my version of realistic gill

[Bruce424]

Experimenting with top coat. I applied about 7 light coats of krylon laquer. Then we will see how it holds up

[aj88kc]

Looks good to me. I am a big fan of bluegill pattern baits. 

[kickerfish1]

Looks like a good bull gill to me!

[Bruce424]

Thanks guys

[Ski213]

Very nice. I really like the way it turned out. 

 I'd be curious to know how the top coat does. I'm new to painting and top coating is my biggest frustration right now. I'm better at shooting topcoat than applying epoxy but have been concerned about it holding up. 

[CJ]

On 2/20/2016 at 7:57 PM, Ski213 said:

Very nice. I really like the way it turned out. 

 I'd be curious to know how the top coat does. I'm new to painting and top coating is my biggest frustration right now. I'm better at shooting topcoat than applying epoxy but have been concerned about it holding up. 

Really top coat does seem a little intimidating at first but it's really not that hard. You really need to go with epoxy. Most 2 part epoxies you get at an auto parts store will do. Two things to look for is to make sure it dries clear and the work time allowed. Get at least a 5 minute epoxy and mix in small amounts. Get you some bulk packs of cheap paint brushes. After mixing really well, just brush on  as even as you can from head to tail and hang it at the line tie. The epoxy will level itself any excess will drip to the tail. It's really not that hard. Epoxy has been the only top coat that I have found to be durable enough for the contact I make with cranks. 

[Baitmaker]

After trying several different clear coats out there, I would personally not use 5 or even 30 minute epoxy as a top coat. It doesn't hold up nearly as well as long set epoxy like Enviro Tex. And to my knowledge, there is no spray can clear coat that will hold up on baits. I've tried auto clear lacquer and several other types. Fast set epoxy yellows quite a bit over time, and will eventually let water in. The down side to using long set is that it takes many hours to dry, and will require turning the work to avoid runs and pools. If you do not have a drying wheel, you can get by with ultra thin coats and manually turning the work regularly for the first few hours. Adding some heat to the room will help speed up the process. It takes much longer, but the end result is a clear hard finish that will last a long time. It has to be an exact 50/50 ratio and mixed for several minutes or it won't dry rock hard. To help with runs, wait a half hour to 45 minutes after mixing before applying it.  

[Bruce424]

Here is another with my old stand by epoxy. Metallic gold with a dark brown back and an orange belly

[Munkin]

On ‎2‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 7:18 PM, Bruce424 said:

Experimenting with top coat. I applied about 7 light coats of krylon laquer. Then we will see how it holds up

That will work as a crayfish as well around here.

 

Allen

[IndianaFinesse]

That's a great paint job, I wish someone sold a color like that.

[DailyBassin']

Very late, but that is one sexy bait! Looks like it'll slay

[Kevin22]

I'd fish that bait for sure! Looks like a gill and a craw in one. Two birds with one stone! 

[Bruce424]

On Sunday, April 03, 2016 at 9:54 PM, Kevin22 said:

I'd fish that bait for sure! Looks like a gill and a craw in one. Two birds with one stone! 

Yeah thanks! Just trying to find some clearer water to use it in.mostly everything is muddied near me. But I have time.