Painting jigs?

[Barnacle Bill]

Is there a trick for keeping the paint out of the eyes when painting? I've been heating, dipping (powder) then baking.

[skiptomylu]

Is there a trick for keeping the paint out of the eyes when painting? I've been heating, dipping (powder) then baking.

Most of the time I can dip without getting it in the eye on smaller jigs, but I keep a tooth pick handy and if any get in that eye I stick it in until I clean out enough to keep it open. This has to be done while the jig head is still hot. Larger jigs the eye is so close you will get it full of paint.

If this fails and the paint gets baked on, I use a bodkin that I heat with a lighter and stick it in through the eye to melt the paint. It's very hard to get out other ways once it's baked on.

Hope this helps,

Skip

[Barnacle Bill]

You need to dip faster. Clean out the eye before you bake them. A fluid bed will help keep the eye clean.

I'll try faster but what is a fluid bed?

[Barnacle Bill]

Most of the time I can dip without getting it in the eye on smaller jigs, but I keep a tooth pick handy and if any get in that eye I stick it in until I clean out enough to keep it open. This has to be done while the jig head is still hot. Larger jigs the eye is so close you will get it full of paint.

If this fails and the paint gets baked on, I use a bodkin that I heat with a lighter and stick it in through the eye to melt the paint. It's very hard to get out other ways once it's baked on.

Hope this helps,

Skip

Didn't think of heat. Good tip.

[Slabo]

I use a small pair of hemostats and grab the eye with them and dip my jigs in the powder paint then hang them in the oven to dry (toster oven) you will get some build up on the tips of the hemostats but none on the eye of the jig. You can take the hemostats and heat them over the flame and remove any buildup that you get on them. It works great and you don't have to clean any eyes.

[skiptomylu]

It still fills up even with a fluid bed and especially black for some reason I can't seem to keep the black heads from filling the eyes so I had to come up with a reasonable way to unblock it.

[skiptomylu]

less is more with powder paints. If you are not getting clear eye's on hooks then your dipping it to long. For a fluid bed all you need to do is pass the jig though the dusting paint. There is no way there is enough paint to fill an eye when its dusting. If the eye's are getting clogged with a fluid bed then your not making the paint fluid or your dipping it to long. Make faster dips. Its more of a swoosh then a dip. lol

I turn up the air as high as I can without shooting it all over and just in and out and still too much with black. Most other colors seem to be OK. I do mean in and out no hanging around in the paint.

[crappiekeith]

I use a small pair of hemostats and grab the eye with them and dip my jigs in the powder paint then hang them in the oven to dry (toster oven) you will get some build up on the tips of the hemostats but none on the eye of the jig. You can take the hemostats and heat them over the flame and remove any buildup that you get on them. It works great and you don't have to clean any eyes.

thats a great tip.I'll try that next time I do a run.

[joejv4]

I use unpainted heads and never have that problem :D

lol, just kidding, couldn't resist. I'm glad to hear folks that make jigs being concerned about clogging up the eyes. Those of us that are strictly jig "users" appreciate y'all's attention to detail.

[skiptomylu]

I use unpainted heads and never have that problem :D

lol, just kidding, couldn't resist. I'm glad to hear folks that make jigs being concerned about clogging up the eyes. Those of us that are strictly jig "users" appreciate y'all's attention to detail.

I make it a point to be sure the eye is open before I ship to a customer.

Thank You!

Skip