Coley

You may use shellac, polyurethane or Devcon 2 ton. Coley

Look under the header at top of page, you will see Photos. You can select which section you want to view. Coley

Great colors, good work!! Coley

I haven't tried it on a lathe yet. Notice I say yet. I believe you could turn the harder stuff, something like 16-18 lbs/cuft. Coley

Ok, now we know the higher the weight, the more dense the balsa is. So, the more dense it is the harder it is. I have some blocks that range from 4.9 lbs/cu ft to 11.08 lbs/cu ft. You can feel the difference just by touching the block. The higher weight is much smoother, and harder to squeeze. It's cuts extremely good without crushing like the softer wood. Here is why I prefer the harder balsa. I made two identical baits, used the same weight in each one. One was made from soft balsa and the other from hard balsa. I didnot paint either one and only clear coated around the head with Devcon. I smashed both down into the water as hard as I could on the end of a fishing line and rod. The nose of the soft balsa bait broke off and was still attached to the lip, the second time it hit the water. After 15 hits on the water the hard balsa bait was still intact. I then proceded to smash the bait down on my asphalt driveway as hard as I could swing the rod. The lip came loose but, the balsa stayed together. Coley

I hate to disagree with you boat, but if you go here, you will even find a balsa density calculator. http://www.nclra.org/Programs/BalsaDensity.php So like I said earlier, the heavier the balsa, the higher the density. And its based on pounds/cubic foot. Coley

What grade of balsa do you use to make your baits?? Do you know the density??, balsa is measured in hardness on a scale of 4 very soft to 24 extremely hard, lbs/Cu ft. Where do you buy it?? Coley

Why don't you send some to a friend you trust and have him send them back to you unopened, use the same packaging and all. Or pack some up and let them sit 3-4 days. This will at least test your packaging. Coley

That thing is beautiful!! You do great work with glass. Coley

Take a look at picture, is this what you are talking about?? Coley

Lets start from beginning, 1, Airbrush, you can buy a Paasche VL set at Harbor Freight for around $59 probably the best price you will find. 2, Compressor, you will need a small compressor, get one that has a 2 gal. or so air tank, check Homier.com 3, Sealer, you need to seal the wood before you prime it, if your bait is balsa, use Devcon 2 Ton, and lightly sand before primer coat. If your bait is hardwood you can seal quickly with Bullseye spray shellac, in a can. 4, Paint, is a personal selection, I would advise you to use waterbased paint, the reason I say this is, enamel & lacquer require thinners which can be dangerous if you are not familiar with them and know what you are doing. Health risks is another factor. 5, Other items, you will need some method to hold your bait while painting and drying, some use X-acto knife handles, forceps and dowels with screws in them. Some sort of dryer that will rotate the bait 4-6 rpm while the Devcon or cures, or you can rotate it by hand for 20 min. or so until Devcon sets up. 6, Optional items, if you want to paint scales you will need some type of material to do that, eyes you can paint or use stick-on, stencils for cutting your other markings. Maybe this will help you get going, Coley

More than likely the lip was made out of plastic and not Lexan. Most of the baits on this site have Lexan lips and the wire only goes to the back of the lip. Coley

Thanks, to all you guys for the nice comments you made about the pics I posted of my baits. Coley

Hey Spo, get a 1/4" paper hole punch and punch the dots out of black vinyl electrical tape and just stick them on. Works great!! Coley

I use Kilz and Krylon white primer, solvent based, over the Devcon. Coley

No more, I am done fooling with the plastic. For some reason I just can't get it to mix with the thinner. I shook my arm out of joint today, the thinner stays clear. The plastic is very soft in the jar. If you dip a piece of wood down into it, it rolls off the wood, won't stick. I took some out and put it on with a putty knife, that's not going to work either. Coley

Tally, normally I cure 4 baits at a time, I could do 8, by the time I get 4 on the dryer my nerves are shot. I like Devcon, but it really sucks to coat a bait and put it on the dryer and return to find the coating has pulled away, leaving a bare spot on the bait. Some of them I recoat that spot when I do the next bait and keep it for myself. Your dryer idea is great, couldn't you spray the styrofoam with Krylon clear and stop the dust falling off?? Coley

Well, today I used 3 oz. Solo cups. I get same results. I put the jar in my paint shaker for 30 min., nothing. OK, lets review, We are using lacquer thinner, not Acetone or MEK. This is driving me nuts and I didn't have far to go. OK, Bullseye is fine, I use it on hard baits made from hard wood. I am looking for something to seal balsa other than Devcon, that doesn't require much sanding. Coley

Have not had this problem before or since. Had other new baits in box with this bait sitting in sun. The funny thing is, that's it's perfectly round. Give Devcon credit, it didnot bust. The bait is very useable, just not saleable. Coley

Nice job Chip!!!!!!!! They look great!!!! Coley

Thanks for pics. Mine looks nothing like that. Guess, I will try another plastic. No matter how much I shake it, it just won't mix with the thinner. Coley

Can you post a picture of the plastic right before your ready to dip your bait?? Coley

Well, mine has been in the jar for 4 days and there is one big glob of soft plastic in the bottom. I stirred it with a stick and it didn't try to stay on the stick. The thinner is clear on top of the plastic. And stays clear when you stir it. I used the 3 oz. Solo plastic cups and some white eating utensils. What do I do next?? Coley

The undercoat was not sprayed on the wood. It's a balsa bait and is sealed with Devcon, then sanded and sprayed with white undercoat. Coley

Welcome aboard CM I have followed your work on Lure Wizards for quite sometime. Very nice I must say. Coley