dtrs5kprs

If it is an old paint issue there is a workaround. Kind of goofy, but you can thin it a little, shake it well, then strain it through something like cheesecloth. Should separate out the little clumps, had a similar problem last week. If it does not work by all means look at other setup issues...psi, cone, needle, dirty brush (back in the brush, around trigger, etc).

Try Hagens or Lakeland. If they don't have them, good luck finding them. From my experience they will sell smaller qty orders if you want a couple hundred to try before going all in. http://www.hagensfish.com/ http://www.lakelandinc.com/

Well...don't know how much this will help, but I have some color listings (not charts). Only thing I see is V78 which is Baby Bass / Chart Belly. Might help you google one up somewhere, if it is in fact the correct color. Some of the baby bass patterns had a bit of a yellow look on the sides and down into the belly as well. Bagley definitely made that color. Would probably work on your wiggle wart as well.

Hmmm...I like that idea. Especially for small diameter baits. Otherwise adding a barb, or even a collar ring, is super easy with a file, or a dremel if you want a larger one. Most of the stock barbed molds don't have a large enough or sharp enough barb anyway.

1. Keep a pot of lead hot. 2. Use a sharpie to trace the edge of the flat eye hook. 3. Dremel out (very gradually) the hook eye slot on 1/2 of the mold. 4. Pour the cavity to check for progress (depth, angle, etc). 5. Repeat for other side once your poured blanks show that appx 1/2 of the hook eye will now fit the first side. Check for overall hook fit starting now (shank, leg to shank angle). 6. Dremel and file out any minor adjustments so hook does not end up fitting at an offset angle (with respect to weedguard). Pretty simple mod. Just go slow and have some JB weld on hand for problem spots. If the hook eye angle is the same, I will often use the factory eye location and start the cut there. Some molds it is easier to move it forward though.

You might like the results with Plasti-Dip. Used it back before powder came out, and well before Jann's started selling it (back around 1994). Powder is pretty much the way to go otherwise, just use one of the tubing cover ups for the guards. Vinyl sprays way better than it dips, requires at least 3 coats for a nice look (white, 1-2 of color, clear), then it chips off after a handful of rocks.

Paasche VL, V, and Milenniums. Wicked old school guns. I go back and forth on whether the pearls and hi-lites shoot better thru a medium or heavy tip and needle assembly. They do seem to prefer a higher psi, around 40-50 for my set-up and preferences. Don't be afraid to thin and extend them. You are going for light, dry, highly pearlized coats that will give you almost edge free blends. Clear coats are flex coat high build by brush, but devcon will work. Never bothered with any of the others.

Yup. Fewer times I type Createx, the fewer times I spell Craftwex, Createwax, etc... Those colors should be awfully close. I am still hoarding the old chameleons (pre Auto Air), but think you will get your color with those, right down to that slightly superfine particulate look of the G-finish colors. Woun't be quite as reflective as the silver G-finish color, but you can make up for that with the color change effect, maybe some flake.

That is beyond clever. And yes, I think it definitely belongs in the soft bait page...molds, soft material, qualifies for me. Welcome and glad to have you. Re: the hook issue...Would it be possible to just mold one without hooks, then insert the hook, using a wire arrangement like the scumfrog uses. Have pulled a ton of those out to upgrade hooks, pretty simple piece of metal, can't see that it is any way molded in. You could still use any skirt material you wanted. Or maybe some sort of mandrel is needed to form the hollow space? Also think you might have an RTV that is not quite in spec for what you are attempting. Have used some that made similar looking molds, and to a one, they did not work as expected/designed. Looks a little "airy". Do you have info on the hardness/durometer, etc?

What they said. You can even (with balsa at least) use a little 3M spray glue to glue a couple of pieces of wood together and cut 2 or so at a time, like cutting lexan lips. Flat stock leaves you just needing to round the shoulders, belly, nose, tail. Much easier to build a flat bait than a round one overall.

Would try mixing some C-tex pearl white with Hi-lite/chameleon colors. Shoot that, then shoot light, thin, extended, and reduced coats of the straight hi-lite color (probably blue, in this case). Might want to clear coat it, then shoot the hi-lite as well. Should be pretty close.

Might try these for a tube dipping overview... http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/633-is-there-a-way-to-make-tubes-efficiently-without-a-machine/page__p__3615__hl__dtrs5kprs__fromsearch__1#entry3615 http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/4444-question-about-tube-dippin/page__p__28770__hl__dtrs5kprs__fromsearch__1#entry28770 Ghostie posties from days gone by. With horizontal dip on a tube that large, you may have trouble getting the tube to cool quickly enough on the mandrel to avoid thin spots, malformed heads, etc (due to weight of plastic, slower cooling of a larger bait, and good old gravity).

Should be able to find solid aluminum rod large enough. Eliminates the "closing of the end" problem. Can grind it to whatever shape you want for the end of your mandrel. This is one of the methods I used in the dark ages of tube dipping, before I fully realized the hassle involved. Of course, in a case like this (giant bait) it may be the only way.

+1 Burner + a matte finish plastic stencil material lets you freehand draw or trace a pattern, then cut it quickly and with clean edges with the burner. Mine was about $15 or so, in the $ range of a cheap soldering iron.

The LC deal is basically a wooden mold frame. Frame "mothers" the outside of the mold (usually RTV), and has attachment points (pins or screws that stick up from the wood are the ones I have seen) for the excess length of harness to sort of hang in the cavities. They used to offer it on a lot of their big molds, and straight worm molds for making "farm pond" worms. Should be pretty easy to knock together some pine pieces and make something that will work for your mold and needs.

To my eye, you can get about the same effect by blending several layers of the pearls and hi-lite/chameleon type colors. Pearl white over white base --> pearl sliver mixed with a drop or so of gray, possibly some hi-lite blue to preference. Thin, extend, and consider adding plain medium to your eye. Shoot light, fast, and dry coats running two brushes, one with the lighter color, one with darker. Think the effect ends up about the same, without the tip issues. Actually put a more detailed version of this up in the cookbook several years ago, assume it remains there. As you spray the successive layers of color, the metallic look jumps out, finished by a clear coat before shooting dertails or dotting spots. Not foil. Not chrome. But neither is the aluminum paint.

Try powder painting the set screw, or on an extreme level, coating it with something like a spray on firearm finish (Duracoat or one of the bake on sprays). Might solve your rust problem. Have always thought hunting just sort of happened, very hard to reproduce bait to bait.

That is great stuff! Brings to mind the old lure dissections that used to run here and at the old site.

If C-tex/acrylic dial down the psi and bump up the viscosity = splatter for rootbeer backs, etc. Toothbrush works too, but shooting it is cleaner. Lots of good info on this in the old timey pages towards the end of the forum, was a hot pattern/request about 4-6 years ago.

Would that be a brush on, dip on, wipe/rub on? Assume it couldn't be spray on due to chance of curing inside a gun.

Interesting info. Assume the Top Coat product would have the most application for baits. Wonder how/if you would have to turn the baits? Is the Rock still warming up, or did you get part of the front we did up here in KC metro? Understood the bite was starting to pick up and move past the float & fly nonsense.

Is this a clear UV epoxy? Used a bondo UV cure for a fiberglass repair several years ago and it worked fine, but it was a putty type goop with strands of glass in it.

Anyone tried fiber weedguard material? Lots of colors, easy to fuse the loose ends against a hot pot. Just poured a bunch of FB heads today and thought of this post. Know you can fuse them in a varietyy of patterns/thickness as I've done so to fit various molds. Seems like it might be better than paintbrush bristles.

Moto...don't forget to leave the tail off one and paint it like a Gizz for the redfin bite that is coming.

Was here long before OAF. If you go all door stop with it, just make sure you warn the wife first. Seeing one of those behind the front door tends to generate screams and long cold nights alone. Appreciate everyone who added lip info. Have a bunch of wake baits in process now, variety of styles and lip positions.