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I have done several do-its...tube, tip up, modified stand up, round head....have always used a dremel cutting wheel to cut a groove in one side of the mold.

Basically all alcohol is denatured except for liquor. But there are different types and strengths (isopropyl vs ethyl, 70% vs 95%)...did you maybe use a different alcohol than your usual? Can't see why any alcohol woud affect the plastic any more than acetone. I also use acetone to very quickly smooth and polish the edges on cut lips with no issues. Is this a sheet of plastic you have used before? Did they accidentally sell you something other than lexan? Were the lips clamped at any point? Exposure to cold? Dropped? What adhesive did you use on the foil? Sorry for all the Q's...but can't see why it should have happened either. May just be one of those things...same reason I paint 3 baits if I need to match one or two for someone, insurance.

The golden acryilic comes as pigment which needs to be added to their airbrush medium and thinned. It is a nice opaque paint...can get a color similar to the Rebel bone or the old Normans bone. I buy it at Michael's/Hobby Lobby (sorry...they are a few blocks from each other where I go, so I never remember where I find things...find some neat stuff looking though).

If you don't like those options try McMaster Carr...lots of wire, lots of diameters, good $ and S&H. I buy brass wire from them, about the same diameters as Skeeter suggested.

Pro-Flow White shoots best thru a larger tip/cone/needle assembly. For Paasche this is a #5, for some others I think it is called 5mm. Basically, it is a thicker paint that requires a larger diameter set-up to shoot well, plus some thinning. Dixie has good pricing, but don't be surprised to run into some out of stock issues. They are not the best about informing you of outs. On my most recent order ($100+ of C-tex and parts) I included in the order message a request to be emailed about out of stock items...got a generic letter back about their out of stock policy Not thrilled.

Sweet baits! Too bad about the hard water, but what can you do?

High dollar's gonna make you holler Had one dealer tell me replacement decals for an Optimax 200+ were a couple hundred bucks (was thinking of changing the decal color on the new rig). My old EFI has some tree marks, but they sure aren't worth that kind of cash, and neither is matching the colors on the new boat. Although I can't get the Mercury site to work right now, Mercury has a link on their site to something like "parts" or "shop", where you can look up parts info.

thetsum rat fahn work now. Got all your fingers after that project?

It's a wierd thing. I am dangerously close to being a "chemist" but in no way into physics so I have no explanation for it. Turned 23 more bodies...big and regular rogues, warts, baby N's...last night, end over end except the N's (would not fit the clips right). Basically the same results...end over end baits are much more even. Has to be related to that moment when curing and levelling finish becomes cured finish, maybe with respect to what point in the rotation the bait is in. Seems like the amount of finish applied, and probably room temp would be factors also. My results have all been with Flex Coat HB. Interesting to hear of similar issues with the other clears.

Had not experimented much with direction of rotation for drying/curing of clear coats until the past week or so. Have always turned the baits parallel to the shaft of the dryer (side over side...held sideways by the lip in gator clips) and ben ok with the results. Have been doing some bigger jerkbaits (pointer 128, etc) that will not conveniently turn in my normal style due to size issues. So I started slapping them in parallel to the clip shafts (perpendicular to the dryer shaft...sticking out like wheel spokes...end over end). Lo and behold...I believe the finish is better and more consistent drying the baits in the second method. Finish is more level, more free of irregularities of any kind, less build up around the lips and hook hangers. Thought it might be specific to jerkbaits due to body shape, so I turned about 20 warts and N's that way to test it Thursday, along with a few turned side over side...definitely better results with end over end. I thought I was content with side over side drying, but no more. Just an IMHO thing, but if you are having clearcoat issues it might be something to try.

Size of bottle will depend on how much you intend to paint, and how much you like the paint. On colors, at a minimum: Pro Flow White (x-treme opaque white for base coats...shoot with #5 assembly) Opaque: Black, White, Yellow, Red Transparent regular: Leaf Green, Pthalo (sp?) Green, Dark Brown, Light Brown, Orange, Scarlet, Yellow, Gray, Red Pearl White Fluorescents: Sunburst, Red, Yellow (out of the bottle chartreuse), Green (lime for the f-tiger) Hi-Lite or Chameleon colors: All of them...Gold, Blue, Violet, Green Additives: Retarder (slows tip drying, aids color blends), Extender (to increase transparency), Transparent Medium (use for mixing colors & decreasing a color value). Also invest in some Createx cleaner. For the bone/orange color I use Golden Acrylic Titan Buff in Golden medium and mixed to the correct shade with C-tex browns and yellows. Best bone color I have found. Should be able to mix to most colors you need with the colors listed above. My most used colors (except for white base coat) are the Flo Yellow, Flo Orange (bellies), Leaf Green, and the 2 browns.

You should not be able to leave it "too long". Most RTV cures better in contact with glass, metal, or hard plastic. Areas touching soft plastic may cure more slowly...especially if the RTV is either incorrectly mixed or mixed without enough hardener. Using Lurecraft RTV I normally add an additional volume of hardener to get a more "solid" mold that cures faster. Had some of this problem making the soft master molds from aluminum originals.

If you do it Skeeter, make sure to go on-line as well as brick and mortar. Got a nice folder all set up for your address in my Favorites list I think on some level that is the dream a lot of us have. Until then I guess I'll just have to get my kicks helping people make baits and catch fish.

How is the clean-up? Are you using just a larger spray gun (like a big Paasche) or an actual HVLP gun?

ok one note of dissent...I get a lot of problems when wiing off c-tex so I like multiple thin clearcoats: Base Color (usually belly and back) >clearcoat>details (scales, stripes, coachdog, etc)>clearcoat>eyes, shad spots>clearcoat. Definitely weight is a concern, esp with devcon. Have not tried E-tex, but it works fine with flex coat as long as you apply a thin coat. Also lets you add some "depth" to your color blends and details. It takes more time, but it beats watching your almost finished paint job peel off because you tried to wipe off the last shad spot.

Dixie carries c-tex, though I think they are a little slow, and seem to have out of stock issues. Also available at Dick Blick, some Hobby Lobby/Michaels, airbrush-depot.com, and etc. I think cullin8s is shooting an auto paint. Most of us are using one or the other of the acrylics.

Yes, the 6X4 and the 7X4. You can't see the hang hole in their pic due to the ehader card on the bag. The boxes label them as laminated barrier bags.

Look up LOL. It is the "sticky" at the top of this page. Not as many recipes as the soft bait sticky so far, but still some good info. For brown and green craw colors with C-tex start with Leaf Green as your base and mix to your color by adding Light Brown, Dark Brown, Scarlet, Iron Oxide Red, and sometimes Yellow. Without knowing an exact color you are trying to match that is the best start on those. I like Red (transparent), Flo Red, and Iron Oxide Red, with blends of the above browns for the red craw colors. Adjust any of them with extender and plain medium to increase transparency. Chartreuse is C-tex Flo Yellow, although a thinned and extended Yellow (transp) will also work, esp for some the old bagley chartreuse colors. PM me if I can be of further help.

I like brass wire from McMaster Carr supplies. Comes in a bunch of diameters and is cheap. Good shipping also.

You can use it between coats/details (but will probably be unhappy with it) but not as a clear coat. It is not waterproof, and will not protect the bait or the paint job. Stick with Devcon, E-tex, Flex Coat for you clear coat(s).

I use it in cut strips on the sides of rogues and other jerkbaits. Should be a post from last spring "holo rogue" or something like that, which describes the process. Pretty neat stuff. I prefer the silver vs the colored scales.

LOTS and LOTS of LC green pumpkin. You can adjust the color by adding drops of brown, brown watermelon, pumpkin, and black.

Jim has it right. If you are not happy with it, JB it up (have a couple of the other JB's with coke while it cures), then sand/file/machine back to the flat faces and re-cut your areas if needed. If you are modifying spend a couple of hours drawing, measuring, and really nailing down a plan. Have jumped right after a few with the dremel and usually end up adjusting. Keep your pot hot while you are cutting/re-cutting your cavity. Cut a little, test the pour, repeat until you are happy. I'm sure you mold is still fine...I have brought some back from the dead.

Great winter/spring bait. The big rogue throws, fishes, and catches better than the standard 4 & 1/2" rogue. Think it is a little trickier to paint and finish. OBTW...you can buy the same bait for $1.89/ea straight from the PRADCO website (www.lurenet.com I believe)

That is a very nice bit of work. Look out Normark