Question for PVC users

[lousyfisher]

I'm going to start making cranks for myself with pvc and was wondering what the best glue/epoxy to use.  I will be using it for the bills and  screw eyes.

[whittler]

I use a super glue for lips and belly weights but for the twisted wire eyes I use epoxy. The reason I use epoxy is it is easier to inject with a syringe than super glue and I can do this while topcoating.

[lousyfisher]

Is there a particular brand of glue or epoxy that you use? 

[whittler]

When I inject epoxy into the holes for the hardware I use E-tex. E-tex is also what I use for topcoating and it gives me a lot of working time. The extra time makes it easier to clean out the syringe before the epoxy sets. Flex-coat would also work very well for both hardware and topcoat.

[lousyfisher]

I have some system 3 two part epoxy that I used for some fiberglass work,  do you think that would work?

[whittler]

Have no experience with that epoxy but if you have a 15-20 min working time it should work just fine. If you have a super glue with a fine tip applicator that you could get the glue to the bottom of the hole it should also work great. If I'm just building a prototype that is how iI usually do it. If I glue to pieces of pvc together it is with super glue, faster and stronger than epoxy.

[Fishwhittler]

I use Flex Coat 5-Minute epoxy for bills, ballast, and hook hangers.  It sets up fast so I can get back to work quickly, and if I need to do several baits at once I add a few drops of Isopropyl Alcohol.  Or, I use the Rod-Builders epoxy from Flex Coat that has a 2 hour cure time when I need to do a bunch of baits at once.

You won't be able to inject 5-Minute epoxy into the hole.  I use a thin wire to poke epoxy into the hole, and then I cover the screw eye shaft with epoxy and insert it into the hole. 

[whittler]

You won't be able to inject 5-Minute epoxy into the hole. I use a thin wire to poke epoxy into the hole, and then I cover the screw eye shaft with epoxy and insert it into the hole.

While true 5min. epoxy will set before you get more than a couple of baits finished, with E-tex or Flex Coat I can install the hardware in 20 baits before cleaning the syringe. Using a syringe I can fill the hole competely, from the bottom up, making a bulletproof connection. Ben while you are poking epoxy in with a wire I can fill those 20 baits from the bottom up.

[lousyfisher]

I went ahead and mixed some of the epoxy up and am testing on a couple pieces of pvc.  Right now i'm glueing two pieces together, also just adding some to the outside of pvc.  I want to see if it will bond to it or peel right off. 

My pvc is 3/4 thick so I shouldn't have to laminate.    Thanks for all the help.

[Fishwhittler]

You won't be able to inject 5-Minute epoxy into the hole. I use a thin wire to poke epoxy into the hole, and then I cover the screw eye shaft with epoxy and insert it into the hole.

While true 5min. epoxy will set before you get more than a couple of baits finished, with E-tex or Flex Coat I can install the hardware in 20 baits before cleaning the syringe. Using a syringe I can fill the hole competely, from the bottom up, making a bulletproof connection. Ben while you are poking epoxy in with a wire I can fill those 20 baits from the bottom up.

I may give that a try sometime, but for now I'll stick with the method I've been using.   I don't epoxy enough baits at one time in order to need a long working time. 

I've never had one of my lures fail unless I was deliberately trying to break it, and then it took a lot of pressure (over 50 pounds) to break one free.