Lincoya

For me, since I hand carve all of my baits, the airbrush would be more important. If you are planning on using a lathe to make your baits, I would think that a lathe would be more important. In other words, if you don't have a lathe to make baits then you don't need an airbrush, since you wouldn't have anything to paint. Ultimately, only you can determine which is more important to you. Gene

The grain should run horizontal in the lure. In other words, from front to rear. Running the grain vertical will weaken the strength of the wood and could cause the wood to break under the stress of fighting a fish, getting hung up, or other situations. Merry Christmas to you! Gene

I believe that edit or delete your post until someone views it. After that it's there for posterity. Gene

Here's a link to to an article that I wrote many years ago. Maybe there's some information there that you can use. http://www.angelfire.com/tn/treetotreasure/lips.html Gene

Start with your coarsest diamond sharpener and start working one side of the blade putting about a 15-degree angle on each side. When you have both sides ground evenly, switch to the next sharpener. Repeat as in the first step. When that's done, the the last sharpener and repeat again. As you do each side feel for a fine wire edge along the cutting edge on the opposite side. Each time you change sides you will push the wire edge to the opposite side. When you have finished with the diamond sharpeners it's time to go to the strop. I am assuming that you got an abrasive to go with your strop. Put abrasive on your strop and strop your knife on both sides until it's sharp. It's sharp when you can drag the cutting across your thumbnail without any pressure and the knife wants to "drag". If the knife "glides" across your thumbnail, keep sharpening. It's not rocket science. Two things to keep in mind. Always maintain your angle and work both sides an equal amount. Gene

Doc,Any of the contact cement sprays (3M, Duro) will work. Just a light mist on the netting is all that's needed. Gene

Ben, Have you tried spraying your netting with spray adhesive? Spray the netting and let it dry. Then press it against your lure and paint. It doesn't shift or lift and removes nicely with out lifting your paint. It also seals the the edges of the netting to prevent the paint from bleeding under the netting. Gene

Mark, Didn't I send you some paulownia a few years back? Vic, Thanks for the kudos! Gene

Ben, To my knowledge, Excel does not have a "DEFORM" tool. I understand the function of the "DEFORM" in that you can stretch a photo in different directions in order to get your photo to have a more "perfect" fit. However, by unchecking the "SAVE ASPECT RATIO" box, you can change the heigth and width of your photo to fit close enough to your lure. Gene

If you wife knows how to use Excel then 90% of your battle is over. Just have her "INSERT", then "PICTURE FROM FILE" (or other location depending on where your picture is), select your picture, then "FORMAT" and resize, crop, flip, rotate, etc. until you get what you need. Gene

Do you know how to use Microsoft Excel? I use Excel to edit my photos for my lures. Gene

Thanks for the nice words Nathan! Your check will be in the mail in the morning! Gene

Dr. Basslove, I have done a lot of business with Smoky Mountain WoodCarvers over the years and have always had great service from them. As a matter of fact, I did some business with them at a woodcarving show in Huntsville, AL this past Saturday. Mac Profitt is the owner and will go out of his way to help you. Yes, that strop will work but I would prefer a thinner leather than what is on that strop. But, it will do the job. As for the sharpener, here are a couple of links to (IMO) to better diamond hones. These are cheaper and have free shipping. I have two sets of these. One set for the house and travel and the other set for the shop. For maintaining an edge, I don't really see the need for the set of 5 but it would be nice to have them if you were to ever need them. http://www.ebay.com/itm/EZE-LAP-L-PAK-5-Diamond-Sharpener-Fine1200-Fine-600-Med-400-Coarse-250-XC-150-/380504543259?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5897d6901b & http://www.ebay.com/itm/EZE-LAP-L-PAK-3-PC-Set-Color-Coded-Diamond-Sharpener-Hones-SF-F-M-USA-/271096723680?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1e9fb8e0 Where to get wood? Yes, Smoky Mountain Woodcarvers sells wood but it is pricey. But, if you just want a little bit to start with it, shouldn't be too bad. Check your local Hobby Lobby first though. They sell basswood and balsa. Just don't forget to print out a 40% off coupon from the web before you go. As to what type of wood; Some of that is personal preference. A lot of the people here use basswood and it's a great carving wood. Just make sure that you get it sealed GOOD. Basswood is like a sponge. It soaks up water more than most woods. Balsa is another good wood but requires some extra building processes because of it's softness. I personally use paulownia. I find it to be a great carving wood and has the strength of basswood and the bouyancy of balsa. It does have a pronounced grain and requires a little extra sealer to cover that grain but that's the only problem that I have with it. There are people that use cedar, poplar, and just about any kind of wood that you can imagine. As for your rat, I would recommend a light weight and bouyant softwood such as basswood, balsa, paulownia, cedar, etc. Mark, I do not use any full hand protection but I do use a thumb guard like the one pictured here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wood-Carving-Leather-Thumb-Guard-1-guard-only-finger-protector-/180942737851?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a210711bb . Gene

Welcome to the addiction! Once you get started, there is no cure. I am a woodcarver and have been for almost 17 years. I'll try to answer your questions the best that I can and try to to save you some money in the process. 1) Murphy or Flexcut? Both are excellent knives but my choice would be a Murphy. The reason? If you look around, you can find the Murphy for under $15. You may also find that the Murphy is a little more comfortable to hold. You can buy a Murphy at Smoky Mountain Woodcarvers in Townsend, Tennessee. Regardless of where you buy it though, have them sharpen it for you. No, don't pay them to do it! They should do it for free. Most will though. 2) Strop? Be careful of what you buy. You can make your own though. Two things to keep in mind whether you make one or buy it: you will need a good hard, clear grained wood such as maple, poplar, aspen, cherry, etc. The harder the wood, the less it flex and the sharper you will be able to get your knife. the other: use the thinnest leather that you can get. I use pigskin for my strops. It's extra thin and holds the sharpening compound good. 3) Compound? I use a dry compound called Yellowstone. Again, Smoky Mountain Woodcarvers sells it for $7.25 a stick. The stick is 1 inch square and 4 inches long. It only takes a little to load your strop and the stick will last you YEARS! There are other compounds that are also good. Just make sure that you buy the finest grit that you can find. 4) Sharpener? Save your money. You don't need anything fancy. Just buy a diamond sharpening stick. A couple or three different grits will do you. If you get a nick, use the diamond hone to dress the edge, then strop until it's razor sharp and get back to carving. You should never use the diamond hone unless you damage the blade. I hope this helps. Gene

Let me give you the results of my first test with the Solarez. I decided to press the boundaries a little. The container says, "brush or spray" so, I decided to dip. The Solarez is a little thick for dipping. However, the majority of it ran off. It does a wonderful job of clearcoating your fingers. It did level out but not as nice as I had hoped. I think that if you keep it inside and let it level more before exposing it to the sun that it may level more. Still it wasn't bad. In the sun it set up in about five minutes. After it cured, I brushed on a second coat. It looked like crap at first but I rotated it by hand for a couple of minutes before taking it out into the sun. It leveled nicely. NOTE: The first coat irregularities were not hidden by the second coat, so you can't hide you imperfections with this stuff. Fumes were noticeable but not overbearing IMO. That said though, you probably wouldn't want to use it in the house. The finish is slightly dull. Something that you'll have to get used to if you like the high gloss finishes like D2T and Etex. I don't think the fish will care one way or the other. It appears to be a fairly hard top coat but I haven't fished it yet. BTW, I cleaned up fingers with denatured alcohol and it worked great. Gene

I got mine Saturday and everything was fine. I haven't used it yet though. Gene

I did see the video and started to buy that $38 flashlight but changed my mind. I usually have, what I would call, a "shortcut" to things. That "shortcut" usually winds up not working and costs me more money than it would have cost me to buy the right thing in the first place. So, now, after almost 60 years, I'm learning to ask first. Gene

Thanks for the info. I have a bid on one on Ebay. Gene

So, does the Solarez take a UV-A or UV-B light to cure it or does it make a difference? What about wattage? Gene

I'm loving retirement Pete! The end of this month marks my first year. How have you been? Gene

Being the second person to join this site after it's inception, I've seen a lot of people come and go. But, I know that a lot of the guys that joined early on are still here. We lurk in the shadows but, rest assured, WE ARE STILL HERE! Gene BTW - Swede was the first person to join (RIP). We joined the same day.

Anyone here pour 3 color Flukes? I'm looking for a custom color. Email me if you do. Thanks. Gene

Check your local hobby stores, if you have one. I have a store here that sells the 9-ounce size. Gene