Custom painting lures

[Guest]

Lvn2Fish,

you make some good points

I know D2T can be thinned with denatured alcohol to extend working time. (mix it together on the bottom of an aluminum can) but I'm only brushing 1 lure at a time or about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

When you pre-heat the D2T, are you thinning the epoxy & extending the dry time?

The main reason I like bar top epoxy (Etex) is the extending drying time. I can brush 6-8 lures in 15-20 minutes timeframe.

That allows me to clear them in batches vs one at a time.

[Kee sims]

Good looking baits Luvn2fish

[Lvn2Fish]

The heat does nothing to the dry time . When you heat it the epoxy just becomes more workable turns from a syrup consistency to more of a canola oil consistency. It will go right back to syrup when it cools down.

[Lvn2Fish]

Yeah I still have that problem with the devcon . I mix small batches in disposable shot glasses. Usually do three lures at a time. And waste another lures worth of epoxy. I do have some bar top epoxy I'm going to try . I was always afraid it would turn milky with all the water time a lure sees

[Guest]

The bar top epoxy needs to be mixed precisely (scrape the cups) usually 2-3minutes of stirring & 1 minute of cup pouring.

Etex is more flexible than D2T, so its gets hook rash faster.

But on the flip side, D2T is so brittle is will break & chip in large chunks when smacked against rocks.

Plus D2T weighs down your topwaters & turns suspending jerkbaits into rocks.

Etex has to cure in 70 degree plus temps with less than 50% humidity for 48hrs. Initially, it has to be rotated for 6-8hrs.

So its harder to deal with in a garage or shed that's not heated & cooled.

I like to paint during the winter & fish during the summer. So it can be difficult.

[Flysmallie]

All of this reminds me of why I like automotive clear. No durability issues. No drying issues. Does have its drawbacks on initial investment and smell though. Guess there is no perfect system.

[Guest]

All of this reminds me of why I like automotive clear. No durability issues. No drying issues. Does have its drawbacks on initial investment and smell though. Guess there is no perfect system.

Can you post a link to your automotive clear?

Does it have to be sprayed & how do you clean the brush?

[5bites]

Hmmmm yea why couldn't auto clear be dipped? I wonder if it would get along with createx?

[Lvn2Fish]

I actually have had zero problems with devcon and suspending jerkbaits. I use a really thin coat , guess that could be the reason.

[hoglaw]

Got another batch of warts back from TrophyFishR. These are all phantoms in different colors - brown and orange, and some watermellon type colors. After the family came over for an easter egg hunt, I drug my kayak down to the creek and fished for a couple of hours behind the house. I sent him a text around 7 that said "your paintjob messed up my baits. Every time I get them down to depth, I get hung on one of these things!"

Great looking lures. It was a slow evening until I tied on a phantom wart. Three kentuckies, four smallmouth, and a sucker hooked right between the shoulder blades.