Powder adhesion problem

[Clem44]

Need some help...  I powder coat my own bass jig heads and have not had a durability issue until lately.  The last few batches I've made the paint starts peeling off.  I heat every head with a propane torch, dip them and later bake them @ 325 deg. For approximately 25 minutes.  I've even tried sanding each head to score them prior to paint application and they still start to peel after light use.  I use them around docks, rocks, etc. but like I said I've never had a durability issue until recently.  Any ideas??? 

[Scott F]

If it were me, I wouldn’t waste my time painting them. I used to powder paint my jigs but realized that the fish really don’t care if they are painted at all. 

[JS Patterson]

I agree that the fish don’t care about the appearance but I find that the head retains its shape much better when powder coated. Maybe a bad batch of powder? I bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, dip in powder and then bake for 20 minutes to cure. 

[smalljaw67]

You have had no issues with previous heads so what changed? Are you using a different brand of powder? Are you using different lead? When was the last time you checked the oven temp? I cure my jigs at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, it takes my oven 4 minutes to reach that temp and it takes the jigs 3 minutes to hit temp. So I put my jigs in the oven for 22 minutes, that means my jigs are at temp for 15 minutes. If you put your jigs in for 25 minutes without the oven preheated that means you are only curing at the desired temperature for a short period of time. I'm guessing that you are using a toaster oven and if you are I'll bet the temperature is off by 10 degrees or more. My current oven is set at 325 and the oven thermometer reads 354 degrees, just about perfect. My old oven was taken out of service when I had it set for 400 degrees and it only hit 335.  If you can't get an oven thermometer right away then try curing you jigs for 45 minutes at the current temp and see if it makes a difference, if it does you'll know your oven temp is off.

[Harold Scoggins]

6 hours ago, smalljaw67 said:

I'm guessing that you are using a toaster oven and if you are I'll bet the temperature is off by 10 degrees or more.

I'm getting a new toaster oven (cheap model) to cure jigs in the next few days and I'll be hanging a oven thermometer on the rack. The temperature setting knobs on those cheaper ovens are not dependable.

[Black Hawk Basser]

As mentioned, get a thermometer to test the actual temperature of the oven.  It doesn't hurt anything to leave them in the oven for a longer amount of time to ensure they've had adequate time to bake - I've inadvertently left jigs in the toaster oven for hours, and they were fine.