy starts to harden. To help with this issue when the jigs are first epoxied, take a heat gun and lightly go over the jig that has the epoxy, many times you can see the epoxy flow together and those voids will disappear. Do not hold it there to long as it will make the epoxy run off the jig. I stand all of my epoxied jigs heads up to dry so any excess epoxy will run down the hook shank.

I was mixing small batches of it and painting 12 or so at a time before it would start getting to "sticky" to apply right. Is there something you can do to actually get the "30 minutes" of work time out of a batch? It seemed like after 5 or 10 minutes it wasn't manageable any longer. There are some things you can do but 12 jigs is a good number and you should be happy with that many at one time. I do not cut my D2T with anything as I believe it compromises the adhesion and hardness, however I don’t have proof of that and many guys I know cut their D2T with acetone, lacquer thinner or denatured alcohol( do not use rubbing alcohol here, it has water and epoxy and water do not mix). Here is the good and the bad. If you cut it with any of the three above you will definitely get a little longer working time, however I do believe it compromises the hardness of D2T. A couple of drops should do it to a dime size mix of D2T. Also if you do cut your D2T make sure to test it on a scrap jig, as some solvent when mixed with D2T will start to eat away at the powder paint underneath it. I have never had D2T last 30 minutes before it starts to harden, about 10- 15 minutes is max. Here are some other things you can try to make it last a little longer. Mix your epoxy on a piece of tin foil or the bottom of a soda can. Make sure it’s clean. The reason for this is that as soon as you mix the two parts of epoxy they start to heat up and start the curing process. The aluminum will pull the heat away from the mix. You only may get one or two more jigs this way, depends how long you it takes you to apply the epoxy. The other thing you can do is to heat your epoxy after it is mixed when it starts to get thicker with a heat gun this will thin out your epoxy, however when you do this, this makes the epoxy want to dry faster. Here is the consensus on epoxy. The best way to use it is when it is cold as the colder it is the longer the working time; however it does not brush really well when it’s cold. The warmer D2T is the easier it is to apply however the shorter the working time is. So use it in your current working environment and just brush like mad, if you can do 12 at one time than you are doing OK.

Also, the brush I was using started to stiffen up about 3/4 of the way through. Should I just use disposable brushes and throw them out every 20 minutes or is there a trick to that too? I use several brushes at a time when I use D2T. I buy cheap kids craft brushes from Wal-mart, 30 brushes for $1.50??? As soon as I finish my batch of jigs I take my brush and immediately put it in lacquer thinner and swirl it around to clean it. Then I take it out dry it off with a rag or a paper towel and let it sit so the lacquer thinner flashes off. On my next batch of jigs I use a clean brush and do the same. I alternate brushes if I have a lot of jigs to do until the brushes hairs no longer are straight. You can clean them about a dozen times at the most maybe more. Do not leave those brushes sitting in the lacquer thinner. It will deform the bristles and make them curly leaving the brush at that point useless.

The most important question -- fixing these jigs -- will another coat cover the "holes", or am I going to have to sand these down before applying another coat? Yes you can fix them make another batch of D2T and apply it over the current one. Make sure you clean then first. Your jigs will come out beautiful, just watch how you apply it and if you see it separating try some of the things I mentioned. Maybe cut down to doing fewer jigs with less epoxy. It seems like a dumb idea, but less sometimes is more as you will not get as many done but you will cut your working time shorter leaving the epoxy more workable.

I hope this helps you some. Also I’m not the know-it–all on epoxy, so I’m sure you will get other ideas from many of the jigs guys here. Take all the ideas and see what works for your type of conditions.

[CedarLakeMusky]

I also tried devcon two ton over stick on eyes and had the same problem. It left a void around the eyes. I might have left oil from my fingers when I stuck them on. I know now to clean the lure with alcohol before applying epoxy. I used the lure that way and never had a problem with it not being waterproof in the area around the eyes. I tried devcon two ton over eyes that I painted on and never had a problem with voids. I think I will give the stick on eyes another try though. Just thought I would put my experience out there.

CLM

[mark poulson]

You can eliminate finger oil fish eyes by wearing throw away latex gloves from CVS, or any drug store.

I always have a small tupperware (sandwich meat container) with clean DN in it (a small amount) next to me whenever I'm doing epoxy. I can use the DN to thin the epoxy, if need be, or just to clean the brush as soon as I'm done with one batch. The gloves get cleaned when I clean the brush, and I can reuse a pair, as long as it's the same side out, several times.

I use the same gloves for painting.