gone2long Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Looks like a new product and the video seems strait forward wondering what's new about this product from the other UV set resins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeee Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) Why is the guy in the video applying it in freezing temperatures ? You can see his breath it's so cold! Does it need to so cold to get a thick enough coat? Edited December 13, 2014 by Jdeee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Looks like maybe it's another polyester UV resin (e.g. Solarez) but very pricey. A 2 lb can (looks like a quart?) is $90 - three times the cost of Solarez. But if it is crystal clear when cured, it would be a candidate to guys for whom money is no object. I hate the wax haze you get with Solarez. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) I was fortunate to be one of the first testers of the product. It took a long time for the owner of Alumilite, Mike Faupal (in the video), and Larry Dahlberg of Hunt for big fish to get it 'just right'. I have Solerez as well, and I never ever use Solerez on lures that I want a gloss and clear top coat on anymore. The AlumiUV that I got to sample does provide a super clear and super glossy and super tough finish. There was no camera trickery involved in the video, it is that good. The reason you saw Mike's breath is that he filmed this in his garage, this month (December) and it is unheated. No, you do not need to be in a cold room to get a thick coat. In fact, the comment he makes in the video about heating the material to thin it down for a thinner coat is one I gave to him. One thing I like about the AlumiUV is that it cures over a larger range of UV or Black light wave frequency then Solerez. One thing I did notice though is that it takes longer in my nail cure then Solerez does. The side effect of this is that I can put the AlumiUV on my lures, partially cure it to get a surface film, then remove excess from lure eyes, joints, etc., then complete the cure. It will cure under the sun very well. Gon2long, it is what I would call the "next generation" in clear UV coats. Jdeee, I think I answered your question, just an unheated garage in December (lives in Wisconsin I believe) where he did the video. When I get my man cave put back together now that I have moved, I can film it in normal temperatures if you want. BobP, yes, it may be more expensive then Solarez, but you know the stuff goes a long way and they do have the 1/4 pound can for just $19. It is not like you need to buy the big can. For the clarity, the strength, and for the ease of use, I do believe that if you try it you will love it. I sure do mine. Disclaimer required? No, I don't work for Mike or his company, but I was sure lucky to get and try the original sample of this stuff. I understand from mike that his production sample is even better then the sample I got. It really is the best stuff I have found for coating lures. Edited December 13, 2014 by Anglinarcher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeee Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) Anglinarcher Can the product be applied on top of Solarez? Does it smell bad/strong I tried to open the link for material safety sheet on Alumilites website and it does not work, but the other links do? You might want to tell them to fix that it looks fishy, excuse the wording : ) You might want to suggest a mid range size to sell as you can't dip a musky bait in the small size and I don't see many people putting out 90 bucks to test it. Edited December 13, 2014 by Jdeee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Jdeee, The product can be applied on anything. But.... I found that while it is glossy, you can still see a layer of haze below the surface from the Solarez. It does not remove the wax layer but it covers it. Soooo, email me with your goal and I will let you know if I have tried it yet. It smells, but not as much as Solarez. My wife would get on me when I opened Solarez in the house, but I could pull the wool over her eyes (nose) with the AlumiUV. Still, I open a window and use a fan even when I spray acrylic paint. My wife has allergies to perfumes, chemical odors, etc., and runs for her inhaler at the first hint so that fact that I can get away with this if I keep a window open and the door closed is pretty lucky for me. I will email Mike about the MSDS and other sizes. You guys can call Mike and talk to him directly. 800 447 9344. You can also email his company at info@alumilite.com One last thing.....I do not dip my lures. I still use a brush with tight bristles and brush it on. I then hang it for a little bit. So..... you do not really need the mid sized can to dip, but .... it would help.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeee Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Thanks for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughesy Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 Shipping cost almost as much as the product. $19 for product and almost $14 to ship. Has to be a better way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeee Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 Great can't wait to see how much it is to ship to the Great White North!!!!! Maybe I will just start dipping my lures in crude oil LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 Yea, cost of shipping some of the stuff is terrible. You might see if your local craft store is going to carry it. I get a lot of my Alumilite stuff from Hobby Lobby and use a 40% off coupon at the same time. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 Just ordered some sure hope it's worth the ridiculous shipping price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted December 25, 2014 Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 Well tried the uv on a balsa bait I made last night while waiting on Santa first off it would not cure in my nail light after about thirty minutes finally gave up and left it in the light last night until it timed out about fifteen times check it this morning and it did finally harden somewhat. It is glossier than solarez but I was able to scratch it with my fingernail had to touch the bait up and now I'm waiting on my shop to warm up so I can epoxy it. Hope I did something wrong and I can get a good finish with it I plan on doing some tests on scrap balsa when I get time , something I should have done first before using it on a finished lure. I watched the video and he does the same thing I did,coat bait,expose to uv,bait finished. Maybe it has a hardening agent and I didn't get the bottle mixed enough or maybe my lights not as strong as his but after thirty minutes or so of exposure I would think it would cure. I'll try again and if I figure something out I'll post an update Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted December 25, 2014 Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 Jaw, call mike at Alumilite on Monday. Their contact number is shown on their web site for the product. I have the test sample and it cured well in my nail light, but while I did get the newest material on Monday, my man cave still is not put back together. (have to finish the wall and paint it and with the holidays, it is going slow). I just cannot believe that my sample would work so well and the newest would not. Call mike, he or his technical people are great to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 I'll call them after I try a scrap piece just to eliminate anything I did but the lure is ruined after I coated it with epoxy and left it on my Turner for about three hrs while I went to a Christmas gathering I got called in to work so I took the lure and put it in my heated box because I don't leave the heat in my shop on and when I returned the uv product had separated from the lure and it looked like air bubbles in my clear coat. I just peeled the whole topcoat off of the lure. I hope I can figure out what went wrong and it not be the uv product but I've used the same build method for awhile now the only thing New in the process is the allumilite. The reason I went ahead and epoxied the lure was that I could scratch the uv easily. I was able to get the lure reasonably clean and I'm trying to level it out with solarez but tired of working on it now may be able to salvage it later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 Here is a pic of the devastation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 Anyone else tried it yet? I've been busy with a three yr old and haven't been able to do any experimenting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 geez guys, I was excited about this alumiUV and I got a 36 watt uv nail drying box from Sally's for christmas. I was going to order some of this stuff. Now, I don't know what to do. I wonder if the LED dryer would do the job, it is supposedly much stronger than the UV lamp tube style dryer but it costs about three times as much. Think I will wait a little longer and see if this problem gets solved. Thanks for posting. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 I wish I had my man cave set back up. I have the new stuff, but have not found my nail dryer yet. The test material I had worked a little slower then solarez with the nail dryer but cured much harder, much clear, much ........ better in general. I suspect that there is some little thing going on here. John, If it were me, I would consider making a larger and better dryer anyway. I am looking at making a 4 bulb system with tanning bulbs. I would allow me to cure much larger and more lures at a time. Still, my nail cure worked great before. Jaw, just wondering, I have a couple of things to question. 1st, nail cure bulbs loose there UV ability if they get too hot or even out of time. Do you have another UV Cure to test to see if it is still curing it? I also found the test sample I have would cure outside in the sun: did you try that? Additionally, I find that rather it was Solarez, one of the new fly tying head and body build ups that cure with UV, or Alumilite UV, if UV cannot get to it it won't cure. I made the mistake of putting it over some metal I was using to get a chrome finish and it got under it....... no UV light, seeped out later. That is one reason Mike of Alumilite tells us to seal it first. Just some things that might be the problem..... Let me know if any of these could be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 I used solarez to build up the bait over my foil then painted the belly and top. I then applied the uv to clearcoat the lure. my nail light cured the solarez fine but the uv wouldn't cure out but really its to soon for me to tell as this was my first time using the product I really want to experiment more before I pass judgement on it just haven't had time maybe tmrw or later in the week im hoping the fault was mine because I like the ease of use solarez gives you and im hoping for a glossier final coat with the uv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 just an after thought when I removed the uv product down to the solarez the solarez was still solid ive started to attempt a repair just for experimentation from that layer of the bait as opposed to trashing it and starting over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) I would contact the person Anglinarcher knows, and see if he can offer any help. Who knows, you might have gotten a bad batch. It's happened before. Alumilite wouldn't have gone through all this to make a bad product. The video on their website shows the guy using the same UV fingernail light I use for Solarez, and his works just fine, so I have to think there must be something wrong with the batch they sent you if it won't cure quickly. Here's his video: http://www.alumilite.com/store/p/1027-Alumi-UV.aspx Edited December 28, 2014 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgewood Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) I have tried the Alumi UV on a few baits. I ordered the small bottle and am using 2 48" black light bulbs to cure. The first bait I brushed it on and let it rotate in front of the black light, the bottle claims 20 to 30 minutes to cure but it took over 2 hours for it to harden. I was hoping for a gloss finish but it was pretty dull, not cloudy like solarez but no where close to a properly applied epoxy,mcu or auto clear. I went ahead and took the bait to the lake to test durability and I was pleased with that, a little hook rash and a couple tiny nicks were all that happened after fishing the bait for 4 hours non stop including intentionally throwing it on to the rocks numerous times.Like I said I was happy with the durability it held up as well as any clear I have tried and no clear can take direct hits to rip rap over and over without showing some wear.Took the bait home and dipped it one time in the Alumi UV and it had more gloss than before but still not what I am used to, the colors just don't jump as they normally do. I went ahead and tried another bait, this time I dipped the bait to see if that made any difference. Once again it took over 2 hours to cure and it had the dull finish like the first bait. I went ahead and dipped it a second time and for some reason it wouldn't adhere to a small section around the belly hanger and after curing it had a little more gloss but nothing close to what I want. So as far as durability I am pleased and even if it takes 2 to 3 hours to cure i am fine with that as it is faster than what I use now. But the dull finish is what kills it for me it's just unacceptable so I am going to watch and see if anyone else can figure it out before I fool with it anymore. Edited December 28, 2014 by edgewood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 While they say you can cure uv resin with this or that light source, the stuff usually has to be exposed to particular wavelengths of UV light. I'd try exposing it to sunlight to see if that might give you a harder coating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted December 29, 2014 Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 I am pretty sure the bottle says it will cure with blacklight in 30 min and uv in a much shorter time can't remember if it was 2to3 sec or min I am not around my shop right now and it also gives a specific wavelength for cure time I'll double check later but if it's going to take two plus hrs to cure with uv then in will not be usable for me especially if I can't get a more durable glossy finish than what my previous results were.l would rather use epoxy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 Well I contacted alumilite to make sure I wasn't missing anything and they said I hadn't as the process is pretty straight forward. We discussed uv lamps and I told them I would experiment a little more and let them know my results. I decided to try a different uv lamp so I stopped at a beauty supply shop that's on my way home (sallys) picked up a 36 watt uv nail box that is bigger than the one I currently use for $59 on sale (to impatient to shop around) long story short it seems to have worked better. It took ten minutes to get a good cure on the single brushed on layer I put on a scrap piece of balsa. I did not have time to do the test I wanted to do. I am reserving my final judgement for when I have time to seal a piece of balsa so it is hardened and I can test the uv for hardness and durability. The unsealed scrap I used was to soft to get a good feel for how hard the uv cured when compared to epoxy. Just to let everyone know the people I spoke with at alumilite were very interested and want feedback on any issues as they have spent roughly a year developing this product. They were receptive and very nice people to speak with and seem to care about customer satisfaction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
