Heat Setting Paint On Resin Cast Baits

[llokkii]

What are your guys thoughts/guidelines on heat setting Creatiex paints on 3" baits.  How long?  What temp?  I just bought some of that GST everyone was talking about in that other thread and I wanted to make sure I did things right.  This last set of baits I painted turned out really well and I don't want to screw them up by having a cruddy finish on them.  Any thoughts and info would be appreciated.  Thanks

[imagine_studios]

I'm pretty much a first timer with making lures, but I just heat set my baits with a hair dryer, just until you can see it's not shiny wet, if that makes sense.  Then waited 3 days before dipping them in GST (not because I thought I had to wait, but I just couldn't find the time to get it done).  My lures are 7, 9 and 11" Muskie lures, so that might make a difference on dry times for the GST, but it took them about 3 days to get really hard after 4 dips in the GST waiting 3 hours in between dips.  The lures are made of maple as well, which isn't exactly what you were looking for, but I wouldn't think it would make too much of a difference on dry times as long as everything was sealed up first.

[llokkii]

Thanks.  I heated up my resin lures yesterday at 250 for abotu 15 minutes.  That amount of time raised a few bumps beneath the paint, but nothing large.  And since these are for personal use, I am not too worried about it.  I dipped in GST last night.  I am going to wait 24-48 hours between coats because I want the lures to offgas as much as possible.  I love the GST except for the smell.  Even with venting, I can still smell them (its been 12 hours now) but they look great.  This is definitely the topcoating I have been looking for.  

The wife told me I can't even dip them in the garage anymore, so now I have to come up with some sort of ventilated box that will fit over my lure turner and do it outside.  Which means I have to find some way of keeping a constant warm temp in the box while the lures turn and offgas.

Never ends but I love doing this.

[BobP]

I've done a few resin baits and found they are similar to wood in that if you heat them up, the air inside expands and tries to force its way out - including bubbling the paint unless you put a barrier coat between the resin and the paint.  I used epoxy for that.  I flash dry Createx and other acrylic paint with a hair dryer, just long enough to make the water gloss disappear from the paint before I go to the next color.  You aren't really going to "set" acrylic paint unless you heat it past the melting point of the acrylic, which is way more heat than you want to be applying to any crankbait.  The resin baits I painted were Alumite with micro-balloons and had numerous small pits in the surface that were invisible until they screwed up the finish, so an undercoating was necessary.  Different coatings have different resistance to heating and internal pressure so it becomes a question of which you choose and how much heat you apply.  Epoxy worked for me, other coatings might work for you depending on how you finish the bait.

[mark poulson]

Thanks.  I heated up my resin lures yesterday at 250 for abotu 15 minutes.  That amount of time raised a few bumps beneath the paint, but nothing large.  And since these are for personal use, I am not too worried about it.  I dipped in GST last night.  I am going to wait 24-48 hours between coats because I want the lures to offgas as much as possible.  I love the GST except for the smell.  Even with venting, I can still smell them (its been 12 hours now) but they look great.  This is definitely the topcoating I have been looking for.  

The wife told me I can't even dip them in the garage anymore, so now I have to come up with some sort of ventilated box that will fit over my lure turner and do it outside.  Which means I have to find some way of keeping a constant warm temp in the box while the lures turn and offgas.

Never ends but I love doing this.

 

I'm also very sensitive to smells, and I've found this stuff doesn't bother me, if I dip it outside and bring it in to cure, or dip it inside, with my overhead garage door open, and a fan blowing out from behind me.

Once it's hung for 15 minutes+- the smell is almost completely gone.

 

http://www.directcolors.com/product/ac-1315-high-gloss-concrete-sealer/

[imagine_studios]

GST stinks bad if dipped in the house.  It seemed like a couple days before the smell was gone.

[mark poulson]

GST stinks bad if dipped in the house.  It seemed like a couple days before the smell was gone.

 

AC1315 is definately not bad smelling, and the smell it does have leaves quickly.

I bought a 4 oz can to give it a try, in case I didn't like it, and wound up buying a quart.

[Vodkaman]

I have built drying boxes for curing PoP molds, heated with filament bulbs, using computer type cooling fans for circulation. These boxes worked very well and there is no reason why you couldn't do something similar for your requirements. With a length of cable, the whole thing can be kept outdoors - No1 rule, keep wife happy.

 

Dave

[llokkii]

So guys, which do you like better, the AC1315 or the GST?

I usually prime my baits with an all purpose primer and let them air dry for at least 24 hours before putting on the first touch of paint.  I try my best to keep the coats light before putting them on my turner for at least an hour.  However, I am definitely going to start hitting them with a hair dryer to get the "wetness" off them from now on.  I definitely love the way the baits you guys make turn out.  

Love the GST so far.  One dip is all I have done so far and the baits already look better than anything I've used before.

Already coming up with some cheaper ideas to get this whole setup finished and done outside regardless of the weather.  I have plenty of spare stuff around here to make it happen, especially computer fans and filament bulbs.  I actually have a ceramic heater with a super low setting I thought I might be able to use provided I give it enough clearance around its sides and front and enough distance from the lures and turner.  I was thinking clothes dryer venting from a distance. Just enough to keep the box a modest recommended temp, even in the winter and allowing the air to circulate and help speed up the offgassing.  Whatever I opt, safety is the name of the game.  DOn't want anything blowing up, catching fire etc or the wife is apt to seriously derail the hobby train.

If I don't get it done this week, I should be able to finish it up about the second week of January.  I can work on some other stuff in the meantime.  I have an order of about 150 different baits coming in so I'll have plenty to sand prime and paint.

Thanks a bunch guys