Problems With Foiled Bait

[capt mike]

This is a bait I foiled with ac tape. I then coated it with a layer of D2T. I painted with an airbrush and createx paints. Let dry one day and cleared with D2T again.

The coating seems to chip easy. I have not been using a turner. Just invert the bait back and forth till it sets up. What is the best method for painting over foiled baits? Does the adhesive on the foil have anything to do with this? Should I clean the foiled bait with something before I cover it? Or is the lack of a lure rotisserie my only problem? The chips are visible on the anal fin.

Edited October 26, 2011 by capt mike

[mark poulson]

There are a lot of epoxies on the market, but they are either a glue, or a decoupage epoxy, with different designs for the very different functions.

D2T is, first and foremost, a glue, meant to be applied in thin glue joints. It's strong and rigid, so there's no joint failure or "creep". But it is brittle when applied over large, flat surfaces.

I started out coating my woodens swimbaits with D2T.

I found that D2T cracked and chipped off in big flakes when my swimbaits hit anything hard, like a rock.

I went away from D2T to Etex, and then NuLustre, for topcoating. Both are decoupage epoxies, designed for coating large, flat surfaces like table tops and bars. They are not as strong, but they will expand and contract with the wood they cover, and they both dent instead of chipping.

Lots of builders use D2T for cranks, and I have done it, too.

But larger baits are problematic.

[BobP]

One problem you have with epoxy is that it will always draw away from any sharp edge, leaving the epoxy at the edge very very thin. I don't think there is any fix for that, except to avoid sharp edges on your baits or switch to another type of topcoat.