Anything But Etex

[BobP]

Some years back on TU, there was what I think of as "The Epoxy War" between guys who favored Etex over D2T or vice-versa.  Etex was often favored by musky bait builders while D2T was often favored by bass bait builders.  Long arguments ensued about clarity, impact resistance, yellowing, etc.  In the end, guys who used one or the other continued doing what they were doing.  What I came away with was that Etex works well on large baits, especially those that are fished in cold weather because it is more flexible and has better impact resistance.  D2T is perfectly adequate on bass baits, which are smaller and tend to be fished in warmer water.  D2T cures faster, is thicker and covers well in one coat whereas Etex cures more slowly and usually requires multiple coats.

 

In the end, it's player's choice.  Most slow cure epoxies work fine:  "30 minute" epoxy glues, decoupage/table top epoxy finishes, or rod guide epoxies.  There are significant differences but they are more alike than they are different when compared to other topcoats.

[jonister]

Another thing, I was repairing a rapala and noticed it was made out of balsa but had some plastic coating as a sealer. I think it is the little plastic pellets you buy and add some chemical to liquidize them, and then dip your baits in. I was wondering what this is called as I would like to try it for sealing my baits because I think it would be easier than mixing epoxy all the time, any ideas? P.S. I cant search for it as I have no clue what its called. Ive seen it talked about on here before though.

[HAWGFAN]

The "plastic pellets" you're referring to are propionate.  I've heard that that is what Rapala uses, but I can't confirm that for certain.  There is a guy that sells them on eBay.  He markets it to bait makers, and he's easy to find.  Buy the small amount first.  It'll last for dozens of baits, and will be more than plenty to let you experiment with.  I like it as a sealer on my balsa baits, but I don't recommend it as a top coat.  Some use it for a top coat, but I'm not satisfied with the durability, or my results to use it that way.  I dissolve it with virgin Acetone, and it works fine.  Some use denatured alcohol, but I've never tried it.  Tall, narrow jars, such as olives come in are good containers.  You get good depth with less volume that way.  You'll just have to experiment with your mix to get the thickness you want.  I prefer it fairly thick, about like warm honey, simply because it builds much faster.  As a rough guess, I'd say start with 1.5" of pellets in 5" of total level.  It can take weeks to totally dissolve, but you can start using it in a couple days.  Some sink the lure in it for the first coat, and leave the bait submerged for up to two hours.  The thought is to let the plastic penetrate and harden the wood.  I've tried it, but it didn't work for me.  I suspect my mixture is to thick.  For the first coat I dip for a minute or two.  Just long enough that the bubbles stop appearing on the surface of the balsa.  It doesn't level like epoxy.  If you need to hide any surface imperfections, it's more of a build, sand, repeat type of deal.  IMO, it's worth trying.  I like the no mix ease of it.  You can usually do your next coat in 10 minutes or so.  You'll hear about "blushing", a cloudy appearance when dry that seems to be related to humidity.  As a sealer, it's not a problem to me.  A thicker mix seems to be less prone to this, in my experience.  There are probably more things I could add, but that's the basics of what I do.

[jonister]

Thanks, im definitely going to look into this!

[jonister]

I saw something about them on stripers online recently and it says you can use red solo cups in place of propionate pellets. is this true and could I use something else like milk cartons? Also, whats virgin acetone, is it just normal acetone?

Edited August 8, 2014 by jonister

[HAWGFAN]

Virgin acetone is basically new, not recovered.  It is thought to be purer and to do a better job in dissolving the propionate (generally referred to as "prop").  Look for it identified this way in the paint thinners/strippers at your favorite hardware store.  Avoid blended solvents.  The solo cup deal is a whole other can of worms, so I'll try to be brief.  The only plastic used in cups that you'll likely be able to dissolve is polystyrene.  Many want clear, but most clear cups are made of PET or others.  Clear polystyrene cups are out there, however less common, so learn your recycle codes and take the time to look.  Coincidentally, polystyrene is a "6".  Here's the issue I've found.  Many polystyrenes, especially those used in plastic silverware, are too brittle.  Apparently, if your bait gets too hot or cold, it will split.  I've avoided it all together.  This can be a concern with prop as well.  This is not the place to cut corners.  Buy from a reputable supplier, with pellets of a known Shore Hardness of around 80, such as the one I suggested.  If I recall, he is from the Kingsport, TN area, home of Eastman Chemical Co. (by whom I was formerly employed), and makers of Tennite plastic, their registered trade name for prop.  I'm guessing this dude has a lot of experience with plastics, or has access to those that do.  OK, so much for being brief. 

Edited August 8, 2014 by HAWGFAN

[jonister]

Ok thanks, I think I may try the cup thing on a chunk of wood for now and see if it works. Otherwise I probably will buy some pellets from ebay

[jonister]

Anyone know if acetone will build up pressure melting the stuff? I havent added acetone to the plastic yet as im afraid that the jar will burst once the lid is on. also, im gonna first try the cups, and then try milk cartons as they seem to be less brittle.

[Nathan]

If your trying the cups thing you 'll need virgin lacquer thinner.Acetone and regular lacquer thinner aren't hot enough to melt the cups.If you try prop. Acetone will melt them fine...Nathan

[jonister]

ok thanks

[RayburnGuy]

I've only tried dissolving plastic in acetone once and I used Mason jars with the sealed lids screwed on tightly. I had no problem with pressure building up.

 

Ben