Lincoya

The Harbor Freight lathe pictured will be adequate for what you're wanting to do. However, sharpening your turning tools with a Dremel is not the way to go. Here is a link to a set of Robert Sorby micro turning tools that would do a good job for turning lures. They are well-made and have good steel in them. http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROBERT-SORBY-MINI-WOODTURNING-TOOL-/330654090817 As far as the files go, a good Nicholson file that can be purchased at any hardware store will suffice. Gene

I agree with Musky Glenn. Good tools cost good money. The old saying "Throwing good money after bad" holds true. Those tools will just be a headache for you and then you'll wind up going out and buying the good tools anyway. To make your own turning tools the same thing applies: use good files, In other words, stay away from cheap, off-brand files. Gene

Several years ago when we were back on the old Tacklemaking.com site we had discussions about using tumblers for sanding our lures in bulk. Some of us built tumblers out of "popcorn tins" attached to rotisserie motors. I built one and had very little success with it. I ran it for hours and it only sanded the high spots. It wasn't until later that I figured out what I had done wrong. I glued sandpaper to sides of the drum. That was it. I found out that I needed the sandpaper on the sides of the drum PLUS some "paddles" attached to sides of the drum the make the lures tumble instead of just slide around the bottom of the drum and I also needed small pieces of sandpaper to get into the "nooks and crannies" of the lures. I never went back and rebuilt it so I don't know how it would have worked with the improvements. Gene

Mark, As shady looking as you are, I don't blame your inlaws. Gene

You can save yourself some money and just buy a good knife and some sandpaper. Then just carve out your shape and sand. Plus, you can stick all of that in your pocket so when you go visit the inlaws, or you're sitting on the deck with a cold beer, etc., you can carve out a couple of baits. If you are hesitant to carve your own, I posted a tutorial a while back in the tutorials section that will give you some guidance. It's really pretty easy. The hard part about carving your own is putting the knife down once you get started. Gene

Ben, You'll have trouble splitting a DT in half with a razor. There is a molded plastic piece in the belly that extends from the bottom of the lip to the belly hook hanger. Inside of that plastic is a lead block that provides ballast to get the bait down and also provides the rattle. I have pictures of the inside of a DT-16 somewhere but I can't find them at the moment. Back to the original problem: There is no need to destroy a bait just to duplicate it. There are patterns everywhere on the web in the form of advertising pictures. If you can't find pictures online, just take pictures of the top and side with you digital camera or phone camera and upload them to your computer. Then resize them to the size that you want and print them off. Gene

For clarification: Etex = Envirotex Lite, D2T = Devcon 2-ton 30 minute. Both are epoxies. Doing a search for both will give you loads of information to read. Gene

I have both but always use my bandsaw. I have a 12-inch Jet. One tip that I would give you is this: DO NOT buy an off-brand model bandsaw unless they use standard size blades. Many off-brand saws use odd size blades that are hard to find. Gene

Check your local hobby shops that sell trains, models, and RC airplanes and cars. That's where I got mine. Gene

Amen! Ain't nothing better than waking up in the morning and deciding what I want to do. (My wife's taking a nap right now so I can that without worrying about her seeing this. ) Gene

Juice, Yes, the "prop" keeps very well unless you don't have a good seal on your jar lid. If it starts to get a little thick just add a little more acetone to thin it back down. Here's a little tip: put your disolved "prop" in a tall skinny jar like those that olives come in. It will be a great help if you are dipping longer lures like minnows. Gene

Jay, In my opinion the best carving knife for the money is a Murphy knife. You can find them at several locations but I would personally recommend Smokey Mountain Woodcarvers. Mac Profitt is the owner will take good care of you. I personally use knives that I make myself. Gene

MaxRV, Welcome to TU! I hope that you'll enjoy your stay here. I would suggest that you look at some crankbaits here in the gallery, on the web , and in your tacklebox. Look at them close and you will see what color goes on first, second, and so on. Different orders of colors will give you different effects and also different color shades. Gold, for example looks quite different over a light color than it does over a dark one. Just start painting. You'll soon learn what colors to apply to get the effects that you're looking for. Besides, you might just come up with a killer new color pattern. Gene

Firechief, I own a Mercury mini lathe made by Technatools. When I got it for Christmas a few years ago I had problems with the motor not wanting to run at temperatures below 45-degrees. I called Technatools and explained the problem. They sent me a new motor and that solved my problem. My Mercury is very well built out of heavy, cast steel. I did order the bed extension for mine to give me an additional 15 inches of bed length. Other than the original motor problem, I have not had any other issues with it. Bottom line: I would not hesitate to buy another one. Gene

Most people here that thin D2T use denatured alchol. I have used lacquer thinner in the past to thin it to shoot thru an airbrush as a clearcoat but you can't touch the bait until the D2T has cured or you'll ruin the paint job. Gene

I bought my virgin lacquer thinner at Advance Auto Parts. If I remember right, it was about $9.00 a quart. Gene

Jerry, I'm running Windows 7 and IE9. I changed themes and now everything is fine. Gene

Heck, he ain't big enough to keep! Gotta throw him back.! Congradulations to you and Deb both. Oh, and to Marcie and Brian, of course. Gene

Thanks for doing this Jerry! Gene

This is a Microsoft Word file.

I'm having the same problem. I've already sent a PM to Jerry. Gene