sieglefish Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I need some help here guys if you would be so gracious. I am beating my head against the wall trying to figure out which way to go here for topcoating my lures. I have been using the two part epoxy in the 5 min and thinning it a little to buy me some time, but now i am leaning towards buying a quart of the solarez polyester resin and try using this stuff to speed up my dipping time. Can somebody tell me how this stuff compares to the two part epoxy in regards to durability and glossyness on the lures. Any help here would be greatly appreciated!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I tried it and did not like it. I had some lures that the solarez cracked , and it didn't look good on darker colors. The 5 min epoxy will turn yellow in the sun. I recommend gst, easy to apply and no storage issues . It takes a couple weeks to cure though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Definatley don't use 5 minute epoxie..There are numerous others you can use instead.Some people swear by Solrez..some swear at it!!!...If you use the search function of this site and enter Solarez..and Epoxie top coats you find hours of reading!!!...Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barr5150 Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Topcoating has to be the worst part of lure building! I haven't used solarez but I am curious about it. It seems pretty simple to use. Currently I'm one of the concrete sealer guys. It works well but it's not without it's own problems. Whatever you decide make sure you get away from that 5min epoxy. That stuff yellows quick man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass100 Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 For dipping go here and check the info out. http://dakotalakestackle.com/FAQ.html I myself like Solarez but it is not as glossy as others. How glossy a bait is only matters to sellers becaue in the water they all look the same. I dull my baits up because I don't want them glossy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inrll Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I have recently started brushing on my Solarez vs dipping because I can A. Avoid getting any on the lip causing it to look hazy and B. Put it right in the sun without having to wait for excess to drip off. I then do a single dip of GST to give the lure an over all deep gloss and to cosmetically clean up the bill of minor scuffs. So far I REALLY like this method because it seems to reach full cure quickly being only a single GST dip. I think it has the look of an epoxied lure due to the thickness of the Solarez giving depth to the gloss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 Solarez is a neat product because you can apply it and zap it with a UV light for 3 minutes and you're done. It does have a couple of gotchas. If you want to dip it, I'd recommend doing it at room temp or above because it goes on pretty thick. It can tend to form drips and sheeting on the lure if you're not careful. I prefer brushing it on. However you apply it, I recommend putting it on a lure rotator for a few minutes so it will level out better and the wax it contains can rise to the surface of the topcoat. If you just dip it and hang it up, the wax will gravitate to the bottom of the lure and will form a noticeable white blush on your lure. The wax is necessary for the Solarez to cure hard. Solarez gives you a satin rather than a high gloss finish. 5 Minute epoxy should not be used for topcoating. It cures too quickly to level out properly, it tends to turn brown pretty fast when exposed to UV light, and it's less waterproof and less strong than 30 minute epoxies. There are plenty of slow cure epoxies available and all of them seem to work pretty well. I use Devcon Two Ton. A good epoxy is really hard to beat for uniformity, gloss, and durability. And the right epoxy with good application technique is very reliable as far as looks go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sieglefish Posted March 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 OK guys thanks for all the valuable information it has helped me out immensley. So for starters no more 5 min epoxy. It looks like i will be changing my technique for coating these addictive S.O.B.(lol) Thanks again for all the input guys knew i could count on ya!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
