Powder Paint

Its my first time dipping and just wondering how do you keep from clogging the eyes up on a jig when dipping? Is there a simple way to do it or something that will open the hole up where line will go through? thanks

I use a pair of hemostats i got off ebay for around 2 bucks and they work great.

Use two pairs of pliers. Hold the jig by the hook with the first set to heat it. Once the lead is hot enough, grab the jig by the eye with the second set and dip. You have to be quick on small jigs since they cool so fast.

If you get paint that closes up the hook eye after baking, heat a bodkin or piece of thin wire over your heat source and run it through the eye. It will melt the paint and clear the eye.

A fluid bed helps some....I don't worry about it......I drill the eyes out with small drill bit......Faster than catching the eye with pliars ......at least for me.

Thanks guys for your help.

I use a round toothpick after I pull out of the powder. Works well for me!!!

If they fill in during the curing process, take a piece of wire or paper clip that will fit through the eyelet. Heat the end up red hot and pass it all the way through the eyelet. This will melt the paint leaving the eyelet smooth so as not to nick your line. A fluid bed will also help with this. Just make sure you keep the paint nice and fluffy and swish the jig quickly.

2 dollar hemostats with curved end. I clamp over eye, heat and dip hang on rack and unclamp. I then clean after they have cooled. Then I hang them in the oven on racks with a cookie sheet covered in foil to catch any drips. Bake at 350 for 30/45 minutes to really harden.

Be sure to clean out the eyes BEFORE you cure them

All good advice so far, and I'll throw in my two cents. I start by heating over a heat gun(noisy but consistant) and holding the hook for a given count on each side. By holding the hook I keep track of not overheating the head, which causes paint to be applied too thick and causes drips when curing. Then I grab the eye with a small pair of bent needlenose pliers to do the dip into the paint, quickly, then tap on the side of the jar to shake the excess off. Then I run it over the heat to glaze and prevent the paint from being knocked off. Just enough to glaze and then it hangs and waits to cure in the oven.

One other heating tip is to use a toaster oven. Hang all your unpainted jigs in the toaster oven and preheat them at about 375 for 10 to 15 minutes. Then reach in with a pair of hemostats and pull them out and dip them in the powder paint. By using the toaster oven to preheat them, you will get a good, consistant temperature and it will take all the guess work out of counting. After you dip them, simply hang them back into the oven. One tip on using toaster ovens is to use a oven thermometer to verify that the oven temp is what is says it is. My toaster oven has to be on 450 to get 350.

So for the guys using the oven method what is your preferred temp to before you start to take them out to dip.

We set ours to 375 and let them preheat for about 10 minutes. When you take them out and dip them, the paint should gloss over to a smooth finish. If the paint still looks powdery, let them preheat a little longer.

+1 About the toaster oven and the oven thermometer to manage it.

For the naturally cleanest eyes shoot for the lowest temp that will grab the powder and close the oven door between individual jigs to keep the internal temperature as constant as possible.

That gives the thinnest coat and often does not even paint the hook eyes. If the powder falls off when you tap the jig when you take it out of the powder you need to kick up the temp a bit. And then simply reheat that particular jig and redo it. I do not worry about getting a full melt on the powder just to get a full stick. The curing process will do the melting and provide the hard final finish without drips or noses on the jig head and most eyes won't even need to be cleaned out. Make sure you clean any filled eyes before the cure step though; it will be a lot easier then. The much softer uncured coating can be easily opened with just a piece of wire, and then the cure will round out the coating so there are no sharp edges in the hook eyes to worry about cutting the line. I use a needle nose pliers and move the preheated set of jigs to the front of the oven; so reaching in and getting them out is simple and then I only use one grip, taking the jig right into the powder. I have to close the door between jigs but that then I have two hands to work with too. :)

That minimum temperature will vary some from color to color, which is where you log book comes in; so you don't have to go through trial and error every time. I only paint black, which is all I use; so that part is a bit simpler for me. I just get into a swing and the rhythm takes me through the quantities I need pretty quickly. Just like any other job you pick up the right rhythm and the first step goes pretty quickly. You can then cure quite a number all at the same time. At least I can with black. I use a very thin threaded rod to hang the jigs on both for heating, for hanging after dipping and then for the cure, too. The rack I use is just a bent wire coat hanger.

I find that the red hooks dont clog up with paint, might just be me. I use a heat gun on mine.

What works really well is a staple. I take a staple and bend in in a L. One long lenght and the short lenght. Run the long lenght all the way thru till it hits the L. The reach around and pul it thru. Perfect hole and the paint stays on the staple. Just pick the paint off and get the next one going.