Ichthus Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 hey guys! so i should be finishing one of my first wood lures and i'm going to be sealing it (ive made wood lures before but i had never sealed the wood because i just didnt get the concept at first) with all the minwax I use for topcoating purposes, I figure I might try to seal the wood with minwax because of its ease of use. if anybody has experience with this process, please post here. I will be posting my results here as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Minwax is a brand..what Minwax product are you using? I've used their polyacrilic too seal baits with.Two dips and it seals pretty good.The only problem with it was it is water based and raises the grain on the bait...Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimP Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 There is a thread here somewhere just about using "MinWax" as a top coat. As Nathan mentioned about the water based version there are also several solvent based poly versions. I tried both and the water based will not stand prolonged submersion and the solvent based poly i tried yellowed a lot over time. Test on a piece of scrap and expose to sunlight and moisture. Test on a lure that has some white on it to make it easy to see any discoloration that may occur. This is two lures top coated with "MinWax" and one with another, sorry not sure about the brand. Coating applied over the same paint job, white base and dark back. They were top coated about 6 months ago. Hate to see you ruin some good lures. Jim P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajay920 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Minwax makes a wood hardener that is used for restoration purposes. It is as thin as water and penatrates well. It take a good overnite drying session and is messy and toxic. Best used as a dip rather than a brush on. Not sure what it is made of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Minwax makes a wood hardener that is used for restoration purposes. It is as thin as water and penatrates well. It take a good overnite drying session and is messy and toxic. Best used as a dip rather than a brush on. Not sure what it is made of. I've also used the wood hardener. It is made of something nasty, for sure. The longer you soak your bait, the deeper it penetrates. That should be a good thing, but it also pulls the solvent carrier deep into the lure, and takes longer to off gas, so you can paint it. I found that, if I soaked a bait for a minute that was plenty. Any more, and it would bubble out of the end grain when I heat set my paint, because it had penetrated so deeply. I found the test for being ready for paint was to hit the dipped lure with a hair dryer, and look for bubbling, before I began to paint. If it bubbled, it hung to dry another day, and then was retested. That was with poplar. Other woods might react differently, but that was my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthus Posted October 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 I was planning on using the solvent based, but now I might use something else like D2T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 I was planning on using the solvent based, but now I might use something else like D2T. Wood expands and contracts with changing temperatures, so on bigger baits I'd suggest a decoupage epoxy, like Etex or Nu Luster, which is designed to move with the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthus Posted October 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Thanks! I'll try Etex. And I'll end up finishing with solarez maybe. I want to give the stuff a try. Will a normal black light work or do i need a nail dryer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Thanks! I'll try Etex. And I'll end up finishing with solarez maybe. I want to give the stuff a try. Will a normal black light work or do i need a nail dryer? I don't know anything about black lights. I bought a UV fingernail light box, because those UV lights are specifically designed for the proper UV range. This is the one I bought, I think. It's been a while, and my memory...... http://www.amazon.com/Salon-Edge-Acrylic-Shellac-CURING/dp/B009062W9W/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1414763336&sr=8-15&keywords=uv+lamp+36+watt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthus Posted October 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Ok perfect. I figure I might as well give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 I use Solarez as an undercoating and it works fine - and it's fast. Don't much like its low gloss as a topcoat, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
florida strain Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 I use Minwax spar urethane. I cut it with mineral spirits around 10% to help the wood absorb it into the grain deeper. A light scuff with 500 grit between dips and before primer. Works for me. I use semi gloss, some people like the flat better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthus Posted November 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 Floridastrain, I reckon the spray spar urethane by Helmsman (i think) could work if you were in a pinch too. I believe I heard chatter somewhere about people using other aerosol forms of sealers to seal their wood lures. Just a little thought. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonister Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 on the topic of minwax wood hardener, I left mine sit for a couple months and now it is super thick and is the consistency of pudding, can I thin with something or should I toss it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthus Posted November 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2014 I'd say toss it. Im not sure what that could do to the wood, it could even ruin the paint that you put over it. But you could always experiment on a plain piece of wood and see! Let us know if you end up trying it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
