Bad Mullett Posted October 10, 2015 Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 Need some guidance on a primer to dip resin baits. I have been building resin baits for close to 8 years and build primarily top water chugers for bass and jerk/twitch/glide baits for speckled trout. I have a problem that is recurring less and less but still happens, that is bubbles or blisters that appear under the finish months after the bait is finished. I know this is a recurring problem with resin baits as I have read much about it over the years. live in North Carolina about 70 miles form the coast and our summers can be quite hot and all baits I make stay in the garage. That may be part of the problem but not all baits have the problem.I have some that I intentionally left the clear tray in the sun on at least 12 different days fishing in the summer and had no problems. When a lure comes out of the mold it sits for at least a week, and recently I have been letting them have a turn in the dishwasher. I have not used mold release for years. I use Devcon 2 ton for a top coat after using air brush paints like wicked or createx and do heat set. One thing that I have learned is that I have less problems if the bait is given a base coat of D2N first then painted and then a D2N top coat. The issue here is that almost always with the first coat I get a fish eye or a spot where the epoxy pulled away from the resin surface. This can be fixed by applyiing a spot of devcon after the first coat has dryed, then smooth it out with the edge of a small piece of notebook paper. This adds time and more sanding is required to blend the repair for a smooth finish. I am thinking a good primer where the bait can be dipped might help with the first coat of devcon. One last thing, earlier this year I was dippin the baits in sanding sealer then applying the first coat of devcon and never had the fish eye problem but I suspect the sanding sealer may have been one of the culprits of the blisters that sometimes occur. Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 I have never made a resin bait, so I'm guessing here. I would think any bubbling would be from solvent trapped in the bait coming to the surface as a gas when it warms up. Have you tried putting them in an over at a low temp., say 170 degrees, overnight, to speed up the off gassing, before you prime them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Mullett Posted October 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 Thanks for the reply Mark. I did once with bad results. Had some in at 100 degrees that were going to spend about an hour but the wife came along soon thereafter not knowing about my project and set the oven at a much higher temp for something for supper. Think we had to throw out dinner but can't remember if it was the resin fumes or not?The short time at the higher temp cracked the resin. I will try again. For the guys that dip wood baits in primer, does anyone know what primer is used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcleod Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 I would agree with Mark, sounds like solvent or a surface contaminant on the resin baits. As I understand things with Resin you need to post cure aswell before it is completely set. I use a pie oven to do mine. I follow the procedure below and haven't had any issue with bubbles 1. Mold the bait, I use talcum powder as the release agent. Avoid anything with silicon in it 2. Clean and scrub the bait with dish washing liquid to try and remove surface contaminants 3. Bake the bait for 6 hours in a dedicated pie oven at about 60 Deg C 4. Hang and leave the bait for at least a week to ensure fully set resin 5. Clean and scrub the bait again with dish washing liquid to further remove surface contaminants 6. Prime the bait with automotive primer. Angus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Mullett Posted October 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 Angus, Thanks for the reply. Is the automotive primer a rattle can or air brush application? Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 At least a week for resin to set???... Thats a long time!!! I know we shouldnt be in a hurry, what with quality over quantity and all.... But i thought molding was a time advantage over carving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 JR - there are two types of time, hands on time and hands off time. None of the above problems or procedures ever affected me, because all my bodies were for prototyping only. I would clean the bodies in soapy water and Scotch Brite slap on a coat of white from a spray can to improve visibility in testing and that was all. A few received a coat of epoxy for weight testing, but I never came across any problems. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 Hands off time is good for the working man! Im seriously considering molding my cranks in the near future... From what I've read so far, the main choices are resin or foam... The week wait time is a big turn off for resin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goolies Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 I was letting my resin baits sit for at least a week before painting. Plastikote sandable primer is the best spray can primer I've found so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcleod Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 Primer application is via an airbrush, I let the baits sit a week to ensure they were gassed off correctly. Full cure with any resin is a couple days as far as I am aware. While-ever it is still curing there is potential for some contaminant to affect things. The week wasn't an issue for me, while they were curing I was moulding other lures and finishing fully cured ones. Angus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
