Has anyone used polyuerathane as sealer?

[BigRedfish]

I tried sealing some small cranks with multiple coats of Minwax clear polyeurathane spray this weekend. The cranks look good but I havent fished with them yet. Has anyone tried this before? Any disadvantages of using polyeurathane rather than Devcon? Thanks.

[Mallard]

I used the brush on version and dipped my baits in it. I only used it on some baits I painted as practice and then gave away to some kids so I don't know how well they held up. Epoxies, like Devcon are more durable but the MinWax polyeurathane is quite tough. I liked it because it was easy to use and created a thin coat that I prefer on small baits. I have since switched to E-tex, which I feel better fits my needs.

I dipped each bait 5 or 6 times about an hour apart, and hung them to dry. While it dries to the touch in less than a day, it needs up to two weeks to setup properly. I learned this from a flooring company that uses it with great results. I am not sure that the spray-on version can give you the same results.

Also, it is water based so clean up is easy.

[etch a sketch]

big red, IMHO opinion, you cant go wrong with prop pellets as your sealer, get some pellets, dissolve them in acetone, in a glass jar with a good sealing lid, dip ,dry, dip again, dry, sand if needed and continue dipping and drying until you are happy with the coating, stuff is sweet, goes on wicked smooth, hard as rock, its like it makes the wood lure almost like a plastic bait, need pellets or info, just pm swede from the board, he has the connection for the prop pellets, right shore of pellets etc, i have tried almost everything, and am sticking with the prop as my sealer, hope this helps

Etch

[LaPala]

Yup, I concur with what Etch says. Seal with prop then when it fully cures, drop your lure to the floor & hear that sharp ping, nothing like wood sound at all. Nothing beats prop so far for ease of application too.

Swede is a super nice guy to deal with.

[benton B]

BigRed, how small are these baits? I build some of the smallest cranks for trout fisherman (2" long x 3/8" thick 1/16-1/8oz finshed weight) and I use devcon 2ton as my clear.

[doomdart]

This illustrates the different ideas of "sealer." Many think of sealer as a protective coat on the bait that seals it from water penetration. Others think of sealer as a penetrating barrier that completely saturates the wood so no water can enter.

Both versions can work. I've read where many reported that the urethane topcoat yellow with age or UV exposure. I think it is more convenient and possibly quicker to use the urethane type sealer, but the saturation type is probably better if you want complete indestructibility.

I don't think that five or six coats of urethane type sealer would be necessary. I think two or three should suffice if your final topcoat is a tough one.

[fatfingers]

I'm going to give the acetone and pellets stuff a try as soon as my schedule opens up a bit.

I had an oil-based sealer that I was using to seal my poplar baits. Unfortunately, I've used it all and can't find anything but "sanding sealer," which does not penetrate nearly as deeply.

The oil-based sealer that I had penetrated deeply into the wood and I think that is important if you're concerned about water passing through the bait when the exterior clear coat (meaning Devcon or envirotex type stuff) is breached from hook rash, fish teeth, or general wear and tear. Poplar can swell if it gets wet and causing the bait to sort of burst.

I'm not sure that the acetone/proprionate stuff will prevent swelling of certain woods if it gets peirced somehow. Can anyone set me straight on that? As I say, I have no experience with it...yet.

For what its worth, I wouldn't think that a varnish, even a polyurethane varnish, would make a trustworthy sealer or final clear coat because it doesn't penetrate wood very deeply and as a final clear coat isn't nearly as hard as the epoxy stuff available to most of us.

[LaPala]

Yes, acetone/prop can penetrate. How far would depend on the porosity of wood u use. First dip is a soak actually to let the solution saturate the wood.

So Doomdart, prob does both

[Mallard]

You are right Doomdart. I "assumed" BigRedFish was talking about top coats since he mentioned the spray-on product. I too expect my "sealer" to penetrate the wood to some degree. I believe the water-based polyeurathane can be used as a wood sealer and will pentrate the wood if soaked, but I don't see it as the best solution.

I have been successful sealing WRC with E-tex thinned with an equal part of laquer thinner. I apply a thick coat and let it drip for few minutes then wipe off the access. I get the same sharp ping when dropped as LaPala mentioned.

With that being said, I also plan to experiment with the Prop as a wood sealer.

[BobP]

Bigredfish, we may have gone off track when the thread morphed from talking about clearcoats to waterproofing undercoats. How tough you need a clearcoat to be depends on how you fish the lure and whether toothy critters will be crunching it. I use water cured polyurethane on small baits and it works great - very clear, glossy and tough. How Minwax lasts, how tough it is, whether it yellows significantly, I don't know. I suspect it will yellow more than some clearcoats unless it starts out very clear and is UV stabilized. Even that isn't necessarily bad unless you think it is! Different subject: I've started using cellulose propionate (aka prop) pellets disolved in acetone for waterproof undercoating only. If you keep the solution thin, absorption into the wood is excellent and 6-7 coats make a very hard waterproof coating that can be done in 1-2 hrs of dipping/drying. With multiple prop coats, soft balsa becomes less compressable than balsa undercoated with Devcon, which makes me think it may be more durable.

[benton B]

I thought BigRed was talking top coats here, I use plain ole polyurathane to seal 3 dips followed by light sanding with 400 and prime. I don't want to lose the properties of the balsa wood by making it rock hard. This method has worked for me.

[BigRedfish]

Great responses! Thanks to all for sharing their knowledge. I painted five small, store-bought crankkbaits this week and then sealed them with Minwax spray eurathane as a top coat. This was my first attempt at painting lures.

Over several day's time days, I put four light layers of spray on each lure. I didnt get any drips or runs and I was pleased with the results. I accidentally dropped one on the concrete and the coaing didn't crack or scuff, which leads me to believe they may hold up.

I am going to fish these in shallow saltwater, primarily for trout and redfish - neither sport significant dentalware. Thanks again for all the suggestions. Best Greg

[TeamFATBOY]

I use the Minwax Polyurethane brush on and I'll dip the baits and hang them to let drip, Works good for my needlefish bait in my avatar, but I won't be buying anymore. I found the more times I coat a bait with it the more yellow the bait becmes when cured. I have been using the Minwax Polycrylic as both a wood sealer and seems to penetrate good and for the final clear after about three coats and have had very good result with this though the Polycrylic is a little more pricey I like the results better without the yellowing and seems like a tougher finish , Just bought another gallon yesturday.