Tap The Can Question

[Silo1688]

Hi everyone! Its been a long time since I was here. I'm strongly considering moving from ETex (brushing) to MCU for dipping. I've never used MCU and I've been reading as much as I could on the tap the can method, but I have a question. After the can is tapped, what then? How do you apply the MCU? Do you dip them, is so then how? Brush on the MCU? I really appreciate everyone's help

-George

[BobP]

George, you have to decide how frugal you are if you want to continue dipping when you tap the can.  I stopped dipping and now apply MCU with a brush.  It isn't like applying epoxy.  I just quickly flood MCU onto the lure with a brush and hang it up to drip off the excess.  It's just about as fast and In one way, it is superior to dipping anyway.  MCU will not adhere well to polycarbonate, so was peeling off the lips of my lures shortly after I began fishing them.  With a brush, I can avoid getting it on the lips and avoid that problem.  BTW, MCU does adhere well to regular molded-in plastic lips, so no problem there if you want to coat the whole lip to erase scratches. 

[RayburnGuy]

If you draw out enough DN to dip them then whatever is left after dipping is going to be lost as it will have been exposed to moisture in the air and the curing process will have been started. This leaves brushing and spraying. I've been experimenting with spraying DN the last few times I've top coated baits and am really happy with it. A Paasche airbrush with the mid size tip is what I've been using to spray the DN since I only do a couple lures at a time and couldn't see buying an HVLP spray gun to spray such a small amount.

 

The DN is mixed with acetone to thin it, but I don't have an exact ratio of acetone to DN. I just try to thin it so it's thicker than water and thinner than milk. If you try spraying DN and notice "cobwebs" floating in the air your holding your airbrush too far away from your bait. Hold it a little closer and the "cobwebs" will stop. I try to spray a fairly heavy coat and then hang the bait with the lip up so any excess can drip off the tail. Spraying DN gives as smooth a finish as possible without having to worry about any bubbles in the top coat that you have to worry about when brushing it on.

 

Of course you should spray in a well ventilated area and use proper safety procedures.

 

Ben

[mark poulson]

Ben,

How quickly do you have to clean your air brush after spraying, and does it require anything special in the way of cleaning?

[RayburnGuy]

Hey Mark,

 

I clean it as soon as I get through spraying. The most baits that I've done at one time is 6 and I probably sprayed around 2 ounces of DN thinned with acetone through the brush before cleaning. If I were going to be spraying more than that on a regular basis I'd most likely invest in a HVLP gun.

 

As far as the cleaning process I follow normal cleaning procedures substituting acetone for water. Just backflush a few times and pull the needle and wipe it down with an acetone soaked paper towel. I make sure to lube the needle each time before re-installing it in the brush after cleaning. My thinking is that the lubed needle will prevent it from sticking in case I missed anything. Just an added precaution.

 

Right now I can't see myself going back to brushing DN. I'm super critical of my own work and just one tiny bubble is enough to aggravate me. ( I get aggravated a lot )  Since starting to spray DN bubbles have not been a problem. It gives me a top coat that is as good, if not better, than anything that comes from the factory.

 

Ben