blackjack

1) Remove lip 2) Soak bait in acetone until paint,sealer, topcoat are removed 3) Clean up bait surface with acetone on a clean rag and let dry completly 4) Reinstall Lip 5) Reseal bait 6) Prime 7) Repaint Clearcoat Otherwise you are just wasting your time as the cracks will eventually come back

The model train guys use brake fluid to strip off old paint for refinishing. I have tried the brake fluid and yes it does work but depending upon the type of plastic used by the manufacturer of the hard bait some will show cracking in the plastic. I have a system that I use now that I can strip Megabass, Lucky craft, Team Daiwa, Jackall,Spro,Duel, Yozuri and a few other manufacturers paint right down to clear plastic without ill effects to the plastic. Sorry but all I can tell you is it is a combinations of a soak in a acid then a base and then a solvent. I got the system from a well known Japanese repaint artist and I had to sign a confidentiality agreement with a no complete clause. I will post some pics when I get home tonight to show the quality of the treatment.Picture as promised

A-Mac I believe that the reptile light emits mostly UVB light and that is why it did not cure

Who are all these old time crankers from NC and Tenn that are making baits that hunt??I constantly read and hear about the elusive "hunting crankbaits" yet have yet to see more than 2 builders baits that hunt. I know one in NC and one in Tenn, Both of them used to frequent this site and offer up their wisdom on a regular basis, Skeeter is one of them, JawJacker is the other. Marty B has it right, build some baits change around the weight placement, line tie placement, lip angle and see what gets you closer to your goal. These are your shortcuts!

Red cedar has an oil in it (that may be the reason you have not lost the lure pictured). That is why most lure builders that use cedar use AYC or white cedar as the concentration of oils left in the wood after milling and kiln drying is much lower than red cedar. Eventually the oils work their way to the surface compromising the finish. Nothing wrong with using it as long as you have a system that works with the oils in the wood

Everyone of your questions can be found by using the search feature on this site. Not to come off as an asshat or know it all but all of your questions have been asked and answered many times over by builders from around the world!! Also welcome aboard!!

I use both Laquer and waterbased paints with my booth,I built my spray booth directly from the info available from that video and a few other sources. It works flawlessly, If you are standing next to me while spraying Laquer you can not smell any fumes. Of course with this system it is also important to keep your filters cleans as this will drop the ratio of particulates to air. As far as insurance claims you can rest assured that the insurance company will look for any means possible to void you claim if something happens. Especially if you have not modified your policy to accomodate a business venture.

You know what I say, "Vote for change!!"

If you hydro-oriented the blanks after shaping then no weight is needed if you did not then some type of ballast will be needed

Go for it!! Nothing wrong with using another design and adding your personal touch to it. There really isnt much out there that is truely geniune, well unless you are the innovative developers of the Alabama Rig!! HaHa! Am I gonna be in trouble for using the name Alabama Rig?? On another Note Holy Crap Skeeter where have you been my friend?? Drop me a line will ya!!

Ok, using the name "Alabama Rig" to describe your knockoff is not cool, I can see that being a problem to the owner. But as far as intellectual design of the rig itself, they do not have a leg to stand on. The umbrella rig has been used since the early 60's by striper fisherman on the Right Coast, John Sekora and Gus Potts can take credit for the idea. So they essentially knocked off a design that has been around for close to 50 years and put their little spin on it. Good luck on patenting that!!

I would flatten out that belly region a bit.The way it is the belly is acting like a keel on a boat, keeping the bait straight not letting it go side to side

It could be a couple of things, incomplete mixing or old epoxy. If you have used ETEX then I dont think it is mixing as if it was you would have had problems with ETEX. The other thing it could be is contamination from the oils on your hands being transferred to whatever you are topcoating.

That would be because they are twice as nicely built. I have ordered from them all and I will only order from unpainted lures in the future!

I got some for sale PM me

go to google and type in Rockwell Blade Runner review and you will see that it is not highly recommended to do anything that it is advertised to do. I looked at it after watching the infomercial and tthought it looked like a decent tool!!

Since you are in the midst of commercial production of your baits, I would have assumed that you would have researched this prior to selling baits. I would suggest a clearcoat utilized in the automotive industry usually a 2 part urethane clear that can be sprayed. Or you can use the search feature here as there are probably 25 pages of information relating to clearcoats

Was told by manufacturer that dipping or application by brush would be most effective

Look for UV cure surfboard epoxy, cures in 20 minutes in direct sunlight and less time under UV lamps that are not that expensive. I almost made the jump to it a few years back as production was killing me. Now I cant be bothered!

Tom, Personally I would weight those baits at the lowest point on the belly of the bait. When you start fooling around with moving weights foward and higher in the bait you will mess with the stability of the bait as it moves thru the water. Weighting at the lowest point in the body will make the bait run straight and true as long as the rest of the components that are installed are square and true! Hope this helps!!

I would say that Dave is spot on on his diagnosis. Soft aircraft balsa is a pain to work with, good for flying things not good for swimming things that will be eaten. A high quality forstener bit of brad point bit will help but will still tear out when the bit gets clogged with debris. Even if you are succesful with getting a bait to finish it will not last as the balsa you are using does not have the strength to last thru the vigors of fishing. Best thing to do is get some medium density balsa and give that a try!

I would say that posting a picture of the bait would be needed by most anyone to figure out your dilemma!

Was messing around with some free time tonight. Not meant to offend anyone!! video

I am a newby when it comes to clearcoat but I heard from a reliable source that minwax poly in a rattle can it the cat's meow, my second choice would be clear nail polish. If you want I could use the search feature called the internet and find out where it is available!!