What Brand Of Clesr Coat Or Finish Is Best?

[gar-tracker]

Sorry Clear Coat not enough coffee yet.

I tried a search to no avail, I was wondering what worked best for you guys as far as glossy look and durability.

Also is this applied with the airbrush?

[BIG M]

Flex coat high build ultra V and it's applied with a brush. You will need a drying wheel with this product.

[gar-tracker]

Thanks you sir.

[Big Bass Man]

There are several two part epoxys that can be used, all need a turning wheel to be hung on after brushing on. I started out with devcon 2ton epoxy but you can do only 3 baits at a time. I now use etex light and I can apply it to about 10-15 baits at a time. From my experience I have learned that devon cures harder than etex, but will chip off eaiser than etex. The etex cures a little softer but less prone to chipping off. Both work fine as long as your not bouncing your lures off of rock walls, as I do.

Flex coat high build ultra V and it's applied with a brush. You will need a drying wheel with this product.

BigM, What are your thoughts on the Flexcoat ultra v, I have read a little about it, but havent tried it yet?

[BIG M]

Flex coat and e-tex are basically the same type of product. Flex has a faster cure time and is slightly thicker than the e-tex but that's about the only differences I've noticed. I let the flex coat sit for 10 min after mixing then blow off all the bubbles. If you don't let sit and start curing then it's too thin to brush on baits. Both products are at the top of fishing lure clear coats imho.

[Big Bass Man]

Flex coat and e-tex are basically the same type of product. Flex has a faster cure time and is slightly thicker than the e-tex but that's about the only differences I've noticed. I let the flex coat sit for 10 min after mixing then blow off all the bubbles. If you don't let sit and start curing then it's too thin to brush on baits. Both products are at the top of fishing lure clear coats imho.

Thanks for the reply Marty!

[BobP]

Back to the original question, there are 3 popular types of clearcoats for crankbaits. Slow cure epoxies, moisture cured urethanes, and 2 part urethane auto clearcoats. Many home brew builders and quite a few custom builders (like Marty) prefer to brush on epoxy. It is a durable topcoat that levels out well but is thicker than other options. Also, most epoxies will eventually yellow at least slightly after extended exposure to UV light. Moisture cured urethane like Dick Nite Fisherman's lurecoat S81 has become popular for guys who like to dip lures and want a thin, factory-look finish. But it is a little tricky to use and store. Probably the clearest durable topcoat is a 2 part high solids auto clearcoat sprayed on the bait. But it is toxic and requires protection akin to what auto painters use. All the options are roughly equivalent in price. The slow cure epoxies are probably the most used because you can buy it in smaller batches and it works well with virtually any other coating or paint product, which is not always the case with urethanes.

[TeddESP]

Not to jack this thread but I was wondering if there was any way to do a clear coat with a simple spray can or something..? Nothing that would require a turning wheel or protective clothes, something easy to get and do. Thanks.

[gar-tracker]

I wound up going with Flex coat, fairly simple to mix and puts a nice finish to the lures.

Plus the drying wheels fun to watch after a couple of drinks.

[BobP]

Not to jack this thread but I was wondering if there was any way to do a clear coat with a simple spray can or something..? Nothing that would require a turning wheel or protective clothes, something easy to get and do. Thanks.

You can try a urethane aerosol. It will give you 1 of the 2 essential qualities for a crankbait topcoat - it's waterproof. The other essential is toughness, and to get that you need a special coating as suggested above. Dang, if it were simple and good, all of us would be using it! If you go to a crankbait building site like Tackle Underground, you'll see that topcoats are probably the most discussed topic. Why? Everyone would like both good and simple but nobody can find it.

[TeddESP]

Thanks for the response.. it looks like i'll have to invest a little and just get the wheel. After catching the first couple bass on lures I created I now want to go lure crazy and make a bunch. =] Not sure why I have such a hard time posting pics on here but when I get to a computer hopefully I can upload some.