UV Chamber

[gnsbaits]

So I am sorta new to painting crankbaits. Can someone explain to me the purpose of UV curing? Does it work with KBS Diamond coat or would I need to use some different? What are the benefits of doing this? Does it change the look of the crankbait in the water? Does it make the curing process faster? ect…...

[DanielG]

49 minutes ago, gnsbaits said:

So I am sorta new to painting crankbaits. Can someone explain to me the purpose of UV curing? Does it work with KBS Diamond coat or would I need to use some different? What are the benefits of doing this? Does it change the look of the crankbait in the water? Does it make the curing process faster? ect…...

I justmade a UV curing chamber and also am pretty new to bait making. I posted about it here along with a video of the build.

 

KBS Diamond coat is a stand alone substance. It cures when exposed to air and people like it.

UV resin requires UV light to cure. Common resins are Alumi-uv and Solarez.

 

Solarez cures extremely fast, minutes or less, smells bad and might be a bit toxic. It hardens well though. Some have abandoned it because of the smell but more because it often thickens over Time just by the light hitting it while opening the can.

 

Alumi-uv takes 30+ minutes to harden, has no odor and is used because it will stay thinner over time in the can.

 

Both produce a very hard surface, level well, don't yellow and are generally considered a very good surface for baits.

 

Alumi-uv is available as a Chinese knockoff for a lot less cost. (check amazon). I have found, as well as users who've posted on youtube that it seems to be exactly like Alumi-uv. I've used it and it's very good. My baits Harden completely in 30 min. under my homemade lights.

 

I started out using a good 2 part epoxy resin that works very good but you have to mix it in exacting amounts and put it on a rotating dryer to keep it from sagging while it's still wet.