Matt Moreau Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 (edited) Hi Guys, I have had some mixed results recently and want your input. I bought an economy brand auto clear recently. It doenst seem to hold up and I dont know if I did something wrong or what. Its a 4 - 1 ratio urethane clear that I spray with a mini gun 1.0 nozzle. I put 1 tack and 1 wet coat. I usually wait 2-3 days and never had an issue but always used the good stuff like deltron. Well on the ones i did a couple weeks ago started peeling and what not after a day or 2 of fishing. So my questions are; 1. How many coats do you put of Auto Clear - do you do them all within a short period or buff and re apply 2. Do you use a name brand or economy brand - What brand 3. How long do you wait to fish them 4. Do you use water based paints or urethane 5. Any suggestions other than dont buy cheap stuff? ugggh! Edited October 2, 2012 by Matt Moreau Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice45 Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 I use Valspar brand automotive clear that has a mix rations 2:1:1 clear-activator-reducer i usually put 2-3 wet coats depending on how the bait looks. I wait for the clear to get tacky between coats. just touch the very edge of the bill or somewhere to see if the paint is dry (tacky so the clear doesnt transfer to your finger)I spray that over urethane paint. I usually give them atleast a few days to a week before i fish them. You need to make sure that they have a warm place to dry otherwise it will take for ever to cure up good and hard. Is it just the clear chipping or is the paint and the clear chipping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcleod Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 Matt, Got to be careful changing clears, compatibility could be the issue. I have tried a few and have had similar issues to you, some clears work with some paints and others do not. I also recon the better quality the less issue you have. I dont know myself but have read alot about purity of components which go into the cheap ones. Got to get the price down somehow. Anyway in answer to your questions, 1. How may coats. I use too clears (cause I am trying both to compare results over a long time), one is a 4:1 iso clear and the other is a 3:1 non-iso clear. For the 4:1 I do two coats same wetness for each, for the 3:1 I do three coats same wetness for each. I find the 3:1 goes on thinner and needs a third coat. 2. 4:1 is Dupont and 3:1 is a local aussie supplier. I dont know whether the aussie one is a good brand or not but havent had any issues with it. Dupont, well I would say they fit the name brand status 3. I wait for a week before fishing but could get away with it after about half a week if pushed. 4. I am not up with the lingo on paints, however, dont like water based paints. The ones I use are acrylic solvent basecoats I think. 5. There was a post on here a while ago which had some of the best info regarding autoclears I have ever read. Link is below, some great info from knowlegable and respected users. Other than that I generally follow the manuf instructions to the letter, dont skimp at all on quality gear and test everything if I make a change somehow. Havent had any issues for a long time since following that process. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/23935-clear-coat-problems/page__hl__automotive Angus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 hi we use dupont or cross canada auto clear. only on plastics and metal. wood has tendencys to move when wet. have you looked into what you shot over. paint issues. .we use 4.1 mix thru a paashe nu.5 tip at 50lbs. never an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sallystrothers Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 What container are you mixing in? Can you still smell solvent before fishing the baits? Is your compressed air dried and oilless? You may want more coats, say 4-6. Hi Guys, I have had some mixed results recently and want your input. I bought an economy brand auto clear recently. It doenst seem to hold up and I dont know if I did something wrong or what. Its a 4 - 1 ratio urethane clear that I spray with a mini gun 1.0 nozzle. I put 1 tack and 1 wet coat. I usually wait 2-3 days and never had an issue but always used the good stuff like deltron. Well on the ones i did a couple weeks ago started peeling and what not after a day or 2 of fishing. So my questions are; 1. How many coats do you put of Auto Clear - do you do them all within a short period or buff and re apply 2. Do you use a name brand or economy brand - What brand 3. How long do you wait to fish them 4. Do you use water based paints or urethane 5. Any suggestions other than dont buy cheap stuff? ugggh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Moreau Posted October 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Thanks for the replies guys... @Ice...on the first one the clear actually peeped taking paint with it. This was just a test and i did a few things wrong. I didnt care about it so i went heavier than normal laying the paint down and i fished it after just a night of dry time. On the second I wanted to test if I could clear over rattle can paint and waited maybe 2-3 days before fishing... this just more of chipped off from the hooks taking a little paint with it. @ Mcleod...I use waterbased paints and heat set so i am thinking that should cut down on compatability issues. I agree about the purity of the components but it was hard to argue with $70 shipped for a gallon of this stuff compared to $250. I may try the lower priced dupont ones as they have a bunch. I read that link some time ago it was a good read again. Thank you! @Woodie....I never thought of not applying t to wood. I kinda thought it would be like DN MCU and soak into the paint and create a good bond. I am assuming that if i use an epooxy over the wod it will be ok? Have you tried it over resin baits? @Sally...I mix in the plastic paint mixing cups i get at an autobody supply store near my house. I have never really smelled them. I have a moisture trap before the connection to my AB house. at first I was thinking more coats but i read on another forum that auto clear becomes gummy or something with too many coats and or too thick. Thats the main reason to pick some brains here. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice45 Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 The reason being if you are getting paint chipping off to with the clear then the problem is more of a paint adhesion problem and that would be more of a problem with the prep of the lure prior to painting it versus a problem with the clear in my opinion. And of course the longer you can let the lure sit for the clear to dry the stronger it will be before fishing with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 resin or hard foam baits its fine. . we mix our 4.1 in shooter cups from the dollar store. on all metals, plastics its superb with gloss finish. on metals we use a lo-bake oven. we have blades 20 years old and there still slik shiny.. it all seems to go back to your adhesion issues. normally we use lacquer based paints,and any 4.1 clearon the above mentioned works. woods are another story line. good luck i hope i helped someone out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 Wood is unstable, and swells with any water intrusion. That's what makes sealing the wood completely before you paint so important. Once water gets in anywhere your paint scheme, and maybe your lure, are doomed. I never found a method of sealing my wood baits that was foolproof, so, when JR Hopkins recommended switching to AZEK PVC decking and trimboard, I made the switch and have never looked back. The only wood I consider using now is balsa for small cranks, since I haven't found anything that matches it's buoyancy, and the action it gives crankbaits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoonpluggergino Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 Yes Mark is exactly right the paint sticks to the Azek deckboards so well that even when you hit rocks you may get a dent in the bait but the paint never chips. I am also another guy that I will never look back to build wood baits. Hey thanks Mark , you made my life easier Gino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 Thanks go to JR for sharing his "secret" with me and the rest of TU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crzyjunyer Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 ive been using a low end "shopline" clear system from ppg - its a 2:1 and about $80 for a quart of clear and 2 pints of hardener and will cover a ton of lures - i normally prep my lures with a wax/grease remover, base coat with auto air sealer white, paint with mostly autoair paints. i normally heat set after each color and do a final heat set when im done. i usually set the lures over nite or so before applying eyes and then clear coat then. I usually spray 5-6 thin coats of clear and they seem to be holding up well. I still get some hook rash a lil and when i bang them up on rocks and bridge columns and suck they do chip a lil but so do "store bought" lures as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Net Man Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 I have been useing Omni for about 6 years. It is a low end from PPG. It works very well at 2:1. Recently I have been doing a little testing with D2T and than appling one coat of Omni. I like the depth of the D2T but some times it will yellow. So this lead me to try a single coat Omni over the D2T to cure the yellowing. So far it has worked but I am not sold 100% yet. Anyone else tried this??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 The bottom line is that there is no auto clear that will hold up. I don't care how much you spend or how you mix it. I only use it on baits that have sharp edges, (Devcon does not like sharp edges) or baits that are weight sensitive like jerkbaits. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
