Jig Painting

[dummie]

I made some jigs and then went to painting them. I heated one up and dipped it in the powder paint. Tapped the excess off and have a pitted non-shiny surface on the jig. Every one that I have been doing have come out the same way. All I can figure out is that maybe they were not heated enough. I heat them with a propane torch and surely can't heat to much or they will melt. Anyone have any thoughts on the matter. Thanks in advance and God bless.

[bill]

The bigger the head, the longer it must be heated. Try counting the time being heated, and when the head begins melting, discard that head and heat the rest one count less. If you don't heat enough, the color will be dull. The paint really works well, once you "get the formula". I usually tap the hook shank several quick times on the edge of the jar after removing from the powder; this takes off any extra that can have a tendency to drip. Place on stung out wire to cool. Bill

[GregK]

Bill's got the idea. You need to get the jig a little hotter. Also, and this is important, you can heat the jig a little more after the paint is on. Just be careful not to burn. You will see it go smooth and shiny. Stick with it because this stuff is just the best. For an extra hard finish put it in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

[WALLEYE EYES]

Both these guys gave excellent tips. I made 1/4 ounce jigs. It took about 4 to 5 seconds over a candle to heat them just right. About 7 seconds for 3/8 ounce jigs. A couple came out dull. Leave them alone. If you put them in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes, they will become shiney. This remelts the paint. Be sure that the jigs DO NOT TOUCH. They will stick together and are hard to get apart. This will also give them a extra hard finish. Make sure to poke the eyes out of the hook before heating. It's hard to do after. I hung the jigs from the oven racks. That seemed to work very well. It does stink up the house a little bit, so make sure to open the windows. It's also best to do it when the wife is gone. GOOD LUCK

[dummie]

Thanks for the replies. I have used this powder paint before and got excellent results. Figured I wasn't getting the jig hot enough. Do you know a better way to heat than with a propane torch? God bless.

[Stinger]

I use a heat gun with the powder and it works great. I also time the heat and it is about 8 secounds on a 3/8's jig with my gun on high. I do not get the eye in the powder and it is a very clean looking jig. Keep your powder fluffy. This is important. Good luck.

[Stinger]

I use a heat gun with the powder and it works great. I also time the heat and it is about 8 secounds on a 3/8's jig with my gun on high. I do not get the eye in the powder and it is a very clean looking jig. Keep your powder fluffy. This is important. Good luck.

[Dan]

A tip passed on to me re:powder paint is to get an applicator bottle. heat jig to desired temp then give the plastic bottle a squeeze and powder will puff out through applicator nozzle in a fine "mist".

[Matt]

The process you are using requires the jig to be warm enough to melt the powder. A long bake in an oven is the best way. The jig needs to be heated throughout. Lead is a poor retainer of heat. In most industrial applications powder coating is done on metals that have better heat retention; on larger pieces that allow for better heat retention; also, lead can't be heated to as high of a temperature as most metals. Hanging your jigs on the rack in the oven and pre-heating and post-heating should eliminate most of your problems. Some possibility that it could be a contaminate but I doubt it.

[Steve W.]

Make sure you put tin foil on the bottom of the oven. If you bake the jigs too long the paint will melt and drip. It looks really neat on the bottom of the oven, but when you have to scrape it out with the oven still hot it sorta loses its appeal.