Hook Eye Cleaner

[abf]

Hey guys,

Brand new to the site, love it already. I have been pouring and powder painting my own jigs for over a year now and have tried every way I could think of to clean the paint out of the hook eye cleanly. I have yet to find a way that makes a really clean hole. I was just curious as to what you guys do to keep the hook eye clean. Thanks in advance.

[steve187]

Hey guys,

Brand new to the site, love it already. I have been pouring and powder painting my own jigs for over a year now and have tried every way I could think of to clean the paint out of the hook eye cleanly. I have yet to find a way that makes a really clean hole. I was just curious as to what you guys do to keep the hook eye clean. Thanks in advance.

Welcome abf. That is the durndest issue for me also. Guys will be responding here in a bit. Did you try a search? LOL ! I have limited experience but I think for starters we have to be using a painting technique that gives consistent uniform paint coating without overcoating. That is what I think is the first priority. In other words if we don't get much in there we don't get much of a problem. Make sense ? Easier said than done. I am still working on getting this process more refined myself. I am dipping into a 3" powder cup and I hold the jig between my thumb and finger. I have tried using locking hemostats, needle nose, and just plain old pliers but they don't seem to work for me. I don't particularly like using the 3" round cup. I am thinking about trying to locate something oblong that I could make a paint cup with. I think my range of motion with my wrist would be better suited for using something oblong.

Sometimes I use a trick I learned on here of using a snug fitting drill bit after dipping and before oven curing. This works better if you put in the chuck end first and pull the bit all the way through

Last but not least, I usually find myself heating a sharpened wire red hot and piercing the eye of the jig that needs it after they come out of the oven. This in itself is sort of a PITA but it works.

Thanks,

Steve .

[Jig Man]

I keep the paint out to begin with. When I dip a jig I hold he eye with a pair of needle nose vice grips. They keep the paint from getting on the eye and by using a low temp and fluid bed I get a thin coat of powder so it doesn't run when cured in the toaster oven.

[steve187]

I keep the paint out to begin with. When I dip a jig I hold he eye with a pair of needle nose vice grips. They keep the paint from getting on the eye and by using a low temp and fluid bed I get a thin coat of powder so it doesn't run when cured in the toaster oven.

What do you do when the vice grips get all glommed up with paint?

[JSC]

Before Curing the paint you can get the paint off of the hook eye by "scraping" it off.

JSC

[Jig Man]

What do you do when the vice grips get all glommed up with paint?

They don't get anything except powder on them because they are not hot and it wipes right off with a paper towel when I get done with a color.

[smalljaw]

Abf, if you clear the eye before you cure it'll be a lot easier, as for myself, the fluid bed really helps because it'll provide a nice even coat that isn't so thick it clogs the eye in the first place. If you don't want to go with a fluid bed then try using a small shallow bowl and put the paint in that, once you heat your jig you can give it a quick swish through the paint and it should be good. I used to have the hook eye problem the first time I used powder because I was dipping it right in the jar, the bowl really helped a lot but the fluid bed is by far the best, and easiest way to get a good finish without clogging up the eye.