Westy Posted November 3, 2005 Report Share Posted November 3, 2005 Ok, so the story is my three year old unplugged my lure rotator while the baby sitter was watching him. I know have four musky lures with serious epoxy sags in them. Has anyone successfully removed an epoxy clear coat that would allow the lure to be redone? Not worried about ruining the paint. I am sure epoxy thinner would work but I doubt I would ever be able to put epoxy back on the bait. Shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael merrill Posted November 3, 2005 Report Share Posted November 3, 2005 Dang babysitters.Hey I know that it takes a lot of elbow grease ,but I have removed epoxy with acetone.I soaked the lures in a covered ,airtight container for several days,if I remember correctly.Be careful though because acetone attacks plastic also,and is explosive.It does ,however, evaporate quickly,and when completely dry,usually leaves a pretty clean surface.It will strip nearly anything,given time.As Norm says "Always read and follow the manufacturers recommended safety precautions." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westy Posted November 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2005 Were you able then to reapply the epoxy on the bait? I was not sure if a "removing agent" would prevent you from reapplying epxy effectively later on. Shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy maker Posted November 3, 2005 Report Share Posted November 3, 2005 I have wet sanded blemishes and rough spots from baits before. I used 400 grit and plenty of water. I'm sure a rougher grit would be ok for faster removal. Depending on how much you have to remove, it make take a little work, but you would not have do deal with solvents. You can also more easily regulate how much you remove. With any luck you may not have to repaint. Hope this helps. mossy maker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoop10 Posted November 3, 2005 Report Share Posted November 3, 2005 I think the guys here who own businesses repainting lures (kellure, for one) would tell you to sand out the sag, get the lure uniform and smooth again, and paint over the epoxy and then apply another coat. Basically, when they restore and repaint custom designs on lures, most of the time they just lightly sand (fine grit) the existing epoxy and paint over it. Unless you are worried about the extra weight of leaving that existing coat of expoxy on, this is probably the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toddo1513 Posted November 3, 2005 Report Share Posted November 3, 2005 When I have sags or runs in Devcon I use medium flat file to level out the sags. I feel it more effectively removes the unwanted high spots and leaves a smooth surface after. I do this on the flat surfaces as well as curves. Then I 400 or 600 the whole bait and reclear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael merrill Posted November 3, 2005 Report Share Posted November 3, 2005 you can repaint and reepoxy after acetone dries completely.You will need to though.Listen to the others if you dont want to ruin your paint.If you need it completely stripped use the acetone if you choose,after you believe it to be dry,place the lures in an airtight container for a while ,then open it up and smell.If you still get a hint of solvents,then continue to dry tlll you dont.Does weight of finish matter?May be something to keep in mind.Acetone is much more work though ,much more.There are a lot of very smart fellows here ,some of which do this for a livin too,so you your askin the right bunch.I know that I am glad of this place's existance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom S Posted November 3, 2005 Report Share Posted November 3, 2005 Seems that many guys use very fine sand paper on top coats before applying a second coat or refinishing. I have used very rough paper before like 100 or 80 grit and it turned out fine. The new coat of top coat re "wets" the surface and hides all scratches anyways.I hit with scotch brite after the 100 grit to remove any "fuzzys" then brush on top coat. I am using e-tex and sometimes devcon,so maybe thats the difference? Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackjack Posted November 4, 2005 Report Share Posted November 4, 2005 Been there done that, sanding not good enough for me, get a heat gun and an exacto with a #11 blade and heat the epoxy up right to the point where tiny bubbles form, then take your exacto pop a bubble and peel the epoxy off like a banana, there is not a bait that i can't strip down to bare wood doing this, poes, bagleys, rapalas, you name it even regular auto clear bubbles up and you can remove it this way!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael merrill Posted November 4, 2005 Report Share Posted November 4, 2005 Blackjack that sounds like an awesome way.You better believe that I will try that the very next time I need to.Thats what I'm talkin' bout! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westy Posted November 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 Blackjack, What a great tip! I had half a dozen baits that I was able to resurrect with the heat gun idea. Peels right off and doesn't take a lot of time. Shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpoRoller Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 Blackjack's method is probably the best bet for removing the devcon. I either do that or use a dull knife to peel it off. Heating it is faster though. On manufactured baits I prefer to sand everything off and start with a clean lure. Final results is worth the effort to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
