Virgin Lacquer Thinner

[danderson]

Just a quick question. Does virgin lacquer thinner crack polycarbonate like acetone does? I couldn't find this anywhere on the forum although it seems like I asked this before. lol I am wanting to try propionate pellets but I install my lip before sealing the bait and that won't work with pellets dissolved in acetone obviously. Thanks in advance for your responses.

[BobP]

I haven't had a problem with polycarbonate lips cracking from acetone but propionate dissolved in acetone only forms a very weak bond to the lip and will loosen as soon as the lip is slightly bent, so I would trim around the lip and remove the prop on it. I don't install lips until just before topcoating the bait, so it isn't an issue for me. I noticed the weak bond because I use scrap Lexan strips as "false lips" by which to hold the bait while undercoating and painting.

[danderson]

That surprises me that you haven't had that trouble but I guess it could just be a process thing. I do know it(poly) reacts with acetone. Before I knew this I was cleaning off some tape gunk from a lip and it sounded like I was dropping an ice cube in warm water and it got almost immediately cloudy. There are ways around this but for a lot of the cranks I make I have through wire construction with the line tie in the lip. I was just curious if the lacquer thinner did the same thing. I'll have to get some to try it. Thanks for the reply Bob.

[Vodkaman]

I know regular paint thinners does not work. When I finally sourced polycarbonate, I spray glued direct to the sheet, cut the lips out and soaked in thinners. This was my process with acrylic sheet. All the lips turned white and could not be rescued.

I since discovered that WD40 cleans glue off poly (thanks Lincoya). Here is a thread that discusses cleaning poly: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/9924-cleaning-up-a-lip/page__p__66263__hl__wd40__fromsearch__1#entry66263 worth reading.

Dave

[danderson]

I know regular paint thinners does not work. When I finally sourced polycarbonate, I spray glued direct to the sheet, cut the lips out and soaked in thinners. This was my process with acrylic sheet. All the lips turned white and could not be rescued.

I since discovered that WD40 cleans glue off poly (thanks Lincoya). Here is a thread that discusses cleaning poly: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/9924-cleaning-up-a-lip/page__p__66263__hl__wd40__fromsearch__1#entry66263 worth reading.

Dave

I use denatured alcohol without any problems for the cleaning of poly lips now. I was just using that as the example as to why I couldn't use it with the propionate. Like I said, I'll just have to try and see. Just don't tell anyone because the way the government is starting to get they may think I'm doing something with all the flammable stuff I have. lol

[Vodkaman]

I should have clarified, also I wandered off base a tad. I use regular thinners with prop pellets, as I cannot obtain acetone locally, something to do with the manufacture of illegal substances. It does not solve your problem, but will save you bothering to try it out.

I hope you find a solution, but it does not look promising. Anything that dissolves the pellets is going to eat the polycarbonate, so it seems.

Dave

[BobP]

Acetone dissolves prop pellets better than anything I've tried. I tried virgin lacquer thinner with so-so results. Denatured alcohol won't work at all. I guess you could brush it on to avoid getting it on a Lexan lip but it seems more logical to install the lip after undercoating and painting so you avoid having to tape it up (I assume you're not using prop as a topcoat). When I undercoat with prop, I install a tight fitting temporary lip in the bait before I start dipping so it won't get into the lip slot. When dry, I cut around the lip margin with a razor blade to release the lip without tearing out any wood. In my experience, prop adheres well to wood but not to Lexan. It delaminates from Lexan the first time the lip is flexed so I don't want to leave any on a lip.

[danderson]

I could definitely use prop on some of my baits but i just don't think I could on the ones with a line tie in the lip when I have thru wire construction. That's all I was trying to figure out. Thanks for the answers Bobp and vodkaman.

[mark poulson]

I could definitely use prop on some of my baits but i just don't think I could on the ones with a line tie in the lip when I have thru wire construction. That's all I was trying to figure out. Thanks for the answers Bobp and vodkaman.

I think you could probably still use it if you cut your bill slot, and drill all your holes, including the one for the line tie wire, and then seal your baits.

That way I think you can epoxy in the bill and line tie after the sealing, and still get a strong attachment.

[danderson]

I think you could probably still use it if you cut your bill slot, and drill all your holes, including the one for the line tie wire, and then seal your baits.

That way I think you can epoxy in the bill and line tie after the sealing, and still get a strong attachment.

I could still do it but not as easily. I couldn't really do it how you said though because it's thru-wire. The line tie all the way to the back hook hanger is one wire. I could leave the bill out and glue everything else together then after it was sealed swing the bill around and glue in place. It's just more work for not much of a gain I think. I might try it later though. Thanks for the replies.

[BobP]

Suggestions about products always have to be considered against the particular build sequence in which it is being used. JMHO, in this case I would go with an undercoating of Devcon 2T thinned a little with denatured alcohol. About as fast considering the multiple dips required with prop, at least if not more durable, and you don't have any concerns about clouding the polycarb lip.

[danderson]

Suggestions about products always have to be considered against the particular build sequence in which it is being used. JMHO, in this case I would go with an undercoating of Devcon 2T thinned a little with denatured alcohol. About as fast considering the multiple dips required with prop, at least if not more durable, and you don't have any concerns about clouding the polycarb lip.

That's basically what I do. I have been using Etex because of the cost of D2T. I usually put on a coat, put on the drying rack, sand down any bubbles or rough spots, and then put on a second coat. It is extremely durable considering I then paint it and put on at least another coat. You can imagine though why I would always be looking for a quicker way if possible. lol