# air bubbles in epoxy?



## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

when i put my first coat of epoxy(devcon 2-ton)on, i am getting a ton of small air bubbles. it is driving me crazy! i still get air bubbles even if i thin it out with rubbing alcohol. i am using the 5 minute dry time, should i be using the 20 minute dry? please help! thanks, clayton.


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## cadman (Jan 25, 2009)

Clayton,
First of all you shouldn't be using the 5 minute epoxy, there is not enough time to work with it. You should be usinmg Devcon 2 Ton (30 minute). Secondly, I do not believe you can use rubbing alcohol (I'm not sure about this as I don't thin epoxy) you should be using denaturerd alcohol. Finally after mixing, the bubbles will dissipate as you apply it on your jig or crankbait. You can lightly hit the bait with a heat gun but not too much as you will burn the paint and the epoxy, and you will make the epoxy run. Devcon is self leveling and I have never had any problems with the 30 minute variety. I use it for jigs although smaller than crankbaits the principle is the same. Just my two cents worth.


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

thanks cadman!


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

Like Cadman said, you want the 2-ton clear epoxy weld, not the five minute stuff. I add a few drops of denatured alcohol, which makes it spread smoother. I hang the baits from the front eyelet for five minutes with paperclips that I straighten, then add a bend at each end. Flip them after five minutes and hang from the rear hook eyelet. Repeat this three or four times, and it will be set up enough to where it won't run. I give them two coats, and they're ready to go.


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

Hetfieldinn said:


> I give them two coats, and they're ready to go.


Is that 2(final) coats? Or is it a coat before painting, then a final/protective coat? Thanks, clayton.


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

Two coats after they have been painted.


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## "Big" mark the shark (Jan 21, 2010)

Clayton i use Flex coat rod finish works very well also mix your epoxy slow to avoid a lot of bubbles.A drying wheel is also very handy.I use a 250watt heat lamp 24" away from it to helps with any bubbles to.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Actually if you are working with a small lure/body, I find there's nothing wrong with Devcon 5 Minute clear epoxy. I use it on all my popper heads when it comes to fly tying and have had no issues that people always bring up (it yellows, it cracks, not enough time, etc...). The issue I have is that it's slow to do them one at a time, but since I have no jig/fly turner, it's what I have to use. As for air bubbles, I found that when I applied epoxy thick with a toothpick or bodkin it did get some air bubbles, but when I brush it on I do not. I bought a cheap pack of art brushes (think they were 30/$1.75 or something like that at WalMart) and use them as throw-aways. Those issues folks bring up with regards to yellowing and cracking I simply have never had with Devcon Clear 5 Minute. My poppers made last winter have held up perfectly after a year of hard fishing, no yellowing and no cracking. Here's some of my recent results using Devcon Clear 5 Minute on some basswood-headed poppers:



















*Those flecks you see are not air bubbles, those are glittery reflections, these all get coated with Delta Sparkle Glaze prior to epoxy.


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

You will get some yellowing with the Devcon epoxy, but it takes a few years, and if it's not on a white based body/lure, you most likely won't see it. I have some white bodied Husky Jerks that I painted three years ago, and they are slightly yellowed, but you really have to look at them closely in the right light to see it. It was proved to me this past season that the walleyes don't mind the very slight change in the shade of white one bit.

I use the acid brushes from Home Depot for applying the epoxy. They cost about eight cents each, if I recall correctly.


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## hatteras1 (Jan 18, 2011)

cadman said:


> Clayton,
> First of all you shouldn't be using the 5 minute epoxy, there is not enough time to work with it. You should be usinmg Devcon 2 Ton (30 minute). Secondly, I do not believe you can use rubbing alcohol (I'm not sure about this as I don't thin epoxy) you should be using denaturerd alcohol. Finally after mixing, the bubbles will dissipate as you apply it on your jig or crankbait. You can lightly hit the bait with a heat gun but not too much as you will burn the paint and the epoxy, and you will make the epoxy run. Devcon is self leveling and I have never had any problems with the 30 minute variety. I use it for jigs although smaller than crankbaits the principle is the same. Just my two cents worth.


i use heat on my high build rod finish for the same thing (air bubbles) the mixing is key,as stirring it causes the bubbles


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## hatteras1 (Jan 18, 2011)

TheCream said:


> Actually if you are working with a small lure/body, I find there's nothing wrong with Devcon 5 Minute clear epoxy. I use it on all my popper heads when it comes to fly tying and have had no issues that people always bring up (it yellows, it cracks, not enough time, etc...). The issue I have is that it's slow to do them one at a time, but since I have no jig/fly turner, it's what I have to use. As for air bubbles, I found that when I applied epoxy thick with a toothpick or bodkin it did get some air bubbles, but when I brush it on I do not. I bought a cheap pack of art brushes (think they were 30/$1.75 or something like that at WalMart) and use them as throw-aways. Those issues folks bring up with regards to yellowing and cracking I simply have never had with Devcon Clear 5 Minute. My poppers made last winter have held up perfectly after a year of hard fishing, no yellowing and no cracking. Here's some of my recent results using Devcon Clear 5 Minute on some basswood-headed poppers:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


they look fantastic......


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## donkey (Aug 28, 2004)

Carbon Dioxide will cause the air bubbles to rise to the top and burst.Your breath is all you need.About 5 minutes after applying epoxy gently blow across your bait where the offending air bubbles are.Bubbles will rise to the top and burst.


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## billk (Feb 2, 2008)

[quote="Big" mark the shark;1326517]Clayton i use Flex coat rod finish works very well also mix your epoxy slow to avoid a lot of bubbles.A drying wheel is also very handy.I use a 250watt heat lamp 24" away from it to helps with any bubbles to.[/quote]

Not the same application, but I quit using flex-coat on rod wraps years ago in favor of U-40 LS Supreme (get it at mudhole.com). I dare you to try and make a bubble in your finishes with this stuff. Its great.


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