Double Checking My Sealing & Top Coat Process

[ArdentAngler]

Hi,

 

Just wanted to run this by you guys and get some solid criticism before going ahead only to have an oopsie, followed by bad words.

 

My intention was to seal my wooden baits (Pine- Red Cedar) with Minwax Spar Urethane. Follow up with a thinned primer (suggestions needed) and allow adequate time to dry. Then paint my baits with either Krylon or Rustoleum. Finally finish with Devcon 2 ton epoxy letting it cure for a couple days.

 

So the question is: Do you think this is a sound procedure for sealing & top coating?

 

How long do you leave your scale templates on after painting? I hear mixed things such as allow it to dry as to not ruin the finish or too long and it will stick to the lures.

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

[HAWGFAN]

The urethane should work fine as a sealer.  I'd prefer epoxy, thin CA, or propionate on balsa to harden it, but I don't think you'll have that issue.  I only have experience with balsa.  For your primer step, usually called "base coat" around here because very few of us actually use primer, that should be fine. Typically white or black paint is used for this step, and would probably be all you'll need.  Keep in mind the color of your primer.  Even with spray paints, it can make a difference.  You'll notice this more with florescent colors.  With a gray primer, you may want to use white over it.  I've painted a few baits with spray cans, and I'd go with Krylon, or any other latex base paint.  The cheap, store brand stuff will do just fine.  The quality/durability of the paint isn't the real concern.  The top coat provides the durability.  You just need a paint that sprays smoothly, and doesn't run or wrinkle.  Some of that is a product of technique.  Most of the Rustoleum paints I've seen are solvent base, and will require much more drying time.  That will make you crazy waiting a day between coats/colors.  The D2T is a fine top coat, in my opinon.  I haven't used scale netting a lot with spray cans.  When I did, the results were pretty sad.  The color I was using went on pretty wet.  You'll notice that different colors, even in the same series, from the same manufacturer, can have their own personalities.  The netting tried to absorb the paint, and it was a mess.  I'd experiment on a test piece first, such as scraps of PVC pipe, or even drink cans and bottles.  Anything with a slick, non-porous surface.  I suspect you'll have the best luck with spraying from 18 inches or so away, a quick heat set with a hair dryer, then remove the net.  Another tip with spray cans.  Dirty nozzles can give you a lot of headaches.  Sometimes you can turn the can upside down and clear them, immediately after spraying.  I keep a can of cheap carb or brake cleaner on hand.  Most paints use the same type nozzle.  After spraying, take the nozzle off of the paint can, and put it on the cleaner can.  A couple short bursts and the nozzle is as good as new.

Edited May 22, 2014 by HAWGFAN

[mark poulson]

When I first started making and painting lures, Lunker Punker knockoffs, I used dipped Minwax sealer, wet sanded, and then I would hang my lures from the edge of my overhead garage door and spray them with rattle cans.  I followed the timing on the cans for recoating, and was able to spray multiple coats of color, mixing and blending as much as the cans would let me, and I found the spray paint really bonded to itself, no matter what brand, and really cured out nicely.  

I used spray acrylic clear, three coats, for a top coat back then, but, as long as you let you lures cure after painting to be sure the solvents have evaporated, your D2T should give you a good finish.

Bear in mind that D2T is, first and foremost, a glue epoxy, so it is strong, but it can be brittle over large areas.

I found it worked fine for small balsa baits and cranks, but for larger baits, like my 6" punkers and jointed swim baits, I found a decoupage epoxy, like Etex or Nulustre, worked better, because they are designed to move with the large wooden areas they cover, and are not as rigid.

 

A lesson learned the hard way...spray with the wind at your back, unless you want tinted lenses in your glasses.   Hahaha

Edited May 22, 2014 by mark poulson

[saltwater]

Additionally:

 

"Vir Prudens Non Contra Ventum Mingit"

(A wise man does not urinate up against the wind)

[BobP]

Scale netting -  it's player's choice how you do it.  If you spray lightly, you can use a hair dryer on the paint before you remove the template.  That will ensure that you don't mar the design by smearing paint when you remove the netting.  But if you spray too thickly, it can adhere to the netting instead of the crankbait and pull off the surface.  I usually hit it with a hair dryer for a few seconds, then pull off the netting and finish drying the paint more thoroughly.

[ArdentAngler]

I meant to write a more in depth process including the sanding or scuffing of each coat to promote paint adhesion...just have a lot on my plate at the moment.

 

I'm concerned with chemical reactions from the paint/primer not from Devcon 2 ton which is neutral. As for my sealer, Minwax Spar Urethane, it seemed a pragmatic approach due to its ability to flex and expand. From all my reading it seems next to impossible to find a good procedure for sealing and clear coating lures. All the products mentioned on TU have pros and cons, besides those its more of a health and safety issue to be taken in account as well. One of the cons is being brittle, seems to be ubiquitous on all the site forums. Perhaps I should ask a couple of the guys on here for a trade off, send them a couple lures to keep for themselves in return for some being sealed with something like GST? Since its not available to me this seems like a reasonable venture..

 

 

 

Its funny, after reading a bit the Krylon has a bad rep for having a wide spray nozzle. Guess that's why many choose Rustoleum as a go to.

 

Does anyone know of a primer filler acrylic lacquer that I can dip my lures in that's decent and reasonably priced?

 

So for the scale netting, if I used a plastic stencil like a scrubber this would evade having it be absorbed, right? Everyone makes it look easy, direct spray on top of the lure 18" away, light sprays, touch and go.

 

Ok, so heat it a couple seconds after spraying with a hair dryer and fastidiously remove the netting and it SHOULD be fine. The only thing that concerns me is bubbling, though it shouldn't be a problem with a light fanning from the hair dryer.

 

 

I'm sure that there is some stuff that needs to be addressed but at the moment I am at a loss? Thanks for the input, won't be long till my process gets sorted out with all this great advice!

[mark poulson]

Unfortunately, most of the tough questions can only be answered by trial and error, since everyone's process and ingredients are different, and the techniques for things like scaling without lifting the paint are also learned through trial and error.

Do yourself a big favor and do a couple of tests with some of the wood you'll be using.  It may seem like a waste of time and material, but you'll learn more from a couple of test sessions than anyone can teach you online.  I've learned as much, or more, from failures as from successes, because I've had to figure out what went wrong, and, in the process, I've come to understand what I'm doing and my materials and processes more thoroughly.

Bite the bullet, make a test piece or two, and let us know how it goes.

[florida strain]

Sorry I was late to respond to the thread. I make my lures in the same very fashion. Spar urethane to seal with. I cut it with mineral spirits, to help absorb into the grain deeper. I use semi gloss, the first coat absorbs quick, and the next coat fills in fine seams and levels everything out. I use 500 grit in between coats,and before paint prime. All my lures painted in the gallery so far are done with rattle cans, no airbrush. And I use Versachem 2 Ton epoxy for my topcoat. I don't leave any templates on more than 60 seconds.