Clearcoating Bucktails And Leadhead Jigs

[Jim Farmer]

My wife and I use small bucktails for bass in the spring and fall. I've been tying bucktails for years now and one thing I've found that works well, especially for bucktails and hardening thread. After I've finished tying bucktails, I dip them in polycrylic and let them dry. One of the major benefits of using polycrylic for bucktails is it soaks into the thread and makes it rock hard. I doesn't ever come untied like some of the foreign stuff. The polycrylic will eventually wear off the leadhead, especially in hot sunny weather but it really looks great as a finish product. 

[Will Wetline]

I use a topcoat as well. The product is CS Seal-Coat and I use it primarily to worm proof the jig because vinyl paint is not worm proof by itself. I hadn't done this final step when I posted a few bucktails April i8th, but it's done now because who knows? -  maybe I'll find that the smallies want these jigs tipped with a piece of a small plastic worm. At some point in the season I'll be throwing painted jigheads dressed with a Kalin's or GYCB grub and this topcoat will prevent a gooey mess.

 

Head cement by itself is adequate for plain bucktails but, as you pointed out, a topcoat does provide additional protection for the thread wraps that have been immersed as well as stick on eyes.

[smalljaw67]

I powder coat my heads, Will is in an area with a lead ban so he uses metal with a low melting point thus he can't powder coat so I understand where he is. If you use lead you can powder paint the heads and cure them and it eliminates the need for a top coat on the head and all that is left is the thread but if I use eyes on my hair jigs then I use Devcon 2 Ton epoxy, it takes loker to cure but it is super hard and you would need a hack saw to cut the thread off when you coat that with the epoxy. My normal bucktail jig is between 1/16 and 3/16oz and if I'm not using eyes I'll just have a plain head but for the thread I like to use Loctite super glue brush on, it is very thin for super glue and it penetrates the threads before hardening, a little bottle goes a long way, like 2000 jigs and I still have enough left for 500 more. I will have to look at the polycrylic , how long does it take to set up?