Coating cannonballs yourself?

advTHXance

advTHXance

Well-Known Member
Hello fisherfriends,

Looking at options to dip/coat cannonballs. Ideally id like to coat about 80 15lb cannonballs at the lodge I work at, possibly ~80 hali weights as well.

I know plastidip is a thing, not entirely sure how the process works or how to prime/prep the surface. It also looks very expensive and I wouldnt want to blow our whole tackle budget on it.

Glow would be nice but not necessarily necessary...

Wondering what other options are out there, also if theres anywhere that sells plastidip (or a similar product) in like 5 gallon buckets rather than a dinky little spray can. Powder coating is probably not something were capable of doing at the lodge with minimal resources.

Ive tried PNT, Harbour Chandler, Industrial Plastics. In each case the person I spoke with on the phone said they dont carry a product like that, and didnt really have any idea of which direction to point me.

Any advice or knowledge is welcome, ******** is welcome too!

Thanks in advance,
advthxance
 
advTHXance said:
Hello fisherfriends,

Looking at options to dip/coat cannonballs. Ideally id like to coat about 80 15lb cannonballs at the lodge I work at, possibly ~80 hali weights as well.

I know plastidip is a thing, not entirely sure how the process works or how to prime/prep the surface. It also looks very expensive and I wouldnt want to blow our whole tackle budget on it.

Glow would be nice but not necessarily necessary...

Wondering what other options are out there, also if theres anywhere that sells plastidip (or a similar product) in like 5 gallon buckets rather than a dinky little spray can. Powder coating is probably not something were capable of doing at the lodge with minimal resources.

Ive tried PNT, Harbour Chandler, Industrial Plastics. In each case the person I spoke with on the phone said they dont carry a product like that, and didnt really have any idea of which direction to point me.

Any advice or knowledge is welcome, ******** is welcome too!

Thanks in advance,
advthxance
Click to expand...
The best stuff I have used was a two part Urethane Devcon Flexane 80 but it is very expensive but I got some expired product that was getting trashed.
I also have used some crappy Tire Rubberized Rockerguard which worked ok . The application of both products was pretty messy with the hanging canon balls dripping until the stuff set up. I haven't tried epoxy yet but I think a two part epoxy would work well if you can get it cheap enough and you could add color or glow to it.
 
Plastic dip spray paint is what I and friends use. No prep needed and gives a rubber like coating to the balls. Quick and easy. May be called plastic coat. Canadian Tire.
 
How many balls does a single can coat? Any issues with peeling or flaking? How thick do you have to put it on there?
 
You can get 2 balls probably 3 out of a can. The trick is to shake the shizit out of the can to get a good mix. Have not had any issue around peeling. As thick of a coat as you prefer.
 
Last summer, I was experimenting with dipping all my lead cannon balls and it worked out awesome. No need to hang dry it. I put the hot dipped ball in cold water and the epoxy instantly hardened.

I met a guy in Victoria that has a business with wax and epoxy. Give him a call and tell him exactly what you’re trying to do. He’ll be able to help you out.

For glow. I bought the glow powder on Amazon and added it to the mix once it was hot. Super easy.

Sealing wax manufacturer, supple wax sticks, bottle dripping wax, Scottish wax seals, glue gun sealing wax sticks, kings wax, letter seals, custom sealing wax, Canadian made sealing wax, peel and stick wax seals, custom waxseals

manufacturer of sealing wax in Canada, Hand poured wax for wax seals, we create custom color sealing wax sticks, custom sticks, our traditional scottish sealing wax recipes date back over 200 years, waxseals, Glue Gun wax, faux wax, Sealing Wax, personalized sticks of wax, Worldwide delivery of...
www.kingswax.com

IMG_4826.jpeg
 
That looks awesome Mikey, thanks! Ill give the guy a call
 
Interesting stuff, how well does it stand up to hitting the bottom? I like to bounce bottom in a few of the sand and gravel spots, so looking for something that is durable as the vinyl applications. Tx
 
searun said:
Interesting stuff, how well does it stand up to hitting the bottom? I like to bounce bottom in a few of the sand and gravel spots, so looking for something that is durable as the vinyl applications. Tx
Click to expand...
I drag my balls on the bottom if it’s sandy and sometimes I hit rocks. Haven’t had it break on me yet. If you’re bouncing on rocks, I wouldn’t bother dipping as your chance of losing it is much higher. Going through all that effort and snagging bottom would **** me off. Just use bare lead at that point.

I think main point why I looked into dipping lead is so I don’t have to be exposed to lead and it scratching my boat when it hits the side of the boat while Hali fishing.
 
MikeyL said:
I drag my balls on the bottom if it’s sandy and sometimes I hit rocks. Haven’t had it break on me yet. If you’re bouncing on rocks, I wouldn’t bother dipping as your chance of losing it is much higher. Going through all that effort and snagging bottom would **** me off. Just use bare lead at that point.

I think main point why I looked into dipping lead is so I don’t have to be exposed to lead and it scratching my boat when it hits the side of the boat while Hali fishing.
Click to expand...
Bare lead is much more grabby than coated lead. Coated seems to slide off rocks a bit better than plain.
 
PEETZcanada said:
Bare lead is much more grabby than coated lead. Coated seems to slide off rocks a bit better than plain.
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Exactly why I use coated ones. Other advantages as noted are less damage to the boat if you make a mistake pulling the ball in etc. Was just asking how this coating performed compared against the usual vinyl ones we currently use, and if its a less expensive option to pursue. Those coated ones are getting waaaay too pricy.
 
Oops, tried including a pic of the product they sell at Harbour Chandler that I use to coat all my Hali weights - sadly file was too large. The product is called Flexabar - Buoy Coating for vinyl buoys. Works great and lasts a long time. Easy to dip each weight then hand to air dry.
 
MikeyL said:
Last summer, I was experimenting with dipping all my lead cannon balls and it worked out awesome. No need to hang dry it. I put the hot dipped ball in cold water and the epoxy instantly hardened.

I met a guy in Victoria that has a business with wax and epoxy. Give him a call and tell him exactly what you’re trying to do. He’ll be able to help you out.

For glow. I bought the glow powder on Amazon and added it to the mix once it was hot. Super easy.

Sealing wax manufacturer, supple wax sticks, bottle dripping wax, Scottish wax seals, glue gun sealing wax sticks, kings wax, letter seals, custom sealing wax, Canadian made sealing wax, peel and stick wax seals, custom waxseals

manufacturer of sealing wax in Canada, Hand poured wax for wax seals, we create custom color sealing wax sticks, custom sticks, our traditional scottish sealing wax recipes date back over 200 years, waxseals, Glue Gun wax, faux wax, Sealing Wax, personalized sticks of wax, Worldwide delivery of...
www.kingswax.com

View attachment 105550
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Is this epoxy dipped and then water dipped? Or wax than epoxy then water? Or epoxy mixed with wax and then water?
 
My understanding is its a heated epoxy mix that you simply dip and then dunk in cold water to have it harden up. The process seems super simple. I wont know for a couple weeks but ill try and remember to update you guys on how it goes.

The most expensive part is the glow powder!
 
The unexpected quenching process had me chuckling…

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne.
In the Waters of the Depths where the Shadows lie.
One Cannonball to rule them all, One Cannonball to find them,
One Cannonball to bring them all, and in the darkness outshines them.
 
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Ya, Tomcat used to be pretty selective who they did coating for when Bob owned the business. The new owners pretty much coat for anyone who needs it. They coat almost all the ones you see in the stores, and now they are coating for all the backyarders too. Probably the best quality coating job on Vancouver Island and easy to deal with too. Bob, who is the original owner that used to coat for me over 20 years ago when I invented the Glow and 50/50 Glow UV cannonballs.

Tomcat Industries
1499 Huntley Rd Unit 21, Parksville, BC
250-586-6060

info@tomcatindustries.com
 
Robb mentioned earlier in the thread
You can DIY with a can of plasti-dip spray. They will need repainting periodically if you drag your balls on the bottom 😉
 
scott craven said:
Robb mentioned earlier in the thread
You can DIY with a can of plasti-dip spray. They will need repainting periodically if you drag your balls on the bottom 😉
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Or go to Tomcat and do it once for life or until you loose your cannonball. Per unit proper coating costs less than a spray bomb of Plasti-dip. The bonus is that they have an array of colours available.

Tomcat also used to make my indestructible glow scent chambers and replacement rod butt ends that I invented over 20 years ago. They probably still have the tooling that Bob made to do the job way back then.
 
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