Mylures

Hi there BigBrown, I get my material for scale patterns at Walmart in the Crafts section. Its very reasonable. A yard goes a long way. You can also check at any craft store but Walmarts much cheaper. Ken Schmitz Mylures

I definitely think you should go fishing everyday. You have my vote. Ken Schmitz

Hi Jeb, Water works just fine and you are doing it right by adding just enough water so it sprays through the airbrush. Different colors take different amouts of water to thin. Good luck and I hope this helps. Ken Schmitz

Hey Toby all I can say is Awesome. Great Job. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi Leon, If you are using Envirotex or Envirotex Lite and you checked it after only six hours it won't be dry yet. When I put my crankbaits on the drying wheel I leave the wheel turn at least 4-5 hours before I turn it off. I usually let the cranks dry at least overnight or 12 hours. As for the mixture is it by volume. I used two plastic syringes to measure equal parts or resin and hardner. Make sure to mark the syringes with a colored marker so you use the same one for the hardner and the same one for the resin each time. You don't have to clean them out, I just wipe off the excess on the outside of the syringe and when you put them away pull the plunger back about half way until you use it again. I hope this helps you out and if you have anymore questions please feel free to post here or email me. Good luck. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi Bigbrown, entering a post twice happens occasionally. I think you can click on edit after that happens and delete the second post within a certain time period. If that don't work I am sure that the moderator can delete it for you. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi there, I see you are just starting out and have alot of questions which is good. If you need any questions answered on basic things like what glue to use, how to do scale patterns, how to paint eyes, clearcoats and so on, it is quite easy to find as this has been asked several times already. When you go on to the forums page, the first entry you will see is SEARCH, click on search and then put in the item you would like to know about. If the subject has been covered, it will show all the forums that have already been entered. This should help you alot. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or post the questions if there is something you don't understand. Good luck. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hey Nathan, if Coley is walking maybe you better throw another log on the fire just in case. Ha Ha Ken Schmitz

Hey Nathan, start the camp fire and tap the half barrel. Coley and I have our bags packed. Do you really think it is safe for lure makers to get together??? Just kidding. I think this would be great. It will be neat to finally meet some of you and exchange ideas and whatever. I really hope this works out. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi There, my first choice would be clear pine. Sometimes you can get pine 2x4's that are fairly clear at a reasonable price or if you know of any home builders, they always have lots of scraps which they are glad to get rid of. Good luck. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hello Jim, When I want to post a picture I scan it and save it on my computor. Then I use a program called MGI PhotoSuite III and get the picture from my computor to this program and resize it to whatever size you need it. There are other programs that can do this. I hope this helps and if you need any help please ask away or email me. Also when I save these picures I save them as a JPEG file. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Congrats Toby to you and your wife. Enjoy them when you can. The older you get the faster the years go by. They difiniteyly are precious. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi there, I first drill a very small hole where the eye should be. Once I know the location of the eye socket I put a rounded bottom single cut router bit in my drill press. I think it works awesome and I have not had any problems drilling eye sockets in maple or pine or basswood. I just run the bit at a normal drilling speed. Give it a try. These are just HS steel router bits and aren't expensive. If you lock your drill press head to a certain depth then every socket will be the same. As with anything done with drill presses, use caution and good luck. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Yes this is done on a table saw but can easily be done on a bandsaw also. If I did this on a bandsaw I would clamp a piece of scrap wood on the table at the angle I want to help keep the angle the same on all the baits. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi Jed, I do this all the time when I turn lures on the lathe. I cut the lip slot in before turning the bait. I take a piece of 1 1/2" square stock about 2" long and drill a hole the size of the dowel or round stock I am turning. I tilt the blade on my tablesaw at about 20 degrees and adjust the depth of the cut to where I want it and also move the rip fence until I get it where I want it. It might take a few tries the first time but once you get what you want you can use this over and over. When I put the piece in the lathe I don't turn the end with the lip slot. I use emery cloth or a piece of a sanding belt to shape that part of the bait the way I want it. It works out pretty well. Hope this helps. Any questions just fire away or email me. Thanks Ken schmitz Mylures

Hi there, I did run into the same thing once last summer. I made a new style plug, painted it, clear coated it and put on the hooks. I tried it out and it worked great. I then made about a dozen more and did all of them up. I went to try them and they wouldn't swim right. They would vear to the right or left alittle but not wiggle back and forth. It turned out I didn't have enough angle on the lip. I tried a few after that without having them all finished and they all worked. I then finished up the whole batch and they all worked great. I thinkI had about 20 degrees lip slot angle. Hope this helpes you out and good luck. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi there, I didn't buy one yet but I was told they have a nice 5 lb. scale that weights in ounces and in grams at Walmart for around $30.00. This is what I am going to look into the next time I get to town. It would be in the gadgets section where they have knives and things like that. Check it out and let me know what you think. Ken Schmitz Mylures

If I had a popper that worked and then sank after I refinished it, I would drill a hole or two in it if its made out of wood and then put a dowel in the hole just abit and cut it off, sand it smooth and again refinish it. This will make the lure abit lighter and also have an air pocket in it. I had a crankbait that would slowly sink but I wanted it to stay on top when not trolling. I drilled a 3/16 inch hole in it and then put a very small piece of 3/16 inch dowel in the hole and glued it tight, sanded it smooth and repainted it. It worked just the way I wanted it too. Thanks and good luck. I hope this helps. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi Tally, well when it comes to wood, its kinda like everything else. Its whats the easiest for you to get or maybe what you first tried. I tried cedar with mixed feelings. I did some basswood, easy to work with but in my opinion too light for a small crankbait. I ended up trying maple as it is fine grained, strong, don't split real easy and don't take alot to weight compared to balsa or cedar. Just my opinion, give it a try and let me know what you think. Good luck Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi Bob, I use just one coat but I am using it for small walleye crankbaits. I haven't used it all that long so I may run into some problems but I haven't so far. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi Robert, When I mix a batch I use a plastic syringe I got from Jann's NetCraft so I get equal amounts. I am sure you could get a plastic syringe from a Vet animal service or somewhere. I even found plastic syringes in one of those ink refill kits for printer cartridges. You need to use two syringes, one for the resin and one for the hardner. Make sure you use the same syringe for the resin and the same syringe for the hardner each time. I marked the resin and hardner. Hope this helps you out and good luck. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi Bob, it is my opinion that you should leave your baits on the drying wheel longer. I usually leave mine on for about four hours. I think that after only two hours the finish could still sag. Just my opinion but I think if you give it a try you will agree. Thanks and good luck. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Great job Artbrush. Keep up the good work. I really like the perch style one. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi there, I am sure you can find this book at any sports shop. I got my copy at Fleet Farm in the fishing section. I am sure Gander Mountain or Bass Pro or any of the big stores would carry it. The newest versions come with laminated water proof sheets so it can be used in the boat. Hope this helps and good luck. Ken Schmitz Mylures

Hi there, any brush with short stiff bristles can be used. I bought a bunch of acid brushes at Harbor Freight very reasonable. I use them a few times and throw them away. When you are done coating you can rinse them in acetone to get the clearcoat out. These brushes have fairly short bristles and a metal handle. I hope this helps you out. Ken Schmitz Mylures