Tom S Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 I am a muskie bait maker\ painter and I am getting into painting walleye baits for some friends and may sell some. My question is does E-tex kill the action on these small baits? I have only used epoxy type clears on my bigger baits, but I worry that it will hinder the action on smaller baits. Is thinning a must? Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 I feel ANY little thing you do to a bait changes its performance to some extent. The smaller the bait, the more change you are introducing compared to a large bait when you topcoat it. That said, lots of repaints are topcoated with epoxy and still work great so all you can really do is try it and see. I like to use a thin factory-like topcoat on repainted lures - my choice is Dick Nite S81 moisture cured urethane. One dip is as thin as a factory topcoat and very tough and glossy. But the stuff is not cheap and is hard to store without "going off". I don't know how thick you make your Etex on musky lures. I've seen some beautiful ones with VERY thick topcoats but I don't think that would be appropriate on a small walleye bait for the very reason you're concerned about. Etex is relatively thin compared to other epoxies so I'd plan on a couple of coats, just enough to obtain a uniform gloss. Epoxies are only slightly more dense than water so you'd probably be OK. I wouldn't thin it. JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom S Posted February 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 (edited) Thanks for the input Bob. I think I will try the Etex first as I have confidence in it. I think I can get that pretty thin especially if I heat it while brushing it on. Tom Edited February 25, 2013 by Tom S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakyhead Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 I don't know about killing the action, but I thinned some Gorilla brand crystal clear epoxy today with denatured alcohol. It is a 5 min. epoxy. I know rule of thumb says to use something like Devcon 2ton, which I normally use. I got to say, I really liked the finish I got with the Gorilla. I thinned it quite a bit. It gave me plenty of time to do a 4" pointer. I like that I had time to put it on nice, but it set up not long after. No need to put it on a drying wheel. I think I will start using it, since it's a pain for me to find devcon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 It will probably turn brown when exposed to uv rays! Just my opinion though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakyhead Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 It will probably turn brown when exposed to uv rays! Just my opinion though Oh man! Never thought of that. Oh well, I only did one, and it was a real simple paint job. It turned out really nice though, so I will be bummed if it browns. Thanks for the heads up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakyhead Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 It will probably turn brown when exposed to uv rays! Just my opinion though Will the 5 min Devcon brown? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Will the 5 min Devcon brown? Yes to the 5 minute Devcon. Not sure about the Gorilla brand epoxy, but the 5 minute Devcon is not waterproof. It's water resistant. That is if my memory is working at the moment. So much to remember. So few brain cells left to remember with. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakyhead Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Yes to the 5 minute Devcon. Not sure about the Gorilla brand epoxy, but the 5 minute Devcon is not waterproof. It's water resistant. That is if my memory is working at the moment. So much to remember. So few brain cells left to remember with. Ben Sounds like it's best to stick with 2ton. Thank you for the pointer. I am planning on ordering some solarez at some point. Sorry to hijack the thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
