eastman03 Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 Maybe I'm overthinking this, but usually for my musky lures I like to shape/sand, carve details, then seal the wood in soar urethane. At this point I'll put one or two thin layers of etex on, then prime and paint and two or three more layers of etex. Now the problem is that I'm dabbling in carving details like find and gills and when if I do a layer of etex under my paint, I fear I will lose the details in the wood. Is this undercoat layer of etex unnecessary? I like it in general because with muskies eventually (even just with hooks and rocks) the outer layers will be penetrated. So then it's often the inner layer that becomes slightly exposed where the hook rash, or (hopefully) teeth marks are. How do you guys prepare the wood when it's carved? Or what is your order of finishing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 One thing that you can do is after carving and it runs like you want it to is to make a mold and pour them out of plastic then you won't need to many coats of etex on it. Wayne 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 You might try carving your master from a waterproof, buoyant material, so you can play around with it's shape and ballasting while testing and not have it get waterlogged. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 I’m not sure there is a fix for this on a traditional wood lure except to find a penetrating wood sealer to use versus epoxy as an undercoat, or carve your details deeper so the finish layers do not fill them in. You might also consider topcoating with a tough but thinner product like MCU or UV cured polyester resin. I don’t think the fish care about fine carved details versus painted details, but I understand the craftsman or user might. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gliders Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 You could do away with spar urethane and seal by heating lure before applying e-tex ,using just enough to soak in. Heating the wood makes it suck the e-tex in as it cools.... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastman03 Posted July 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 Thanks for the help. Right now I only make one or a few lures at a time. I don't want to I get into plastics. Part of my enjoyment is the craft and hand building and sanding every single lure. I think your right Bobp. I'll probably make sure the lure is good and covered with urethane. And just paint and then epoxy. I do completely agree. Fish don't care one bit. But I enjoy putting details into it. This particular one is for a guest that I guided this spring. He liked some of my lures so much he ordered two custom ones like this. That's a first for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastman03 Posted July 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 That's a great tip gliders! I just saw your post now. I've never tried that! How much heat are we talking? Would you thin the etex with isopropyl alcohol at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigblue2 Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 1 hour ago, eastman03 said: That's a great tip gliders! I just saw your post now. I've never tried that! How much heat are we talking? Would you thin the etex with isopropyl alcohol at all? they sound nice how about some pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarshCustomLures Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 I thin the Etex with denatured alcohol. 1 part A, 1 part B, and 1 part of denatured alcohol, so it penetrates into the wood as much as it can. It is thin and runny almost like water. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 I would, since you want to stick with wood that you try Cedar and if you want then soak it with a sealer. Wayne 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastman03 Posted July 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 Sounds good guys! So I'm going to try the heat and thin out the etex method. Sounds like a good solution to my question! Thanks shawnm1, your new lures you posted look great! I really need to improve my epoxy finishing skills, your finish looks perfect! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosierdaddy Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 On 7/5/2018 at 7:20 PM, eastman03 said: He liked some of my lures so much he ordered two custom ones like this. That's a first for me! Thats a great feeling isnt it. I once gave a lure to a tourney fisherman that had taken me out on his boat a few times. Just as a gift. He was in a tourney later that year and the bite was tough. Only two fish were weighed that day and the winner hit my lure. He ordered three of them after that. One to throw, one as a backup, and one as a display. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonister Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 Might try eurethane in a vacuum pot. Works for me, but it takes a little longer to cure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Young Posted July 16, 2018 Report Share Posted July 16, 2018 On 7/5/2018 at 5:05 PM, gliders said: You could do away with spar urethane and seal by heating lure before applying e-tex ,using just enough to soak in. Heating the wood makes it suck the e-tex in as it cools.... Love this idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastman03 Posted July 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2018 I will try that. How hot are we talking? Oven? Microwave? Sounds like a great idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gliders Posted July 16, 2018 Report Share Posted July 16, 2018 I've heated under grill till they felt fairly warm but not what you would call hot. I personally don't thin ,as I've found it gets pretty thin when applying to the warm blank. Wait 5 mins after removing lure from heat before applying. .. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
