Keeping eyelets clear while curing

[KugaTog]

Does anyone have suggestions? I make sure they are clear before curing but the heat in the oven refills them. 

 

Ive done the old heat the paper clip and push it through after curing but it makes it turn black and uneven.

[JLS]

Sounds like you're getting to much paint on your jigs. You might try using less heat or dipping them in the paint quicker.

My guess would be that you're getting the jig to hot before dipping it in the powder. 2 things happen when you get the head to hot:

1 You end up with way more paint on your bait than you need

2 You actually damage the paint and end up with a less durable finish

When I am painting jigs I get the heads just hot enough to pick the paint up and do 2-3 coats. This allows me to layer different colors and create head colors that match my skirt colors, and I never get enough paint on to have to worry about the eyelets. You really don't need much paint to have a durable finish, you just need to paint with as little heat as possible and then cure them properly.

Best of luck!

[mark poulson]

I use a pair of split ring pliers to remove any paint that gets into the hook eye while it's curing.  The paint is brittle, so it cracks off

My first choice is to make sure the eyes are clear before curing, but it doesn't always help.

[KugaTog]

3 hours ago, JLS said:

Sounds like you're getting to much paint on your jigs. You might try using less heat or dipping them in the paint quicker.

My guess would be that you're getting the jig to hot before dipping it in the powder. 2 things happen when you get the head to hot:

1 You end up with way more paint on your bait than you need

2 You actually damage the paint and end up with a less durable finish

When I am painting jigs I get the heads just hot enough to pick the paint up and do 2-3 coats. This allows me to layer different colors and create head colors that match my skirt colors, and I never get enough paint on to have to worry about the eyelets. You really don't need much paint to have a durable finish, you just need to paint with as little heat as possible and then cure them properly.

Best of luck!

Do you have any pics of you jigs

[Jeff Hahn]

I hang the jigheads by the eye on the oven rack using a straightened out paper clip. Put an old cookie sheet underneath. This way, if the paint runs, it will drip away from the eye. 

[cadman]

What I do is this. Before I start painting, I find a good unused drill bit, that the non fluted end fits a little loose in the hook eye. Then I paint my jig, and immediately push the drill bit thru the hook eye,(non-fluted end first) and out thru the other side. The drill bit will take out all the excess paint.  As stated by JLS, you may have too much paint on your jig and when baked it fills in. I do 5-6 colors and rarely have this problem.  Thin even coats is the best way to apply paint.  

[DaBehr]

I use shrink tubing that I buy at Menards on the eyes of the hooks. Shrink it leaving a small tab at the top,  and then paint. When you take them off rotate them back in forth the direction of the hook eye and they normally pop right off. Otherwise get a fingernail under the edge and push it the direction of the eye wire. Don't pull them off sidewards or you occasional tear them and it's harder to get all the tubing off the hook eye.

Take them off BEFORE you bake your jigs!!!

After you get the hang of it it goes really fast and you have zero paint on the hook eye.

I use 3/32 tubing for most bass hooks. 3/16 for the large hooks.  At less than $2 a pack (even cheaper in bulk) it's pretty cheap per unit!

[Jig Man]

I only heat the head enough for the paint to stick and have a dull finish.  I use a heat gun and keep the heat away from the hook eye.  Most of mine don't fill with paint but occasionally one will.  When that happens, I use a wooden kabob skewer to clean the paint out of the eye before baking.  I also have some Pop Snaggers handy if I should miss one and bake the eye closed.

[Munkin]

Too much paint like others have said. 

 

I have one jig that this just happens way more than any other.  What works for it is too hang the jigheads by the eye using Christmas bulb hooks.  Hooks are like  $1.50 per hundred at the dollar store. 

 

Allen 

[Will Wetline]

On 11/7/2017 at 6:40 AM, cadman said:

What I do is this. Before I start painting, I find a good unused drill bit, that the non fluted end fits a little loose in the hook eye. Then I paint my jig, and immediately push the drill bit thru the hook eye,(non-fluted end first) and out thru the other side. The drill bit will take out all the excess paint.  As stated by JLS, you may have too much paint on your jig and when baked it fills in. I do 5-6 colors and rarely have this problem.  Thin even coats is the best way to apply paint.  

 

I just painted a batch of Midwest Finesse jigs and tried the above method of clearing the eye. I let the jigs cool first so the paint pushed through wouldn't be sticky and stringy. This worked great.

Thanks, cadman!

[Basseducer]

I do like Debehr only with high temp tape. After painting I just pull the tape off the eye before curing in the oven. Keeping the paint off to begin with is easier than trying to take it off later.

[StriperCandy]

Cadman, 

How do you keep from over/under heating when painting 4-5 colors? I have a mini sand blasting gun I use for my bucktails, and I've been wanting to try more than one color on a jig. I was thinking of building myself a painting jig where I hang the lures off a lazy susan style hanger. I'd rotate each jig over a mounted heat gun, just before powder coating it. I think for that to work, I would need a digital heat gun. 

[Painter1]

This is a great tool for clearing jig eyes. 

http://www.lurepartsonline.com/Online-Store/Fishing-Accessories/Jig-Eye-Cleaner-Tool.html

[mark poulson]

The cheap version of these pliers will work, and there are no sharp edges to cause scratches: 

http://www.lurepartsonline.com/Online-Store/Wire-Forming-Tools/Round-Nose-Pliers.html

[LimpNoodle]

With practice powder painting you'll rarely have this problem.

 

If you do have it I've found that a Dremel with the small Dremel bits clears the eyes in a heartbeat.