# spoons



## jerkin (Apr 3, 2008)

I hate the ideal of paying $4-5 each for those Michigan stinger spoons and having the paint come off the first time you use them but keep buying them because they put fish in the cooler. After seeing all the nice metal work on here from guys like Many Eyes I decided to give it a try and bought some blanks. I kept the first ones simple since I've never done it before but am pretty happy with how they came out. I figure after adding hooks and split rings I'll have about $1 into each one, lol. Don't think Michigan Stinger will be getting any more of my money.


----------



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

Veary nice stuff


----------



## sonar (Mar 20, 2005)

I think you hit the target,and at a whole lot of savings to you! PUT ANOTHER COUPLE A GALLONS IN THE TANK , while yer at it! real good work! ----->>>>>SONAR<<<<<-----


----------



## Brian.Smith (May 18, 2006)

Very nice Jerkin, did you put a clear coat on them I am looking for a good one for my casting spoons. I made a bunch last year but the clear coat pealed real fast after a few dings.


----------



## Many Eyes (Dec 31, 2009)

Looks like a good start!! Good work!! just a couple thousand more to catch up to me


----------



## jerkin (Apr 3, 2008)

Thanks for the compliments guys. 

Brian, right now They just have a coat of Krylon Crystal Clear on them to lock down the paint, that's why you can still see some of the scratches. I'm not positive what I'm going to do with them yet but I'm leaning towards a thin coat of etex. Most of these guys shoot automobile clear over them but I'm not set up for that and it's not good for your health. I was worried about the epoxy being too heavy but Downriver Tackle told me he has used it before and they worked fine.

Many Eyes, I won't be catching up to you any time soon, I might do a couple dozen more just to fill up the box but that will last me years for as much as I get to fish the big water, lol. BTW, don't be surprised if you see a pic of one of my spoons with that purple and yellow over white from your thread, really like that color


----------



## Downriver Tackle (Jan 13, 2009)

Nice! I like how you kept the metallic look.


----------



## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Looking good!!! Nice job on those! 
As I recall, my friend Many Eyes was only gonna make a few also.  
It's very addictive once the fish start hitting what you make.


----------



## CarpetBagger (Sep 21, 2009)

I can say that I personally finish off all my spoons with Envirotex epoxy after locking the colors in as you have described.

1 thin coat of Envirotex over a coat of laquer or acrylic seems to make a fairly durable finish and not upset the action of a spoon.

I also voutch for Peerless stuff. Makes a hell of a nice finished product...


----------



## jerkin (Apr 3, 2008)

Thanks for the heads up Carpetbagger, I think that's what I'm going to do but I'm also going to put a second coat of the Crystal on a few of them and somehow mark which is which. That stuff didn't seem too hard a few hours after I sprayed them but a few days later I was sort of surprised at how it cured. That would be too easy if I could just get away with the spray. Worst case it peels off and I scuff them up and repaint them.

BTW, how did you apply the etex, just lay them out on something and cut off what runs over the edges after it drys? Did you do anything to the unpainted side or just leave it?


----------



## peerlessfisherman (Jun 2, 2006)

All of the plated blanks have a lacquer finish put on after they're plated so the unpainted side should be fine. The unplated blanks are all stainless steel so they'll never rust or tarnish.
Nice to see what your doing with the spoons, really look great!


----------



## Downriver Tackle (Jan 13, 2009)

peerlessfisherman said:


> All of the plated blanks have a lacquer finish put on after they're plated so the unpainted side should be fine. The unplated blanks are all stainless steel so they'll never rust or tarnish.
> Nice to see what your doing with the spoons, really look great!


 I really enjoy painting on your blanks when people send them. The perfect lacquer sealer to adhere to. PLEASE!!!!!, don't ever get fancy and use a clear sealer with surface slip additives! A painters nightmare! I get some blanks that are sealed in clears that are meant to be topcoats and have silicone and wax additives, and they are a nightmare to paint. Fisheyes everywhere and adhesion is terrible unless I wash it off. You got something good going on there. Don't change it!


----------



## CarpetBagger (Sep 21, 2009)

Etex takes a while to cure 24hrs + till its rock solid. Lot easier to work with in my opinion than Devcon and it allows you to coat up a lot more spoons or blades in one sitting. I do a lot of painting so its just easier for me...

Generally Ill take a piece of cardboard and lay out my spoons and will mix up a small batch of etex. I will brush on the epoxy making sure I get total coverage....Generally I will coat up 20-30 spoons at a time so once i finish up my last spoon I will go back to where I started and lightly pull off some excess on the spoons....this allows for a hard durable finish that is not overly heavy or will effect the action of the spoon.

Once this is done I will take a small desk lamp with a 40watt bulb over my spoons or blades and let it sit there for a few hours. Once the Etex begins to set you can take the spoons and move them over to a clean piece of cardboard and they wont stick. Generally I will check them periodically in the first 12hrs of curing and be sure they are able to move around on the surface they are curing on so i dont have to pick pieces of cardboard off the back of the spoons.

Those Peerless spoons and blades sure take paint nice...Quality product from a quality guy. Tom is great to work with and he has been more than fair with me. I fully support and promote Peerless Predator as often as possible.



jerkin said:


> Thanks for the heads up Carpetbagger, I think that's what I'm going to do but I'm also going to put a second coat of the Crystal on a few of them and somehow mark which is which. That stuff didn't seem too hard a few hours after I sprayed them but a few days later I was sort of surprised at how it cured. That would be too easy if I could just get away with the spray. Worst case it peels off and I scuff them up and repaint them.
> 
> BTW, how did you apply the etex, just lay them out on something and cut off what runs over the edges after it drys? Did you do anything to the unpainted side or just leave it?


----------



## jonnythfisherteen2 (Mar 5, 2011)

what do you catch on them? where can you find them?


----------



## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

jonnythfisherteen2 said:


> what do you catch on them? where can you find them?


http://www.peerlesspredator.com/fishinglures-spoons/index.php/cPath/22_41


----------



## Downriver Tackle (Jan 13, 2009)

My brush-on epoxy technique was fairly similar, except that I'd transfer them to wax paper for final cure. Almost impossible to avoid having to trim some of them no matter how careful and tedious you are. Worth the extra effort because it makes for a very durable blade or spoon IMHO. 





CarpetBagger said:


> Etex takes a while to cure 24hrs + till its rock solid. Lot easier to work with in my opinion than Devcon and it allows you to coat up a lot more spoons or blades in one sitting. I do a lot of painting so its just easier for me...
> 
> Generally Ill take a piece of cardboard and lay out my spoons and will mix up a small batch of etex. I will brush on the epoxy making sure I get total coverage....Generally I will coat up 20-30 spoons at a time so once i finish up my last spoon I will go back to where I started and lightly pull off some excess on the spoons....this allows for a hard durable finish that is not overly heavy or will effect the action of the spoon.
> 
> ...


----------



## CarpetBagger (Sep 21, 2009)

Here are some of my newest creations...

I like the wide body spoons a little more...


----------



## jerkin (Apr 3, 2008)

CarpetBagger, love those color combinations. I see you're a fan of the copper finish also, lol. I did better with copper in both spoons and harnesses than everything else put together last year, not sure why but they worked. Do the wider spoons troll as good as the thinner ones? I might have to try some.

Downriver, post up some of your spoons/blades if you have a chance. I'm a big fan of your lure patterns but don't think I've ever seen any of your metal.

I agree with everyone on the Peerless Predator stuff. I've never painted any other spoons, I've done blades with powder but this is a first for me with an airbrush. Just followed the instructions from a few guys on here and lightly scuffed them with a scotchbrite pad, wiped them down with alcohol and sprayed them, couldn't be simpler. Great product with great prices, I'll be buying more in the next week or two.


----------



## CarpetBagger (Sep 21, 2009)

Ive done well with the wide body spoons...They are only a touch wider than the standard "Skinny" spoons. Lots more color in the water with em...Generally im pulling em on a pretty good clip when trolling so yea they move around pretty good behind a dipsy...

I run both sizes...even run the larger ones with some success...

#4 split rings and #4 hooks seem to be the ticket on the 2.5" spoons just some food for thought if you havent got them yet...




jerkin said:


> CarpetBagger, love those color combinations. I see you're a fan of the copper finish also, lol. I did better with copper in both spoons and harnesses than everything else put together last year, not sure why but they worked. Do the wider spoons troll as good as the thinner ones? I might have to try some.
> 
> Downriver, post up some of your spoons/blades if you have a chance. I'm a big fan of your lure patterns but don't think I've ever seen any of your metal.
> 
> I agree with everyone on the Peerless Predator stuff. I've never painted any other spoons, I've done blades with powder but this is a first for me with an airbrush. Just followed the instructions from a few guys on here and lightly scuffed them with a scotchbrite pad, wiped them down with alcohol and sprayed them, couldn't be simpler. Great product with great prices, I'll be buying more in the next week or two.


----------



## Downriver Tackle (Jan 13, 2009)

jerkin said:


> Downriver, post up some of your spoons/blades if you have a chance. I'm a big fan of your lure patterns but don't think I've ever seen any of your metal.


 Thank you. Don't post it much, but yeah, I got metal.  Funny. Look close at the spoons in the first pic in the 10 and 11 o'clock position. Can you see the tiny reflection of me holding the camera up and taking the pic? LOL In the paint biz, we call that DOI(duplication of image). Actually measurable and what the old car painting guys call "depth". In the old days, they'd hold a yard stick on a 90 degee angle from the surface and rate it by how far you could read the down the stick clearly in the reflection. 24" of depth as an example. Now, they have electronic instruments to measure it. That's another advantage of using epoxy. The DOI of slow curing epoxies are almost unbeatable.


----------



## jerkin (Apr 3, 2008)

Those are some sweet patterns. Like 'em all except the Redwings one.  That yardstick measurement is pretty cool, never heard about that before. This site is kind of like playboy, I just like looking at the pictures!


----------



## TRIPLE-J (Sep 18, 2006)

are you useing powder paint on those or are you using a lacquer paint


----------



## jerkin (Apr 3, 2008)

Neither, I use createx, a water base paint. I believe carpetbagger does also and I think downriver uses some type of automotive paints. You need a booth to spray anything but water base unless you paint outside.


----------



## CarpetBagger (Sep 21, 2009)

I shoot all createx at the moment...I have a whole urethane set here that I wouldnt mind trying, but the results of the Createx is good enough for me...

Fish are dumb...they dont know what paint you're using...


----------

