Lincoya

Coley, I don't know what you're wanting from me but whatever it is, it's yours. Really, I am truely taken with your faith in my talent. Thanks for taking the time to post your compliments. For those of you that have made friends through this site and haven't had the opportunity to meet them in person, you owe it to yourself to do so. I have made two good friends so far through TU. Those two being Coley and Charlie Mitchell. I expect that my meetings with Bill Loflin ("basbaits") will continue and our friendship will build. I look forward to meeting more of you in the future. Thanks again Coley. Gene

Bill, It was a pleasure meeting you in person. Although we had already talked on the phone, it's not like talking in person. I have had a lot of help from people at TU and at another site(long since gone). I believe that it is only right to pass that help along. Besides, if you haven't guessed by now, I love to talk, especially about lures. I agree with you. The people at TU are great people. I have been here almost since it's birth and I have never seen anyone post a bad message about someone else. Understand that if I can help you, don't hesitate to ask. I look forward to when your wife comes to visit her parents here and you and I can get together and talk lures again. Gene

Stefan, You are more than welcome. I'm glad that I could answer your questions for you. Don't hesitate to ask more if have them. And again, you really did an excellent job on your lure. Gene

There you go Stefan! Great job!

I'll put my vote in for the bandsaw, too. I've been using one for over twenty years and still have all ten of my fingers.

I use regular stencil material available at Walmart. Some people here use plastic milk cartons. I would suggest that whatever you use, you should be able to see through it so that you can properly align the stencil and it should be impervious to any chemical that you use to clean it. Gene

I have a friend that own's a 9" Ryobi. I've used it a couple of times. It's okay. I owned a 9" Delta for over a year and used it a lot. I really enjoyed it but it didn't have the power or cutting height to do any real resawing. However, it did an excellent job cutting out lures. And I have had good luck with the Delta tools that I own. Gene

Put me in, too. I'm always looking to expand my handmade lure collection.

Robert, Go to www.azek.com You can find a local source from the website. Coley's right. It works great. However, it is a little slow to sand and when you carve it, the chips tend to want to stick to you. Gene

Coley, It's about time that I came down there and checked those baits out personally and see if they look as good in my hand as they do in the pictures. Plus, I need some personalized instruction on how to do it. Gene

Tom, Here is the original post that I posted about a year ago. Just a few replies down in the posts I wrote a step-by-step. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask and I'll try to answer them. http://www.tackleunderground.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=2094&highlight=photo+finish Gene

Five, You might consider going to a local sign shop and have them cut out a bunch of small dots in different colors and sizes. For example: 1/4-in yellow dots and 1/8-in black. Put the black dot in the center of yellow and then just stick on your lure. Perfect eyes every time. Gene

I use a double backed tape for working with plastic signs. I have had very good results with it. Please don't ask where I got it. I don't remember. I have had it almost 20 years and believe it or not it is still good. I am now on my last roll. I would suggest using the permanent type that is available as opposed to the temporary. I would think that it would hold better. Gene

LL has some excellent suggestions. Another is: If your wood AND drive spur stop spinning AND the motor is still running, your drive belt may be slipping. Tighten the belt a bit and see if that solves your problem. As far as your tool goes, ALWAYS sharpen a new tool. Factory edges generally require a fair amount of sharpening. If you need some sharpening tips, ask "My Lures". He owns his own sharpening business and can be a big help. Gene

Absolutely incredible!! Thanks for sharing Jed.

Jed, I have to agree with Skeeter. I cut mine just outside of the line and use my 1x30 belt sander to clean up the cuts. If I am going to cut out more than one, I will cut out one thick profile and then slab them off at whatever individual thickness that I want. Gene

BS, Thanks for the link. It looks pretty straight forward and relatively easy to make. Now that my Christmas projects are done this might be something for me put together. Gene

FN, I use HVAC aluminum foil tape available at Lowe's. It already has the adhesive on it. In other words, peel and stick. I use a piece of threaded rod and roll it diagonally across the foil and then roll it again at about a 45-degree angle to create the scale pattern. Cut the tape a little larger than the lure and stick it in place. I then use a burnishing tool such as a spoon or the handle of a butter knife to smooth and blend the edges. I then coat the lure with Devcon 2-ton epoxy, let it dry, lightly sand it, and it's ready for paint. Gene

Merry Christmas to a great bunch of people. It's a pleasure to deal with people every day that have the amount of respect, courtesy, and encouragement that this group has. I value the friendships that I have made here and look forward to those yet to come. I wish the best for each and every one of you. Gene

Nathan, My sympathy goes out to you. If I can help in any way, don't hesitate to ask. Gene

Coley, They look great! I can't wait to see them in person. (Hint. Hint.)

Lapala, Thanks for the compliments on my other carvings. Feel free to ask questions anytime. I checked out the site that you mentioned and those prices seem to be good. I paid $40 for my copy of the "Freshwater Fish Carving" book. I do not have the "Breakthrough Fish Carving Manual" but I do own the "Breakthrough Fish Painting Manual" and it is an excellent book, too. Gene

The Home Depot that we have here sells Lexan but 1/8-inch is the thinnest that they carry.

Lapala, I, too, have an interest in carving fish. I have carved a few. However, I have not learned how to paint them. This is probably the best fishing carving link that I have found: http://www.fishcarver.com/ Ed Walicki is one of the foremost fish carvers around. The books listed below are some excellent resources. The "Freshwater Fish Carving" book by James Fliger is my personal favorite. http://www.taxidermy.com/cat/02/BP1012.html http://www.fandfwoodcarving.com/fish-carving.htm If I can be of further help, don't hesitate to ask. I can't answer all of your questions but I'll try. I hope this helps. Gene

I'm with Coley and Charlie. I understand Charlie is driving.