RiverMan

Great idea Lapala, and some awesome lures! jed

Very cool, congrats!

Interesting, great idea too. I have a heck of a time finding brushes that aren't too expensive. Since I'm working on big baits I like a brush that is about 3/4" across. No craft stores in the dusty town of mine and Wal-Mart doesn't have anything either. So I end up buying more spendy brushes and cleaning them all the time, a hassle! jed

I have two coming my way Nathan, hoping they can save me some time. Glad they are working for you. jed : D

Same as Seminole, have a single action Paasche and it worked ok but nothing like my new Iwata Eclipse, big difference. I won't tell you tho that the problems go away with the Eclipse, still sputters now and then and doesn't like some paints but overall the operation is considerably better. jed

I have tried the same thing on a variety of foils and other such "shiny/fish" materials and could never get the ink to stick. When I tried it a day later the ink would still smear! That's the problem I see with the decals and printable foils, too spendy to make it practicle. jed

Yes the subject has taken a turn, interesting discussion tho nevertheless. The process of decals is nothing "new"; I have a book of antique baits in which guys were drawing images and glueing them on the bait nearly a hundred years ago. Beyond that, nearly all of the top lure builders, Lucky Craft, Real Image, Salmo, Cordell, Rapala, Heddon, etc., are using some type of "stick on" material for many of their lures...why? Because they look "real" and fisherman buy them. I love the look of the "holographic" Pointers by Lucky Craft, they are amazing and there is no way we could ever begin to reproduce something like this with paint. I personally feel an entirely "painted" lure is more natural looking when done by someone with talent and experience. It's difficult to make a decaled bait "flow" from side to back to belly like you can with paint. I will add tho that using a decal from my experience is certainly not a "shortcut". By the time you create an image, size it, print it, cut it, stick it, and then do all the blending along the back and belly you could have painted 5 baits! Not only that but the "cost per bait" goes up considerably with decals because of the time and materials associated with this process. And oh, how about foil, how could we live without foiled baits, they have been fooling fish forever and still provide one of the most realistic "baitfish" patterns and technically fall into the "stick it" category. It's funny how "visually oriented" we are when it comes to baits, and other things too but that is another subject. I have built baits that I thought were totally "awesome" to look at but when they hit the water they were a total flop! At the same time I have built baits that were sprayed one color that swim wonderfully! As builders we understand that the paint and/or decal on a bait is just one part of the process and yet for other builders and potential buyers it becomes one of the "main factors" in deciding how well they like the bait. As a builder I find a greater reward in discovering the correct shape, weight, body composition, bill length, size, etc., that leads to a very realistic "fish-like action". I want my baits to look great yes, but more than that I want those fishing my lure to tell me "man that thing has an amazing action to it". jed

This is a great question! There have been dozens that I have had to work through, some with the help of other board members here and others "on my own". Lately it has been with bubbles......."bubble trouble". The mahogany I am currently using loves to oooze bubbles despite the fact that it is sealed and primed, have no idea why. And then there is my day job, always in the way of making lures! Jed

Mallard, sorry for the slow reply, have been way too busy lately! I bought mine from Dixie Art and paid about 80 dollars for it plus another 10 for the hose...maybe it was less than that, can't remember for sure. The other day I ran the Iwata tho with the createx and then re-hooked up the Paasche. I sprayed both brushes with Createx. The Paasche did run much, much better with the createx but still not nearly as smooth as the Iwata. The other thing about the Iwata that I really like is that I can dial the paint down to the thinnest line, it's quite amazing. And, I can also dial it down to where just the tiniest amount of paint is coming out which makes it very easy to add color where you want it in a gradual way, say for gill lines and other highlights. I would highly recommend the eclipse, seems to be a great brush! Oh one thing about the eclipse, if you take the end piece out there is a tiny part that sits on top of the needle, be careful as it's very easy to lose! jed

Been using an Iwata Eclipse for a couple weeks now, really like it! This brush with the createx paint and airbrushing is actually fun! Jed

And here I thought the saying went: "nececessity is the mother of invention". Jed

Good point Bob and a beautiful bait!

Does testors offer a water based paint? And if so, has anyone tried it? I'm wondering if it works as well as createx..it's about half the cost and they have a fantastic line of colors. Jed

Yep, what Dean said.

When you say "decal" bob are you talking about the water slides or the decal paper? The bait looks wonderful but I hear what you are saying about adhesion. I worry too about adhesion on baits with decal/photo finish because your etex coat is only as good as the bond below it! Jed

Lol, that is funny Corey, can just see your wife peeking around the corner only to see you hunched over the lathe, sawdust flying! Jed

I knew I could count on you guys!!

My wife keeps telling me that the kitchen table is a mess!! I really don't see the problem, do you guys?

Hey Mallard, This post is great! Thank you for taking the time to share the info with the rest of us...loved the "evolution of lures" by Mallard. I too have worked through literally dozens of prototypes for my baits but I never go to the trouble of painting them until I have something I like...you are more patient than I am. I would love to have that tesing pool of yours by the way! I'm a bit surprised that some of the other baits didn't have a better wobble than the one you liked the best. You must be familiar with more contemporary designs by Luhr Jensen-Kwikfish and the classic Flatfish both of which have a bit more "c" shape to them and both are "BIG WOBBLERS". It would be interesting to see if you could get the same action from a bait with a bill. Jed

The createx paint is wonderful and yes it can be sprayed without thinning. I have noted, however, that some of the paints could be thinned some for better performance. I have been ordering my stuff from Dixie but may try the source Cullin mentioned as delivery time with Dixie seems ridiculously slow. If you have been spraying Wal-Mart Paints get ready for a big change, you will love the createx, huge difference! The bottle adapters save a ton of time, get a couple of them too. Jed

Yes the Devcon will still be tacky but should be set up enough that it can be set aside to dry after 15 minutes or so of turning. Generally 4-6 hours is needed to get the bait to where you can handle it without leaving "finger prints". I used to get spots when I was using Devcon too until I started mixing in a cup. When you mix on a flat surface it's easy to not include a bit of the stuff on one edge. Then when you go to paint it on you pick up some of the "unmixed" portion and this is what causes the problem. Make sure equal amounts are coming from the dispenser into a small cup of some kind; I use paper cups but others feel plastic is better. Mix throughouly making sure you include the edges, go around one way then back the other. Don't mix too fast or you will get bubbles, take your time, go slowly. You will note the mix first gets a "hazy, foggy" look to it and then clears and then thins a bit, that's when it is ready. Jed

Have you seen a doctor about this? It's a mixing problem, mix the stuff in a small cup, not on a flat surface. Jed

I need to buy some bulk grubs in 4 inch sizes and probably 4-6 different colors..multi colored if possible and cannot find a good source. I would like the grubs to be on the tougher side if possible...not the type in which the tail comes off everytime you catch something. I would also be interested in finding a source for grubs that have a thicker body portion than what is typically used for bass, maybe 1/2 inch in diameter or larger. I looked at Cabelas and Bass Pro but wasn't real happy with either of them. Any suggestions? Thank you! Jed

Great job!

Benton you have to dilute the Kilz with water...not sure how much I added I just kept adding water and stirring like mad until I got a consistency that looked about right. The good thing is that by adding water the product goes that much further.....make sure you get the water based version. I'm sure a gallon of the stuff would last the average builder years. Jed