Fastest Method for Sealing a Plug

[Stroth]

Been awhile since I have posted on SB, but I am still lurking here constantly!

I needed to upgrade my wooden plug aresnal for a trip I have coming up with my family to Martha's Vineyard. Long story short, I could not pass up some of Salty's kits. If am going to drop a couple hundred bucks on plugs, I might as well come away with 16 as opposed to 8 right?

Anyway I need to get these done quickly as the trip is fast approaching. What is the fastest most effective way to seal them? Here are my options as I have searched and read on this forum and others:

1. 60% Boiled Linsed Oil / 40% Mineral Spirits mix: Issues here for me here is the drying time. How long really is it?

2. Epoxy: Read some extensive posts about guys using etex lite and sealing everything that way. Seems a bit expensive for me and pretty time consuming. Baking the plugs, brushing on epoxy, cleaning space for thru - wire etc. But if it is a quick dry time for a bullet proof finish I could suck it up and do it.

3. BIN Primer / Sealer: Couldn't I just dunk the wood in this a couple of times over 2 days or so and have it act as an all in one sealer / primer? This seems to easy...

4. Minwax Wood Hardener: This looks to be like a fast method, but I am worried about paint adhesion? Should I be?

These are going to be very simple functional plugs in your basic fish catching colors: Black, White, & Yellow. Absolutely nothing fancy & hopefully I do not screw them up so bad they cannot be fished.

I know some of you have the answer for me & I greatly appreciate any insight you can give.

Tightlines,

Stroth

[ProfessorM]

#2 if you are in a hurry, pretty simple too IMO, but first time doing anything you will have a learning curve, microwave works good instead of oven too. #4 is pretty toxic so i have stayed away form that. #1 is pretty fast if you just dip in for a half min. ,another method I have never used so no expert . I am sure you will get some more responses.

[Striperknight]

#1 I would wait at least a week for them to dry.

[Stroth]

Thanks for the replies. I have been reading allot of threads on sealing, seems like there are allot of different methods out there.

I wrap a few rods each winter and am very comfortable with epoxy. I have 32 oz. of e tex light, I might just use that. Any ideas on how long it takes for the stuff to completely dry on the plug?

I am also thinking about just using shellac and then a shellac based primer like bin. Some have some negative opinions on it, but to me it appears to be the fastest method, just dip into the shellac, dry overnight and then prime with the bin. Then you have the shellac based primer adhering to the shellac used as a sealant.

I am still not convinced though, I'll do some more reading & then tomorrow give a method a try.

[GattaFish]

Sealing is sealing,,,, Bin is a primer no matter what they say,,, Minwax wood hardner stinks,,,,, Been there done that,,, and hated it,,, split hardwoods, (birch),, guess thats what being a beginner was all about,,,,

The epoxy method is good,,, do a search on it,,, couple little things you can do to make the wood really take the epoxy,,,,,

I would use a polyurethane and thinner combo to seal,,,, then use rattlecan primer,,, fastest and pretty good way,,,,

[jeffthechef]

20 minutes in val-oil, 2 days to dry, zinser cover stain, 1 day dry, rustoleum spray, e-tex...my .02...done w/in a week...i'm new at it but its worked well so far, zero peeling....

[Offshore24]

I would use a polyurethane and thinner combo to seal,,,, then use rattlecan primer,,, fastest and pretty good way,,,, That's what I've been doing. Been using mineral spirits rather than thinner, but it's basically the same. I've been letting them sit for a week but that's just because i don't have a hot dry spot to hang them. Basement is humid. Furnace isn't giving off much heat these days .

[Stroth]

Here is what I think I am going to do, more so because I have all of the materials on hand and it looks like it is pretty fast...

Thin the E tex with denatured alcohol and use that as a sealer, from some post it appears I can just pour it on the plug.

Only thing I am not sure of though is:

How long does it take the etex to dry before priming?

Thanks much!

[allchumdup]

Give POLYCRYLIC a shot, good stuff. I was turned on to it by another plug builder.----LOUIE

[Flaptail]

Minwax wood hardener is what I use in a hurry. I throw open the bulkhead doors and do it on the stairs open air. Turns wood into cement. I have been doing a test on some bodies I made up for eelskin needles. They have been in a plastic tub full of water in my boat for a week and a half now after being dipped in Minwax Wood Hardener. The wood is poplar from a dowel. No splits no cracks nothing.

If you use it carefully and not in an enclosed confined space, no problem and it dries in 12 minutes.

Good luck and don't forget Slipknot's trick of a pipe cleaner dunked in the stuff and run thru the thru wire hole several times to insure coverage.

[GattaFish]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

Minwax wood hardener is what I use in a hurry. I throw open the bulkhead doors and do it on the stairs open air. Turns wood into cement. I have been doing a test on some bodies I made up for eelskin needles. They have been in a plastic tub full of water in my boat for a week and a half now after being dipped in Minwax Wood Hardener. The wood is poplar from a dowel. No splits no cracks nothing.

If you use it carefully and not in an enclosed confined space, no problem and it dries in 12 minutes.

Good luck and don't forget Slipknot's trick of a pipe cleaner dunked in the stuff and run thru the thru wire hole several times to insure coverage.

Not that I doubt you,,, and I agree it makes stuff rock hard,,, But I used birch dowels,,, tried everything,,, even heating them and soaking them over night in the stuff,,, once they they were finished, painted and used the wood would swell and the finish crack,,,, never had that problem with anything else,,,,

never the less I never got Minwax to work for me,,,

I also always wore a respirator and gloves,,, that crap is not good to let be absorbed through your skin either

[GooGoo Man]

Originally Posted by Stroth

Here is what I think I am going to do, more so because I have all of the materials on hand and it looks like it is pretty fast...

Thin the E tex with denatured alcohol and use that as a sealer, from some post it appears I can just pour it on the plug.

Only thing I am not sure of though is:

How long does it take the etex to dry before priming?

Thanks much!

I thin my etex w/ xylol, I then give it 36 hrs. quick sand, then prime.

[blondterror]

Waterlox Original Sealer/finish

buy at Woodcraft in Woburn or at other woodworking type stores.

Drys 100% overnight in a dry environment (hanging over furnance in my shop)


Chris

[Stroth]

2 spots did not have minwax woodhardner.

Did pick up a small can of POLYCRYLIC, I may just try that. Dries in 2 hours and soap and water cleanup.....

I'll be sure to post my results (that is if they come out good

[Stroth]

Thanks for the offer.

Got 8 plugs drying right now.

Used a method I found on the other site, and saw some versions here.

Took etex, thinned it with denatured alcohol and just poured it over. Got the small spaces (thru hole, etc.) with an epoxy ejector I had from wrapping rods.

Only issue I think I could have is that I used etex lite and not straight etex, (not even sure if there is a straight one).

I cannot imagine I have screwed them up too bad. I'll let em' sit for 24 hours at least and then I'll prime em' up. Not really sure how long they need to sit for. Anyone out there know?

Tightlines all!

Stroth

[Pete F.]

till they are'nt sticky

[gone fishin]

I like Val Oil cut 60/40 with thinner. In a gallon jug about 1/2 to 3/4 full. I dunk the plugs (usually 12 at a time depending on the plug size) and fish them out with a wire using the thru hole. Immediately wipe off the excess and hang them to dry. I have a warm area for drying and I have finish painted the plugs in a day. If you are going to rush to the finish step, run a pipe cleaner through the thru hole to minimize dripping during drying.

Finish paint coat using Createx - followed by a blast from a heatgun or hair dryer to set the paint and then put them on my spinner and E-tex the finish. E-tex will dry hard in about a day.

[Stroth]

I have gained allot of respect for the plug builders out there with this project. now I see why plugs are selling north of twenty bucks everywhere!

They are certainly not perfect, but hopefully they will catch.

Just gotta put on the hardware, seal with etex & DONE!

I will post some more pics (but only if they come out good!)

Thanks for all of the helpful replies!

[striperondafly]

blondterror said it - Waterlox - all I will ever use unless they stop making it. Got 2 gallons on a fed ex truck right now.

[ProfessorM]

look great, good luck with them

[Stroth]

Thought I would throw this thread some updates.

Finished all of the plugs in time for my trip. Here they are:

[Stroth]

I also made some blurple needles, but unfortunately I lost one somewhere, & gave the other away (man am I a sucker)....

Anyway....Some firsts for me with these plugs....

First plugs I ever finished....

First time I fished on the vineyard & yes I will be back....

First bass I took on a needle.... (blurple of course)

First bass I took on a swimmer (surfster)

I can sense this little hobby getting pretty addictive...

I made some rookie mistakes, finish problems (damn bugs) & some other problems...but I honestly do not think any fish would ever notice....

This winter I am hoping to turn out some more stuff

Thanks to all who helped me out, I really appreciated it and learned allot from perusing this forum.

Tightlines,

Stroth

[ProfessorM]

the fish will be the judge and it looks like they liked it

[Ken_J]

I am one of the Etex/Alcohol people. It was recomended to me 1.5 years ago and I discuss it quite a bit. I have a minute, so I will explain what I do.

--

Wear gloves and eye protection.

Lets say you had 10 plugs:

Properly mix 2 ounces of etex. Add 1 ounce of denatured alcohol to that in a 16 ounce solo beer cup. Mix for a minute or so.

Take your plugs and stick them in the microwave for a minute. I have not stuck plugs in microwave with belly weights already in them, I add the bws after sealing.

The etex/da is the consitancy of water at this point and you pour it in to and on to the plugs one at a time from one cup to another cup. It should take no longer than 20 seconds to do this per plug. All the this business with syringes and this and that is not needed. If the etex is too thick, you are not using enough DA.

Hang plugs vertical, tail down. There may be a tiny drip on the tail and you can clean that up with a sponge brush an hour or two after you sealed them. If you have deep eye sockets, you can clean them up with a dowel if you want. With a water consistency, there really isnt any buildup.

I keep my plug drying boxes at 90 degrees and you can primer at 36 hours, I usually wait 48-72.


Safety: I forgot to mention, for the first few hours after you seal them, make sure they are in a ventialted area, as DA fumes should not be allowed to build up in enclosed areas. So, do what needs to be done for this.


---

I really love the results and with a plug that is hardened with epoxy and sealed at the same time, its brilliant.

I have bluefish damage below the primer, but it never really penetrates to the wood like other methods.

just brilliant done properly

[Ken_J]

also

-

Propionate is the fastest sealing method, without question. I use it for prototyping.

-

Safety: gloves, goggles/glasses - organic respirator in general

, especially in enclosed areas - keep acetone enclosed in jars/containers as much as possible. Read warnings on acetone container and take seriously. I have taken a face full of acetone fumes, its not pretty.

-



I use:

1/2 gallon mason jar 7/8 filled with Acetone. ( that ring inside the mason jar lid needs to be removed, acetone and elbow grease removes it. You dont want that ring to dissolve in your acetone and spoil the solution)

Pour something like 1/4 pound of propionate in there. Mix. Initailly it could take a few days for it to dissolve, but once its ready, it is ready forever. ( I bought a pound of the stuff initally and honestly dont recall how much was used in this size mason jar, you just have to add until you get consistncy you are looking for)

The amount of prop. you use is determined by the consistency you are looking for. Generally, people use milk consistency.

If I am doing simple prototyping, I dip and keep in for 15 minutes. Remove and hang dry for a few hours. After that, put on hardware and cast in to water, it is sealed.

If I am going to primer and paint though I would keep in container for several hours, then dry for overnight. It is really important that the solvent is evaparoted or you will have your primer/paint/topcoat ruined by acetone seeping out.

A lot of guys with prop do very thin and dip many times with shorts periods to evaporate. That is their preference. My preference is above.





PS



Also, if you want to do quick and dirty plug building for whatever reason, this method is awesome. I caught two 40" + fish last fall on a Danny that I made in 4 hours from square block of wood, no primer, no paint, no nothing except sealing. I fished that Danny for 3 weeks and it is still 100% sealed and still swims the same as the first day


awesome

gl

[Sudsy]

Originally Posted by Stroth

Only issue I think I could have is that I used etex lite and not straight etex, (not even sure if there is a straight one).

I cannot imagine I have screwed them up too bad. I'll let em' sit for 24 hours at least and then I'll prime em' up. Not really sure how long they need to sit for. Anyone out there know?

That's the same stuff I use, E-Tex Lite.
I buy the 32 oz bottles and when they get down about halfway I'll buy fresh stuff. (I don't build a ton of plugs though, 64 oz of E-tex is well over a years worth of epoxy for me).
Use the old stuff for sealing and the new stuff for topcoat.

Good question, is there an regular E-tex ?

And 24 hours is fine so long as you mixed it properly and well.

[basswipe]

Don't know much about plug building...but finishing is another story.

Minwax wood hardener doesn't seal.Its an epoxy resin that binds wood fibers.

Any shellac based product like BINS or Sealcoat has absolutely no practical application in plug building.I have no idea why people use something made for interior use on something that will spend most of its time in water.

Cut your boiled linseed oil with Naphtha instead of mineral spirits.This will speed up the dry time quite a bit.I also prefer to use Penetrol instead of linseed oil.You can also add Japan Drier to this mixture if you don't have a nice warm dry area to store your newly sealed plugs.

[saltyric]

Awesome.....diggin the "results" photo!

[piemma]

Since switching over to using nothing but AYC, I have never sealed a plug. I have zero issues with paint chipping, peeling, etc. The AYC will not absorb water.

[Hookedagain]

How long have you been painting and not sealing AYC plugs? Do you use any specific primer / paint combo?