Quote:
Originally Posted by BigFish
Thanks for the compliments but no "secret sauce" here! I do let the plugs dry for 48 hours before they get cleared. I have never had an issue ever, not once. I have a plug that was lost and found 5 weeks later wrapped around a potline in the water off Cutty. The plug was of course rock battered and most of the paint and primer had been rubbed off to bare wood by the rocks but not all of it! What remained was still hard as a rock! I have plugs in my bag that have fished 4-5 seasons now and they hold up well! The primer I use is simply the Zinseer Gold Cover Stain in the spray cans! Its great! Spray, let dry and sand.....then paint. Great adhesion for sure with the Createx! I bought some of the Auto Air Paint a few months ago but have yet to get a chance to try it.....how do you like it??
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I see a couple of differences here which may be a source of problems for folks like me.
First, I use the Zinnser Cover Stain, gold can oil base, but NOT the spray can version. I cut it 60/40 Zinnser/Mineral Spirits, then dip coat to prime, drip dry for 1 week. Second, it is posible the failed paint was a bit thick, since I was experimenting with multicolor different blending schemes.
It seems there is some conflicting info on the heat set issue. I have dug through all the "application guides" in painful detail, crawled through sites dedicated to automotive painting with water solubles, been back and forth with the manufacturer, etc., and it is true, they all need the application of heat to truely cure at the chemical level. The need to do so is somewhat application dependent. The top clear coat will soak into the paint like a sponge just like epoxy soaks into a sheet of fiberglass, and if the clear coat is water resistant so will be the paint layer, in theory anyway as long as it isn't put on too thick. Question is though, how much is "too thick".
On the surface AutoAir claims to be in a different water soluble acrylic formulation that can air cure without heat, but if you dig deeper both AutoAir and Createx need heat for the polymer chains to cross link and become fully water resistant. If left without a waterproof overcoat, after a good soak you can rub or wipe them right off even months after you spray them on. I know, I have tried this repeatedly.
So Larry, maybe without realizing it your "secret sauce" is just the combination of primer and clear coat you are using. Whatever it is, I do not dispute how well it works for you, for you surely do obtain first rate results!
By the way, I was using a heat gun to dry between coats even when this occured. I don't think it puts out enough heat to cure the lures based on the application guides I've seen. Still comes off in water if you soak it. I know a lot of other guys have no problem with the hair dryer method, some of the guys I know and have fished with have done it for years and they have no problems. Everybody's technique is a little different, kind of like fishing....I am just too paranoid now.
With my experience, it could be that I rushed it and the primer wasn't fully dry on that batch, maybe the paint hadn't cured long enough, or who knows what else, but it isn't something I want to have repeat. For now, it is a good long air dry between all coats (sealer, primer, paint, and clear coat) followed by a heat set for all of my lures. Nothing like seeing your nice paint job come off the lure like a model airplane decal slips off its transfer sheet! Once was enough for me.
Great suggestions for the different drying boxes. If I could afford it, I'd get a profesional made drying box, but not for now. I have thought through all the different ideas for making my own drying box with lights or a toaster oven in it for a heat source, but I worried too much about poor temperature control and the possibility of starting a fire.....
Is the spring run started yet???? I know I am ready.
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