RiverMan

Those tiny bubbles are pretty common. I generally mix part A and Part B in a plastic solo cup then pour it all out onto a plate covered in tin foil and hit it a few times lightly with a propane torch. Once on the lure you might need to hit again with the torch. If you let the epoxy sit on the tinfoil a few minutes most of the bubbles will come out. Also, Make sure the wood is sealed otherwise you can get some bubbles escaping from the wood into the epoxy. Good luck. RM

I have been buying rigid plastic eyes through Lisa and Ed but wondered if there was other sources out there. Im not looking for the soft ryes, rigid like glass. Any suggestions? Thank you, RM

The water intrusion test has been done several times on other sites. If you Google "lure water sealer test" or something like that you should find them. As I recall, what they discovered is no sealer stops the water from coming in. And, whether you dip the lure in the sealer quickly or soak it in sealer for days, makes no difference. As for using resin for production, it is nice but also very toxic which is what I don't like. They recommend a respirator at all times, fresh air circulation, gloves, etc. And, each time you machine a resin lure, drill, cut, etc, you introduce more toxins in the air. Isocyanates, known to cause cancer. Wood dust can be dangerous too but far safer than resin. I like the thought of using pvc but the foam board is way tOO soft, I can pull a screw right out with pliers. The decking I haven't tried because it's not available without ordering. RM

I'm looking for some 2" screw eyes that are heavier than .095. Anyone know where I could find some? I looked online and everything has a eye opening of like a half inch. I want a small eye but just heavier wire. Thanks. RM

I agree with Woodie, something magical about wood. I know of a very knowledgable shop owner in California that says his customers request wood topwater over plastic. Not that the plastic doesn't work, he just says the wood has a "more natural" sound to it that bass prefer. I love working with wood and after so many years it's easy for me to shape it and get it to do what I want it to. Nevertheless, it does have its issues, for one you have to use a heavy topcoat to keep it sealed. There are baits out there like roman that use a thin coat but they quickly lose paint. Plastic is so much easier, no sealers, no primers, no worry about water intrusion. The other thing I like about plastic is you can use a thin clear coat. With wood you lose much of the detail, the scales, operculum, etc with a heavy coat but all this remains with plastic.

Sintra may be what I was thinking of. Thanks for all the replies guys. JR, I am looking at about a 16 inch baits. The PVC board here comes in 3/4 inch thickness, shapes like a dream but it's so soft it makes me nervous. Mark, I will look into the azek BobP, thanks.

I have tried the pvc board at HD and it's much too soft for what I'm wanting. It's so soft in fact I can hand twist in a screw with no effort. The stuff I used years ago was like cutting board material, buoyant but much harder than the pvc board. I want to use it for building big baits Mark RM

No it was something else, I tried the search feature but couldnt find anything. I will keep looking. Thx. RM

A long time ago, some here were experimenting with a plastic lumber used for building road signs as I recall. Does anyone remember what it's called, where you can buy it? I had someone send me a piece and I tried it but want to try it again. I have tried the PVC at HD and its so soft it won't work for what I'm wanting. Thanks RM

I have lures more than a decade old that show no signs of yellowing with etex. Devcon will yellow though. RM

Not sure why you feel you need another coat after the epoxy. The epoxy will hold up fine on its own.

Put rubber bands around it, spray with an auto clear. Done deal. RM

Wow, what happened to the PVC discussion? I found the PVC, cut a bait out, installed screws. I have not tested it yet. First impression is it's very soft and I'm not sure I would trust it on big fish and I'm also concerned with the amount of lead it will take to get it to sink. I do like how it cuts and shapes, messy but easy. RM

Thanks. I will check Home Depot again.

I was at Home Depot recently and asked the lumber guy if they had any PVC decking. He looked at me like what are you taking about? I would like to try some PVC decking but can't seem to find it. I don't even know what it looks like. Can someone tell me where they get it? Thanks. RM

I made some a decade ago, they turned out nice. I made them from western red cedar. The shaping took some time as I recall.

Spent the last hour reading this thread. I have found that only testing gives me the answers I need. You can make the exact same lure and weight it identically from five different woods and it will run different on all of them. Some may not work at all while others will run perfectly. It's frustrating but also rewarding. RM

The only problem with lead wire is the diameter is so small that you have to drill deep and lots of holes. If you can fine 1/2" Lead wire that would be great but what I get here is 1/4" solid or hollow. Most woods used for gliders on the light side requiring a good bit of lead. RM

I have used bullseye shellac as a sealer for years, used it just yesterday. It works great, very simple and not nearly as toxic smelling as so many others. I would not use it as a topcoat though.

Appreciate it guys. I did a search last night and came up with some good ideas, mostly to clean the resin really well, prime, paint, heat set. RM

I have been painting resin lures with createx and even with heat setting the paint doesn't seem to have the adhesion it does when sprayed on to lure surfaces I have painted in the past. Anyone else notice this? RM

I need someone to make an aluminum mold for a soft plastic. Is there someone you guys would recommend? Thank you, RM

Agree with archer, not my fav wood for most lures, only carving. I would suggest you use poplar, you can get it at Home Depot.

I was looking at the bait sitting in the tank of my toilet, my sink rate testing spot, and noticed that if each section isn't balanced the joint will bind a little bit. When each section is balanced independently the joint is free. So yea, I agree it's important. I am going to run some tests today on the two layer resin idea, have done this before but after reading Squirrels post which I found in the archive (thanks Squirrel) I want to revisit it. I am also going to try some heavy ballast options, light body and lots of weight low to see if that will reduce roll. If I can get the wife to go along to the duck pond will post a video clip. Thanks. RM

Squirrel, The bait I'm building very similar in size to the one you described. How much roll did this bait have with the two layer approach? RM