RiverMan

I googled the topic, lots of info but here is a good summary of the hazards associated with woods...kinda spooky, hack, hack, wheez, wheez. http://www.riparia.org/toxic_woods.htm RM

I like all of them! Beautiful. jed

Just what Dean said.

First of all the Miami Ink Gal is hot! We all have times when we are down, I certainly do. I have literally spent a solid month working on an idea only to finally realize I had to abandon the concept. The other thing is that right now guys are really into "realism".....carved fins, liips, heads, etc. Although these things look really impressive keep in mind the amount of time folks are spending on them. And really, whether a lure has lips or painted fins probaby doesn't make one bit of difference to the fish. Try to make things look better at all stages of the build and you will find that it pays off in the end. Make sure the body is perfect before priming, the prime is perfect, the paint is perfect, and then the clear. Slow down a bit, look at your baits and see which part of them you think most needs improvement and work on that part of the building and then go forward. And foremost, make sure your lures swim well. jed v.

Again, attach a barrel swivel just up from the bait. If there is a swivel on the line it can't twist it's just as simple as that. I will fish spinners on anchor that spin at max speed for hours without a bit of twist in my line by rigging up in this manner. RM

Experiment with where and how you take the pics. I have had baits that looked perfect in hand but when I took a pic of them........well less than perfect! I find my best pics are taken outside under natural light. jed v.

Put a small barrel swivel up and away from your bait.........say two feet above it. RM

I tried it and dont' like it......it leaves bad streaks in the wood. If you do try it Nathan I would only dip one bait....it takes quite awhile to dry and you will see what I mean, areas that are uneven and must be sanded smooth. Also, if you are using it with a wood that shows grain like cedar it will really raise it. I have a gallon in my shop you can have if you want to drive over and get it, lol. jed

Tape is nice but it might be way too thick for a rattle trap. I'm surprised the rustoleum didn't work for you. The color that was the hottest for me last year on smallies was a bronze color.....they were smokin it! RM

The pearls have done this to me with all brushes I have had..........turn up the air pressure, get the brush blasting on a test piece and then quickly go to the lure...that's what I do. If you figure out a better way please let me know! RM

I have done this several times.While wearing gloves I generally take a clean paper towel and wipe off all the clear coating...might take several towels. Mix up some more clear and do it again...smooth out with a torch, good as new. RM

It's easy to get burned out altho for me that doesn't last very long. The key is to work on new baits all the time as others have said. If you do decide to sell them you can always just sell enough to pay for your hobby, that's what most are doing. RM

Hi, my name is Jed and I'm a lure addict! Beware, once you start, it's tough to stop! RM

I was told the older lures used lacquer and varish as woodie has mentioned. I have also heard that one down side of using these products is they tend to yellow with time. RM

I am currently using a Peak X-5 from Bear Air. One thing I like about the brush is the clean-out port on the top of it which allows me to open the port and run water through it between color changes. Watch out for postage charges with these guys tho. I had an Iwata Eclipse at one time and really liked this brush also. RM

I have been worried about him too.......Shawn is one very bright guy and an integral part of TU in my opinion. jed v.

Same here....I clean mine with just warm water and those green scratchy things and have never ruined a needle.........I have ruined other parts but not a needle, lol. RM

Looks great....if it runs, finish it up! RM

Just make sure you send the ideas to me first Vodkaman!! :)jed

It's not necessary to use the denatured alcohol. I think the denatured alcohol idea came about for coating molds. Anyway, the cloudiness is small bubbles in the mix. Just run a propane torch quickly over the surface and you will get rid of them. I move the torch quickly from left to right until I see they are gone.....it's not as critical on foil as it is on paint....paint will burn! By the time you get the bubbles out you might see that the epoxy is running like water, it's no big deal just get the bubbles out, put it on the dryer and start letting it turn. Oh, watch for expoxy bunching up at the tail and nose. If you see this just run a brush over them and smooth it out. RM

As far as some folks not sharing their ideas when it comes to lure selection I think that's just part of fishing and being a fisherman. We all have our "secret lure" or "secret color". If everyone knew what the best color was it would soon be overused and no longer "the best". The gaps in lure-making are narrowing all the time. When TU first started and before that another tacklebuilding site I visited there was very little info to be had.....just the basics. With each passing day there is more and more info, more experimentation, more sharing. When I first started building gliders about 4 years ago I wrote dozens of emails trying to find out how I should go about weighting them. I wrote all the big names here in the USA and most wouldn't even answer my emails. A couple would tell me the wood they used but that was it. I live in the Northwest and there aren't an glider builders around here to my knowledge and you can't buy gliders at any store. Eventually tho a very nice man in England told me how he weighted them and even sent me a pic, this is what got me started. I found a video of a glider swiming and then I knew what I was going to build. Today if a guy spends enough time on this site and a few others you can learn exactly what woods to use, where to get all the parts you need, the clearcoat you need, the paint, etc., etc., You see guys here on TU post pics of "their first lure" that look better than many used to create on their 50th lure. There are still gaps in the building info I would agree but they are definitely getting smaller. And in some ways I think it's good that a person has to earn it. If it gets too easy then everyone will do it. jed v.

Wow, how thick was the stuff you cut? RM