Offshore G Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Hi guys, Has anyone used clear coats out of a spray can for clear coating after painting your cranks? I was at the hardware store today and found some Rustoleum clear coats. There were a few different kinds for car rims or outdoor furniture etc, it says you can use them for plastics on the can. I was wondering if anyone has tried these types of clear coats? Thanks in advance Garreth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Glenn Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 It always seemed a little thin for the amount of finish I wanted on my lures. I guess they had to do that for it to spray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 The spray clears in a can leave you with an extremely thin film which isn't going to do much to protect a lure. Not sure if multiple coats would be better, but why would you want to take a chance on ruining a paint job, or entire lure if it's built from wood, with something that most likely won't work to start with. If your looking for a substitute for epoxy there are a number of other coatings that have proven themselves to be up to the task at hand. Some that come to mind are several types of concrete sealers, Solarez if you don't mind a slightly duller clear coat, MCU's, etc. etc. there are enough topics on clear coats in the archives to keep you reading for quite some time. I would suggest using the search feature and reading up on some of the different top coats and their pro's and cons. good luck, Ben 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 (edited) When I first built wooden top water lures, like a Lunker Punker, I painted the with rattle can paint and rattle can clear for top coat. Because the whole paint scheme was oil/solvent based, it held up to water just fine. But it didn't like rocks, and didn't work with jointed baits (too much water intrusion). I would never use it now. Ben's suggestions are right on! Edited June 25, 2015 by mark poulson 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offshore G Posted June 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Let me have a look in the archives.... The epoxy we get here in South Africa works out to about $8 for 3-4 1.5 squarebills. It works OK, just find the mixing quite difficult to get perfect. I also tried clear nail polish and that didn't go well at all....... Many thanks for the advice, G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Most of your clears in a spray can are lacquers. You can use clear lacquers but they will not hold up. MCU is a good suggestion, but, it takes a long time to fully cure. I sprayed a bait with a popular MCU that is used by many here on the site. It felt good and hard after 24 hrs. However, I was able to scratch the bait with my thumb nail for over 3 weeks. It took that long for it to fully cure. Since you are in South Africa you might be able to obtain a product called Alpha Cryl. It is made by BASF. It is a clear that comes in a gallon can. It would cost you between $80.00 and $100.00 US dollars. It has been banned in the US for about 13 years now because it contains lead. You can just dip your lure straight into the can and let it hang and dry. Strings will develop off of the tail as it drys. Just snip them off and take a little alpha cryl on a brush and paint over it. That will get rid of it. It was used by many bait makers here in the US. Good Luck Skeeter 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offshore G Posted June 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 Hi Skeeter, I'll have a look for the alpha cryl, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offshore G Posted July 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2015 Hi guys, I found a product at a local hobby shop called "Bob Smith Industries, Finish Cure Epoxy". Its a 2 part epoxy. It seems to work quite well and gives a nice finish, can anyone give me advice on if it lasts or discolors at all? It seems as though it would require 2 or more coats. Skeeter, I cant find Alpha Cryl in RSA....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrubs Posted July 3, 2015 Report Share Posted July 3, 2015 What about Flex Coat lite? I want to build some 1.5 - 2" prop baits and D2T is just too thick. Since they're for bass & panfish on the surface they might not get banged up too bad. bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 If the Bob Smith is a slow cure epoxy (it is if it's designed as a finish) you'll be just fine. Several TU builders use that brand. Flexcoat is a rod guide epoxy that will also work just fine. If you're concerned about the thickness of the coating, buy the version that is not "high build" - or you can thin it down a little with denatured alcohol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrubs Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 Thanks Bob. bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DingerBaits Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 Hi guys, I found a product at a local hobby shop called "Bob Smith Industries, Finish Cure Epoxy". Its a 2 part epoxy. It seems to work quite well and gives a nice finish, can anyone give me advice on if it lasts or discolors at all? It seems as though it would require 2 or more coats. Skeeter, I cant find Alpha Cryl in RSA....... I use the Bob Smith Industries 30 min on some of my baits that I know are going to take a beating. It is some rock hard stuff. If you get the 30 min, It does not yellow and is slightly thicker. One coat should work fine for you. On some of my larger muskie baits I paint for people I have to use eTex in up to 5 coats (some of my guys are picky). Get some of the BSI and try it out. if you do not like how thick it is you can mix it up then dip a clean brush in some denatured alcohol then stir it in. It will give you a little longer working time, get rid of some bubbles, and make it thinner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offshore G Posted July 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 As always your guys advice is awesome!!! Thanks for all the help!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benton B Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Bob Smith epoxy will work just fine with 1 coat but if 2 suits your needs then it will still work. Scrubs, use high build rod finish, lite is too thin and will require at least 3 coats. I use flex coat ultra v high build and do 2 coats on my prop baits and it's not too heavy or thick. You can get away with 1 coat but it's pretty thin. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajay920 Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 I used and acrylic clear, it may have been Rustoleum, and it worked fine as long as the bait was PVC or pre sealed. If you don't seal the wood first you start getting line ties and bibs popping out. But like Mark, most of my initial paints were rattle cans. Even then they didn't hold up well in salt water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
