Marty,

i was gonna PM this but i figured other people might benefit if i posted it.

the other day you suggested i paint and clear my swimbait pieces before i assemble the bait to eliminate the need to clear epoxy out of the joints.

i want to do this but i have a few questions about possible problems.

first, i think i would have a tough time getting the colors to match up and fade the same way on all the pieces, seeing as i'm using spray cans and paintbrushes. is there a way i could temporarily assemble the bait so that i can paint it "as one" so the colors all match?

secondly, when its time to clearcoat the pieces, how do i hold them?

also, how do you keep the pre drilled holes for hook hangers and such from getting filled in with the clearcoat?

Dave,

This is the only way I've done my swim baits.   I have no idea how you can controll the fade of paint, I just paint the pieces.    I've never been real concerned if paint matches perfectly.   I put screw eyes in all the holes prior to primer, paint, and clear coat.   The screw eyes back out real easy.   That is also how I hold each piece on the drying wheel.   It may take a couple of baits to get the hang of it.    Hope that helps.

ok.

well i don't use screw eyes, i use wire loops, but your method works the same way, because the wire loops are a pretty tight fit.

so i just assembled the joints to paint the bait, and now i'm going to stick the hook hangers and all in so i can hold the bait while i'm epoxying.

only problem i see that is probably going to come up is when epoxy topcoat gets on the hook hangers that are temporarily in place...won't this get them stuck in there pretty good?

I don't use screw eyes as my final joints.   The screw eyes are temporary until the final clear coat is cured.   Screw eyes will not seal into the bait, you can back them out once the clear is cured.   You still use the twisted wire hangers for the final joints.    I don't think the twisted wire will back out of the holes as easy as the screw eyes do.

I'll try and get you a pic of what I'm talking about.

oh ok i understand now!

i'll have to try that on my next one.

on this current one, what i did was i just stuck one hook hanger in the piece, and i coated the hook hanger in vaseline so (hopefully) the epoxy won't cling to it. i didn't worry about filling the other holes and i just brushed epoxy over them, and the epoxy didn't go into the holes too bad. i can quickly clear the epoxy out with the drill.

thanks for the help, i'll use screw eyes next time