i brush 2 ton devcon all the time.
i thin it a little bit with denatured alcohol so it is easier to brush on and so that it covers the bait completely (when i dont thin it, i get a lot of spots where the epoxy didnt smooth out to cover all spots).
i have had NO problems with the thinned epoxy, and it gives me a smoother, glossier coat.
i will say that if you thin it, you should really consider putting 2 or maybe even 3 coats on (depending on how much you thin it). i wouldnt trust just one coat of thinned epoxy.
as for drying the bait:
i noticed you mentioned putting it under a fan...epoxy cures chemically, a fan will not speed up the process.
as for turning it, you dont HAVE to, but it looks much nicer and you get a more even coat if you do turn it. on the first few baits i used epoxy on, i didnt turn them, and there are a bunch of spots that the epoxy didnt flow out to. turning will give you a more even coat.
for a solid (one piece) bait, you could just take a pair of hemostats (locking pliers) and clip them to an eyelet and slowly turn the bait by hand for 20-30 min after application. if you dont have hemostats, you could try taking the blade out of an exacto knife and then putting an eyelet in the slot of the exacto knife. this will only work if the wire on your eyelet isnt very thick... :-/
since your baits are jointed, what i suggest you do is take two small pieces of thin wire and just wrapping them around the nose eyelet and the tail eyelet, and make little "hooks" from the wire. then just hold the bait from one hook for a minute, then from the other hook the next minute, and keep switching like this for 20 min. this is what i do for my jointed baits and they have turned out nice . you could also do this with a paper clip bent into an "S" shape.
as for getting epoxy in the eyelets:
dont worry about it. i purposely cover the eyelets with epoxy to ensure i get a good seal around the base of them where they enter the wood. i have always used a 1/32" highspeed cutter for the dremel to clear epoxy out of the eyelets and it works fantasticly. the bit is soooooo tiny and it is perfect for clearing epoxy out of tight joints. you could use a small drill bit for the line tie and hook hangers, but it might be difficult to get a drill bit in the joints of the bait... if you cant fit anything in the joints, take a paperclip, straighten it, heat it over a candle, and just melt the epoxy out of the eyelets. hold the paperclip with pliers because it will get hot on your fingers
