RiverMan

I have to give you credit for those little guys, where "artistry meets tacklemaking". Take the point off of the hook and I will bet you could sell a bunch of these in those busy little decorative shops that women love, I hate. Great work! jed

Thank you to all for the information! Jed

Wondering where you guys are getting the best deal on RTV. The last stuff I bought thru Lurecraft and it seemed ridiculously spendy. Thank you! Jed

Great idea Fishinrev and one that I hadn't thought about in some time. Here in Oregon I spend most of the winter fishing for steelhead in the Columbia River. The lure we reach for when wanting to "go deep" is the "HOT LIPS" in the 1/2, 3/4, or 1oz versions. The baits look quite large because of the huge clear lip but I suspect the fish focus on the body of the bait which is of normal porportions. I'm sure if you were to use a 3/4oz version on 8 or 10 pound line you would exceed the 20' mark. Good luck! Jed

Has anyone here found plastic that when dry sets up perfectly clear? I want to experiment with a product like feather-lite that when dry is clear. Thanks! RM

I haven't had good luck with the powder dip stuff and have found it to be inconsistent. It's strange stuff, you will have one jig-head that turns out perfect and then three others that don't look quite right. The trick is to get the head hot enough to let the powdered paint melt to a smooth surface. Well, this is much easier said then done. I generally have a section of the head where the paint is smooth and another part that is a bit bubbly. Or....you put too much heat on the head and the lead justfalls off the hook! lol. I was told to dip the lead in and pull it out, didn't work, tried spinning it some, didn't work, tried a lighter, torch, and placing them in the oven for 15 minutes, no luck! Maybe you will have better luck at this than I did, have fun! RM

It's very easily to replicate virtually any soft-bait using a plaster mold If you would like the bait to be 3-dimensional you will have to make a two-part mold. This process if done correctly should not harm your original in any way. Once you have the mold you can cast a few new baits and then experiment with various molding options such silicone, epoxy, aluminum, etc. Good luck!! RM

I think some folks do have a "nack" while others do not for this type of thing. That is probably true for most everything a person chooses to do. I am unfortunately one of those who "does not". I look at the design specs Red put together for his duplicator and it might as well be written in Chinese! Everything I have built has been through a ton of trial and error!! I worked on a shrimp pattern for literally years. This was before the internet and the wealth of information available to us now. Once the "tackle building" sites became available and I learned how to properly build a mold things went a bit faster. My first cranks were beautiful, well I thought so. I got out on the water, through the bait out, and it wouldn't dive an inch! It rolled in a circle all the way back to the boat. The balance of the bait was entirely wrong, I hadn't even thought about that. As Red and others have mentioned, be patient, have fun, be creative. If you get tired or discouraged, walk away and come back. Afterall the next best thing to fishing, is "thinking" about fishing. RM

Since I sometimes thin the Devcon with rubbing alcohol I also use this for cleaning the brush after each use, works great! RM

I have one I built but it certainly leaves much to be desired. Would like to see what you have.

Is the flex coat painted on? Do you guys have a suggestion on where I can buy some? I don't think Red that oil is the problem. I am sanding the wood until smoothe, painting it with rattle cans, and then coating with the Devcon. The floats look very nice but was hoping to find a way around some of the hassles with the Devcon. Also the Devcon adds a significant amount of weight. This may not be a big deal with cranks and topwaters but for floats it reduces the amount of buoyancy which is not really a good thing. What about clear varathane or acrylic, would they be tough enough? They would certainly be alot easier to use since I can just spray them on. RM

I am making some floats out of a wooden material very similar to balsa except that it has an outer layer similar to that of pine. I have been using Devcon to finish the floats but running into some problems. The Devcon is amazingly Clear when dry, love that! It is also very strong. It has an annoying habit though of leaving small "craters" at various points along the float. Many of these can be avoided by going "heavier" with the Devcon but they seem to develop while the floats are turning/drying. It is also very "sticky" and somewhat expensive with the size floats that I am building. So my question is: Is there a wood finish product that I can use on the floats that would go on easier but still be tough enough to withstand water, hot, cold, etc.? Thanks for any advice. RM

I will be happy to do that Celtic. I have used featherlite in the past with good results for making plugs. For some reason it gave me problems while using the silicone molds, other than that good stuff. I am interested tho in finding something that sets up a bit quicker and may be harder. If I forget to write you check back with me in a few wks and I will let you know how things are going. Regards, RiverMan (jed)

I am making some floating lures for steelhead and salmon fishing. From my investigation it looks like I need to get my hands on some polystyrene. Does anyone know about this stuff and how it compares to say featherlite? Is there a huge difference in the amount of buoyancy, viscosity, hardness, etc.? Thanks!! RiverMan

Thanks FunnyFarm, I posted the same question on TM and someone led me to a book that shows the process. I ordered the book from Amazon and should have it in a few days. Regards, RM

What the heck happened to the picture I posted? Lets try again I guess!! RM

Does anyone have any ideas as to how they build these? Regards!! RM

I do like the forum here Jerry. I must admit it feels a bit strange tho to be going into a site other than TM. Strange to see all those green plants in your fishing picture too Jerry, damn cold around here. My boys and I are headed out at 3am for the Columbia in the morning to fish for spring chinook, 30 lbs of pure chrome! RM