SMALLIEHUNTER Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 I got a few Bagley Balsas for a friend to repaint, a couple have Flex cracks on them. Do I need to strip the down to bare Balsa , reseal them then paint or is there a quicker way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 I always try acetone as a paint remover first. If you soak the lure without letting the acetone hit the bill, and then let it drip dry, it should remelt the cracked top coat and fuse the cracks. I use a brush to apply the acetone around the bill. It should also give you a nice clean surface to paint. If that doesn't work, sand it off by hand with 100 grit sandpaper. Once the cracked top coat is removed, switch to finer paper to smooth the surface, and prime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobv Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 You have to be careful with Bagley's, there usually are some spots filled in the wood with some kind of filler and I'm not sure how it would react to acetone. I always sand smooth, prime and paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking 56 Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Before priming I would seal it with a waterproof glue to hopefully prevent it from cracking again. I use Titebond 3. I found using a razor blade or exacto knife works well to scrape paint off small lures. s54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 IMO, you never want to sand a wood bait, especially balsa, down to raw wood again. In this case, I would probably fill the cracks with Elmer's exterior wood patch, paint the repairs over with a little super glue or nail polish, then sand the whole lure lightly to give the surface some tooth and repaint it from there. Balsa has lots of buoyancy and I don't think the additional finish and topcoat will significantly effect the action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackjack Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 1) Remove lip 2) Soak bait in acetone until paint,sealer, topcoat are removed 3) Clean up bait surface with acetone on a clean rag and let dry completly 4) Reinstall Lip 5) Reseal bait 6) Prime 7) Repaint Clearcoat Otherwise you are just wasting your time as the cracks will eventually come back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 How would you remove the lip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMALLIEHUNTER Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Thanks so much for all the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackjack Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Razor blade and some elbow grease, The lip is probably loose already, Bagleys and old Poes are notorious for that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobv Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 I would sand down just to see if the cracks are just in the finish or into the wood. lots of Bagleys I paint just have cracked clear, in that case just sand off the clear prime and paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
