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So I run a YouTube channel where I make baits on my 3d printer. I have all the files for each lure I make available for free. I keep getting people asking me how to actually 3d print them. I think most of the people who watch my videos don’t know how to use one. I want to do a tutorial video on how to print molds for someone who has no knowledge on the subject. I was going to focus it on resin printers as they can produce the same quality as a cnc aluminum mold for a fraction of the price. They are also relatively stupid proof and require little setup and technical know how. I want to make sure I cover most of the questions people will have and I figured this would be a great place. I was going to go over how a resin printer works, what printer to get, how to set one up, what you can make on it, and the cost vs a cnc aluminum mold. I was also going to show off the process from a file to a physical mold. Could you guys let me know what else I should cover in the tutorial for someone who doesn’t have any knowledge on the subject, I would greatly appreciate it. Here’s the link to all of the files in case one of are interested https://www.thingiverse.com/hand_crafted_angling/designs Thank you!

Please be sure to add information about what temperature you can pour in the final mold

I have found that the Pumpkin closest to Yamamoto's #196 is MF's Pumpkin #34.

I believe they are knock offs of the old open pour molds sold by Bob's Tackle Shop. I recognize most of them from back in the day because I have the aluminum models. If you don't want aluminum open pours, these will save you a few bucks.

Best thing for people using KBS is read the instructions completely!! if you don't the learning curve will really hurt. KBS is not forgiving when it comes to temperature and humidity, so stay in the numbers.

KBS is a thinner and hard clear coat. You can just hang your bait and no turning needed KBS can definitely have applications issues like bubbles if applied too thick. I also found that it needs to be well cured before applying another coat and the direction on the can regarding multiple coats did not work well. Storage for long periods take extra care. It is tough but I find with pike it will chip easier than epoxy. It stinks and is a harsher chemical that needs extra care Just like all clear coats it has its learning curve and down falls I have use Etex, KBS, and alumilite UV they all have their quirks.

ttps://www.mcmaster.com/304-stainless-steel-wire Take the time and look around and learn that's how all of us gain knowledge. I but the straight wire 1 ft. long. Wayne

I have made some 2 and 3 section swimbaits that are wire-through. There is no easy way to do it. It does get easier the more you do it. What I do is cut a slot down the center of the belly of the sections. Make a line tie loop in the wire. Add a dropper wire or swivel to that main wire. You may have to drill a hole to just past the bottom of the slot for the swivel/dropper wire to fit. Check the wire in the slot for length and mark where it exits the back of the slot. Bend a horizontal loop at the end of the first head section starting at the mark. Test fit the first section harness, adjust/ re-make if necessary. Once the fit is good, I lock the wire in the front section with epoxy. Then, I fill the slot with epoxy/superglue coated flat wood stirrers. Run some sandpaper by hand over the stirrers if necessary to get them in the slot. I like to fill the slot with the same material as the body. https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Count-Coffee-Beverage-Stirrers/dp/B001FVPAOE/ref=sr_1_5?crid=R4RJ76Q3KRKG&keywords=wood%2Bdrink%2Bstirrers&qid=1644201045&sprefix=wood%2Bdrink%2Bstirrersd%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-5&th=1 Once your front section is set, you can make the wires for the next section. The next section should start with a vertical loop unfinished. Just make the loop and don’t do any wraps to close that loop. Add dropper wire or swivel if necessary. Finish the wire with a horizontal loop in the back towards the tail if adding a 3rd section. If the second section is the last, make the last loop whichever way you want it. Test fit and adjust/remake as necessary. Once you have the length right, slip that section’s wire front loop onto the back loop of the head section and complete the wraps to link the 2 wires. You can then slip the second body section’s wire into its slot. Epoxy the wire in. Fill slot with wood as above. Repeat the same procedure for following sections. If the last section has no hook and just a mounted tail fin, there will be no pulling on it. You can use a long screw eye/twist wire eye if you want to avoid cutting a slot in that type of section. You complete one section at a time. Test fit, lock the wire in, fill the slot and move onto the next section. That way if you screw up, you just lose a bit of wire. The loops in between the sections have to be in opposite directions, horizontal vs. vertical, for them to move. Once you have the wires installed and slots filled, you can do ballast testing and drilling ballast holes. Just don't drill deep enough to hit the main wire in the sections. I hope that helps. My first one was a bit of pain. After a few, I can do them fairly well. It sounds more difficult than it is.

I forgot to mention using cross pinning to secure hardware. You can make a piece of wire with a loop on each end or use a swivel. Then put a piece of shaft wire perpendicular and through the loop end in the bait. I have used a through-wire or a wire for a joint to cross pin a swivel for a rotating belly hook hanger. You can cross pin your diving lips for added security too. We have some tiger musky in my area. They get crazy when landed much like their northern pike half. A death roll in the net where one hook is in a net hole can be a mess. You definitely want more of a mechanical bond like Outlaw4's method or through-wire if you hook into one of them.

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I would trust the epoxy over the super glue and baking soda. The super glue and baking soda combo make a great body filler but I am not sure of its holding strength. 20 lbs may seem like a lot but it is really not. The torque a big fish can put on eyelet can be more than that. The fish can use the lure's weight as leverage to snap it back and forth. A fish thrashing in a net can also put on tremendous stress on a lure. It depends on the size of the fish you are targeting. Some of the waters I fish have big pike and musky. 20 lbs wouldn't cut it. EA was getting 160+ lbs on pull tests with twist wire and epoxy. As for tallness, I think of it as more a question of the weight of the lure. A 6 inch minnow would be 1 to 2 ounces. I would use .051 wire for that. A bluegill bait of the same length would depend on the weight. Once the weight gets over 2.5 oz, I would start looking at .062 wire. It could also be a combo of wire. If I was making a big 'Shellcracker' type bait with a joint, it could be .062 for the line tie and .051 for the joint loops as there are two of those to share the stress. The pin that goes into the back section and through the 2 loops would be .062 shaft wire, a cut section of a stainless nail, or heavier stiff wire like a stainless toy car/plane axle. You do not want a hinge pin to flex. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L7RKM6Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 On large baits, it don't use woods like balsa. I use cedar, poplar, and PVC. So, density is not an issue. Also, the baits are big enough that if I am using twist wire eye I can get the twists an inch and a half into the bait. The twists give a ton of surface area for epoxy to bond it to the lure. If I am using less dense wood like balsa, I would keep the wire diameter appropriate to the size of bait and try to get in longer screws or just make it wire through. You want to reduce the chances of failure as much as possible. That failure could happen on the fish of a lifetime. A failure like that will sting years later. When I make a twist wire eye, I file the end to a point. Filing takes a minute and prevents the flared cut ends from widening the pilot hole. I drill a pilot hole the same size or slightly smaller than the twist eye. The twist wire screw acts like a normal screw with a reversed thread. I can screw the twist eye into the hole with counterclockwise turning. I test fit it to make sure I have the length right, unscrew it with clockwise twists, and pump epoxy into the hole with a disposable plastic syringe, baggie with corner cut off, or pushing epoxy in with a tooth pick or scrap wire. I then coat the twists with the epoxy and screw the twist eye back in. They max out my 50 lb. fish scale and then some.

Welcome to the site. On larger pike/musky baits, I will use a straight wire through from line tie to tail hook with dropper wires or swivels for belly hooks. Through-wire is the strongest. I sometimes use wire-through on smaller lures with less dense woods like balsa because it has less strength to hold a screw. For non wire-through baits, I like stainless safety wire twist eyes the best. I set them with epoxy. Epoxy is stronger than super glue in holding a screw. I put them into the bait at angle. I angle the line tie wire and tail twist wire up towards the top of the bait. I will put the belly twist wire in at angle wherever it will fit, but prefer it to be angled forward. I have yet to see a wire twist eye set with epoxy fail. Engineered Angler has some videos on screw vs. twist wire and epoxy vs. superglue that are real informative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDNXd8ILnJ0&t=34s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIEhsMILC08 Next, I like the .072 and .092 stainless screw eyes. When I use these, I set the eye of the screw into a recessed cup in the lure body a bit. I can fill the recess with epoxy to reduce the chance of the eye opening up by making sure the part where the eye could open is embedded in epoxy. I would be worried about a cotter pin with superglue. Cotter pins are fairly smooth. I think a big fish could pull them out. If I were to use cotter pins, I would score the end going in the lure body and set it with epoxy.