Powder Paint Fluid Bed Questions??????

[harshman]

I have just finished building my own home made fluid bed but I am unsure how to properly use it.

1. How much powder do you use per application? :-?

2. How much air flow is correct? :-?

3. When adjusting the airflow what is the ideal "powder cloud" i should be looking for before dipping the jig? :-?

I am always experementing with making my baits and that is what led me to a fluid bed, but I just don't know how to use on correctly to get the best results. Thanks in advance.

Harshman

[Siebert Outdoors]

Sorry I cant help on this Harshman.  But I am interested in how you built it.  I've been wanting one of these for a long time now.  I just read a bunch of topics on fluid beds on TU.

[harshman]

GMAN, mine basically followed an example from TU. I spent about a hour one day wandering the plumbing section at Home Depot finding parts to build the bed. I will post pics soon if you want to seee what it looks like. I guess I'm gonna have to learn how to use it the hard way, good ole trial and error.

Harshman

[Siebert Outdoors]

I'd like to see it.  If you can get that posted up I will go buy the stuff and we can work out the details on use.  Save use both some time and $.  I'm getting tired of holding the head over the heat and the dipping it in the paint and getting big glops of it on the head.

[harshman]

I think I had about $25 wrapped up in the build not icluding small parts to make it work with my air compressor or that I already have a small air compressor to start with. I have ran a few jigs in trail and they turned out better than dipping I just want to know if I'm using it correctly.

Harshman

[BORDERBASSER]

It won't take much air to get what you need. I use an aquarium pump if that tells you anything. Maybe just a few pounds. If you use an air compressor, you will need a regulator that is capable of adjusting that low.  Just make sure you use enough air that when you turn it on, the powder approximately doubles in volume and doesn't spew out the top.  I would start of trying to fill the cup about a 1/3 full and go from there.  That is how I figured mine out.

TJ

[Gorgebassman]

According to the commercially available fluid beds they only use 2 to 3 cfm of air to get the powder moving. Heres the link for the instruction for a commercially available one.

http://www.csipaint.com/0008.htm

[harshman]

Thanks guys

Harshman

[Gorgebassman]

Any chance of you posting the plans or where one could get the plans to build one thanks in advance.

[harshman]

I followed a plan to build my fluid bed that I got off of http://www.rockbottomlures.com/Tournaments.html, well sort of .Honestly their plans gave me a direction and in reality I spent time just wandering the plumbing section at Home Depot trying things out that I though would work for me. I'll try to get pics up tonight. The only variation I tried was to use a cap on the bottom to seal the lower end of the coupler then used wood screws to attach it to a piece of 1x4 that I had laying around. Other wise it is about the same

Harshman

[harshman]

Here are the pics I promised

and the compressor I use

Harshman

[Siebert Outdoors]

wow, that is awsome.  Thanks for sharing.

[Gorgebassman]

AWESOME Thanks for sharing saved me some money of purchasing one which I was going to do till you helped out.

[llPa1nll]

I saw this and I was wonder how exactly this works it looks easy enough of a build.

[harshman]

Used the fluid bed alot tonight to do a batch of ball head crappie jigs for my wife and the fluid bed worked perfectly. Nice even layer of paint, no drips,no paint in the hook eye. Thank you guys for all of the tips. I felt alot more confortable using it tonight after reading your suggestions. The only thing I would add is some way to make the cup vibrate. I am stiring the cup after every dip to keep the powder extra fluffy. I think a little vibration would solve the problem.

Harshman

[harshman]

Not sure if I mentioned I am using a coffee filter for the bottom of the cup to allow the air to flow into the cup. I thought you guys figured it out when you saw the pictures, but I wanted to clarify.

lPA1Nl The principal behind the fluid bed is to suspend the powder paint in a cloud of air then dip your pre heated bait into the paint allowing for more even contact with the bait from the paint. Using less paint and a better over all finish. Most of the time if you dip the bait in the cup provided with the powder paint you can get globs of paint on parts of the bait. This eliminates that possibility by keeping the paint moving around the bait.

Harshman

[llPa1nll]

Ahhh Thank you... So preheated jigs into the powder paint. Now for weedless jigs I am guessing that you would add the weed guard on after you added the paint so as not to melt the plastic weed guard.

[harshman]

That is correct. I use a base pin inserted into my jigs when I pour them then remove the pin after the bait is cured and install the weed guard with a little epoxy. The bottles of paint say you can insert the guard then paint but I have tried to heat the jigs for dipping and the guard always melts.

Harshman

[Gr8wall]

wait so the air comming from below seeps through and keeps the paint fluffy?  im sorry, im still not too sure about this. my initial comprehension was that it kinda made the podwer vapor like kinda floating aroudn and then when it contacted the weight or jig, it melts onto it.  i dont know, coudl you clarify it some more please?   good job on fluid bed though.  im thinking about that and making something to suspend the weight or jig in the oven.  thanks

[Siebert Outdoors]

I checked that link and its great.  Thanks.  One question I didnt see.  What size pipe and fitting is that?

[llPa1nll]

Ahhh I thought so. So if the goal is to get a lil more vibration the air pump from a local pet shop affixed to the same board as your fluid bed would/should do the trick. They have quite a bit of vibration to them.

[harshman]

I made min a little smaller using a 2" coulper and some sort of 1 1/2" fitting that fit perfectly inside the couplerwhen I added the cofee filter. ( like I said I spent some time in the pluming department to make this stuff work)  Most of the other bed I have seen were 3" or larger but I don't make jigs that are any larger than 1 oz. so it works out fine.

Harshman

[harshman]

lPA1Nl

The air compressor I have now creates alot of vibration when running maybe I need to set it closer to the bed. I might have to open the dump valve on my water seperator to make the pump run non stop while I am pouring. Good Idea Thanks

Harshman

[llPa1nll]

I might just give this a try I just bought a 10ft length of 3" PVC for creating a shippable rod tube for my rods to send down to SC. So I have a 3ft piece of 3" PVC as scrap lying around. Do you guys heat the jigs up in a toaster oven? If so for how long and at what temperature? As you may well remember I am toying around with the idea of starting to pour my own jigs.

[harshman]

I started using my toaster oven to pre heat the jigs @ 350 for how ever long it takes for my to cycle through getting them out of the oven and dipping them. I used to use a torch but the oven gives a more uniform heat with no hot spots on the bait.

 Use extreme caution if you are going to start making your own jigs   IT IS VERY ADDICTING :exclamation :exclamation :exclamation :exclamation I am up to about ten molds now and have more hooks sitting in my taclke room than I could ever pour in a years time

Harshman