Jigs

Powder paint (we recommend Pro-Tec Powder Paint)

Fluid Bed

Hemostats (pliers will also work)

Toaster oven (a cooking oven will also work, but I recommend not using the one you or your spouse uses for cooking food)

Bowl of water

Heat gun (candle or propane torch will also work)

Eye buster (paperclip or small diameter wire will also work)

To do small runs of jigs (a few dozen) it is just as easy to heat each individual jig for painting. This process is very simple. Plug the fluid bed in and make sure there is enough powder paint in the cup to completely cover the jig to be painted. Set the heat gun so that it is facing upward to allow for hands free use. Using a pair of hemostats, clamp onto the jig hook near the curve of the hook and lock the hemostats. Slowly rotate the jig in the heat gun for a few seconds, remembering how long you apply the heat. Larger jigs will require a longer preheat time than smaller jigs. You may have to experiment with different preheat times to get the right length of time to preheat the jig. Once the jig is preheated, quickly swish the jig in a circular motion in the powder paint in the fluid bed and then tap the hemostats on the side of the fluid bed to shake off the excess paint. Then if necessary, rotate the jig over the heat gun for a second or two to make sure the powder paint has "flowed" out correctly. If the jig did not cover completely, simply hold the jig over the heat gun for a few seconds and dip it into the fluid bed again. When you are finished, drop the jig into a bowl of water. This quickly cools the jig and hardens the paint so that it is not sticky. When you are finished with your jigs, dry them off and clean the eyes free of powder paint using an eye buster, paper clip, or wire. Once the powder paint cures, it becomes rock solid and it will be very difficult to clean the eyes out. After you have cleaned the eyes, arrange the jigs in the toaster oven, hanging them by the hook. Bake them at the time and temperature specified below to cure the powder paint. When finished, remove them from the oven being careful to not allow them to slide as the powder paint will be very sticky. Allow the jigs to cool. It may take a little bit of practice, but you will soon get the hang of it.

The process to paint larger numbers of jigs is very similar to small quantity runs with the exception of the preheating process. Begin by placing a number of jigs in a pan and placing them in the toaster oven. Try not to have the pan resting on the heating element on the bottom of the oven. Preheat the jigs at 325 to 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Larger jigs may take longer and smaller jigs may take less time. When the jigs are almost done preheating, plug the fluid bed in and make sure there is enough powder paint in the cup to cover the jigs to be painted. Set the heat gun so that it is facing upward to allow for hands free use. Using a pair of hemostats, reach into the toaster oven and clamp onto a jig hook near the curve of the hook and lock the hemostats. Quickly swish the jig in a circular motion in the powder paint in the fluid bed and then tap the hemostats on the side of the fluid bed to shake off the excess paint. Then if necessary, rotate the jig over the heat gun for a second or two to make sure the powder paint has "flowed" out correctly. If the jig did not cover completely, simply hold the jig over the heat gun for a few seconds and dip it into the fluid bed again. When you are finished, drop the jig into a bowl of water. When you are finished with your jigs, dry them off and clean the eyes free of powder paint using an eye buster, paper clip, or wire. Once the powder paint cures, it becomes rock solid and you will never be able to clean the eyes out. After you have cleaned the eyes, arrange the jigs in the toaster oven, hanging them by the hook. Bake them at the time and temperature specified below to cure the powder paint. When finished, remove them from the oven being careful to not allow them to slide as the powder paint will be very sticky. Allow the jigs to cool. Again , this will take some practice, but once mastered, you should be able to paint hundreds of jigs an hour this way.

White - 10 minutes at 375 F

Yellow Chartreuse - 10 minutes at 392 F

Green Chartreuse - 10 minutes at 392 F

Blaze Orange - 10 minutes at 392 F

Black - 10 minutes at 350 F

Hot Pink - 10 minutes at 392 F

Flame Red - 10 minutes at 392 F

White Pearl - 13 minutes at 325 F

Clear - 12 minutes at 340 F

Bright Green - 10 minutes at 392 F

Yellow - 10 minutes at 400 F

Red - 15 minutes at 350 F

Purple - 15 minutes at 385 F

Glow Overcoat - 10 minutes at 375 F

Brown - 12 minutes at 390 F

Blue - 15 minutes at 375 F

Silver - 10 minutes at 375

Gold - 20 minutes at 375

All Glow Colors - 10 minutes at 375 F

All Transparent Colors - 10 minutes at 392 F

Watermelon - 12 minutes at 390 F

Pumpkin Brown - 12 minutes at 390 F

Two tone jigs: Two tone jigs are created simply by completely dipping the jig in the base color and then quickly dipping the jig partially in the other color. Be careful to not apply too much paint to the jig as it may "run" during the curing process. This process work well when using two fluid beds with a different color in each powder cup. During the curing process, you may need to lower the curing temp and extend the curing time to prevent the two colors from running.

Although Pro-Tec powder paint is nontoxic, I would recommend using a painters or drywall mask when using a fluid bed as some of the smaller paint particles may become airborne.

Using a fluid bed to powder paint jigs will take some practice. Once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature.

If you are getting paint drips when you cure the jigs, you are applying too much powder paint.

You can paint spinner blades by hanging them from a piece of wire to dip them in the fluid bed.

By using multiple toaster ovens, you can preheat jigs in one and cure them in the other.

If you use multiple colors for painting your jigs, having a powder cup for each color will speed up the process of changing powder paint in the fluid bed.

We modified the toaster ovens we use by moving the rack in the toaster oven up so that the jigs when hanging will be in the middle of the oven.

We also soldered hooks onto the rack to hold spinner blades for curing.

If the shank of the jig hook got a little powder paint on it, it will scrape of easily with a utility knife before curing.

Weed guards are applied easier with glue after the jig has been cured rather than molded in.

You can store the powder paint in the cups by simply replacing the cup cap and storing the powder cup upside down in a paper bag.  The paper bag will help against humidity and to keep dust from building on top of the bottom of the cup.

For best results, store the powder paint in a cool, dark place with low to no humidity.

Adjustments and Maintenance:

If you experience "volcanoes" in the fluid bed, check for pin holes around the seam at the bottom of the cup.  A pin hole would allow unobstructed air to pass though to the paint and cause more air pressure in one particular spot.  Another thing to try is to stir the paint every now with a plastic spoon.

If you don't seem to have enough air pressure, check for air leaks around the valve, make sure there are no crimps in the air hose, and check to see if there is anything clogging the inside of the valve.  Also, try dumping the powder out of the cup back into a container and then vacuum out the inside of the cup.  Some of the powder paint may have seeped into the tiny holes in the bottom of the cup.