I was at Home Depot today. No one has ever heard of Envirotech or Envirotech Lite. I explained to them what it is, and they had something else, it was a 2 part epoxy clearcoat. I believe it was made by Thompson or Bear, or some other big name. It was with the stains, and polyeurathanes. Do you think this stuff is a good equivalent? If so how should it be applied? Should the bodies be dunked, brushed or sprayed? Could you please explain the application process. I was trying to finish this needlefish up to give to my dad with his new tacklebag I got him for Xmas. I primed the body, andhave one coat of black paint on now. Also should I put the eyes on before the clearcoating? Thanks in advance.

Specialist, the bottles say Envirotex lite, but no matter if Home Depot carried it the guys you talked to would have been able to figure out what you were looking for. I have never bought it there, I've always gotten it at Spag's which is close by for me. I think I said in an earlier post it was available at Home Depot but that was an assumption on my part. (sorry!) Considering the size of Home Depot I would have expected them to carry it. It is a very popular product and perhaps you should try another hardware outfit or a paint store. However it would be very difficult to apply it without the aid of a small spinning motor such as a rod dryer as it takes up 8 hours before it sets up enough to hang. I usually do one before I go to bed and the next morning carefully hang it up in my workshop and start another. It takes 24 hours to not leave fingerprints in it and 48 before it's hard enough to fish with. I think for this particular plug you should use 2 part epoxy either 5 or 30 min. I build my plugs completely first and paint last, that way I can hold them with a pair of vice grips by the end loop where the treble goes. Brush the epoxy on with an acid swab brush and keep turning the plug over every 30 seconds or so until it sets up. If you put the vice grips on the edge of a table or workbench you can just flip them over. 5 min. epoxy would be quicker but you have a limited amount of time to get all of the epoxy on the plug and it will probably start to set up before the epoxy really get to flow very much. 30 min. will require a little more attention but you'll have plenty of time to brush on the epoxy and it will flow nicely. I'm going to talk to John about doing a series of photos of a plug being envirotexed from start to finish, I just haven't had a chance. Been really into this making molds thing. Good Luck and if you need any more answers don't hesitate to ask. ...mrpogie

Thanks for the quick reply. I may have an old b-bq rotisserie lying around somwhere, I think someone said that can be used. I did some searching online, and some art supply stores had the Envirotex Lite. I am gonna make some calls tommorow, it seems the stuff is pretty popular. One more question, when you say 5 or 30 minute epoxy, are you guys talking about the glue that comes in a small amount in syringes, or an actual epoxy clearcoat.

I have seen Envirotex in a few True Value hardware stores. You might try there.

Mr Pogie, How do you attach it to your rod dryer and what kind of dyer do you use?

I have a 6rpm motor and 18rpm motor for my Flex Coat dryer system... Thanks....

Anyone know of other alternatives for a guy like Specialist that may want to do plugs but not rods?

Thanks...
John

John, Mr. Pogie has a clamp type thing made out of alluminum which he attaches to the dryer and clamps the wire on the plug to it.

Specialist, you can use the 1 oz. syringe type epoxy kits that are sold in harware stores, just be sure to get clear. It doesn't take much to cover a plug or 2.

John, I would use the 6 rpm motor, mine is 4 rpm. I like to put the finish on while it is spinning. I have put up a picture of my motor and attachment. I purchased from Cabela's for $21.00, a worthwhile investment if you are going to really get into using this type of product. I already had it on my rod wrapper when I began making my own plugs but I can understand someone's not wanting to spend extra money for something they're not sure about. The attachment is pretty simple, it could be made out of wood with a minimum of tools.It's only a block of wood with a saw kerf and a couple of holes in it. Specialist, the rotisserie motor would probably be fine as long as you could adapt the holder to the motor in some fashion. My brother has a few plugs that I painted for him that have not been envirotexed yet. I'm going to get him over here and have him help photograph the entire sequence on applying envirotex. I'd like to say before Christmas but wer'e getting so close I can't promise it. I just got back in from a little shopping myself, it's a jungle out there! Specialist, that's why I thought you might be better with epoxy on your needle,because we're getting close to Christmas and I know you want to give it as a present.

http://striped-bass.com/fishpix/mrp_dryingmotora.jpg

That's the same motor I've been using for years in my rod building, at least it looks identical to what I'm using. It's a nice motor and turns at a slow enough speed to work well for either rod or plug finishing.http://www.rgsiroisco.com/rod42.jpg Mines got a large slit butt cap I use to insert a finished rod's butt cap into, then I wrap it with electrical tap and it's good to finish. I think I used a little fuel line hose and a nut bolt inside the butt cap.

GS, I really like that little setup for rod butts. I've always used a dowel on the end of the motor and taped it to the end of the rod without the endcap. But your system would allow for the rod and the motor to be slightly out of alignment in height and still work good. I'm going to copy that if you don't mind, thanks for putting that pic up. ...mrpogie

I like that too GS - I'm going to borrow it for my dryer too...

Mr Pogie, if you want to put up an article or just the pics on finnishing the plugs, it sounds gret to me - let me know if you need anything from here...

Specialist;

For now I agree that you might be better of going with epoxy. I use Devcon 30 minute in the syringe to do mine. I buy a bunch of kiddie brushes at the dolloar store and brush it on with them. I hang them right after I brush them and I don't have any problems with the epoxy running. Just be sure not to put it on to heavy. Two hours after the first coat, I apply a second coat and usually I add some glitter to it. I like how shiny they come out when using the epoxy. Here's what they look like......

http://striped-bass.com/fishpix/jenty_plugs3a.jpg

Mr. Pogie;

I would also like to try something other than epoxy. Is there something that I could spray out of an airbrush that would give me the shine that the epoxy does? Thanks!

Well I found some envirotex lite, at an Ace Hardware. They told me they carry the 32 oz kits all the time. They also had a gallon or half gallon kit that was special ordered. I took an old rapala, put it in my 14.4 volt cordless drill on low tourque, and used a ty-wrap on the trigger to adjust the speed. So far so good. At some point I would like to get a drying motor, I would like to try a rod too. Thanks to everyone who responded with suggestions, I look forward to the pics when Mr. Pogie gets a chance to do them. I hope my wife got my Grizzly for xmas.

Jenty,I don't think you'll find anything durable that can be sprayed. I think durability comes from increased thickness or viscosity. I have tried automotive urethane clearcoat which gives a shine very similar to epoxy or envirotex but it is very brittle when it comes to whacking a plug on the rocks or having a schoolie go mental and thrash around when you get them in to the rocks. Specialist, let me know how the rapala comes out, after 6-8 hours you can stop the drill and grab the rapala by one of the loops and hang it somewhere and it won't sag. It takes about 24 hours and you'll be able to hold it but if you squeeze it you'll see fingerprints in the finish. They will actually flow out and disappear believe it or not. I hope it works for you. ...mrpogie

...Thank you all, not only for the advice...but the questions as well.....Specialist is quite a few steps ahead of me...and asking the same questions that have been " buzzing " around in my head. Thanks Specialist, for being on the "ball" ... and doing some of the leg work...ei. Ace Hardware for epoxy...etc...by the way, Steve extends some Holiday wishes to you and your family.

Ok the old rapala came out ok. I now have the needle with a coat and spinning in my cordless drill. So far it looks tasty. I have thought of a way to mount a corded drill to my bench so in the future I am not killing and changing batteries all the time. I will be shoping for a spinning motor after xmas.

If I can get my wife out of the house tuesday night I will take some pics on the digital camera I got her for xmas. Want to make sure it works. ;) Then I will post.

Thanks to everyone who helped me this has been fun and addictive.

Bloo Merry Xmas back, and happy new year. Please, thank you.
Tell him to keep me posted.

Jenty those plugs sure do look shiny. The Envirotex seems to be easy to work with so far.

How do you guys apply the Envirotex? Do you brush it on or use and airbrush?

Jenty, use the same brushes you use for epoxy
Specialist you sly dog, tell us the real reason you bought your wife a digital camera. (as if we don't already know!) A man with a plan, I like that. I'm glad the rapala came out ok. Look forward to seeing the pics.

That would be the same reason she got a Sig P239 in .357sig 2 Xmas's ago, and a Beretta 12ga over and under when we first got married. ;) Seriously she did ask for one.

How do you get the gas bubbles out of the finish? I made a rookie mistake, I used a lighter, and it worked well. Except near the rear of the plug, I heated it too much and what I thought were gas bubbles coming to the surface, were actually the paint bubbling from underneath. :mad: I think after it hardens I will sand and repaint that area tomorrow, then coat it again. Oh well you have to learn from your mistakes I guess. I wish I had some more bodies to finish, they look so nice.

Specialist, I used to use a lighter all the time and got pretty good results as long as you kept moving and kept the flame at least an inch away. Now all I do is exhale on them and get better results. It's the carbon dioxide that removes the bubbles not the heat. Now you're gonna have to get a lathe so you can practice using envirotex. ...mrpogie

Has anyone tried coloring Envirotex?

It seems to me if you could get enough color density by adding epoxy color tints to Envirotex, you could save the painting step (and time).

Point of interest on Envirotex:

I was advised today by a paint retailer that I should make sure I check the "sell by date" on Envirotex when I buy it. Apparently, it has a real shelf life that is not very long.

We used to use Envirotex to cover the wings of model airplanes with tissue paper-thin fiberglass. It's great stuff. We used to cut it with acetone--NOT great stuff!! My wife would go nuts when I'd use it cuz the whole house would fill up with acetone fumes.

Well I finished the plug, it came out ok for a first one. My father could'nt believe I made it. He loved it. I took some pics with the snail camera, as soon as I get them developed I will post them.

Mr. Pogie I got the grizzly for xmas and will begin practicing this weekend.

Allright Specialist, it will soon turn into an obsession. It's all downhill from here. Looking forward to some pics. ...mrpogie