Lure Clear Coat

[seagoo]

I’m going to try to paint some blanks. What’s a good coating to dip or finish with for a first-timer?

[21XDC]

KBS Diamond Clear

I'll be trying Eastwood Diamond Clear soon.

[froggerbass]

kbs is definitely the route i'd recommend

[seagoo]

Thank you. I’ll order some.

[21XDC]

I just ordered the Eastwood brand to try.... KBS takes up to 3 weeks to fully harden/cure. I'll see if this is any faster.

[juice780]

I just ordered the Eastwood brand to try.... KBS takes up to 3 weeks to fully harden/cure. I'll see if this is any faster.

I was curious about this one as well. I like kbs but I do a lot of baits at a time so I use it all up at once. It doesn’t store well so don’t plan on re using it a lot.

[East TN.Hunt-n-Fish]

I've been playing with the uv resin for a clear coat. Just finished a few, its not bad, some waves in the clearcoat. But I haven't thrown them yet to see about durability.

[OhioAngler]

I have used devcon for years. I thin the epoxy out a little with alcohol and put it on a rotator. Its completely dry in hours and totally set in less than 24hrs.
Ive used this on literally thousands. I have been thinking about trying KBS as many say it works well.
I dont have yellowing issues and I have baits that I did 5 years ago.
JM

[Luke]

I have been using BSI Epoxy on mine.
So far I really like it. Goes on pretty good and makes a nice clear finish
Like Devcon you have to turn it though.

[MonteSS]

I think KBS takes humidity to cure. Maybe too dry in the winter?

[Amistad Tackle]

Automotive clear is what I use. It never yellows. I spray it unthinned through an airbrush. The same airbrush I paint with. You need to follow the safety recommendations if you choose to go this route. I was using PPG CeramiClear. It is no longer made, so I will need to find another when I run out. Clean-up is with lacquer thinner. I use Bloxygen and keep my clear in the house. Keeps for years doing it this way. The stuff I am using now is at least 7 years old. Hard as a rock once it cures. Also have used it as a clear on a refurbished rod I painted. Worked excellent. Also use it on spinnerbait heads and certain jigs that aren't coated with powder paint. Same procedure, spray it on. It is tough stuff. A quart will coat thousands of baits.

[Munkin]

Automotive clear is what I use. It never yellows. I spray it unthinned through an airbrush. The same airbrush I paint with. You need to follow the safety recommendations if you choose to go this route. I was using PPG CeramiClear. It is no longer made, so I will need to find another when I run out. Clean-up is with lacquer thinner. I use Bloxygen and keep my clear in the house. Keeps for years doing it this way. The stuff I am using now is at least 7 years old. Hard as a rock once it cures. Also have used it as a clear on a refurbished rod I painted. Worked excellent. Also use it on spinnerbait heads and certain jigs that aren't coated with powder paint. Same procedure, spray it on. It is tough stuff. A quart will coat thousands of baits.

I am guessing you need a spray booth with lots of ventilation with this? I switched to KBS and it is great but it normally dries before I can use the whole can.

Allen

[Amistad Tackle]

I basically spray this outside (at the garage door opening of my shop) with a fan on the bait I am spraying and a larger harbor freight pedestal fan in the back of the shop pointed at my work area. All this blows the air/overspray away from me to the outside. Wear a 3m automotive painting respirator, nitrile gloves and every inch of me is covered. Also wear goggle safety glasses. Yes, it’s a pain, but my baits don’t yellow with time like they did when I used epoxy. I also found the epoxy killed the action of some baits as it went on too thick and I had to spin them to get the epoxy to level. With auto clear I spray and hang the bait. Self levels and rarely do I get a run. For the most part perfect clear coat every time and tough as nails. I don’t paint when it is cold, but I live in Texas where it doesn’t stay cold for long. 74 here today and I am painting a few baits for a buddy. Most of my painting is done in the endless summer we have. When I run out of this auto clear I may dabble with the diamond clear. Never going back to epoxy.

Do you use bloxygen with the kbs? I’ve had good luck with that preserving my clear and other paints.

[Munkin]

I basically spray this outside (at the garage door opening of my shop) with a fan on the bait I am spraying and a larger harbor freight pedestal fan in the back of the shop pointed at my work area. All this blows the air/overspray away from me to the outside. Wear a 3m automotive painting respirator, nitrile gloves and every inch of me is covered. Also wear goggle safety glasses. Yes, it’s a pain, but my baits don’t yellow with time like they did when I used epoxy. I also found the epoxy killed the action of some baits as it went on too thick and I had to spin them to get the epoxy to level. With auto clear I spray and hang the bait. Self levels and rarely do I get a run. For the most part perfect clear coat every time and tough as nails. I don’t paint when it is cold, but I live in Texas where it doesn’t stay cold for long. 74 here today and I am painting a few baits for a buddy. Most of my painting is done in the endless summer we have. When I run out of this auto clear I may dabble with the diamond clear. Never going back to epoxy.

Do you use bloxygen with the kbs? I’ve had good luck with that preserving my clear and other paints.

I don't need my neighbors thinking I am cooking Meth like Breaking Bad. KBS works great but the dry times depend on the weather so in the winter it takes forever to dry.

Allen

[Amistad Tackle]

Auto clear definitely has a distinctive odor. I wouldn't be afraid to spray it inside if I had a good hobby spray booth that vented to the outside. I would still wear a good automotive paint quality respirator when spraying it.

It seems the search for the best clear coat for hobbyist lure painters never ends. The discussions on this subject on Tackle Underground are the same ones I saw 15 years ago when I first started painting. I am not 100% sure but I bet a lot of production bait makers just use a clear lacquer over their paint and it holds up pretty well. I have used epoxy and Dick Nites lure coat. Had issues with both. KBS has come on since that time, but I have never used it. A friend of mine who paints and sells his stuff Forage Lures (forage-lures.myshopify.com) uses it with good results. I have seen guys use the UV cure clear. That looks promising.

[21XDC]

KBS for the win.. 1 part urethane... No waste like a 2 part catalyst product.

[Amistad Tackle]

Did you have any luck with the Eastwood product?

[21XDC]

It's super thin... Like paint thinner. I put 5 coats on some baits, Still needed more. Actually it looks pretty good. I tried one dip in KBS and 2nd dip in Eastwood and it came out slick as glass. I'm still playing with it. It has a purple tint, But it does not show even after 5 dips.

[rjfulks]

East wood no go for us. As mentioned too thin. Tried 4 coats then tested and clear did not hold up. Suppose if you want to put on 6-10 coats it might work but no time for that.