Propionate Recipe

[Juice780]

Well I just got my Propionate in the mail and it says to put 1 oz into a jar and fill 3/4 of jar with acetone. My question is what size jar pint or quart? I already measured my propionate out into 1 oz portions. My instructions say to mix up 2 jars one thin and one thick. Can I just mix up one jar of thin and dip multiple times in that? And I was wondering if I can use a lure turner with this stuff. Thanks for the info

[RayburnGuy]

Here's something I found using the search function. Follow the link in Post #3 and it will give you step by step instructions in using propionate. Once you click on the link in Post #3 look on the left side of the page for a menu. Then click on "How to Guide". Scroll down and you will see "How to Seal wood Lures Using Propionate". Click on that for step by step instructions.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/19775-proportoinate/page__p__147841__hl__propionate__fromsearch__1#entry147841

Ben

[BobP]

I think one ounce in 3/4 pint is probably correct although I just eyeball it when I mix it. It's easy to make it too thick, so go slow. I'm not sure why you'd need a thick and a thin solution. I just use a thin solution. It takes a couple of days for the prop to dissolve. Give it a stir a few times during the process. My prop came as small bluish glass-like pellets, the dissolve time might be different if yours is not the same.

I used some this week; dipped the blanks, let the excess drip off, then put them on a 6 rpm lure turner. With the first dip, I held the blanks under the surface a little while and saw lots of small bubbles accumulate as the prop penetrated (balsa in this case). You can ignore the initial bubbles on the blanks because later dips will pop them and form a nice smooth surface as it builds up and dries over multiple dips. I did 8 dips on my balsa baits. For dips 2-8, I dipped the blank, dripped off the excess, then clipped it back on the turner as it completed one revolution - so it only takes a few seconds per dip. When the acetone evaporates and the lure surface looks dull again, you can do another dip. I don't time it - just dip, walk away, get a coffee, check the mail, whatever and come back a little later. I did 8 dips over the course of around 3 hours. It was cold and humid in the garage, so evaporation was about as slow as it could be. When I dip in hot/dry weather, I can almost dip a batch of 6 lures one after the other in constant rotation because the acetone evaporates so quickly.

As far as thick/thin solutions, you can probably use somewhat thicker prop with a lure turner. But it still has to dry between dips and thicker prop will take longer to dry, so I don't know if the total time will be reduced by much. When I tried thicker prop and just hung the blanks up to dry, it tended to sag into waves. I just started using my lure turner, so haven't tried thick prop yet - and probably won't. Thin prop works fine and I'm not in that much of a hurry.

[Nathan]

The thick solution is for adding to the thin when your running low...That way you don't have to wait a couple days for the pellets to dissolve.Just pour in some of the thick add somemore acetone and mix and your ready to go...Nathan

[Juice780]

Thanks for the info does this stuff keep well after its dissolved

[Lincoya]

Juice,

Yes, the "prop" keeps very well unless you don't have a good seal on your jar lid. If it starts to get a little thick just add a little more acetone to thin it back down.

Here's a little tip: put your disolved "prop" in a tall skinny jar like those that olives come in. It will be a great help if you are dipping longer lures like minnows.

Gene

Edited January 14, 2012 by Lincoya

[BobP]

Yeah, the prop will keep indefinitely but acetone is a volatile solvent and evaporates very easily. I have to add acetone to the jar before dipping if I haven't used it lately.