Upstate 0 Report post Posted January 12, 2021 What do you guys use to top coat your poppers? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted January 12, 2021 uv resin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Upstate 0 Report post Posted January 12, 2021 Thanks for the reply. any one you recommend? bone dry, loon ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shoebop 0 Report post Posted January 12, 2021 Sally Hansen's. UV coatings are not tough enough. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Poopdeck 0 Report post Posted January 12, 2021 Sally Hansen. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
feathers5 0 Report post Posted January 12, 2021 I use Liquid Fusion and they hold up pretty well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Philly 0 Report post Posted January 12, 2021 I've been through 5 minute epoxy, Liquid Fusion and a couple of other coatings. Now I just use UV resin. Since I use mostly pre-made soft foam popper bodies and craft foam for my poppers I have taken to using the Solarez Flex Resin to finish the poppers off. The one thing I never liked about epoxy and the hard UV resins is that with the soft foam bodies if you squeeze them the hard coatings tend to crack. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted January 13, 2021 Haven’t done cork bugs in a great while. But after sealing the cork with Krazyglue w/brush I’d either paintem with Testors or cover with SallyHansens and glitter dust the whole thing. Add second coat after glueing on paint drop eyes, spots, etc. Then dress the tails and insert rubber legs. Did use Solarez to “capture” foil/flash wraps but final coat SHHN. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stippled Popper 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2021 I have used Devcon 30 minute epoxy and Bob Smith Industries(BSI) 30 minute epoxy. Now I am using Flex Coat Gel Lurecoat epoxy. It costs more than the other two but comes in a kit with reusable marked syringes which make getting an exact 50/50 mix of hardener and resin. I haven't had any epoxy failures to cure properly using the Flex Coat. That didn't happen often with the other two. But never is much better. By cooling the Devcon and BSI I was able to consistently coat 10 popper bodies while taking the time to make sure there were no fish eyes on any of the bodies. With the Flex Coat I can consistently clear coat 18 to 20 poppers with no cooling, just spreading thin on aluminum foil. I could probably do even more if my setup could handle more. Flex coat does have an odor so I use a fan to blow the smell away. Being a thinner product, the Flex Coat does take much longer before you can stop turning your poppers(as much as 3 hours). It seems to be completely solid after 12 hours. But I generally give it 24 hours since I am not a production tier. It also has a UV inhibitor which should delay the discoloration epoxy commonly develops over time. See images. BSI, Devcon, Flex Coat - Excess from batches placed in medicine caps to a depth of about a centimeter. Tip: All epoxies are more viscous than water. Stirring the epoxy to thoroughly mix the hardener and resin together will introduce bubbles. This is particulary true if you use something like the paddle stirrer that comes with the Devcon 30 minute double syringe system or a popsicle stick.. A narrow diameter round stirrer introduces fewer bubbles. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stippled Popper 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2021 On 1/12/2021 at 5:49 PM, Philly said: I've been through 5 minute epoxy, Liquid Fusion and a couple of other coatings. Now I just use UV resin. Since I use mostly pre-made soft foam popper bodies and craft foam for my poppers I have taken to using the Solarez Flex Resin to finish the poppers off. The one thing I never liked about epoxy and the hard UV resins is that with the soft foam bodies if you squeeze them the hard coatings tend to crack. Indeed! A stiff clear coat with a soft flexible body is not a good combination. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted January 16, 2021 It surprises me that more peeps aren’t using the Hardasnails, resin, or epoxy with the glitter dust. May be cuz it’s kinda messy. Gotta dust over sheet of paper or sumthin. You can “paint” different areas on the bodies dust on a color. Let it dry; which ain’t long. Then do another area/color and so on. Put eyes, stripes, stipples on last. Then final coat to cover and slick it off. Lots faster than paint drying. Pearl for bellies and transition to dark blue or black for bait fish. The pepper shakers are easy; cutting a corner on the lil bags is not as good but the stuff is cheap. Jazz up some key fobs with it too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stippled Popper 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2021 17 hours ago, denduke said: It surprises me that more peeps aren’t using the Hardasnails, resin, or epoxy with the glitter dust. May be cuz it’s kinda messy. Gotta dust over sheet of paper or sumthin. You can “paint” different areas on the bodies dust on a color. Let it dry; which ain’t long. Then do another area/color and so on. Put eyes, stripes, stipples on last. Then final coat to cover and slick it off. Lots faster than paint drying. Pearl for bellies and transition to dark blue or black for bait fish. The pepper shakers are easy; cutting a corner on the lil bags is not as good but the stuff is cheap. Jazz up some key fobs with it too. I sometimes use a metallic paint as a base coat and then stipple over it and get something a slight bit like the shiny effect glitter provides. I'd do it more often if it was as easy on my eyes to paint over something that shiny as it is easy for me to paint over a matte finish. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Philly 0 Report post Posted January 17, 2021 Ever since I figured how to make it, I've been using "loco" foam for the flies I make out of sticky back foam sheets. For poppers and other pre-formed bodies, I coat the bodies with a craft glue that dries clear and tacky then apply the transfer foil, depending on what I'm trying to do, either before or after I color the bodies. Mother of Pearl is the one I use the most. It comes in holographic metallic colors, silver, gold and copper. Not sure how well it will it show up in the pictures. First picture, silver body, Second one, Mother of Pearl body, Third is a gold body Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Poopdeck 0 Report post Posted January 17, 2021 I've used glitter on a few poppers and hate it as a finish. I've never caught a fish on a glitter caked popper and I believe all the paint, glitter and top coats make a heavy popper head. I have no confidence in them so naturally I don't fish them. In fact I'll probably be tossing them in another month when I do my clean out of stuff I don't use. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Philly 0 Report post Posted January 17, 2021 There's a difference between glitter and the transfer foil. It's literally a film that transfers to the popper and doesn't weigh anything. Those flies aren't that heavy. The silver and gold ones are 5 1/2 inches long including the tail. The fire tiger one is 5 inches long. According to my postage scale, all three of them weigh 4 grams or .1 oz. Light enough but a bit bulky to cast with my 6 wgt. My 8 wgt handles them fine Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
