The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----

Fishing Lures - Need a clear coat

Hello,

I am the co-owner of a fishing lure company called Surf Asylum Lures, out of Westport, MA. We build our lures out of wood, cedar, mahogany, maple etc. The wood is sealed using a penetrating oil mixture, we then give the body a coat of clear (epoxy for the time being). Next the body is primed with an acrylic bonding primer, our paints are acrylic as well, although we have modified them with a crosslinking waterborne urethane. After all the paint is dried we apply a final coat of clear. We have tried several products, Aliphatic Urethane, Famowood Dura-Tuff, Nyalic, One Shot UV Acrylic Clear, Ben Moore's modified acrylic urethane (m7300), System 3 epoxies, Famowood Epoxies, Envirotex Epoxies, Pelucid, Glisten PC..... the list goes on and on. Anyway, we are looking for something that will make our time per lure go down a bit, the epoxies work well but they are time consuming and too thick. If we could find something that we could dip the lures into that cures quickly and hard. That would be great. Thanks for taking the time to read my little rant. :)

David Joel Anderson
fishing lures - Westport, Massachusetts
2005

---

2005

Are you currently using a spray painting system? What types of adhesion, flexibility, corrosion resistance, weather-ability, and etc. is desirable?
What type of coating thickness is required?

From what I can gather, you process steps are as follows:
1) wood substrate
2) wood/oil sealing
3) clear epoxy coat
4) primer coating (color?)
5) clear top-coating

If I am incorrect, let me know. Also, let me know any other performance requirements.
Thanks!

Caleb Hammons
Engineering - Warner Robins, Georgia

You might look for a polyester UV-cured clearcoat. The advantage is that you can work with them seconds after curing. Pretty neat stuff.

Michel Moninger
- Sarasota, Florida
2006

---

2006

Are any of the products you have tried water-based polyurethanes?

Over the years I've used water-based polys such as those available at home centers and retail paint stores (Carver Tripp, Minwax, Behr, etc.) I am very sold on these products. Some of these can be used with an optional catalyst. These have a UV protectant and most manufactures of water polys provide exterior products. (Exterior is all I use.)

I've used the water polys on everything from automotive uses (directly over bare metal) to antique refinishing. Good adhesion over oil-based wood stain ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , as long as the stain is well dried. These water-based polyurethanes dry about as quickly as lacquer and are thin enough to support a dip process. (My experience is they dry much too quickly to apply with a brush: I always spray. Or, dip small items.)

Once I was in a hurry failed to completely wipe all of poly out of the rim of a quart can; hammered on the lid. A couple of days later, I literally had to cut that can open to get back into it. That lid couldn't have been WELDED to the can any more securely. Well, the water-based polyurethanes aren't really intended to be used as an adhesive but you get the idea.

If you haven't already tried them, I recommend you pick up a can from a retail store and try it. If it supports your process efficiently, then contact some manufacturers about your submersion requirements and see if they have one that meets your needs. But I would thing most of the exterior water based polys may even meet your submersion requirements.

One issue though, I would think your oil-based sealing of the wood could interfere with the adhesion of your color and top coats, unless you allow a long dry down time (12+ hours) before the color and top coats.
Good luck, keep us informed.

Edward M. Baker
- Madison, Alabama

---

2006

MR. ANDERSON
BEN MOORE HAS ALAPHATIC URETHANES IN THEIR INDUSTRIAL PRODUCT LINE. THAT SHOULD DO THE TRICK. I BELIEVE ITS THE M74 SERIES. GOOD VENTILATION IS A MUST.ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE RESPOND.

GOOD LUCK,

MEL HARVEY
- Tiverton, Rhode Island

I need to have some information how/process to spray lures.

Lawrence Lim
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
July 10, 2009

Hi, Lawrence. Please don't just start at the top again and force the conversation into circles :-)

Please try to phrase your question in terms of what has already been said. Thanks!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July , 2009