crankie Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Finally, got back in to TU. I was asked the other day if I would repaint some Rapala's for my electrician, This has probably been explained over and over but I am looking for ways to increase fall and winter activities. How far down should I sand these or should I only rough up the surface. He wants only whites with possibly simple pinstripe type blood lines applied. He will be supplying a couple of dozen so I will have the time. Any help or direction for this will be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 One thing to remember about reworking balsa lures is that if you sand through to bare wood you'll have to reseal the entire bait which is pretty much starting from scratch. Unless the baits are in really bad shape a light sanding with 400 grit sandpaper should suffice. This will give the new paint something to bite to. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 (edited) Amen to that! I NEVER want to sand a balsa crankbait down to raw wood. To me, it's pretty much unrecoverable if you do. One way to remove all the paint from Rapalas is to torch it off with a propane torch, leaving the undercoating intact. You have to be careful but the flame will quickly wrinkle and release the clearcoat and paint from the non-flammable undercoating on Rapalas. I hesitate to recommend this when a light sanding would probably suffice because you are literally playing with fire. It's easy to ruin the lip if you're not careful. Nor can I guarantee that Rapala uses non-flammable undercoating on all of their baits. I've experimented with torching on a few repaints of wood lures. Worked great on Rapala Risto Raps. Burst into vigorous flames on a Poe, which uses a very flammable undercoating, and instantly ruined the lure. But if I had 20 Rapalas to repaint... ? Edited June 10, 2014 by BobP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reelentless Posted June 11, 2014 Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 I have repainted plenty of husky jerks and taildancers. What I found best to do is to lightly buff the surface and put a light coat of Etex on it. It will smooth out all the scratches and teeth marks and give a good surface to paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffond Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 I guess the question I had is are the Rapalas balsa or plastic... since husky jerks are plastic and some of there other baits are as well just keep an eye on what your sanding... if you get a nice mix I would separate them into two groups wood and plastic since the plastic is much easier to deal with then the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crankie Posted June 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 Thanks guys for the input. Sounds like I'll get both wood and plastic. Should keep me out of trouble for the winter months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reelentless Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 Hey crankie, I posted up a before & after shot of one of the balsa Rapalas I recently finished. Most of them if they had a scratch through the clear the finish flaked off pretty easy with just a finger nail. A light coat of Etex before painting did wonders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 Hey crankie, I posted up a before & after shot of one of the balsa Rapalas I recently finished. Most of them if they had a scratch through the clear the finish flaked off pretty easy with just a finger nail. A light coat of Etex before painting did wonders. That bait looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reelentless Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 Thanks Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
