I haven't painted very many jointed swimbaits. I bought some off eBay to play around with. I can't figure out how to clear coat them, other than a spray clear which doesn't seem to be durable enough.

I thinned down some D2T with alcohol until it was pretty thin. It was a pain in the butt and a lure turner that will hold the bait on both sides is almost a necessity.

I know this is an older subject, but when I did this one, I did each section individually. In other words, I coated one section and let it dry, then I coated the next section and let it dry. It seem to be the easiest way to keep the joints from seizing up.

Since I dip my baits I do each section individually do the head section first dip about 1/3 of the way down the tail section then hang head down. Let it dry completely then dip the tail section a little past the line where I dipped to the first time. Dipping past the joint the first time with the head down keeps the clear from getting in the joint because almost all joints are in the tail section.