# Best clearcoat to use



## baiterben (Apr 8, 2012)

I'm sure its posted somewhere on here but I was wondering which brand and style of c learcoat would be recommended for blades and lures. I finally got my airbrush figured out and been having trouble with finishing them. I've tried 3 different kinds and am not real pleased with any of them. I heard of a epoxy finish, but not sure.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.


----------



## Catproinnovations (Dec 8, 2009)

Envirotex


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

Do you brush on the Envirotex? If so are you thinning it with anything?

Thanks.


----------



## spinnerbayt (Mar 7, 2011)

Brush - Yes
Thin - No

And you better have a lure turner to rotate your lures if you use Etex.


----------



## baiterben (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm gonna give it a try. 
Is 1 coat enough, or do you apply more than one?


----------



## LmitingOut (Mar 11, 2011)

baiterben said:


> Thanks for the suggestion. I'm gonna give it a try.
> Is 1 coat enough, or do you apply more than one?


You do not need something to rotate the lures with envirotex. 2 thin coats. I use coffee stirer and tape it to lip . Stick it through a box then you can turn it every 10 minutes till it starts to set

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


----------



## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

Anyone use any of the spray urethanes? I ran across one by Minwax...


----------



## baiterben (Apr 8, 2012)

I found some envirotex at pat catans. Only kind they had was in a spray can so I got it. Seems like a very durable finish but not quite as shiny as I was hoping, even after multiple coats like the can says. So I tried giving baits a coat of the gloss top coat by createx then the envirotex. Very satisfied now. Was wondering tho if the envirotex that gets brushed on is a glossy finish


----------



## Catproinnovations (Dec 8, 2009)

The envirotex I use is called ex-74 it's a two part epoxy I order it on line. I use it with a lure turner and can put an 1/8" coat on it that looks like glass by applying it heating it up with a heat gun to get air bubbles out then sticking it on the turner for the night that's just one coat it would take 4 coats with regular envirotex for that. 


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## Fish With Teeth (Mar 1, 2008)

Michaels and possibly Hobby Lobby sell the 2 part Envirotex. I would buy the small bottles unless you have hundreds of lures you are building.


----------



## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

I painted up a bunch of spinner blades and was going to try to coat them with envirotex over the weekend. I attempted to tape the blades to a box so that I could turn it but the tape left goo on the convex side of the blades.... I changed plans and mixed up some devcon. After about the third blade the stuff started to thicken. By the fourth it was unworkable and there were bubbles in the mix. Sigh.... back to clear coat spray...

I did order some lure sealer from Lurepartsonline.com. I'll report back after I give that a try.


----------



## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Gottagofishn said:


> I painted up a bunch of spinner blades and was going to try to coat them with envirotex over the weekend. I attempted to tape the blades to a box so that I could turn it but the tape left goo on the convex side of the blades.... I changed plans and mixed up some devcon. After about the third blade the stuff started to thicken. By the fourth it was unworkable and there were bubbles in the mix. Sigh.... back to clear coat spray...
> 
> I did order some lure sealer from Lurepartsonline.com. I'll report back after I give that a try.



You should be able to do 10-12 blades with easy, mix it well and hit your cup with a hair drier or breathe heavy on it,then mix again this will get out the air bubbles. To increase your working time with it add a couple drops of denatured alcohol and mix that in as well. Use double sided carpet tape to keep them in one place then slide them off onto something plastic after your done coating them. Didn't' I give you these instructions already?


----------



## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

Not as explicit... but thanks again. I will give it another go. I have plenty more to paint.


----------



## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Pat Catans and Micheals both sell 2 part Envirotex. There are many other places to find it also. The box will say "Enviro-Tex Lite Pour On". It takes 72 hours to fully cure but is usually okay to lightly handle after 24 hours. For the first few hours it will want to run pretty bad so find a way to turn them 180 degrees every 10 min or so for the first hour and slowly increase the wait time in between rotating them over the next few hours. You can also help the drips a bit by waiting 45 min or so after mixing to apply it.
It can be used for metal, plastic and wood. Thoroughly mix the resin and hardener at exactly 50/50. The end result is a rock hard high gloss finish that will last. Do not use quick set 5 min epoxy as it turns brownish yellow over time. 
If you have to go with quick set, get the 1 hour work time stuff. The longer they take to cure, the harder the finish will be. I'd like to tell you there is a spray on or easier product out there, but I don't know what. I've tried a lot of them and still use Etex


----------



## baiterben (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks a lot for the input guys. Gonna get some of the 2 part envirotex this wknd and give it a whirl. I figured the spray on was to good to be true.


----------



## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

EnviroTex isn't cheap and can be a pain to use at first, but the finish makes it worth it. As long as you brush it on thin and keep turning it often you shouldn't have any trouble with runs. There is no need to thin it with anything. I have also found that it's crucial to have an exact 50/50 blend and mixed really well or it won't set up right. On my first try with using it, I just dripped a small amount of each on paper and closely guestimated that the amount was the same before mixing. The results were a finish that seemed hard but you can still make an indent in it with a fingernail.


----------



## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

You also may want to look into powder coating your blades. The powder is cheap and the finish is glossy and rock hard without a top coat of any kind. You just heat the blade with a torch for a couple seconds and either quickly dip them or drizzle the powder on. For an extra hard finish they need to bake for a half hour or so. I hang mine over a propane heater in the garage. This isn't the best pic, but here is a blade bait that I made and powder coated. You can do stripes or whatever with stencils. If you get some powder, try practicing on jig heads till you get the hang of it.


----------



## baiterben (Apr 8, 2012)

Couple questions before I go buy. 1st, what is Devcon? (Where to buy and what is the exact name to look for). I kinda like the idea that it starts to set up in minutes. I went to their website and the list of stuff offered was about endless. Not sure what to look for.
Next, wondering pros and cons of the 2 different envirotex mentioned above. The enviro-tex lite pour on or the Ex-74. Or are they basically the same thing
I was hoping that maybe someone has tried all 3 and has a favorite. 
I have some powder coat paints and they are extremly durable. With a nice shiny finish. But since i finaly got my airbrush figured out im having alot of fun with all the different color patterns that I know would take me months to figure out with powder.
Thanks again for the suggestions.


----------



## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

I can only speak for the E-Tex Lite and the fast set epoxy as I have used both quite a bit. The 5 minute epoxy is ok but will yellow and begin to chip off in a short time. The E-Tex takes forever to dry but will stay clear and is harder to flake off. If you don't want to mess with E-Tex I recommend that you find some 1 hour epoxy. Meaning it takes an hour to dry. Hard to find that stuff in stores for some reason. Devcon makes it in 5, 30, and 60 minute set time. There are other brands of quick set 2 part epoxy as well. I've only tried Devcon and Permatex. Both with similar results.


----------

