Clearcoat Dipping.

[Tiderunner]

As the cold weather sets in it's time for me to restock the workbench. I want to try something different . I want to clearcoat my senkos, and my wacky worms.

I got a pretty good idea, on how to clearcoat the items, What I don't know is what type of container you heat the plastisol in? I need sometthing that is deep enough for 5" senkos, and the 5" wacky type worms,then from there I'm going to start pouring paddle tail minnows.

 I'm guessing that multiple reheats will discolor the clearcoat , so what type of vessel do y'all use so you don't waste a lot of the clearcoat? Also best brand of Clear plastisol to use?

[Anglinarcher]

Asking for the brand of plastisol is like asking if I prefer blonds, brunettes, or redheads.  Of course, the answer is yes.  Each of us are going to have our own preference and telling you I prefer Alumilite will only fire up those that prefer another.

As for reheating, well it won't discolor as much as you think if done correctly.  Adding a little heat stabilizer after the first heat, using a microwave on medium power and mixing frequently, adding a percentage of new/fresh plastisol with each heat, all help.  When it does start to discolor, you take what is left and save it for a colored mix later.

I suspect now that I have broken the ice some of the power powers will chime in.  I do have a narrow but tall lab grade beaker that I have used to clear coat some plastics.  Check out the laboratory supply houses for that item.

 

[joe406]

I looked around on eBay and found a science beaker (this idea was a recommendation to me earlier) and use that to store and dip my Clearasol.  You can get the beakers taller and narrower so you don't have to keep as much plastisol in them.  Initially I was able to find a cheaper "pyrex" copy that was more vertical and used that as well although I'm not convinced it will hold up very long.

[Tiderunner]

Thanks for the tip Joe. I bookmarked a number of different suppliers that sell the beakers, and will order from one of them.

Next question. Should I wait until original lure cools before dipping, say 24 hours? Or can I dip right away, or not so much right away but within an short period of time?

[Tiderunner]

This is the lure I plan on making, that will be dipped.

[Tiderunner]

Can glitter be added to the clearcoat?

[mark poulson]

I drilled a hole slightly bigger than my glass container in a piece of 2X4, and use that as an anti-tip holder for my glass container.

 

[Travis]

Ok you don't need a tall container for dipping.  These aren't rigid baits they flex.   I just dip in pyrex cups.  For dipping lures I wanted the best heat resistant plastic I can find as I want it thin.  As very much a speed game and I am not trying to build up a coat like I do when dipping tubes.

Glitter can be added to the clear coat.  Just need to use glitter than will hold up to the heat as usually you end up heating dipping plastic a lot more frequently or hold at temperature longer than plastic used to make the initial bait. 

I had messed with various container and insulation to keep plastic warmer for longer.  Bread pan on a hot plate also works very well to maintain plastic.  Dip/set bait horizontal in pan, pull out let drip and hang vertically.   As the plastic gets used up need to start tilting the pan and dipping more in the edge but not too difficult.

Really boils down to working out a method you find you like.

Edited November 10, 2019 by Travis

[Bass-Boys]

22 hours ago, Tiderunner said:

This is the lure I plan on making, that will be dipped.

why is it that you want to dip this bait ?

 

[Tiderunner]

That one is a pic from the mold makers site. It looks like its plain black. The commercially made bait that I use has a sort of iridescence to it, as though it's made in two layers. As soon as it hits the water you can see it. That is why I asked earlier too if glitter can be added to the clearisol. So I can experiment with this bait, and expand beyond just what is available from the maker.

Different water and species, at least for me call for different colors. or even if I want to paint them intead of just colorings, and glittler.

The materials are cheap enough. Let's be real, we all spend a buttload of money, so whats a few more dollars? And I am also going to start making paddletail swimbaits which most likely I'll paint. I'm pretty sure there are others here that like to play and see what they can come up with.

[Tiderunner]

On 11/10/2019 at 9:10 AM, Travis said:

Ok you don't need a tall container for dipping.  These aren't rigid baits they flex.   I just dip in pyrex cups.  For dipping lures I wanted the best heat resistant plastic I can find as I want it thin.  As very much a speed game and I am not trying to build up a coat like I do when dipping tubes.

Glitter can be added to the clear coat.  Just need to use glitter than will hold up to the heat as usually you end up heating dipping plastic a lot more frequently or hold at temperature longer than plastic used to make the initial bait. 

I had messed with various container and insulation to keep plastic warmer for longer.  Bread pan on a hot plate also works very well to maintain plastic.  Dip/set bait horizontal in pan, pull out let drip and hang vertically.   As the plastic gets used up need to start tilting the pan and dipping more in the edge but not too difficult.

Really boils down to working out a method you find you like.

I microwave my plastic, so I can use the pan method you use with a pyrex dish. Will be a while before the wife discovers the pan missing, Basically will be trial and error. The tall pyrex beakers actually hold over a quart of liquid, so while tall enough I really don't want to heat that much at once.

I've been pouring plastice for over 20 years, so I'll probably figure it out eventually. My main reason for tall container was so I can dip the baits in the shape they were made, the hang them the same way to cool.

Straight up and down the whole way.

[Anglinarcher]

To follow up and clarify, you can add whatever you want to the clear dip.  Some will settle, some won't, so your process will need to be adjusted with each addition.

There are highlight dyes you can get that add the iridescence, glitter made for hot plastic, .......... so many options, so little time.

[Tiderunner]

6 hours ago, Anglinarcher said:

To follow up and clarify, you can add whatever you want to the clear dip.  Some will settle, some won't, so your process will need to be adjusted with each addition.

There are highlight dyes you can get that add the iridescence, glitter made for hot plastic, .......... so many options, so little time.

Highlights, glow powders, pearl powders. More glitter colors than I'll use in my lifetime. I've got bottle and bottle of colorant. Some the names have washed off, so I have to play with those to see what they are. Some of those colorants look the same in the bottle.

Sometimes, I''ll heat some plastic and play just to see what colors I can make, then add some of the highlights, and see what that makes and then add pearl...and so on.

 

Who are the best suppliers of  clearcoat plastisol?

[joe406]

On 11/10/2019 at 5:34 AM, Tiderunner said:

Thanks for the tip Joe. I bookmarked a number of different suppliers that sell the beakers, and will order from one of them.

Next question. Should I wait until original lure cools before dipping, say 24 hours? Or can I dip right away, or not so much

 

This what I use.  Holds about a cup when full.

[Tiderunner]

Received the mold this week, but it's a Christmas gift so I won't be using it until after Christmas. In the meantime I'll send for some clear plastisol, and a flask of some type.

This mold came from Jacobs Mold, and Machine. I ordered on Sunday, received it Thursday.And the price was right too!  It's only a single cavity mold, so if I like the way it shoots , I may buy a second one to speed up production.

 

ved

[Tiderunner]

So I ordered the Bait Plastics Ultra Clear Plastisol. Phone rings next morning, it's somebody from Bait Plastics, wanting to make sure I knew the correct application that plastisol was made for. I did. He gave me a little more advice on using it. I gotta give the company credit, I don't think too many companies would take the time out to let a customer know exactly what they were getting.

OK, so hoildays are over. And today I finally get a chance to use the stuff. I did buy this as an experiment to try something, so it was no big deal if it didn't work the way I wanted, It didn't  LOL. I tried dipping my homemade senkos and wacky worms show above in it. It filled the rings on the lures, and made the baits appear as though it was sealed in a tube. I was hoping the clear would be thinner.

So again, no great loss. I will still use it for swimbaits, and who knows, maybe the super shiny senkos will actually catch fish.

The bigger problem is the clear coating cooled very sticky, Tacky is a better word. If two baits touch they stick together, Not like glue, but like say, flypaper,

I'm thinking it needs to be mixed more.  Al I had to stir it with is a paint stick Measured the bottle opening ( gal jug ) and will get a new paint stirrer for my drill and give that a shot  Didn't want to shake it, Can anyone here shed some light on why the clearcoat cooled in this tacky finish? I may call Bait Plastics for some advice. The baits are sticky enough that they even pick up all the dirt and whatever else is on my work surface.

Like I said, this was only and experiment. I did add some clear to my colored plastics and sot a few baits, Came out great. But a bit too light, I added salt, and it killed the color some, same thing with 80 mill glass media.

[mark poulson]

15 minutes ago, Tiderunner said:

So I ordered the Bait Plastics Ultra Clear Plastisol. Phone rings next morning, it's somebody from Bait Plastics, wanting to make sure I knew the correct application that plastisol was made for. I did. He gave me a little more advice on using it. I gotta give the company credit, I don't think too many companies would take the time out to let a customer know exactly what they were getting.

OK, so hoildays are over. And today I finally get a chance to use the stuff. I did buy this as an experiment to try something, so it was no big deal if it didn't work the way I wanted, It didn't  LOL. I tried dipping my homemade senkos and wacky worms show above in it. It filled the rings on the lures, and made the baits appear as though it was sealed in a tube. I was hoping the clear would be thinner.

So again, no great loss. I will still use it for swimbaits, and who knows, maybe the super shiny senkos will actually catch fish.

The bigger problem is the clear coating cooled very sticky, Tacky is a better word. If two baits touch they stick together, Not like glue, but like say, flypaper,

I'm thinking it needs to be mixed more.  Al I had to stir it with is a paint stick Measured the bottle opening ( gal jug ) and will get a new paint stirrer for my drill and give that a shot  Didn't want to shake it, Can anyone here shed some light on why the clearcoat cooled in this tacky finish? I may call Bait Plastics for some advice. The baits are sticky enough that they even pick up all the dirt and whatever else is on my work surface.

Like I said, this was only and experiment. I did add some clear to my colored plastics and sot a few baits, Came out great. But a bit too light, I added salt, and it killed the color some, same thing with 80 mill glass media.

Since Bait Plastics was so helpful when you bought the clear, why not call/email them and ask for some help.  Maybe there's a secret word or handshake you need to use.   Seriously, they sound really helpful, so I think it's worth a shot.

 

[joe406]

Just now, Tiderunner said:

So I ordered the Bait Plastics Ultra Clear Plastisol. Phone rings next morning, it's somebody from Bait Plastics, wanting to make sure I knew the correct application that plastisol was made for. I did. He gave me a little more advice on using it. I gotta give the company credit, I don't think too many companies would take the time out to let a customer know exactly what they were getting.

OK, so hoildays are over. And today I finally get a chance to use the stuff. I did buy this as an experiment to try something, so it was no big deal if it didn't work the way I wanted, It didn't  LOL. I tried dipping my homemade senkos and wacky worms show above in it. It filled the rings on the lures, and made the baits appear as though it was sealed in a tube. I was hoping the clear would be thinner.

So again, no great loss. I will still use it for swimbaits, and who knows, maybe the super shiny senkos will actually catch fish.

The bigger problem is the clear coating cooled very sticky, Tacky is a better word. If two baits touch they stick together, Not like glue, but like say, flypaper,

I'm thinking it needs to be mixed more.  Al I had to stir it with is a paint stick Measured the bottle opening ( gal jug ) and will get a new paint stirrer for my drill and give that a shot  Didn't want to shake it, Can anyone here shed some light on why the clearcoat cooled in this tacky finish? I may call Bait Plastics for some advice. The baits are sticky enough that they even pick up all the dirt and whatever else is on my work surface.

Like I said, this was only and experiment. I did add some clear to my colored plastics and sot a few baits, Came out great. But a bit too light, I added salt, and it killed the color some, same thing with 80 mill glass media.

That pretty much sums up my take as well.  I didn't like that any contours and features were "dulled" by the thick cover layer.  I was trying to coat painted soft baits but have ended up changing the way I paint instead.

[Tiderunner]

I talked to the guys are Bait Plastics today. My thoughts were right for a change. Could be one of two things, Mix the hardpack at the bottom of the jug more better. I'm going to try one of those pant mixers you stick in a drill. And he also told me to make sure I heat the stuff hot enough. I tried to be really careful as this stuff seems to be super fragile with heat.

I did get a number of re-heats with the stuff before it started to yellow a bit. So I added it to some darker colored leftover stuff.

[Frank]

Do you actually know what the temp you are getting? I find this stuff way more heat tolerable than most on the market.