Lucky Joe Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 I've got some old Bagley's and various custom balsa baits in need of repair. What kind of wood filler would I need to use to fix these baits? Also, is there a sealer I need to apply once they are patched up? Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 (edited) Joe, my experience is that making big repairs in balsa is tough to get right. The problem is the balsa is much softer than the finish. If you are fixing wood, it's hard to sand it when the finish around it is hard. But it's also hard to strip all the finish off a balsa bait without tearing up the soft wood too, so I avoid that at all cost. My rule is that I never want to sand a balsa lure's finish down to the raw wood. That pretty much limits me to "spot repair" of chipped or cracked finish. I fill any voids with Elmer's water based wood filler, sand it smooth, prime the wood filled areas with lacquer, propionate or super glue, then repaint and re-topcoat the whole bait. If it's anything worse than that, I usually consider the bait "kaput". Edited October 7, 2011 by BobP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 Joe, my experience is that making big repairs in balsa is tough to get right. The problem is the balsa is much softer than the finish. If you are fixing wood, it's hard to sand it when the finish around it is hard. But it's also hard to strip all the finish off a balsa bait without tearing up the soft wood too, so I avoid that at all cost. My rule is that I never want to sand a balsa lure's finish down to the raw wood. That pretty much limits me to "spot repair" of chipped or cracked finish. I fill any voids with Elmer's water based wood filler, sand it smooth, prime the wood filled areas with lacquer, propionate or super glue, then repaint and re-topcoat the whole bait. If it's anything worse than that, I usually consider the bait "kaput". +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy01007 Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 I have never tried to repair old wood baits, but has anyone tried using a chmical paint remover like Citristrip to remove the old finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 (edited) I have stripped some older balsa baits, first scuff sanding the old finish, and then using an acid brush to "paint" the lure with acetone over a drip jar, until all the old finish was gone. Then I sealed the balsa with crazy glue, two coats, repaired any nicks with bondo auto filler, and repainted them. They've held up so far, and it's been three years, and lots of fish. My experience with Citristrip is only to remove sealer from concrete, so I don't know how it would work for stripping paint from balsa baits. Edited October 8, 2011 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Joe Posted October 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Thank you for the help! Most of these baits are just cracked "a little", so I wanted to address this problem before I let it go too far. Two are old Mike Bowers square bills and the others are some of the lexan billed Zoom "Wobblers" I've had for several years. It'll be sad singing and slow walking when these are kaput! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatchingConcepts Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) If they are just cracked a bit, strip off hardware, lightly sand cracked areas with 600 grit, removing loose topcoat material if any, then mix up some Devcon 2 Ton and brush on a nice even coat on the baits and put them on a drying wheel for a couple hours. They will be ready to fish next day... Edited October 10, 2011 by CatchingConcepts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
