Skeeter

"Why in the world would Devcon fool around with such a successful product, unless they're trying to use chalk to bulk up the product, and use less actual epoxy? " I think you hit the nail on the head Mark. Skeeter

I wouldn't airbrush a jig head. I just mix whatever color paint I want to use into some Devcon 5 min. epoxy and brush it on. I do the same with my bullet sinkers too. Works great. Skeeter

A Very Merry Chistmas to all of you. I wish you and your families a very happy Holiday. Skeeter

It is Devcon Home 2 Ton Epoxy. On the package to the left of the syringe it says "May be tinted with chalk or pigment." It is in the product. The part number on the back right bottom corner is 31345 Rev 1211. I am now leaning to the Bob Smith epoxy. Ben sent me one of his baits coated with it and it is really, really nice. He did an excellent job applying it. The coating was hard, slick, and clear. I was impressed. And brother... that is not easy to do. Skeeter

For those of you that use Devcon...... watch out because they have started adding chalk and pigment into it. For some reason they have started adding it to the resin. I clear coated a bait the other day and I thought it would just mix in and still come out clear. IT DOESN'T!! Ruined a perfectly good bait. They state it on the front of the package. For the first time in 15 yrs. I am going to have to go shopping for a new clearcoat. I am thinking about Bob Smith epoxy. For those of you that use it..... what do you think of it. Skeeter

The three most common thinners that can be used for painting are acetone, lacquer thinner and methyl ethyl keytone (MEK). Acetone is the hottest and last is MEK. They basically evaporate at different rates. Its all bad. But just think how much gasoline you have sniffed all of your life. Just don't huff the stuff and you will be fine. Painting is changing for me right now. One brand of paint that I have used forever is no longer being made. I will be making the switch to another company for some of the colors. My guardian angel on this site has already helped me with color selections to replace what I had previously. I also use a lot of high end show car paint. I even have the same pigment for some colors that Ferarri uses on their cars. Additionally, I am finally running out of the clear lacquer that I have been using for the past 8 yrs. (I mix a lot of my own colors). The company won't sell me more because I am not a business. Coley use to help me get it. So I went on the hunt. What I found was the same stuff that they coat Louisville Slugger baseball bats with. (I was born and raised in Louisville. Still have some low friends in high places). The stuff is bullet proof. Spray one coat and the lure will be sealed. No more need for polyurethane or primer either. Then just paint. I promise you there is no water based paint as tough as this stuff. Bad to the bone brother..... bad to the bone. (Queue George)!! PS.... Party at Bens' Skeeter

Huh? What's skinning? Skeeter

Thanks Mark... I will be careful. You are right..... lacquer thinner is a regular fruit basket of stuff. I use to use acetone but it is really hot (evaporates quickly). Lacquer thinner isn't much slower. I guess you could add a little more retarder if you wanted to slow down the paint drying process. Hmmmm. However, the place where I shoot is well ventilated and I use a filtered mask. I have been shooting this stuff for about 8 years. I would think that if there was any brain damage it would have showed up by now. So far so good....... Now where did I leave my darn car keys? Skeeter

Congrats on a successful test run Mark. It's great when all of the hard work comes together. Nice carving on the face of the bait. The dimensions of the bait look spot on. I have learned a lot on this post. There sure is a lot of tallent on this site. Seems someone always has the answer or a solution. You guys have me itching to try and make one of these. Skeeter

I use the cleaning pot to get out any excess paint that is left from shooting a single color. Lacquer paint dries really fast. Then I spray some lacquer thinner through to make sure that the needle and the nozzle won't stick when I shoot a second coat of either primer or base coat. Lacquer thinner will dissolve and clean lacquer paint fast. Even if the paint has dried the thinner will cut it and clean it off quickly and completely. If I change colors then I completely tear down the gun and clean it completely. Skeeter

I have a glass cleaning jar from Iwata. I use it all of the time. I shoot lacquers and use solvents, so it is just great for me. No paint escapes the jar and there is a filter on the lid. It all cleans up real easy with some lacquer thinner. It is also a great and safe place to set the gun when not in use. Skeeter

Some professional painters use FC. I am not a fan of it because it feels rubbery and kinda sticky to me. I think it has a flex additive in it to keep it from being rock hard. Just like car clears on fiberglass bumpers. I feel that it does protect well enough. Give it a try... you might like it. But, I have used devcon for 15 yrs. and have never had a complaint. Skeeter

Really nice Ken. Love the plack. Sorry, but IMHO it looks like the Air Force plug is the only one of the bunch that will catch a toad. Thanks, Skeeter

I use polyurethane and then touch sand it before painting. The only exception is when I make a square bill. First I apply the polyurethane. Then I clearcoat the bare balsa with 2 coats of devcon. There have been a lot of good sugestions here and I believe that they all will work. But hey, let's really look at this. I believe that the thought for most builders is to seal the wood so that water does not penetrate it. My first thought was that the paint should do that. But the problem that I had was that days or weeks after painting the color on the sides would start to fade. The reason was that the paint continues to be drawn into the balsa even after it has dried. Using polyurethane stops that. What I do is take a rag and wipe on a generous coat of polyurethane and let it dry for 24 hrs. I then touch sand it with a real fine grit sandpaper to make the bait smooth again. Then I shoot 2 coats of base coat and let that dry for 12 to 24 hrs. Then I paint the bait. Durability is the reason that I use 2 coats of devcon on square bills. People just plain abuse the hell out of those baits. Guys will pay a fair amount of money for one of my square bills. Then they go out and make some "Hail Mary" cast down a rip rap bank and slam the thing into a rock the size of a basketball. Then if the devcon cracks then they want to come back complaining that the clearcoat isn't worth a crap and they expected a whole lot more for their money. My first thought is that "dude.... you can't cast." Then I think ........ gee man, why don't you go buy a new corvette and roll it down that same bank with the rip rap. Afterwards, get a tow truck and pull it back up onto the road. Then call Chevrolette and complain that their clearcoat did not hold up and the paint came off. Then tell them that you expected a whole lot more for the 70K that you paid. Bagley used clear lacquer to seal their baits for decades. Poes uses a super thick white basecoat. This not only sealed the bait but also took care of all of the body pits, cracks, and imperfections. Skeeter

After painting. Skeeter

I went looking in the gallery today. Haven't strolled through it in a long time. I saw the smallmouth patterned pointer that Cougarftd did. Beautiful brother.... really beautiful. Great job. There are some real talented people on this site. Skeeter

Here is the deal on respirators........ You don't want paint in your lungs... PERIOD. Water based paint is just that. If you get it in your body it will eventually flush. (Not to say that it won't leave any damage behind). However, solvent based paints will not dissolve in the body. It will stay. Respirators will keep paint out if you wear it right. But, solvents and solvent based paints contain isocanates which is known to cause cancer. There are no store bought filters that will keep them out. That is why the need for ventilation. I have been using lacquers for over 8 yrs. I have a mask and a booth. I have never had any problems from spraying it. I am spraying baits not cars so there is not a great amount being used. I wear a glove on the hand that holds the bait when I shoot large amounts of paint for priming, base coating and stuff. It can soak in thru the pores of your skin too. But I don't when I shoot detailing like scales. You just have to be mindful and careful. I will NEVER go back to water based paints. Lacquers are so much better to shoot. Hughesy probably shoots more paint in a month than most of us shoot in years. He probably hooks his airbrush up to 50 gallon drums of lacquer instead of using a cup. He was shooting lacquers before some on this site were born and he is still kicking. You don't need to be afraid of it, just careful. switch to a paint brush? Yeah right brother. In all of the years I have been on this site I have NEVER seen anyone with a tallent like yours. Bravo. Skeeter

When I try a new design or weighting method I usually make one or two baits. Since I use hardwood to make them weighting is critical. I just take one bait, make it, paint it, and clearcoat it. Then I test it in the pool or lake with hooks and all. If it does not work then I start making adjustments; IE different lips, weights, and hooks. The bait may look bad once I have the finished product after cutting stuff out and replacing it. However, I have only torn up one or two baits. I take notes on what I did. Then the next bait will be right. The only time I have to make another bait during trials is if I change the body (size, shape, etc). Ill try drilling through the epoxie and stuff and adding some more weight. You are headed in the right direction. Skeeter

If you lip is put in square and the lure body is proportionate, they you probably need to add more weight. Skeeter

"The amount of weight needed for ballast and the position of weighting needed will make the lure more awkward to cast than a heavier material.... Unless you can create a weight transfer system. Production baits that have this system allow you to cast farther which is basically the name of the game when achieving depth. Combine this with the cost difference of production and custom lures and it is easy to understand why they are more popular. Is it a waste of time? Of course not. This is what we do. Custom and homemade baits do catch fish and at times out fish production baits. In this particular instance though the advantage may be less, the work more, and the demand for consistency lure to lure higher." "I think CarverGLX nailed it as far as the practicalities go." Looks like yall got it figured out. Thanks everyone for the replies. Skeeter

Wow....very nice ! Never thought paint jobs like that would be possible with a brush. Beautiful work. Skeeter

As a general rule most paints are thinned 3:1. Three parts paint and one part thinner. It doesn't always work that way but it is an excellent place to start. Skeeter

Get a scroll saw. Buy the blades at Lowes that are used to cut PVC pipe. They are thin and you can really turn a radius with it. I have cut bodies, lips, and everything else with mine for 14 yrs. Plus you can pick it up and move it to where ever you want with no troubles. It also takes up very little space in the shop and is easy to vacuum off and clean up. Teardown is a breeze and parts are much cheaper. Skeeter

Iwata etc. are really great guns. However, to me they lack when shooting broad strokes of paint. They just don't put out enough paint to cover well. If I had to choose 1 gun for everything it would be the paasche VL. It is double action and it comes in a kit with everything you need except the air compressor all for under $100. Get one used if you need to. No big deal there. If you buy cheap guns you get cheap results.....period. This is a good product with multiple needles, air hose, mixing jars and caps. Is it the best....no. But, you can get excellent results with it. Plus it is easy to tear down, clean, and reassemble. And trust me..... that is very important. I have had mine for 14 yrs. and I still use it a lot. You can get professional results out of this gun and it is an excellent gun to learn with. Another huge plus is that you can get parts for it at most hobby stores and they are not expensive. Buying tips for an Iwata will make you grab your chest. Good luck. Skeeter

The only way you are going to learn to do this is to just get at it. Trace the lure out on a piece of paper. One with it laying on its side and one from the top of the back of the lure. That way you have the length and width of the lure. It will also give you the tapers. Cut the tracings out, place them on a piece of balsa, and trace it. Cut your lip slot into the lure before you go any further. This will make sure that it is square. It is almost imposible to cut a good slot once the bait is shaped. Take your band saw, scroll saw, hand saw, or carving knife and remove the larger pieces of material. After that it is all carving knife and sandpaper. I say to use balsa because it is so easy to work with. It is the best material to learn to do this with. Another suggestion would be to use a larger bait for your learning. Something like a DB II or III or a Poes 3 or 400. It is much easier to see how to shape the bait if it is larger. You are training your eyes to know where to remove matierial and keep everything in a straight line. The hardest part of the process is to keep the tail straight. It just takes time, patience, and a good set of eyes. You won't learn to do this overnight and you will mess up plenty (at least I did). You are making a lure by hand dude. It is a skill that not many people have. You are taking a bare block of wood and making a piece of art. It is truely what this forum is all about. I applaud your efforts because there are not many that do this anymore. Good luck and let me know if you need any help. I would really love to see you post the finished product. If you need help on the amount of weight to install and how to do the lip just ask. I would be glad to walk you through the steps. Bravo!! Skeeter