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Water decal paper

PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2016 6:20 am
by Caja
Is there a certain brand of water decal paper that is preferred? Got a sunfish plopper in the works. Hopefully it track vertical in the water on the retrieve. Reuse mold for 4" and 2.5" crankbait https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzTI6 ... EFlYXFNN3M

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2016 11:12 am
by dahlberg
I just use the standard stuff available at Walmart or Office Max. Just gotta spray a few coats of krylon, let it dry, cut it out and presto. Make sure your surface is smooth and clean.
good luck. the results can be really amazing. Almost cheating.
best
L

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 2:40 pm
by aka anglinarcher
Last ones I did was with decal paper from Hobby Lobby. Larry is soooo right on both accounts. Use the Krylon and it is almost like cheating.

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:41 am
by Caja
Thanks for the input using testors water decal paper from hobby lobby. Tried a making wake plopper first, too much torque from plopper tail would not run correctly. Cut bill off made a good rip bait and plopper style. Hope put finishing touches soon. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzTI6 ... ktBM3dGdVE
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzTI6 ... XNMRUJmNTg

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 8:07 pm
by Caja
Top one got some air bubbles did not uv epoxy before adding decal. Bottom one turned out nice, just need to print little bigger decal next time. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzTI6 ... Wo2QTVHYTQ

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2016 2:30 am
by dahlberg
Wow, those look great! hmmm, wonder how long it would take to get that good with an airbrush!!
thanks for the post! Keep on goopin!
best,
L

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2016 9:17 am
by aka anglinarcher
I think sometimes we think our lures need to look like factory perfection. I know that none of the time do the fish care. :P :P

Those lures look awesome.

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2016 1:09 pm
by Caja
So true, some of the best $20.00 top waters I have almost no paint left. Might decal them with more practice.
After rotomolding body recast about 5-8grams of super plastic in belly to help true/tune lure vertical. Pour 610 foam and add tail. My kids and grandkids will be able to fish with this type of lure.

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 7:29 pm
by Caja

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 6:39 am
by dahlberg
Fantastic cosmetics! Job well done.
best
L

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 6:29 pm
by Caja
Shellcracker sunfish, Larry it is almost cheating. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzTI6 ... kxuR1RYb28

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 8:56 pm
by martin79
hows it goin. my first mold is gonna be alumafoam or alumafoam/610 mix for musky topwater. Are these the steps to decal process?
1. spray krylon acrylic primer in the mold and let dry
2. pour alumifoam
3. sand
4. spray krylon clear on decal
5.then thin coat uv epoxy before i put on decal? and if so just before tacky stage or dry?
and is this krylon is the walmart stuff?

This is gonna be my first mold make and bait, did watch almost all youtube vids with a notepad this wknd but lots to learn

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Tue Dec 20, 2016 6:56 pm
by dahlberg
Hi Martin
You want to have a nice smooth surface for the decal. The primer may not need to be sanded. The krylon you use for the decal is some stuff especially for the purpose of making "waterslide decals", and requires special paper as well. It usually takes a few light coats over the image once it 's printed. The more coats, the thicker the decal. I usually do two or three coats.
The only reason to use epoxy under the decal is if your surface is not smooth. A coat or even two coats over 610, cured really well then wet sanded with 400 grit makes a great surface and allows you to deal with pits, bumps or bubbles. If you have a negative spot after sanding, put a few drops of uv in it, cure and sand. it will look a little milky but will get super glossy when you do your final UV coat. Make sure it's clean from dust by wiping with damp cloth. Apply decal as per instructions on paper.
Allow to dry. Do what ever painting, if any. Coat with UV and cure!
If you get excessive bulge, put plywood on the sides of the mold and clamp lightly. If bulging continues, you may have to add a small pressure relief hole somewhere. All the foams yield the best results when molded under slight pressure.
good luck. love to see your results.
best
L

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Tue Dec 20, 2016 10:24 pm
by martin79
Awesome thanks for responding so fast. I got tester decal paper and testor decal spray for now from small hobby store. Im gonna try making a pace maker style for my first project. (Kinda so a can play with fin Styles)from the forums sounds like createx is good paint to start with. Gonna try straight alumafoam first with all the same hardware as original just to see bouyancy.
I did look alittle today at walmart and hardware store while on my break today for fusion primer and krylon acrylic but didnt find em. Did find krylon foam primer (wonder how that works) and krlyon acrylic clear for glitter. (glitter blast) But wrong stuff I think. Didnt go to actual paint store yet. I started playing around with making the 3d eyes while im waiting for my stuff. Wow i should of taken a class before trying to figure out photo shop. After cple hrs got the eyes shrunk to right mm and in nice rows on printer sheet. Found really cool eyes but resolution not that great after shrinking em. looking for the right holographic foil still too. Cant believe i didnt start doing this earlier have a bunch of musky baits and dont wanna pay $40 a piece anymore. lol well thanks alot ill post a pic with my remake have a good day

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 8:53 am
by martin79
Called krylon today. After 3 people . lol they said the acrylic to use is krylon "preserve it" its made for digital printing and uv protection. Thats gotta be the one. They dont make fusion anymore for primer. They said use the max or kryon foam. Supposed to fill the holes. Gonna try both and do a scratch test

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 4:04 pm
by aka anglinarcher
No fusion anymore. Ouch, just shows how quickly products become outdated in the world today.

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 9:08 am
by martin79
called them again ,There is fusion paint but not fusion primer. Today i found krylon colormaster plastic primer which they said would be the same as the old fusion primer. And they said that
krylon maxx and colormaster are exactly the same product but one is named different for walmart and other is named different for hardware stores. And after studying more i dont think the preserve it gloss is the right one, its not an acrylic coating. the #1305 uv resistant clear acrylic coating gloss is for art,uv, and acrylic. The #1303 crystal clear acrylic coating gloss is for art, and acrylic but no uv. Gonna go with #1305 now cause the uv

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:07 pm
by aka anglinarcher
I got to thinking on the Krylon, fusion, etc. The truth is that I think we are overthinking this a lot. :idea: :shock:

First, Brands make little difference, it is what we are intending to do that matters and then finding a product to make it work.

Second, :oops: I am probably at fault for starting the Fusion thing :oops: . Fusion is one of the first paints that was designed to stick/bond to plastics. As time goes on, a lot of paints will bond to plastic, but it was not all that long ago that most paints would peel off of plastic, and plastic based foams. All I wanted was a paint that would stick to plastic that I could then paint over with other paints.

Third, the term "primer" should be used loosely. I intend that the term primer mean a base that will allow the top coat to adhere/stick to the lure. It helps if the base is a color that is easy to cover with the top coat. IT IS NOT A REQUIREMENT that the paint be called a primer, or that it be a specific color, only that it adheres to the plastic and does not peel off. I don't care if it is gloss, flat, white (but nice), water based or solvent based, just that it adheres to the plastic and I can paint over it.

Forth, any top coat of paint, or call it the paint job, will work. It does not need to be waterproof, sun proof, etc. We are going to be using a Clear coat over it that will protect it. Using a "primer" base coat, then painting it, then clear coating will make the lure far more durable then almost all factory lures.

Fifth, the argument about what clear coat is best will never end. AlumiUV is one of the best options around, but.....Amazing Clear Cast Bar Top Coating is awesome if you have a lure turner that keeps the lure moving until it cures, usually in less then 24 hours. We use to use Devcon 2Ton clear epoxy the same way. Using any one of the three above clear coats will protect any of the materials below it.

Now, as for what to spray over the decals. Remember that we are using a water soluble ink from printers on decal paper, then using water to slide the decals off the backer paper onto the lure. We need to protect the "ink" until the decal is moved, dried, then the entire thing is clear coated. I like the decal kits because they have the protective spray with them. But, any flexible clear water proof spray will work just fine. Just use thin coats, 1 to 3 as necessary, and let it dry between coats. This protects the ink. I sure would not buy a special acrylic just for UV, art, or other special ratings. UV damage takes years of exposure to happen and your lure will not get that much exposure. We are not painting art, it will not be exposed in a scrap book or on the wall. Any simple clear acrylic will work. Acrylic is better in my opinion because it does not have yellow tints to it like varnish, etc.

I think the rest has been covered pretty well already. I just wanted to interject that we are probably overthinking the whole thing. Think about why we are using a specific product, not so much about a product name or how the company intended to advertise the product. I.E., I don't think Alumilite had lure coating as a goal when they created the bar Top Coating, or Devcon when they created their slow cure clear epoxy, but both make excellent topcoats when you have lure turners.

Now, good luck and happy lure making. :P :P :P

Re: Water decal paper

PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2017 12:39 pm
by martin79
Thanks a lot for all the info. I found krylon plastic primer and krylkn craft foam primer (at hobby lobby) and sprayed high strength 3 first and the then poured alumifaom last night. The plast primer left bare spots and the foam primer looked like a sprayed a perfect even coat on it when it came out. Worked awesome. I took a comparison photo but the forum won't let me post pics