IslandBass Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 I used DevCon as the final coat for the lures I made and all of them hardened just fine except for 2. These two are supposedly dry as it's been over 48 hours but they are sticky to the touch. Can anyone explain this? Is this the result of: 1) Insufficient mixing of the Dev Con? I mixed the compound for a minute as per the directions. 2) Overmixing (is that possible?)? 3) Outside temperature? Humidity? To give you an idea, they were left to "air" dry in my garage. I don't know if humidity is a factor but the weather during this time was cool (maybe 60-65 deg F) and rainy. It's a bit puzzling since the others came out just fine. Thanks in advance for your input. --IslandBass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 More than likely it is the mixing. Optimum temp for devcon is 70-75 deg. For every 5 deg below 70 you will need to spin the lure an extra 10 min. or so. Even at that cool temp is should have been dried within 24 hrs. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 Skeeters right on the mixing......If you were scraping the bottom of your cup when applying the epoxy,the bottom doesn't always mix aswell with out some help.You'll have to apply a second coat to fix the problem..Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IslandBass Posted September 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 Nathan and Skeeter, Thanks for helping narrow down the problem and for the tip on having to spin them longer. Where I live, it is only going to get cooler so I will have to factor that in along with being more thorough in mixing the DevCon. I guess after the first few lures came out alright I must have gotten a bit too sloppy and careless. I'll try to post some pics as soon as I can. My 4-year old daughter and her friends painted some poppers I carved and some blank crankbaits and considering their ages (4-10), I think they did pretty good work on their paint jobs. BTW, mine didn't make the cut. Painting is one important aspect of lure making in which I need a lot of improvement!! Thanks again to everyone! --IslandBass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellure Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 Its most likely the mixing. FYI: you can safely re-devcon over the lure and tacky area. If left as is and used, it will become somewhat "grey" in the sticky spot. Per Devcon, the epoxy should be at full cure in about 12 hours. Look forward to seeing your creations. KL www.customluresunlimited.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullin8s Posted November 13, 2004 Report Share Posted November 13, 2004 BUMP I have had this happen to me now twice, both times it was in multiple lure sets and only certain lures did this. Secondly both times when i recoat over them (out of a new tube of devcon) and fully mixed, it did not fix the problem. This is screwing with my production time on orders, or at least it will if it keeps happening. The second set has not quite had time to dry completely but i can tell by touching the devcon on the wire parts that its still tacky and i think its going to do it again. Besides mixing what could cause this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted November 13, 2004 Report Share Posted November 13, 2004 I don't use Devcon anymore but did use it for a long time as a final coat. Here are some things to think about: 1. Make sure there is not bubbles on one side of the plunger...if there is, plunge it. Now begin plunging your two sides of glue for mixing being sure an equal amount of each side is being delivered. 2. Plunge your mixture into a dixie cup, this is VERY IMPORTANT. If you try to mix the Devcon on a flat piece of paper, cardboard, etc., sometimes a bit of the glue won't get included in the mixture. I used to have small sections that wouldn't cure but after using the Dixie cup I never had it happen again. Use a Dixie Cup, they are about a penny each at Wal-Mart. 3. When you mix the stuff go round and round the outer edges and then scrape the bottom then around the edges again. 4. I stir with wooden shishkabob sticks that I buy at the grocery store in the cooking section. They are about 2 dollars for a hundred or more of them. Some guys say not to use wood but I have used it on hundreds of baits with no problems at all and continue to use it for Etex now. As far as your baits that haven't cured...my advice is to toss them. Not worth the hassle to clean the sticky stuff off and you won't be happy with the end result if you try to finish over them. jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted November 13, 2004 Report Share Posted November 13, 2004 cullin8s, If your mixing is complete, the ONLY thing that could cause the clearcoat to remain tacky is not an even mixture of hardner and resin. Period. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullin8s Posted November 13, 2004 Report Share Posted November 13, 2004 THanks guys, I'm in agreement that its not the same ammounts of hardner and resin when this happens. Another question which is the hardner the light or dark color? THanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullin8s Posted November 13, 2004 Report Share Posted November 13, 2004 I think this coat is going to dry they are better than before already and it hasnt been a long long time yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richoc Posted November 13, 2004 Report Share Posted November 13, 2004 Hardner is the darker color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
