JR2 Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I switched to MCU so I can dip instead of brush on D2T and battle air bubbles or adding too much weight. I dipped 3 plastic cranks that were painted with Createx and have been hanging for about 2 weeks. MCU caused the paint to wrinkle immediately so I know it was not due to paint that was not dry... what might else be going on? No other coatings besides the Createx... no top coat or gloss applied. Is that the problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I don't think the Createx is the problem since I've dipped hundreds of Createx painted baits in MCU without an issue. Nor do I think adding an clear acrylic over the Createx will help. A few questions: When you say Createx, do you mean the standard paint or the Wicked or Auto-Air colors? I've used standard and Auto-Air without problems, never tried Wicked. Are you using Dick Nite S81 MCU or some other brand? If you are using a different brand that others haven't, we can't know what kind of solvents it contains. Did you use a single dip, then hang the baits up to dry? I've not had trouble doing that with several MCU brands including Dick Nite, Famowood, and Garco. It's the little details that can trip you up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR2 Posted March 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Thanks for the reply and any information given.. it is greatly appreciated! I used standard Createx and Wicked which I have been doing for quite some time but normally use D2T. Got tired of working the airbubbles so I tried the MCU. Some history.... I have some basswood flatsides that are sealed then base coated with Delta Laboratories white which I then painted using Createx standard and Wicked. Top coated with D2T thinned with lacquer thinner for increased working time and lighter layup. Finish looked great. Had someone using the flatsides recently where the water temp and air temp were different... say 50 degree water and 35 air... the D2T top coat split and I was told by the lure builder that the D2T can be too brittle because when the 2 temps are different the wood can contract/expand causing the top coat to split. Maybe because I thinned it? He suggested using Garco due to its flex agent. So I bought some Garco MCU super high gloss as recommended. Dipped a few of the wooden baits and they look great so I thought I would dip the plastic cranks instead of using the D2T and the turning wheel for ease and time. Low and behold I now have wrinkle paint on the plastics.... Single dip and hang. I just did them this evening. However it is probably 40 degrees outside and raining... MCU was stored inside (68 to 70 degrees) but I went to the shop to dip them, 3 wooden flats and 3 plastics. The plastics wrinkled within seconds of dipping and the wooden ones did not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I tried Garco but didn't like it as well as Dick Nite because the can I got (on sale) was thicker and a darker amber than fresh DN. It also "went off" and began to harden almost immediately. It might have been on the shelf too long? It also did not seem to penetrate the acrylic paint and bond to my epoxy undercoat like DN does, which made for a weaker finish. After a hundred or so lures with DN, I think wrinkling happens for two reasons. If wet MCU sits on acrylic paint too long, it wrinkles. So you need to avoid any handling (including rotation on a lure dryer) that can cause the MCU to pool anywhere on the lure. MCU quickly forms a skin and if it is too thick, there can be MCU underneath the skin that remains liquid for too long. That's why you want to dip it and hang it up so excess MCU can quickly drip off the lure.The second reason MCU wrinkles is if it is applied over any solvent based paint or undercoating. Since it penetrates, it will react badly if a solvent based coating is anywhere on the lure. I've dipped and hung MCU lures in 50 degrees with no problem. But perhaps lower temperatures can cause the MCU to become thicker and also for its solvent to flash off much more slowly - which would be a "wet wrinkling" problem. Second, and this is just another Wild Assed Guess, I've never used Wicked Createx. I know Wicked is a different formulation than standard Createx and I suspect it includes some kind of solvent. If the wrinkling occurred just on top of the Wicked, I would be very suspicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass100 Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Years ago when I was playing with MCU I had the same problem. I discovered it was my base coat that was wrinkling. I then base coated with createx and I had no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR2 Posted March 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 It appears that the cold weather was my problem. I re-dipped 3 wooden baits and another plastic with no problems. The plastic crank had a base coat of Createx opaque white just like the other 3 that wrinkled. Unless there was something on the plastic that leached thru to cause the wrinkling. Thanks for the replies and I will keep posting should I figure out what caused it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoonpluggergino Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I see that you have air bubble problems using D2T, I realize that this may be off subject. I found out the hard way took me about a 1.5 years was driving me crazy after painting and using either D2T or E-Tex bubbles would come up, not every time, but enough that I was loosing interest in building baits and loosing sleep over What I found is that I needed to do a better job on sealing the bait. After hours of searching the net I found the salt water guys are using Deft sanding sealer and I use 4 coats to make sure the bait is totally sealed. I also use Propionate, I do the thin coat but at least 7 or 8 thin coats. Both of these sealer work great no more bubbles. Another thing that I do after I paint the bait I will wait at least a full day before I clear coat the bait. I do not even exhale on the bait or use warm air, I brush on either the D2T thinned or E-Tex. No more bubbles coming through Gino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Gills Tackle Posted April 12, 2014 Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 I'm having the exact same problem using the exact same paint and same MCU. I just dipped one today and the lure was instantly ruined. Did you ever figure out was is causing it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR2 Posted April 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 I have dipped numerous lures (both plastic and wood) since and have not had a single one wrinkle. It was either the weather (about 40 degrees and raining) or there was solvent residue on the lure before I painted it... I think it was the weather. The lures had cured for several days before dipping in MCU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 Have you tried hitting the lure with a hair dryer in cold weather, to preheat it, before you dip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 BTW, I suggest you thin epoxy with denatured alcohol. I've had uncertain results using lacquer thinner including weaker film strength and failure to cure hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
