RiverMan

When I say "permanent" Coley I mean I don't want the stencil to pull loose from the wood once I glue it. The clearcoat is only as good as the layer underneath it. If the paint or photo finish isn't secured completely then the clearcoat will not be secured either...follow me? Is Titebond a trade name like Elmers? I don't recall seeing the stuff. Is it similar to say Gorilla glue? Ken, Is it just me or do I detect some kind of "bond" between you and Coley? lol. jed

I have been using a spray adhesive and regular ole Elmers to secure photo shots to the lures and not happy with either of them. Neither of these products produces a permanent bond and this concerns me. I could of course use epoxy to secure it but that's too much work. Wondering if any of you have suggestions. Thx. Jed

Walt has an amazing amount of dedication Sam, you wouldn't believe the effort he puts into some of his baits. My suggestion, spend an extra few dollars and buy the wood dry and ready to use!! lol. Jed

Basscatcher, You are exactly right about the spots, they are caused by problems with mixing. This is why I always mix in a small dixie cup. The cup insures that all of the epoxy becomes part of the mix. If you try to mix the stuff on a flat surface it's very easy for some to escape and become a "sticky spot" on the final product. RM

I would only use through wire with the featherlite...that is one of its biggest advantages. You can easily make a jig for the wire that will fit into your mold. Take your prototype that you made the mold from and trace around it on a piece of wood....2x4 works fine. Now drive a nail small nail in at each of the hook positions. Start with a loop on one end of the wire and loop it from one post to the next until you have all of the hook hangers and tow-point. Lay the wire configuration into your mold, close it, and pour. RM

LMAO! Do I smell something burning? The Big Dog Barked!! Jed

Well Skeeter has helped me more than anyone on the board when it comes to lip placement and function. Still tho, I have always found it difficult to get baits to do what you want them to. Good luck! Jed

Yes there are three different sizes of warts......the wee, wiggle, and magnum. The wee is a great bait but after one steelhead I could never get the damn things to run right again. The wiggle wart is the best of the bunch IMHO. As far as lip placement, keep experimenting as what you expect to happen rarely does. Jed

Oh sure Tally, throw some fuel on the fire, lol. I have said enough on this subject, will let Skeeter take over the guns for awhile. Jed

I'm not familiar with the "High Roller" but you might check with Moore's lures in WI, they do have some wood bodies. If you find a good source please let me know, been looking some myself. Jed

Sam, All of this info you can find by using the search option at the top of this page. That being said, I like to use Poplar as a light wood, it's very clean and the grain is generally even. You can buy Poplar in convenient sizes at Home Depot. For a heavier wood I like mahogany, it's hard but still capable of being shaped. This wood I have to buy at the lumber mill. If you are wanting to build a sinking lure try the mahogany, try poplar or cedar for floating versions. There are many other options of course but these are my favorites. There's lots of info in the search section on how to weight the various lures you may be interested in building. Take your time, it's far better to have one good lure than 5 that won't run. With time your speed will pick up considerably. Jed

My situation is about as bad. I have to drive several miles to the river and for about the last three months the river has been blown out with all the rain we are getting. Last week I finally broke down and asked a motel if I could borrow their pool....they said have it! I have to say what you see in a pool is far different than what's available to the eye in the river. If you can, test your baits in a pool, big difference! Jed

Hey Skeeter, I gave your recommendation a try the last couple of days and it works perfectly, wish I had asked sooner. Thx. Jed

How long have you been using it Terry? Do you have any baits that are several years old? Jed

Hey me too Chip, I just enjoy the friendly banter. I will be the first to admit that much of what I have learned about bait-building has come from the guys at this website with you contributing considerably. Thank you for the kind words. Richoc, I mentioned wanting to try Etex as I have not done so before not because I am unhappy with Devcon. I have used Devcon with good results but am not naive enough to think there isn't something better. I am happy with Devcon but how can I know it's the best if I haven't tried some others? I am currently making the same glider out of poplar, cedar, and mahogany, tomorrow I will know which works best for me. I take the same approach with finishes, hooks, split-rings, eyes, whatever. I tried Flexcoat, didn't like it, also intend to try Etex, Nu-lustre, and any other finish that I feel may improve my finished product. As far as the sun test is concerned, I covered one half of the bait exposed to the sun with duct tape. And to be honest I consider this to be an "extreme" test as I don't expect many guys toss their baits up on the dash of the pickup for the summer. I expect that most finishes, Etex included, would fail at some point given these same circumstances. Jed

Richoh, Actually no I am using it over white with nearly every bait I make.....all have a white belly and some have light colors incorporated into the pattern. I will say again tho that I won't hesitate to change any part of my bait-making process if I think it will improve things. I would seriously consider trying Etex but the drying time is just too long, simple as that, hmmm maybe if I make them now they will be ready for next spring, there's a thought! Chip mentioned adding a "small" amount of additional product......30% is not small, 1% is small. By the way I have a bait in the window of my truck now that has a white head on it, been there for about 3 weeks, looks the same as the day I placed it there. Jed, "the Devcon Devil", lol.

Chip claims to have a way of speeding up the drying process for Etex, my guess is that he replaces it with Devcon, lol. I looked at a bait I finished yesterday with two coats of Devcon and found one bubble about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. I'm sure I could have eliminated this bubble as well if it had been a concern to me. I put two coats of Devcon on all my baits as I am building them primarily for musky fisherman and waiting 7 days for two coats of Etex to dry is more than this "Attention Deficit Disorder Bait Builder" (ADDBB) can take, lol. Also I haven't been convinced that there is any reason to go away from the Devcon. Chip noted some problems with some of his Devcon baits but there have been as many or more complaints on this board with the Etex, bubbling, yellowing, won't set up after 6 months, etc. Skeeter who has probably built as many baits as anyone on this forum uses Devcon, guess we all know that.............I am sure he would have gone away from it if he had experienced problems. I think Nathan uses Devcon too. I personally have not had a single problem YET with the Devcon, no yellowing, no chipping, etc., but will not hesitate to change if I start to see them. I have noted that Devcon dries extremely hard, try to make a mark in it with your fingernail , you can't do it. Etex on the other hand can easily be marked with your fingernail....this flexibility may very well be an avantage when the bait is expected to bounce off of things like rocks, the side of the boat, your fishing partner's head, etc. I would like to try the Etex and also the Nu-lustre 55 that Splash uses at some point. Until that time I will continue to buy every container of Devcon that Wal-Mart has in stock before someone else gets them, lol. Jed

I think it is probably rare to find a bait that doesn't have a few bubbles here and there. I personally don't worry about having a couple bubbles in my Devcon finishes so long as they are not too large or on the eyes of the bait. I have many commercial baits that are finished with Enviro and most all of them have many bubbles in them, some are quite bad in fact. If a person gets in a hurry and mixes too quickly the Devcon will pick up bubbles. More important to me is durability, consistency, clarity, and convenience, mainly drying time. Jed

Thanks!

The easiest way to cure the problem would be to switch to Devcon, no flames needed, no white spots, and dry in four hours!! Jed

Hey as long as we are talking about routers, can someone tell me how to keep the damn bit from biting the edge of the bait when I first get started? I have tried bringing the bait in slow, fast, at an angle and all work part of the time but every once in awhile, wham, nails the edge and makes for some extra repair...doggonnnnit! Jed

Hey you did a great job on the mold! One thing nice about plaster if you haven't tried it already is carving in subtle changes with a knife before the mold dries completely. You can easily add eyes, legs, ribs, etc., give it a try but go very slowly. Jed

Hey Tony, great looking baits! Job well done. Jed

This is the only reason I haven't tried Enviro Lunge, can't imagine waiting days for a topcoat to dry. Jed

It's too bad you hadn't used Envirotex, then all you would have to do is fish with it for a couple hours, lol!! Isn't DAT RIGHT CHIP. Jed