Skeeter

Riverman, Don't sweat it. Just get a mask and shoot the stuff. You are not going to die. You will love the stuff. jwfflipper, I am doing just fine bud. What are you doing in LA?

Between 10 and 20%. That use to be the norm. Skeeter

I have always worn a respirator when I spray. Laquers and Urethanes do not dissolve with water. So if you get the stuff in your lungs enough you could be in trouble. It won't dissovle. Thinners contain isocanaytes. It is a vapor and there is no commercial respirator filter out there to stop it. This, they warn, causes cancer. But guys that spend their lives in spray booths are the type to have health problems with this stuff. As a hobby painter you don't need to worry if you take the proper precautions. Good ventilation and a respirator is all you need. Once you start shooting lacquer, you won't go back to water based anything. Skeeter

Cougarftd, You clean the gun with lacquer thinner or acetone. It is no different than cleaning your airbrush after painting something. Skeeter

There are three parts to automotive urethane clear: 1. clear 2. reducer 3. activator Normally you buy the clear by the quart. At least that is the smallest amount that I have seen that you can buy. The reducer is a thinner and the activator causes the stuff to harden. To really get the good stuff you will be putting out around $100.00 to $150.00 for all of it combined. If you get the cheap stuff then it will peal and flake off quickly. Shoot it through an airbrush after it is mixed according to the instructions on the clear can or ask the guy at the paint store to recommend how to mix it. I start shooting at 30 PSI and adjust from there. You will probably shoot 2 or 3 coats. Be very careful about building up the clear where frame parts meet, bearings get inserted, and where knobs turn. Spray it too thick and nothing will fit or turn. Now for the safety part. All urethane and lacquer paints, clears, and thinners contain isocyanates. (I guess I spelled that right). Isocyanates can cause cancer, asthma and all kinds of other lung and respiratory problems. Also, these types of paints and clears do not dissolve with water. Soooo, you want to make sure that you wear an approved filter mask when you shoot this stuff. THERE IS NO FILTER AVAILABLE that will filter Isocyanates. I don't care what anyone claims or tells you. So you are going to suck that up. However, the proper filters will stop the paint and clear particles from entering your lungs. This is important because this type of stuff does not dissolve with water. Therefore, any paint or clear that you ingest will not dissolve and go away. Also, definitely wear protective gloves. Clears are really sticky and don't come off of the skin very easily. Clears (along with all of the other stuff that you mix with it) have a very strong oder. Make sure that you shoot this stuff in a well ventalated area. If you don't you will feel like you just drank some moonshine out of a gallon shot glass. Shooting this stuff is not as bad as it sounds. Don't be afraid to try it. It is just that there are some precautions that one needs to take that is necessary before doing it. Hope this answered some of your questions. Skeeter

Mark is on the money. It is my understanding that microballoons are made of glass. You don't want to be inhaling that. Skeeter

Iwata makes wonderful airbrushes. If you have tried the tips above and still have the problem then I would send it to Iwata to have it fixed. Iwatas are expensive guns and a precision piece of equipment. Send it to the factory. They will get it back in working order for you. Skeeter

You need to send a PM to Coley on this site. This guy is the honest expert when it comes to mold making and micro balloons. He is a wonderful person and the real deal when it comes to this. Tell him Skeeter sent you. Skeeter

Just paint the bait. Once you put the clear coat on the bait the paint will gloss. If it does not then it is the paint or colors that you are using. Skeeter

Beautiful work... Very Very Unique. You have a winner there Nathan. Skeeter

ninjalake, Correct, I am not going to tell. The reason is because I have spent countless hours and a lot of trial an error learning what I know. As you can see from this post, there are a lot of guys trying to figure this out. They work very hard and spend much time at what they do. Just look at how many posts RayburnGuy has put on this site. He is a true devoted craftsman. Since you pay such close attention then I'm sure you noticed that I did mention some things that I think they can eliminate from the equation. I don't mind helping but I won't lay it all out on a plate for anyone. Besides, I am not the all knowing. Someone here may have come up with another way to get baits to hunt. I am just like you... I am waiting for them to just tell me how it is done so I don't have to work at it anymore. As far as "I think there's alot of old crankers in Tenn & NC who would seriously disagree with that statement."..... what do they know? They just fish them, not make them. If these guys know so much, then I am sure they would be glad to tell you how it is done. Or maybe one of them would be kind enough to join the site and share all of their knowledge with the rest of us. All of us here at TU have enquiring minds. As far as the Japanese pro that got it right....I am keeping that to myself also. His name is not important, but his thought was. Skeeter

@*^&$....... He did it again!! Skeeter

No littleriver, I just build crankbaits for bass. In this case too much is better than too little. Skeeter

Thanks Nathan. Skeeter

WOW..... you guys are too scientific for me. I know how to make a hunting crankbait. And I will tell you that I have not found a way to consistantly make a crankbait that will hunt. Some do and some don't. It is part of the allure of making these beauties. But, my success rate at building one is pretty high. I won't tell you how I do it, but I will tell you that you can toss all of this special off center weighting and stuff out the door. So build your baits as true as possible. Plus... don't worry about the thickness of your clearcoats. It can affect how it hunts, but it will not affect whether the bait will hunt or not. The shift in the action is not severe. It is a subtle shift and it is not predictable. In all of the years that have been making crankbaits there has only been one person that has gotten it right on how to make a crankbait hunt. It was a Japanese pro. And he hit the nail right on the head. Skeeter

You are right about Bob. The guy is really outstanding. After all of the years I have spent on this site I have argued and dissagreed with just about everyone except Bob. He is usually right and is just trashing my reputation on this site. I would not ask them anything. It is for you as a baitmaker to know what works. If you do not know then you are not the expert and in my opinion are showing that you have not put in the time making and fishing the lure that you are trying to sell. You need to KNOW that it works and relay that confidence to the customer. It is fine to ask questions on the site about materials and metheods. But YOU should know what works as far as the end product. Many years ago I took some of my baits to David Fritts and offered them to him. He just lives a few miles from me. He looked at them and asked me if they cartwheel when you throw them. I answered him honestly and said that yes, sometimes they will. He handed them back to me and said that he was not interested. I was crushed. Hours of work for nothing. But... I knew better. I knew that was an unacceptable property. So,back to the drawing board I went. I fixed the problem. But I also understand that there is a skill in throwing a crankbait. I have a TON of confidence in my crankbaits. Now I know that the bait is right. So now if some pro asks me that question I tell them, "Not if you know how to throw it). YOU need to know that your bait is done right. Don't depend on others to tell you. Skeeter

Seems that the standard is 1/2". Mine are 3/16. I have never had a lip go loose or pull out of one bait in 14 yrs. Skeeter

Bob hit the nail on the head. My suggestion to you is to do what makes you happy. Customers can really bog you down with requests. They will eat up every piece of free time that you have in life to make them what they want. I have known guys that made 30K a year painting baits. But they are constantly in the shop EVERY week. I use to take orders and request for baits. But one day at the ramp I had a customer ask me why I was out fishing instead of working on his order. I thought he was kidding but he was not. Since that time I only make baits when I feel like it. I make them the colors that I want. People can buy them or go somewhere else. I love making crankbaits. It is a wonderful enjoyment for me. I won't let anyone ruin that with their expectations and demands. So do what makes you happy. Skeeter

I don't know what you paid for the bait, but it is a nice looking lure. Years about 9 yrs. ago those baits were red hot on ebay. I saw some of them go for close to $100. Folks were chasing these baits because they thought that the brass wire made the lures "hunt" (a shifting side to side motion) while being retrieved. Rick Clunn coined the phrase after winning a tournament on a B3 long ago. I would check ebay to see what they are going for now days. If they are still getting alot of money for them I would sell it. If not I would fish it. They are nice lures when they are put together right. Skeeter

Blackjack got it right. Cedar has natural oils in the wood. If the wood is not kiln dried then the oils come to the surface and crack the paint and can even crack the clearcoat. This is what happened to Poes in the 90s. Also, any wood will swell when it gets soaked. So if you don't seal the lure well then the same thing will happen to the paint and clearcoat. You can usually tell this is the cause on a lure because the cracks in the clearcoat will be outward and not inward like if you hit something with it. If you are using water based paints that could be a real problem if the bait was not sealed properly. Skeeter

The bottom line is that there is no auto clear that will hold up. I don't care how much you spend or how you mix it. I only use it on baits that have sharp edges, (Devcon does not like sharp edges) or baits that are weight sensitive like jerkbaits. Skeeter

Where can you buy enough of this stuff to dip? I can only find small jars of it for sale. Skeeter

Again.... I agree with Bob. Skeeter

I agree with BobP. That weight on the rear is just knocking the lure off ballance and slinging it around. There is not a true hunting action happening with that bait. Skeeter

You need to send an PM to Coley. He is the best micro balloon person that I know. He has a ton of knowlege on the subject. Skeeter