Painted some plugs today, musso Donny's that I did a jointed version of, weights drilled in on the ends under the thru wire, some odds and ends, like a pichney bootleg, random pencils, a some needles

Worked on some new paint blends, trying to get down a silver ghost 👻 ss pattern and a nicer parrot, getting closer every time
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Damn. How'd you wear out that many pencils?

System 3 coat remaining pikes. Drilled out a few more pikes for spares and emergencies. Once they're down I have some mahogany Wadds to do.
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Bought a copic airbrush... me likey!

Also, what do y'all use for primer? I have Rustoleum spray primer and some alkyd primer which I use for trim and it sands nicely... for the resin stuff I don't need primer but I'm finishing/refinishing some plugs and want something easier to work with and that lays nicer...
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Rustoleum painterstouch 2 ultra cover. On the resin , u may need a primer to have the finish color to vond. Krylon fusion may do w/o primer.

The last few cans of Painter's Touch Ultra Cover I've bought have been different. Much thinner and runs very easily. Been forced to do two lighter coats.

I use and absolutely love Zspar marine undercoat. Thick as mud, put it on with a foam brush, dries overnight, grabs createx like Paul does beef jerky.

Ha. Where does one buy this mud.
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It sure wasnt last year. Most of those had been hanging in the rack for quite a while. I usually beat up 1 or 2 of each color each year so doesnt take long to add up. I really havent done the canal day light stuff very much the past few years, sticking almost exclusively to night.

Funny thing is I think the only actual good day I had with top water last year was the day last fall I bumped into you and Alan.

Not sure why you'd care since whatever you use works just as well.
I'd buy it at any local marine store (Z-spar #105) but it looks to me like it may have been discontinued since Pettit bought out Z-spar. My guess is that this product is similar. I'd suggest you buy it and try it on a whole batch of plugs then let me know if it worked before I run out of the good stuff. Thanks.
https://www.jamestowndistributors.co...t.do?pid=97752

I just may try it cause I am going to experiment with some new to me epoxy they have an need to place an order.
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Ive been reading this thread for 10 minutes and keep getting interrupted by my laughing out loud at this comment
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The stuff you have, does it sand well?
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Great. Think how realistic your plugs will look. Just like a dying fish with the skin coming off!

Yes, it is great after it has dried a day.

I note also that Pettit makes a high build primer that will go over epoxy which might be useful for those who epoxy seal their plugs.

https://www.jamestowndistributors.co...t.do?pid=97752

I just recently ran outta Rusto Painters touch rattle can primer so was thinking of going the brush primer route. Was going to pickup some zinnser oil base cs then I came across this stuff while browsing the paint aisles.
I know it says above waterline,I think the only difference between this and bottom primer is the antifouling copper or other biocide additive I'm not worried about barnacles growing on my plugs..

Ryan I'm sure any oil base primer works. I've use many and don't seem to have problem with acrylic paints lifting. Painters touch is my choice when I can spray outside and when force inside , Zinseer gold label oil base primer brushed works fine. 2 coats scuff with gray pad or 220 grit paper if you need to smooth out the brush marks. They also sell the Zinseer in spraycan.

Thanks Billy I'll probably go with the gold label Zinnser. Appreciate the help.
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was out to pick up some painters touch at lowes this morning and found
Rustoleum universal bonding primer- on the back it says it works especially well over two part epoxies.
I haven't seen it before but i dont epoxy seal. just a FYI for you guys that do.

A few places are doing away with the Painter's Touch flat white primer and just carrying the paint which is supposedly primer and paint in one can.

That's what I use for 75% of my plugs

2 in 1 painters touch gloss. Under $4 a can and tons of colors
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My favorite primer is Benjamin Moore Advance, but it's for trim... its alkyd based, so it dries very sandable... very few fumes (but not 0)

For the resin, I won't be priming, just airbrushing over the white left after fire, and clear coating after that.

Ryan, let me know what you end up with and how that stuff works out, I might wait to find that out before going one direction or another
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Will do Ian. I'll let ya know

Found out this morning that using chemistry to make plugs isn't quite as easy to reproduce as I thought. Somehow dialed in a recipe that I thought would be perfect only to find that the resulting plug was very different than I expected.

The good news was that I kept some pretty good notes and have a very accurate scale, so I'll just incorporate this into the batch of "learning opportunities"
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paint, wire, epoxy, cuss, repeat... :)

Starting to think air brushing is mostly a waste of time for what I really fish. I think I might be better off just spray bombing base coats of white,yellow or black and then just using the air brush to go over those to add whatever else I'm adding.

Arguably the airbrush is a waste of time for any plug that gets fished, but that doesn't stop most of us ;)
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The word cuss always follows the word epoxy.
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Smart move. That is the problem nowadays plug builders are artist now and sell plugs by how pretty they can make a plug. If you fished white and dark you would be very happy at the end of the year I bet
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4 colors black, yellow, white, lime green. Save time and plenty $. But we don't. That's the fun of creation. Today boutique plugs is what the market bares. Fish don't care.

Very true. I am a master at the rattle can. I can do scales, 3 tones, overlays. It doesn't make sense to go crazy with an air brush.