my first lure disaster!

[Out Fishing]

OK – so I had a lure completely finished and ready to wire.  It has been ‘finished’ for a few weeks now.   I noticed that there appeared to be a small ‘bubble’ on the side of the lure, like the paint was lifting.  I bit the bullet and decided to sand it down and start over.  As I penetrated the lure’s finish (rod thread epoxy), I was then able to easily peel the epoxy, along with the paint and primer off the lure in a single pull, leaving just bare wood.  Just as if I were peeling and orange.  I did this with my thumb nail.  Geez, what’s going on here?  I’m assuming I didn’t let the sealer dry.  I’m using BLO thinned with spirits.  To seal the plug, I immerse the plug in the BLO mixture overnight.  I’m pretty sure I let the plug dry for a few days.  I guess my question is “how long should I let it dry?”.  Maybe a better question is, “how do I know when the sealer dry and ready for primer”.  Should I wipe the plug off with spirits after it is dried to get any of the oils off the outside of the plug?  Do I need to lightly sand to help with the primer adhesion?  I have a few other lures complete, and none others have shown signs of bubbling.  Should I be concerned with the other lures?  How could I tell if they too have similar problems?
 
Thanks guys for your help here.

[Out Fishing]

overnight is too long. I would consider that lure ruined now. Will probably never dry....You should be letting these dry for 5-7 days minimum....

[Out Fishing]

Well, there goes lure #2.  Same results...  I'm going to strip these down and "bake" them under light for a few days to see if that will help.
 
Thanks for the feedback Scott.    I imagine most will bubble eventually.  you can smell the BLO after I stripped the lures.
 
to say I'm p%ssed is an understatement....

[Out Fishing]

I would chalk that up to learning at this point. Overnight soaking is much too long. If you soaked a sponge til it sopped up all the water it could then it would take forever to dry...your lure is no different. It soaked up a huge amount of solvent....it may not ever dry now. Let them sit for a month or so in a very warm place. See what happens.

[Out Fishing]

Bruce,
 
I had the same problem. You can search all the sights and get 15 different answers about how long to soak with each material. AS a hobbiest, it would be nice to have something in writing (based on the type of wood used in the kits) for those of us who just make a few lures and want to do it the "traditional way" (if there is such a thing).
 
I have about 20 kit lures that I still have drying from a 24 hour soak in BLO/MS mix. Won't make that mistake again...
One batch is about a month dried and looking fine. The other is only a week old so we'll see how long they take to dry. I have a heated garage so they can sit there as long as needed...However, no other kits get started until then. Like many here, I can afford the lures but cannot afford mistakes like that..I'll let you know how mine dry. It is an oil but it also sets up as the lighter ends fraction off. That's why it becomes a glob in an open container. The trick is making the same thing happen with teh soaked lure so that it solidifies and seals. 

[Out Fishing]

And now you know why I say what I do on the pictorial page. What works for some does not work for others.

I still recommend multiple dips of sanding sealer, lacquer preferred. Follow it up with a coat of Bin primer in red spray can. scuff then paint.

[Out Fishing]

Bill - although making mistakes is disappointing, I do agree with Salty, as this is part of the learning process.  I have tried to find sanding sealer (as recommended), but haven't been able to find it.  I had BLO and mineral spirits in my basement so, I tried it.  I'm OK with BLO, just need to moderate my dipping time.  I guess I look at it like fishing.  you can't give explicit dates/times/tides/lures to catch fish.  And if you could, part of the fun, is figuring it out on your own (with some guidance of course).  That's why I like this board.  Advise is there, but there is nothing better than experience.  And boy am I getting experience .   Imagine if Salty gave explicit advise on the board and someone screwed up following Salty's advise.  I can just hear the posts now lamblasting the advise.  So... I' like it this way.  I screwed up, got some good advise, and I'll try again.  I don't expect Salty to tell me exactly how long to dip my plugs.  I'm sure it has a lot to do with the viscosity of the solution I made up, and how would he know.  So now I've got a 1 in 24 chance in getting it right (Somewhere between 1 hour and 24 hours).  the way I'm going, I'll need 24 plugs to figure it out .  Anyhow Bill - I"m sure you and I could exchange notes and learn together, and isn't that what is is REALLY all about?
 
Now, where's that mesh so I can start trying fish scales.  I think my wife's wedding vail would make perfect fish scales...

[Out Fishing]

Bingo. I can't even get people to take the hook guards off the hooks they complain they lose fish then find out they're still on

[Out Fishing]

  I use "The Handyman"method (that's what I call it). Zinsser, Bulls Eye,Unerversal Sanding Sealer, shellac base 100% wax free. Product #00851,  Lowes stocks it. There is a sealing thread on page #2 on this forum. Handy has a post there. It has worked well for me...   Tom C.

[Out Fishing]

Bruce, Scott, and others. Please don't take my post the wrong way. I'm not blaming anyone nor do I think there needs to be explicit instructions. However, like you I had a problem finding the various sealers discussed and resorted to BLO/MS (I had it as well). What would be nice is a bit more info about soaking, if a person chooses to use that method. For instance: "The kits are made from XXX type of wood so you should adjust your soak time accordingly." Different woods have various absorption rates. That way, if someone wanted to do that it is still on them. I accept my mistake for soaking the lures too long (Hey...its not like I tried to cram a lead weight into a too-small hole with a hammer!!  ) My point about not starting anymore is that I will now seek out the proper dipping sealer so I can do future one right.
 
Scott has been a great help. It took me a while but I found the right primer (I learned there are three types...blue, red and goald labels). I'll keep asking questions as I need to and I'm sure both he and others on this board will continue to be a great help! I do thank everyone for that. As a hobbyist, putting out several hundred to build a few lures...and then having problems occur...understandibly makes one reconsider. It's not about getting it perfect the first time. I don't expect that (well, maybe I do..) it is about succeeding on some level.
 
As to the lambasting posts after giving advice that does not work for someone...that is to be expected in today's society regardless of how much help one gives. You have to have thick skin to be in business and have a board like this. A very dear friend of mine ran a board for surf fishing on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I learned about thick skin from him. It goes right to your statement about when, where and how to fish...
 
I found the Thule for scales...I mentioned using my daughter's veil (she gets married in three weeks) and that went over real well, as you can imagine...thankfully the dog house is heated with cable... 

[Out Fishing]

you mean you DON'T hammer the lead weights in? oh...
 
Bill - I'm heading to lowes tomorrow to get some sealer for the next batch of lures I'm ordering from Salty.  I just purchased some kits as Christmas gifts for my friends but am having seconds thoughts now that I've runied a few plugs...
 
So Bill, how long were you soaking your plugs?

[Out Fishing]

I soaked them just around 24 hours but I'm thinking that if I can't find a sealer for dipping I may try somewhere around 2-4 hours followed by a good drying time. There was a good thread about penetration but it confused me regarding time for soaking to get the level needed to protect the wood. Most look fine. Some 2 oz. sandeel swimmers look like sponges. If they don't dry they have enough oil to make nice Christmas candles...

[Out Fishing]

or you could put one in your woodstove and heat your house for a whole night

[Out Fishing]

If you are cutting blo with min spirits then a soak of 10 minutes with any woods followed by a dry of 4-5 days and either a second dipping or a quick dipping into sanding sealer cut down slightly will prep for primer.

Use a oil based primer. several light coats of Bin gold can is best. Requires sanding....red can does not. Red is shellac/lacquer based, gold is oil/alkyd based.

Let dry for 2 days in warm environment before painting. If you use createx let it air dry for 3-4 hours then heat set with a hair dryer between coats.

clear with devcon 2 ton 30 minute epoxy, or envirotex.

[Out Fishing]

And if something happens I'm not responsible because I said this

We'll blame it on numbnuts