One more little thing about eyes

Knowing that Road Runners only use a solid black eye it has made me start to think a bit. Red Fish have the black spot on their tail to make their predators not attack the right spot. Other animals have a solid black spot to fool the predators so why do we need to have two color eyes other than the fisherman?

Now do we really think eyes make a difference? Probably can, but I have a very hard time thinking that a two color eye is going to be better than a one color eye.

So on my Road Runners that I powder paint I still use vinyl black to do the eyes. I even call the MFG to ask if they thought using the vinyl over the powder would be OK and they said try it first, but they thought it would be fine.

Now my point in this is just this....Vinyl is more durable than Powder Paint so my thinking is it will last at least as long as the head paint and maybe even make it last better because of where the eye is placed. The only down side is the stringing that the vinyl does so you have to be very careful to not have it string and get on the head paint where you don't want it. I still do have a few that end up with a line coming out of the eye, but can't imagine the fish will care, LOL!

Also one last thing, with the black vinyl being some what glossy because regular colors in vinyl are more glossy than the Florescent ones which end up flat and need a clear coat over; the black needs nothing over it.

So what do you guys that like eyes think?

Skip

Skip I have used the vinyl over the powder coat and it does just fine.IMO you will still need a clear of some kind if nothing more than the hard as nails or the paint will peel off I think.As for a single color eye I agree the two color is more for the fisherman as I belive the fish is hitting the jig out of reaction not the color of the eye.Just my opinion.
I also tend to like the waterbase as there is no stringing as you described and no fumes to contend with.As for the durablity I belive it holds just as good as the vinyl.

skip, I use testers enamel over powder paint, and it works great and is easy to work with. and they have alot of colors in bigger bottles than the little square ones, if ya go to a hobbie shop. have clear coated over it with vinyl clear gloss, and tamiya clear acrylic with good results. have not had a problem with testers enamel stringing, and they have thinner in good sized square bottles too.

Good observation Skip, I use double dot eyes just as you mentioned, to satisfy ME. I honestly don't think it hurts and I like the look.
As for vinyl stringing, that can easily be fixed with a bit of thinner. Thanks to the advise of rather silent member rebg38, I wouldn't consider trying to work with vinyl without the thinner handy. ole Mike

I don't use eyes I want the fish to think my jig is blind. With this he can just attack the jig with no worrys. I call it the Trojan horse approach.

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Originally Posted by Saline Lake Jigs

I don't use eyes I want the fish to think my jig is blind. With this he can just attack the jig with no worrys. I call it the Trojan horse approach.

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Now I have heard it all...Trojan jigs lolol.....do little teeny tiny fishermen come out of the jig and stick the fish with extra hooks when the fish ain't looking. If you got a jig that does that I don't care if it's got eyes on it or not I want about a million of them in all the colors that you make
:p

I also have used vinyl over powder paint for years with no problems for durability. I have used a hair dryer (Low speed and low heat) for a "Quick set" to start drying time. This 15 second step eliminated dripping eyes. Personally on my own jigs it is a two tone eye.

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Originally Posted by shipahoy41

I also have used vinyl over powder paint for years with no problems for durability. I have used a hair dryer (Low speed and low heat) for a "Quick set" to start drying time. This 15 second step eliminated dripping eyes. Personally on my own jigs it is a two tone eye.

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Part of the problem with vinyl is the same when trying to air brush it except then it's called spider webbing and one try using it and you will see why they call it that. This problem is I think the same one as what I have and it not the slow drying, it is the too fast drying and how thick it is. I talked to the guys at the Mfg. about the air brushing thing and they say you need to use a Retarder thinner mixed with regular thinner to get rid of the spider webbing.

Stuff dries pretty darn fast.

Skip

Brim we need a self destructing jig so when they wont bite you can just blow them up and let them float to the surface. I do like the little hook idea i may have to work on the trojan horse JIG.

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Originally Posted by brimreaper

Now I have heard it all...Trojan jigs lolol.....do little teeny tiny fishermen come out of the jig and stick the fish with extra hooks when the fish ain't looking. If you got a jig that does that I don't care if it's got eyes on it or not I want about a million of them in all the colors that you make
:p

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Okay so back to the eye thing do we really think a fish looks at a jig and says well it has good eyes and a feather for a tail must be grass shrimp or a shiner? I am gonna say no but i am not a fish anthropologist how ever i have fished both and it seemed they bite it when i was wiggling it or not wiggling it not when i had a good paint job on the head. Actually this last week i was a fishing an area that had rocks on the bottom and they would only eat it if i hit the jig on the rocks and lifted it was very weird however the paint came off real fast and had part paint and part dented silver lead. they still ate it. just my $.02 though