Sealing wood with epoxy

[Pikestalker]

I have been trying to seal my wood jerkbaits with epoxy.However i have been experiencing major problems with bubbles,is there a way to get around this?These are big bubbles not the kind you breath on in your topcoat.

[dtrs5kprs]

Sounds like you may have an issue with the wood body being un-sealed before painting. Raw wood needs to be sealed with something like minwax, KILZ, etc before basecoating and painting. Seals the sanded grain preventing swelling and uptake of water by the wood. If not sealed you will get bubbles and other problems in the finished bait (cracking, peeling, etc).

[KrawdadBill]

Which type of epoxy are you using and how are you mixing it?

I have been using Devcon 2 Ton with great sucess. When I mixed the epoxy in a small container, I experienced more bubbles. Especially with a thicker bristled brush. But I eliminated most of those bubbles after going back to mixing on a flat surface and using most any cheap bristled brush like you find at Wally World, or the cheap Testors model car paint brushes. The only drawback is that I can only coat several lures at a time with each individual brush as they aren't to compatable with cleaning using acetone.

I still get some small bubbles when mixing and coating but most all come to the surface and disappear.

Years ago I even used my fingers to spread the epoxy, but that can get you into a sticky situation. Plus not everybodies skin can take that kind of abuse.

I have thought about eating some garlic salt just before top coating and breathing on each lure to give it a garlic scent.

Sometimes a lot of the results you desire will come with more experience.

bill

[crazywade]

Bill, i think i'd probably end up glueing myself to my work bench if i used my fingers. Actually iv'e come pretty close using a brush.right now i have a bait glued to my bench( fell off the drying wheel). Oh well :oops:

Sean

[Pikestalker]

The problem is not when i topcoat the baits.My problem is when trying to seal the wood with epoxy before basecoating and painting.When sealing i thin the epoxy with 6-1 with acetone.But it turns out with big ugly bubbles.I wanted to try this to get a longer lasting bait,but maybe i should just stick with the regular basecoat and go with a thicker topcoat.

[Skeeter]

The best way that I have found to seal with epoxy is to put a good thick coat on the bait like you would for the final clearcoat. I too have tried thinning it and have had a really rough textured finish. Sanding it smoothe will wear you out. You will have to spin the bait just like the final coat..... but with lacquer paint it will give you a real smoothe paint job and you will have to use less paint for the undercoat.

Skeeter

[Pikestalker]

Thanks Skeeter i?ll give it a shot.Hopefully it works out ok.

[RiverMan]

First, get yourself a can of Bullseye Shellac, Home Depot. Spray on a coat and it will seal the bait and takes only 10 minutes to dry! I have read here that someone had problems using it but I have had no problems whatsoever and a can will cover a ton of baits.

Be careful mixing the Devcon on a flat surface as it is nearly impossible to make sure you include the "entire mix" while doing so. What happens is some of the Part A or Part B will get off to one side and despite your greatest efforts to include all of the glue while mixing you still end up having some that's left out. Then...when you put it on the bait and spin it dry, you will find a tiny spot on the bait that isn't cured for some reason......."what in the....."....not a nice thing. I always mix the Devcon in Dixie Cups that I cut the tops off of leaving them about an inch deep. The cups cost me a penny each and they insure that I mix all of the Devcon together eliminating this problem. Mix slowly getting to all portions of the container watching the glue as you go, it will start clear, then go milky, then back to clear, then finally become very watery, its now ready.

Jed

[Terrydabassman]

I've also read that you can add 5 drops of rubbing alcahol to the epoxy mix to thin it. Haven't tried it yet though.

[Husky]

Just my 2 cents. I had a huge aversion to gobbing epoxy on my finger so I wrapped a bit of Saran Wrap as a barrier between my finger and the epoxy and it allowed me to smoothly and evenly spread the epoxy without needing medical attention afterwards.

[Jann]

One way to get a really tough sealing is to use heat. We mainly use beechwood and preheat it before sealing with epoxy. Put it in a drying cabinet or an owen and heat the woodpiece at around 50 degrees celsius. Then you apply the epoxy as it is. It will be really thin because of the already heated wood, Then you could, not necessary, "bake" it in the owen for 45-60 minutes. We use Casco Araldite Professional and "bake" also the top coating this way. It will give a really tough bait ready for any northern pike (or maybe muskie?)! At least two layers of topcoating.

Tight lines! / Jann

[ckarren]

Pikestalker: I have found when I fixed my bubble problem, is when I started to epoxy in my eyehooks and let dry. Every thing has to be sealed with primer then paint then I put the first clear coat on. After that has set for two days, I will drill and epoxy in the eyehooks. The epoxy has to harden then I put on the final clear coat. The wood that is real bad for bubbles is Oak. The bigger and more pores it has the more bubbles you will get. What is happing is the wood is sucking it in and making the bubble.

#1 Fill using wood putty.

#2 Sand

#3 Sand

#4 Basecoat (primer) if you use White you don?t have to use a lot of paint.

#5 Paint

#6 First clear coat

#7 Drill and epoxy in eyehooks.

#8 Finish the clear coat.

This is how I make my musky lures with no problem.

-Corey