How is everyone keeping clear coat off your hook rings while they cure? Just looking for a way to clear the baits without having to clean off the rings afterwards. I've heard of using vaseline, but wanted to see what your thoughts were. I'm using etex by the way.

If you are brushing on epoxy then you dont want to use vaseline. I would think that all it would take is one slip of the brush and get into the Vaseline and then go back and brush the bait. I think you would have a blurb or something. I just clean them off as best I can. Once it is cured, you can generally get it off without too much problem.

I thought of covering the hook rings prior to painting. Tried modeling clay, tape, Vaseline, etc. The problem was when I would do netting or stencils, some of it would transfer to that material and the next bait I did with it, guess what. Bad spot!

Maybe somebody else with more experience than me will chime in. I think it is a necessary evil.

dremel it out afterwards. not that big of a deal.

I dont have a dremel lol!

after you finish brushing the epoxy on, just take your brush and clean out the hook hanger(s) before it dries

You build baits and don't have a Dremel!?  Oh my gawd!

Havnt built much of anything yet, just painting!

You build baits and don't have a Dremel!? Oh my gawd!

i was thinking the same thing!

I rely heavily on my dremel to clean them out.  Check them out at Wal-Mart and Home Depot, they're not that expensive and come in handy more then you'd think.  I make quick work of sanding baits down, shaping baits, cleaning hook holders, carving wood, etc.

you can't just mask um off with tape ???

:-?

There are lots of things you CAN do.  Dremeling them out is just the easiest and fastest, IMO.  I dip lures to topcoat them - tape would just bugger them up worse.  Besides, I want epoxy or polyurethane on the hangers and line tie.  The Dremel dresses them up nicely.  Different strokes...