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Plug Building - Got Wood? Got Plug?

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Old 02-24-2017, 06:06 PM   #1
Diggin Jiggin
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grrrrr

I lost the first epoxy fight of the year today and need to vent.

I had a lot of fish eyes in this batch andplaces it wouldn't cover, so I did a second coat which usually works and levels it all out but now they look like they have cellulite.. not sureif I try a 3rd coat or if that will just make it worse at this point.

Also I have been using the testors aztek paints as I had picked some up at michaels last year and had good luck with them. I tried a pink flourescent this year that sprayed/looked great but apparently I had some type of reaction with the sys 3 clearcoat. The 2 white mackerel plugs matched the pink one before I epoxied them and i had heat set them. They looked fine when I put them on the spinner but came back 4 hours later and they were white mackerel. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

I hit the remaining pink plugs Id painted with a rustoleum clear coat that I used to use as a scratch coat. I hope that saves the rest of them.
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Old 02-24-2017, 07:20 PM   #2
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system 3 GRRRR!!! I HAD ISSUES TOO. mostly was from too small a mix. i do 6/3 or 8/4 pending amount of plugs. also had too much heat. flashed too quick my guess. just did 40 pikes in 3 batches and all ok. i think I'll be going to KBS which I use for bat finish after S3 is gone. both look same but I think the 1 part KBS seems harder. BTW 2 coats w/in 24 hrs w/ S3 and 2 coats w/KBS w/in 6 hrs . Both to allow a chemical bond.

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Old 02-24-2017, 07:31 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diggin Jiggin View Post
The 2 white mackerel plugs matched the pink one before I epoxied them and i had heat set them. They looked fine when I put them on the spinner but came back 4 hours later and they were white mackerel.
Now THAT is truly bizarre. You might be on to a good pattern though.
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Old 02-24-2017, 09:24 PM   #4
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That's rough man.

Maybe something on the brush?

Old batch of system 3?

Contaminate in the air or maybe on your hands ?

So many variables when it comes to top coat

I had a some weird reactions last year with etex on certain metallic testors paints. Even with a spray clear it wasn't 💯 % but only on those two colors, which sucks cause they make the perfect gasoline blend
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Old 02-24-2017, 09:34 PM   #5
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Fish don't give a chit
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Old 02-25-2017, 10:48 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diggin Jiggin View Post
I lost the first epoxy fight of the year today and need to vent.

I had a lot of fish eyes in this batch andplaces it wouldn't cover, so I did a second coat which usually works and levels it all out but now they look like they have cellulite.. not sureif I try a 3rd coat or if that will just make it worse at this point.

Also I have been using the testors aztek paints as I had picked some up at michaels last year and had good luck with them. I tried a pink flourescent this year that sprayed/looked great but apparently I had some type of reaction with the sys 3 clearcoat. The 2 white mackerel plugs matched the pink one before I epoxied them and i had heat set them. They looked fine when I put them on the spinner but came back 4 hours later and they were white mackerel. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

I hit the remaining pink plugs Id painted with a rustoleum clear coat that I used to use as a scratch coat. I hope that saves the rest of them.
Dirty fingers

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Old 02-25-2017, 11:24 AM   #7
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Ha. Sys. 3 is a challenge for sure. My spinner has been on nightly for 2 weeks now. Every now and then I do not get results I want but not the norm thank god. Could be many things. Are you wiping down the first coat with alcohol before you apply the second. It does help. A light wipe down with a dust free cheap style paper towel. Bounty and the good ones have too much softness, dust catchers, if you know what I mean. That usually fixes a crappy first coat which is the norm for me. Hates first coat over paint but loves going over itself. Obviously clean the brush and cup and mixing stick with alcohol before mixing and no touching plug warm temp yada yada but I am sure you know all that by now. Just happens. Those will be yours and fish don't care.
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Old 02-25-2017, 12:19 PM   #8
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ya I wired another batch this morning, wore gloves the whole time and never touched the paint. I washed cup/brush with alcohol, same problems + a new one (crystals forming in the epoxy). I Quit after 3.

So I Mixed up a batch of envirotex lite which I use for sealing as its so much cheaper and did the rest of the batch with that. I may just stick with that for this year although it goes on thicker than Id like + it always yellows a bit more.

Thinking my sys 3 had just gone bad or something, maybe I will just use that for sealing.

BTW, I painted a different plug with that pink and hit it with both sys 3 and the envirotex and the sys 3 dissolved the paint, the envirotex didnt.
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Old 02-25-2017, 01:00 PM   #9
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Grrr

Usually crystals forming onthe bottom are an indication of non use. You can just heat the resin (~120 ) and they will disperse. As a rule, unless specified by manufacturer, there is no shelf like for resin. AQlso check your DNA for other ingredients, these may be causing some contamination. The best alochol for expoxy is Everclear, its 199 proof.

This level of SYS3 is a pretty sophisticated blend of resins, any deviation in surface prep, mixing ratio, and temperature (and that can mean apply heat to kick it) can result in problems.
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Old 02-26-2017, 11:03 AM   #10
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After thinking about this and talking to Dave last night I got a feeling you may have put a slightly bigger amount of the hardener in the mix just a tad too much. The small little particles that start to appear in the epoxy cup as you are applying It has happened to me on occasion and I think maybe it is starting to kick to just a very small degree. Not setting up to harden but just a wee bit of the process starting. I once talked to sys 3 about this problem and they told me to just mix it again and it will eventually disappear but it never does once it is in the mix plus you add too many bubbles into the mix if you do this. Bubbles in the mix will usually not come out either unlike e Tex which you can get out with a little heat or your breath. That does not work with this. Just a thought.
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Old 02-26-2017, 11:57 AM   #11
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Ya, thanks Paul. I played around with it again this morning. I had warmed the epoxy yesterday before mixing and then I was just applying it from the warm cup I mixed it in and I think that caused it to try and set up too fast.

This morning I mixed it cold and once mixed poured it out on a big coffee lid covered with foil so it spreads out and that worked a lot better. I still had a few crystals form but nothing like yesterdat and the pot life was what it should be. Going to try it again on some the last of the pencils that I had painted last week.

I think cleaning them with alcohol between coats is good too. I dont always need to do 2 coats and i had forgotten to do that yesterday when I did the second coat.
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Old 02-26-2017, 12:22 PM   #12
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Yes some colors it behaves better on and you can get away with one coat. It hates black and found thru aggravating circumstances that I gave up on Createx black. I buy Golden for black. Seems to be a better product, although more expensive but still has some issues with that color. Good luck.
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Old 02-26-2017, 01:49 PM   #13
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Just put a batch on the spinner and went a it's e bit's e lighter from where I would usually go on the hardener and not any crystal issues where as yesterday did have a small issue. Will continue to try this and see if that has been the cause all along. I have had this discussion with Mike Fixter in years past and he too uses this product and has had the crystal issue on occasion too so it even happens to the best of them.

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Old 02-26-2017, 04:10 PM   #14
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That is interesting. I had a lot more crystals in the batch I did at noon than the one from this morning but I think I caught most of them when brushing it on, i tried to put it on as thin as I could and will probably end up doing a second coat anyways although these look a lot better than yesterdays..

I may need to start thinking about syringes or something to measure more accurately than the little medicine cups. If too much hardener is the issue I may start putting the resin in the cups first. I tend to think I put more of whatever goes in the cup first getting to to the line on the cup.
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Old 02-26-2017, 06:22 PM   #15
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I use the cups. Mark the line with a fine sharpie to help. Weighing the amounts could help. I think George does it that way. I will continue to go a wee but light on the hardner
I think.
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Old 03-04-2017, 05:21 PM   #16
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I did end up ordering new clear coat and I've had no issues at all with the first 3 batches. No crystals forming at all.

I did find out the hard way it also interacts with the flouro green I was using (not as bad as the flourescentpink) but enough to look real sloppy.

I guess its back to createx we go. I just hate how lumpy and hard to shoot it gets after the first season but maybe in the end its easier just to buy what I use new every year.
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Old 03-29-2017, 09:34 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diggin Jiggin View Post
I did end up ordering new clear coat and I've had no issues at all with the first 3 batches. No crystals forming at all.

I did find out the hard way it also interacts with the flouro green I was using (not as bad as the flourescentpink) but enough to look real sloppy.

I guess its back to createx we go. I just hate how lumpy and hard to shoot it gets after the first season but maybe in the end its easier just to buy what I use new every year.
I'd stick with the createx and recommend checking out Golden and Iwata Com Art paint. They have much finer pigments and spray a lot nicer. You can also try thinning and filtering the createx with airbush medium. I really like Golden for that too. I filter with pantyhose/knee socks. Works like a charm. I use the graduated mixing cups to mix and then pour over the hose into another cup. I have 5 to 10+ year old createx that can easily be brought back to life as long as you filter it and as long as it doesn't look like chewing gum coming out of the bottle.

For thinning I have found it all depends on what tip you have and how much pressure you are spaying with. I've recently gone down to .15 nozzle and about 10-15 lbs of pressure and get the paint really thin. You just have to find what viscosity and what pressure works best. Every paint is different.
I use a lot of the Createx Floro and haven't had it react with topcoats I have tried.
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Old 03-30-2017, 05:37 AM   #18
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Eric , on average how much medium or ratio u do to thin CREATEX.? I do find the Createx black to be thick looking when sprayed. The pearl black shoots well.

Billy D.
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Old 04-01-2017, 05:59 AM   #19
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For it's worth.
I gave up on epoxying my plugs years ago. I use a clear coat high gloss in a rattle can.
I don't sell my plugs, give a lot away. As Eben said, "the fish don't care". It's more about the action and color of the plug than the finish. My clear coat just protects the paint a bit. I turn nothing but AYC so I don't have issues with paint peeling or not adhering. My final sand is with 320 grit so I get a very smooth finish.
I just don't think the hassle of epoxy is worth it unless you are selling your plugs and trying to attract fishermen not fish.

No boat, back in the suds.
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Old 04-01-2017, 06:01 AM   #20
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Couple of pictures.
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No boat, back in the suds.
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Old 04-01-2017, 07:51 PM   #21
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Paul I have your 9" needlefish. Still looks fine.

Billy D.
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Old 04-05-2017, 09:16 AM   #22
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Ive seen that some reuse their brushes after cleaning them. 1 batch one brush. No contamination and no unknown issues doing this. Before when I cleaned an reused them it was a crap shoot. Cheapmoney Just my thought.
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Old 04-05-2017, 03:24 PM   #23
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Paul I have your 9" needlefish. Still looks fine.
Thanks!! I am so glad it's held up.

No boat, back in the suds.
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