The BEST clearcoat trick you never heard of, Perfect clearcoat every time  

Thanks for the great tips. Definitely going to use these.

Look forward to all you videos!!!

I think I figured out my issue 🤞 I tried again last night to follow your method, and right before I went to brush on the resin, I caught myself going to pinch the brush vigorously with my fingertips in an attempt to pull out any loose hairs. Then it occurred to me that I am essentially just wiping all the oil on my fingertips all over the brush(and the brush was brand new, in an attempt to rule out any variables) so I did not punch or otherwise touch the bristles, I brushed on the resin, put it on the Turner, let it spin, and then turned on the lights. I posted a short on my channel of the result, it turned out OK

I've missed a few episodes over the last couple of months as I've got into building boats but I'm glad I caught this one. My problem was paint running after applying two part epoxy which cleared up after I started sealing the paint with UV resin but when I get back to making lures again I'll definitely try this hack.

Thanks for all the information. You answered all my questions. Great video ++

That end part with Google was funny as HECK! Still laughing about it! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and lure making journey!

This video helped me out. I started using the poly before clear coating because I've seen you do it. What I learned is that I need to cut it 15% and clean my brush better after using it. I was cleaning my airbrush like I would when I sprayed paint through it. I did clean it with alcohol however. But, I noticed the gun does not spray right afterwards. Now I know that I need to scrub that stuff really well, thank you.

I’ve been having trouble w peeling and this helps a ton!

Thank you for a year filled with hints, tips, advice etc throughout your journey of building lures. Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year to you and your family 👍😷👍

Awesome. ❤ Thanks Franco. I just bought some polyacrylic for sealing but have been looking for a way to make the surface pristine for the epoxy clear.

Hi there, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for this video! I have been having continual trouble trying to get a perfect clear coat for months. Certain paints would react all the time, and moisture problems where constant! I watched this, got some Min Wax, and I simply can't believe the difference. Thank you, this was THE BEST TIP I have ever found from a Lure build video hands down! 🙏

Such a great tip. I used this for the first time yesterday after seeing this video. Such a difference. I’ll never do another lure without using polycrylic in the process. Thank you 👍

Thanks for all your info. I bought a can and a spray can of the poly acrylic. I’ve used the spray can on about 100 baits so far. It certainly does help with making the UV clear stick good and not have separation over certain areas of the bait. My issue now is trying to figure out how the heck to get rid of those little tiny micro air bubbles I get. I’ve tried heat with my heat gun and it doesn’t seem to get all of them out. When time allows, or should I say when work allows me the time I’ll set up one of my spare airbrushes and try your airbrush technique

I just came across your channel and I am impressed and intrigued! You do great work!

Great video. Thx

Thanks for the info! I have been having trouble with my clear coat.

Great tips on getting the results I was looking for. Worked perfectly. Thank you!!!

Thank you for your effort it helps a lot

Love it..I learn so much on this channel..thanks for everything and merry Christmas..p.s I love your shirts that I ordered 🍻🎣

thanks for making this video and all your wisdom EA

Merry Christmass and Happy New Year, have been watching Your videos,they are amazing,and I always find the great stuff in them. Keep up the good vibe,very good work.

Great idea to make the lures really pop. Have a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.

Great info, have a merry Christmas!

Thanks for the info.

Thanks for sharing the valuable info! I have been making a fairly unique/experimental 4.5" mullet lure with the intention of using it to catch trout inshore. I got everything perfect, used your method to find where to put the weight, and did my first paint job with sprayed on scales - then I was impatient and absolutely ruined the thing with epoxy clearcoat because it was way too cold in the garage and the epoxy didn't flow and self-level before it kicked off. I gotta take another page out of your book and get some uv clear and do the polycyclic trick. Thanks!

Hi , Franko !! I have been watch your posts for quiet sometime now. By profession i am HR Manager and lure making , hobby developed over a period of time when i caught descent size barracuda on my home made first lure. This lure happens to be a popper and painted with spray paints with 2 part epoxy as top coat. I am expat living in Dubai for last 12-14 years and for last 10 years i am into lure making on my week ends and holidays. I wanted to peruse this hobby to become full time hand made lure maker. The biggest problem i am having since i started this hobby was clear top coat and having been facing problem one after the another. I have been using etx all these years and still have the product. You have rightly point out that after putting lot of efforts in lure making one end up spoiling the lure while doing the top coat. I have no issues with air bubbles but get fish eyes and un even bump of hardening coat, i have been struggling as of now. Second coat does help to over come these issues but adds wt to the lure and thus action . Through this post of yours ,let me try your option of mid coat and if it does the job well like yours i will be on the top of the word. Today i have just received Minmax from USA and will give it a shot this week end, very optimistic on the outcome. Please note i do take care of not touching the lure with bare hands right from painting till the top coat dries. Thanks for sharing your tips based on your hard work of experimenting with a scientific approach. Regards, Raghubir

Another very informed blog. I can actually get what you use here in the UK.

Thanks for the tips. Gonna have to give this a go. My lures have been coming out great up until the clear coat :(

nice work Sir, like your little paint booth. We own a pew shop, so having something like this would be a big help. thanks for the idea, may make a video of it

definitely want to see that new lure design build... and water action!

Thank you I did buy some product off your Amazon store. I tried spraying foil with lacquer, and it did damage the foil so then I tried a sample with polyacrylic and it worked great. Thank you.

Hi , Franko !! It was to my shock, the Minmax which i received was satin finish. Any way it was issue with the vendor packing, and i wanted to give it shot with satin finish on 6 salvage lures. I mixed it with distilled water as suggested by you max 15% by volume. I did 3 coats with a gape of 5 minutes each and after few hours did top coat of envirotex lite . Kept on dry wheel for about 3-4 hours. I was surprise with the results today morning. There were no missing spots , fisheyes , air bubbles, infect i had few small air bubbles on the eyes with the first 3 coats of etx before spraying Minmax, they have gone now. There were few damage spots near the belly eye also which are not be seen now. They turned out to be crystal clear. Fantastic tip, Franko at least for me as i have been struggle all these years and lost so many lures after top coat. You tip came a good time as i was planning to try something else for the top coat. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for sharing the tip very which very crucial for all the lure maker. With best Regards, Raghubir

Thanks for the video ! I use acrylic paint, what should I use to clean when paint is dry? If I do the coating right after and spread with a brush, coat is kinda retracting in some small areas, and result is ugly…

Thank you.

Thanks Franco! Been asking for your process details for a while, this answers my questions! Appreciate you sharing them! Wonder if the thinned polycrylic can be applied with a plastic spray bottle (would save wear and tear on the airbrush), will test that and get back with comments. Seasons greetings! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I have used other things to midcoat and they also helped the top coat. Avoiding fish eyes etc. Good video.

A couple of other suggestions. You can use an acrylic clear coat spray aerosol can (top coat used on cars) prior to the epoxy layer. Probably a little more expensive but ready to go without dilution or the clean up. I use wet and dry sand paper between coats of epoxy. Ensure that the initial epoxy layer is fully hardened and sand very lightly so that you do not go through the epoxy and into the paint work (speaking from experience).

Your work is impressive.

Was the clear coat at the end the same as the Polyacrylic?

So it'll be like a clear gloss finish. Would it work on spoons?

Great video. If I wanted to use a two-part epoxy as the clear coat would there be issues with it bonding to the polycrylic?

very informative and well thought out video 5 stars

I want a matte or satin finish what do u recommend

Another great video Franco! Your latest video is the first thing I look for On a Saturday morning. While I know you won't know asking here in the hope that someone else in Aus knows of a source or alternative for minwax polycrylic in Australia? I have looked for it but only found very expensive drop shipping from the US.

I just made 5 lures for Christmas gifts and had this very problem. A few small areas on each lure the clear-coat separated and left small holes in the finish, not sure if that's what everyone calls "fish eyes". I have another lure ready to paint and am giving your tip a try! Thanks Franco!

I don’t want to dwell on how interesting and, above all, very well explained they are. I wanted to ask you, regarding dilution instead of water why not use isopropyl alcohol which reduces drying time. I take this opportunity to ask you if you can make a specialized video as you place the ballast, as you calculate how many grams of lead are needed to put in an artificial. Thank you... from Italy

Franco the lure holder when you spray them is that a harbor freight handyhands & if so what did you use to convert the holder so it rotates. Thank you for responding to all questions .👍

Made lures many years ago and this stopped me making the I used the two tun had great results ran out re ordered and the same stuff suddenly bubbled every time no matter what humidity. I never made a one in 10 years but looking to see how things have moved on.

Great video thank you! You answered a ton of my questions. Before adding the polycrylic midcoat to a bait that has been painted with acrylics can I wipe the bait with alcohol prior to applying the midcoat or will it wipe the paint off the lure? Thank you!

New to the channel, do you have any specific techniques for applying glow paint?

Thankks for the tutorial! Just bought my first can of polycrylic based on your other videos. Looking on the back of the can though I was hesitant to put it through my airbrush and make it airborne with the caution labels about inhalation hazards. What precautions do you take to ensure you aren't breathing it in when spraying?

Thanks for the videos! 1. For a point if clarification, to re-paint lures that have tooth marks [I have some that I did but am not happy with paint job], do I lightly sand it, polyacrylic it, and then re-paint it? Or, lightly sand, paint, polyacrylic? 2. If I have lures I've fished with, what would you recommend to re-clear coat? Do I clean the lure with alcohol, polyacrylic, then clear coat? Sorry for the double questions, and TIA.

Great tip! One caution, I have found that polyacrylic damage metallic nail foil if applied directly to the foil surface. The only thing I’ve found that doesn’t damage that surface is epoxy (UV or two part).

Thanks Franco! I have a spare airbrush with a 0.35mm nozzle and see at least one other question related to needle/nozzle size to spray it adequately, so I'll second that question - does this require a 0.50mm setup or will the smaller size work? Also - how are the fumes? My shop is a shared space with cars, laundry, even a home office corner, so ventilation isn't the greatest. Being water-based I would think it wouldn't be bad, but wanted to ask nonetheless. Thanks again!

Would you happen to know if the shaker can of that Minwax Polycrylic will do the same job?

If you dip to seal the wood is there any reason you can't or don't dip for the mid coat as well?

Hi, One last question on this. After paint you wipe it down with alcohol before the polyacrilic. So on a wooden plug using a 2 part epoxy should I wipe with alcohol the next day when I clear coat?thank you..

I use that same clear coat you have but I no noticed that the baits get sticky when they get hot later. Like leaving in a tackle box. I’ve had customers bring back the baits cause of this. I have no idea why it’s doing this and I’m wondering if you have experienced this and if you have a solution. Love the videos btw

I think you should check out this channel African lure craftsman. He does this technique to make gills easier on the bait out of cardboard. It would be cool to see on your channel also.

Hi Franko, I enjoy your channel. I'm not nearly as meticulous or scientific as you and I kinda suck at painting, but I am pretty good at designing lures that perform well in terms of action. My biggest issue continues to be keeping my diving lips clean and free from blemishes - scratches, glue crud and so on. No matter how careful I am with painters tape they nearly always end up blemishes and lexan, tough as it is, scratches really easily. I'm trying to come up with a process where adding the lip is the last or nearly the last step. do you have any advice about this? thanks

Would polyacrilic used as midcoat over foiled baits, provide better bond to 2 part epoxies finishes that follow? Adhering to foiled surfaces have always been a challenge

Thank you Franco I am pouring lead jigs some acrylic paint & others powder coated , want to foil stamp & clear coat over them would this work on them? the jigs are 8-10oz can I foil stamp over powder c & clear coat to help protect them (epoxy) Thank you

Great video. What PSI do you spray it at?

Which particular devcon 2ton epoxy is best for final coat and what is drying time without curing under uv, and which epoxy for quick bill placent ? Thanks in advance !!! What is d drying time of minwax polycrylic for sealing the lure ???

Do a video of old cheap baits and upgrading hooks with a new paint job. Or even those cheap clear bodies.

do you havea dedicated air brush for this or are you clearing with the same one you are painting with?

Would you recommend applying the poly if using kbs for final clear coat?

I’m new to lure painting. My question is, why would you prefer Matte over Gloss? Feedback or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance…

Just ran across this video. Have used the polyacrylic on just wooden lures or have you used it on plastic blanks as well. Just curious.

Does the clear coat need to be under the UV light in your chamber to cure? Can it just be turned until dry?

The clear that you brushed on isn't specified on the resin page?? which one did you brush on?

You mentioned dipping or spraying. Don't like fuss of cleaning airbrush, paint area not set up for that. Can I just brush on the polycrylic? Straight or diluted?

I've seen your other videos on UV clear coating. You said you're able to spray it on... What size airbrush are you using for it? My Iwata's .3mm nozzle has a hard time spraying a balancing medium. Would you recommend a .5mm or should I be looking at a bottom feed airbrush?

What clear did u brush on after the poly acrylic?

What was the sealer you painted on?

Nicely done video, however after watching it closely, twice, I never did find out what you used for the clearcoat. And that was the whole point in watching it to begin with. Since I 'searched' for Amazing Clear Cast Plus videos, iI'll assume that's what it was. But I don't know.

Hi, have you tried KBS diamond finish instead of UV resin for the final touch? I found my 3D printed lure is unable to be coated with UV resin as I made a detachable weight chamber on it and the snap part will be over cured.

Is Pledge Floor gloss a substitute for Polycrylic? If not, when would you use one vs the other?

My wife has used Polycrylic on her tumbler cups over white glitter to seal it and it turned yellow in a short amount of time. Does it have uv inhibitors? And have you had that issue on lighter colors?

Quick question, does this work over chrome paint without dulling it if you've tried it?

Whats that clear coat you brushed on?? Thought it was the poly??

Have you ever tried a couple of coats of Polycrylic as the top coat?

Hi there, I am from Australia and would need to import this product in from the USA which is expensive. Do you know if Mod podge would have the same results? I am using UV resin as my clear and mostly createx paints.

I just bought an 8 oz. Can of the minwax polycrilic clear satin that says its water resistant but I dont know how long it's going to last, if anyone knows

Wouldn't rubbing with alcohol before the polycrylic rub the paint off?

Hi there Franco,,just wondering about those 2 coats you spray,,,how saturated do you cover the lure ,,after the second coat I can see an uneven finish is that normal?? Cheers Guy 🇬🇧 uk keep up the great vids bud❤

Would a good lacquer work as well or better than the polycrylic,? "DEFT" lacquer is a quality lacquer.

Please help me!!! Wanting a matte or satin finish on my lures. Can u help me??

I've very recently started carving some lures and need to figure out clear coating them. Does anyone have a process that doesn't involve the UV curing? Being so new to it I can't really justify/plan that at this time. Update: reading these comments it appears the final coating is epoxy? I guess i could try to find a clear epoxy that doesnt require the UV cure for my first few lures?

Hey i have a question! Ive been doing this per the instruction and my two part epoxy still seperates on the first coat. Any idea what i can do to stop that?

Is there an Envirotex (as opposed to Envirotex Lite)?

Hi there Franco, Guy here from the uk ,I'm intrested in the polycyclic, the minwax is incredibly expensive,,about 25£ for a half quart,,I bought it anyway ,diluted with15% water ,done every thing you advised,,,really happy with the result,,,one issue though ,I've sourced a cheaper supplier overseas not the USA,,but I then realised there are different types of minwax polycyclic,,,I've got one that says crystal clear topcoat and on examining your vid yours said protective coating ,,,,what's the diffeŕance?? Can you maybe clarify for me ? Thanks again, great vids,guy fishing for sea bass in cornwall uk

WHat is the clear coat material?

Can you buy hook hangers or do you just have to make it

What clear coat do you use?

Do you ever find the UV clear coat have issues with scratch resistance? I have been testing the Chinese UV resin you had previously compared with alumiUV and I find it cures hard but is relatively easy to scratch and it feels I would say semi tacky (without actually being tacky) and am wondering if that is expected with UV resins?

What kind of UV cure do you use

Where do I get a spinning chamber like that??

Hey there Franco.. I had a few issues and questions.. Getting Createx / other paints that you've recommended here in Malaysia is impossible as nobody imports them I guess.. Could i substitute that with Lacquer paint (HobbyMio pre-thinned model paints).. Or how do i dilute normal acrylic paints like Reeves, Monami etc to paint or just spray without diluting but it seems thick and won't go well with my airbrush.. A local lure maker did suggest me with some automotive rattle spray paints and yet to try that as it sure takes awhile to finish them.. 2ndly - Clear Coats Similar to the airbrush paint.. Quite hard to find which to use.. Epoxy resins are all from China not sure which are non yellowing/hard enough to withstand a few bites from toothy local game fish (from saltwater Barras to freshwater Giant Snakeheads).. I did find similar China UV Resin like yours on Ebay would that be good enough? And how many layers should i go with.. And if i dont have space for a chamber like yours could i jz do a simple rotating device to get the UV resin even then dry using a nail polish UV device afterwards without spinning.. Finally found a substitute for Minwax Polycrylic from a local seller and gonna try it out to seal and mid coat my paints.. Tried foil then paint using the model paint mentioned and it didn't work well. Paint was peeling off after touching.. btw Minwax is costing RM 350+ for A litre! Gonna go budget as Im just starting and making lures for fun. 😅 Thanks in advance, Douglas.

How many square feet in your painting area not including your wood shop