August 28, 2013

To Coat Or Not To CoaT

You get a new shiny jig form the store and after a couple of cast you end up with a colorful jig all dented and scratched. This is a serious cause of frustration that I am sure happened to most of us.
A dented and scratched jig keep catching fishes but as fanatics of lures we feel deeply sorry for the beauty of the lure that diminishes after each cast. Fortunately there are some methods that will keep your lure in better shape for a little longer time.
I have seen many videos and articles on magazines about coating the jigs in order to preserve the original state of the jig. Does it work? Is it worth doing it? Expensive? Time consuming? Many question arises regarding this subject.
As far as I know there are two coating agents that are used today by anglers worldwide. One is a single layer of two components epoxy and the other is the single component urethane coating.
Does it work?
Well, in my experience it does work but it all depends on how you apply it and how often you do it. In other words, you can coat the lure and make it resistant but don't expect a seal coat that will make your jig invincible or "immortal". In a way or the other those hard bottom rocks are going to scratch it.




Here is the trick:
You can get a two component epoxy mostly used for hobbies and rod building. First you clean the jig, apply a 800/1000 grit wet sandpaper, you clean with alcohol/thinner and go with the epoxy. You let it dry and it is good to go. Usually one coat is mostly sufficient but it depends also on the thickness of the epoxy used.
The drawback?
Well, with the two part epoxy you need to apply it on several jigs otherwise you will endup with 250cc of epoxy unused and cured at the point that is useless. The best thing to do is to get everything ready, have a nice deep jar in hand and start dipping the jigs.

The other material used is much easier and on the long run cheaper. Some companies sell urethane mono component epoxy. It cures with moisture/air so it has a long working time and it is a quicker and cleaner job.
The drawback?
Even if it virtually doesn't suppose to cure you have to be careful in storing the stuff as the air will in a way or the other start curing the liquid. Secondly, the material , is not as durable as the 2 part epoxy therefore you might need to use it more often.

To summarize:

2 Part epoxy:

+ Durable
+ Widely Available

- Usability
- Needs mixing


Urethane

+ Easy to use. You open the jar and dip it

- Durability
- Needs to be stored properly
- Availability

These are my opinions. Feel free to comment and share your experiences.
A friend of mine has also recommended some floor polish as a good alternative. Need to try and verify it.

Here is a video made by TOHO, a Japanese brand that makes urethane stuff for jigs and lures.



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