robalo01

At what point in your build do you cut the groove and instal your bill/lip?

Thanks for the tip. I ran some tests today and they came out pretty good, even with Poly resin. I ground up and old cork rod handle in a blender and then sifted it. The finer the grain the stronger the result but slightly less buoyant. Stephen

My opinion is that the ballast, other than keeping a central grouping, is the least important. It satisfies static shape in the water, so that the bait sits upright and the lip gets a good start with the retrieve. The central grouping of the ballast promotes a wide action. If you want a narrow action, spread the ballast and/or use a denser wood. The most critical attributes are the lip width/length, tow eye position and body back width/length. Dave, So, by this reasoning, would it be possible to have multiple baits with identical shape, materials and ballast perform effectively but differently by changing the one or more of the other factors such as lip size, shape, angle, lure tie? Stephen

I think I will now have install a spoiler on my next diver

Godzilla, Most of the guys here who make large wood baits don't use screw eyes. They either run wire all the way through the bait (called "through-wire construction") or the cut 2-4 inches of SS wire, bend it in half, twist it leaving a loop and glue it in hole in place of a screw eye. These methods are both stronger and less expensive than screw eyes. I believe Janns Netcraft carries larger SS Screw eyes. Stephen

I found this on YouTube. They call it "scenic water", used for simulating water in model train making.. Apparently it comes in granules that you melt and pour. I wonder if it is a viable lure-making resin.

Anybody know of any potential substitutes for Microbubbles? Anything that can be added to resin to make it float.

I am looking into making a crankbait duplicator that cuts baits from foam board with a hot wire (or rod, blade etc). I tested with a make-shift hot wire cutter and it very well, albeit a little slow. Any ideas of what to use for a cutting heated object? I have seen hot wire cutters made with 110V. You run a 100W light bulb in the circuit. I wonder if it would allow me to use a thicker wire and cut faster?

What about Eagle Supreme?

Anybody have a link for the GST? Is it available at Home Depot?

I made a little improvised wire cutter. (It took me about 20 min: guitar string, 6 volt transformer, wooden frame). It was slow but cut the foam board beautifully. It made a MUCH smoother cut than a knife, saw or sander. So I am thinking... Foam board Duplicating Machine. Any Ideas for a heat tool? Solder gun?

The fumes could be dealt with. I heated a hook on the stove and it went straight through skin an all.

Once you get the fiber glass skin off, can you cut it with a hot wire cutter?

This is an interesting one: http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/Stephen_Ashcraft/media/fixedblade_zps2d40fa2c.jpg.html It feeds the blank through the square tube. The saw does not rock. The blank spins and bounces to make the bait.

post a pic!

http://www.harborfreight.com/9-piece-punch-and-die-set-95547.html Something like this.

There are so many CNC shops out there making aluminum molds for worm pourers, you would think one of them would offer punch and dies for aluminum lips and hardware. I know there it's not the same thing, but a lot of those guys make there own tools. You would think they would the capability.

I guess I have too much time on my hands with the recovery... A few things that I see in common on the machines the big producers use (at least the ones seen in videos on the web): 1. They use a disc saw to cut the wood. Apparently this is faster than a router 2. They have a continuous feed. They don't chuck up a short piece of wood. They cut the end of a longer board. I think this offers two efficiencies a) you cut to the very end of one side, You don;' have to cut and chuck up a new piece for each new lure. 3. They use motors, not tools like routers and angle grinders 4. The model they work off of is metal, all of them look like aluminum, maybe SS? 5. The guide that rides on the model have a wheel and bearing. If I am going to produce wood cranks, I think one of these things is a necessity.

I have been asking a lot of questions and getting great info lately. I thought I might give a little back. I got tired of tossing out so many little mixer cups. I poured about 50-60 ml of RTV into the bottom of an aluminum can. The rounded bottom is great for mixing 5 min epoxy. Everything runs to the middle and once it dries you just peel it out and toss the left over epoxy.

Anybody know what Stanford Lures uses? It looks pretty thin. I think they say that they use 5-6 coats.

Get???

Ok, Need some opinions. What is your favorite dipable clear coat? Assume coating wooden bass lures painted with acrylics.

One thing I noticed on the pebble site was that they were pretty clear there would be visible differences between pieces. Not good for making consists cranks.

Salty, I feel your pain. I have had to adjust my business practices several times over the years due to what I considered unfair practices. For example, I have a wholesale soft plastic hand pouring/injecting business in Mexico (domestic only, no exports). Several US factories sell their seconds by the pound for recycling (they use the stuff to make shoes and such down here). A few guys go through the "garbage" and pull out tens of thousands of usable baits (Strike King, BPS, ZOOM, Culprit, ETC) repackage and sell them for pennies. Naturally, I informed the brand owners of what was going on as I am sure their legit sales must be affected. No action was ever taken. I raised my prices and started making more unusual shapes and colors. Sticks used to be my bread and butter, now it is creature baits. One thing I learned from that is that price is never a good way to compete. It isn't easy to find a customer base that appreciates consistency and quality, but once you do, you have a client list that is pretty inflexible (meaning they won't leave the brand for a few pennies. Right now I am recovering from a car accident and shoulder surgery (that is why I have been hanging out quite a bit here) and looking into getting into a crankbait building business. I considered buying blank bodies, then making resin baits, now I am thinking of going to wood, maybe balsa. Right now, my price is a secondary concern. I have customers who trust me do make something worth the money. I have to ensure I fulfill the expectation. It might take a few months, but I believe I can apply the same practices that have made us successful in soft plastics to making wooden cranks. Most important, I need to to it in a way that others will have difficulty imitating. I am not worried about the Chinese plastic imports, I want to compete on quality and value. Hope something comes of it.

I have been a member of TU for over 10 years and involved in the tackle business for 20. The tackle business has always had a strong cottage industry sector that is what attracted most of the entrepreneurs on this site. History records time after time people complaining of unfair trade. There is no such thing as fair trade. Finding an advantage is what makes the wheels turn. Sometimes it is location, material costs, cheap labor, or something else.I know, there is some question as to whether or not ET is collected or other taxes are paid, but still, someone has found a way to compete. At the same time, if working with people like those who run said website is a deterrent, their reputation will take care of removing them from the market as so many others over the years. This is the reality of the commercial climate. Those who adapt will get ahead. Those who try to keep things the way they were will go the way of the dinosaur.