uv top coat

[stickleback]

There are some uv curable varnishes that have been on the market for some time now (the leading brands overseas appear to be alumi uv & solarez) has anyone had a chance to try them out locally yet - on paper they look a great alternative to epoxies ie no fumes,no mixing-so no bubbles,very quick curing time,no yellowing etc?
The only thing that appears to be a possible problem (as usual) is the cost of importing them - or is there maybe a locally made version of a similar product that would make going this route viable?

 

[supercab]

Hi stickleback
I just use 2k clear coat and it gives the lures a nice shine to hope this helps.

 

[bassbug]

as a temporary fix for a lure or two, a product called loon, in a small bottle and expensive. found in most tackle stores especialy those that sell fly fishing tackle. i use loon's uv knot sense only and have seen other bottles for varnishing flies, also similar other products available on the same shelf just dont remember their names.

 

[stickleback]

Thanks for your input guys,both of what you have suggested will do the job,i'm just looking for a cheaper,quicker & less messy alternative to what is available & i thought uv was a good alternative - seems nobody has tried it yet?
Anyone know what the rod builders use as a clear coat? - Enigma?

 

[Dewald Posthumus]

Hi Stickleback,

If you are referring to the final coating on lures, you can use a product called Tarbender by Smooth-On. It is availble from AMT Composites in Kempton Park. Around R500/ liter.

Mail them first to pre-order - they do not always have stock.

Also, it takes 16 hours to fully cure, so you will need a machine in which to turn the lures for 16 hours..the only downside. It is a UV resistant, scratch resistant, high gloss finish.

 

[stickleback]

Thanks Dewald, yes tarbender is what i'm currently using & is a good product,but the length of time it takes to cure - it's like watching paint dry - LOL!

 

[Dewald Posthumus]

Aha ok, don't think you will anything to substitute Tarbender with, unless you order something like Flextcoat from Mudhole, but not sure about the curing time either..

Btw, you are watching paint dry!

http://www.mudhole.com/Flexcoat-5-Minute-Epoxy

 

[alwyn]

bassbug wrote:

as a temporary fix for a lure or two, a product called loon, in a small bottle and expensive. found in most tackle stores especialy those that sell fly fishing tackle. i use loon's uv knot sense only and have seen other bottles for varnishing flies, also similar other products available on the same shelf just dont remember their names.

I have been using Loon UV and wont be buying that again soon, always cures tacky even if I leave the flies out in the sun for a day. Solarez has been getting good reviews.

 

[willo]

I am very "new" to lure painting , but have become obsessed with it during the last month or so .

While waiting for my clear gloss 2 pack to arrive i stumbled across this product in the local tackle shop , different paints sealers etc. and really cheap compared to the 2 pack i have just ordered .

I tried the clear seal over the weekend , was very impressed how easy it was to use - no smells,no bubbles,paints on easy enough and drys crystal clear .
Just stir and paint , best of all it had no reaction to any of the paints or permanent markers that i used on my lures.
I haven't got fancy spray guns etc. and have just been using spray paint and sharpie markers . I originally was trying clear coat spray paint , but it would yellow my whites and make my silvers grey etc.

http://www.csipaint.com/products/uv-fishing-lure-paint/uv-blast-clear-seal-coat.php

This might be the product you looking for .

 

[stickleback]

It's not what i'm looking for,but it is an interesting product in so far as it has been around for a while (6 years +) & has mixed reactions from being awesome to crap - so i'd say if it works for you then great! By the way, what epoxy had you ordered & were waiting for?

 

[Enigma]

We use Flexcoat or some of the other Hi-build's available

needs to turn for 2 hours in 24 degree ambient temp environment

Don't look for the 5min epoxy as a coating it mixes difficultly and is a Epoxy Glue and not a coating

Mudhole.com, where I buy huge amounts of components every year have a wide array of Lure Building products.

Have a look here and if you're keen on anything let me know and I'll bring it in with one of my wholesale purchases from them

http://www.mudhole.com/gear-apparel/build-your-tackle/paints-finishes

 

[stickleback]

Thanks Craig

If you ever purchase goods from a supplier that also stocks either system 3 clear coat or envirotex lite give me a shout! I know they are both air curing epoxys as opposed to uv curing,but I just feel at this stage they are the better product.

 

[willo]

stickleback wrote:

It's not what i'm looking for,but it is an interesting product in so far as it has been around for a while (6 years +) & has mixed reactions from being awesome to crap - so i'd say if it works for you then great! By the way, what epoxy had you ordered & were waiting for?

I have ordered the envirotex lite , had to make an online purchase as no one has the stuff on the shelf in Perth that i could find anyways . Should have it on Tuesday and hopefully start playing with it over the next weekend .

 

[willo]

These are the are the ones that i used the cs clear coat on and my first batch of decorated lures . As i said i am still very new to this and will get better with more practice , but i am happy with my first attempt.

I will do some more with envirotex lite and see what the difference is ....

i just swam the two with trebles and will be finishing the lures off with in lines .

 

[stickleback]

WOW WILLO !!!

Very nice work indeed - nothing wrong with those lures at all mate,very impressive,you have good reason to be happy if those are your first attempt!
Let me know how you go with the etex, should be interesting to see how it shapes up against the cs,especially the hardness (it has been reported that the cs tends to very brittle)

 

[willo]

@ stickleback

Cheers for the comments.

The envirotex arrived just before the weekend and i managed to have a play with it over the weekend . Time unfortunately was not up my sleeve , but i was dying to try it out.
Now being the first time i have used this type of product i was not quite sure on how much i needed to mix (i went with 10 ml x 10 ml) and more importantly how much time i had to play with . I did in my foolish state of mind decide to do 10 lures and rushed through them a little to fast in hind-site as they didn't all come up perfect for my ocd -

All in the learning curve , the product it self is awesome , easy to mix , just need to make sure the quantities are 100% correct . The brushing went on nicely , the lures that i took my time on came up smick with a nice thick clear coat .I did end up painting over a few that i had done with the cs product as well - because i mixed to much envirotex and still had heaps left over , but by this stage my dryer was full .
I will post some pics later ....

The cs product takes about 30 mins to be bone dry and you can then start adding more coats , i did some lures with three coats and they look good.
the envirotex was still sticky after about 4 hrs , i left it over night spinning away and only checked it after work Monday night , by then it was rock hard . I wont be applying any more coats to the envirotex as i don't think it will make any difference .

Both products have there pro's and con's , but for the better Finnish i would say that the envirtex is by far the better product in the long run.

 

[Limpopoking]

@ Willo... very good looking work there bud. I look fwd to a few detailed pics.

 

[willo]

Please just excuse the quality of these photos, trying to get the phone to behave under my led lighting is as bad as trying to bath a cat ....
I will hopefully be trying them out on the weekend and will try get some better ones in natural lighting . I like clear lures especially on the flats when chasing shadows, this will hopefully do the trick

 

[willo]

Some more of clear , but with colour

 

[willo]

The small pink and orange have been painted with the cs product and the rest now have envirotex, I gave up trying to do individual pics so this will be the group shot ....