Salty's

How do you keep it from bubbling. Everyone I've talked to that has ever used it has had serious issues with bubbles. Brushed, dipped and sprayed. Bubbles. It's a great looking topcoat but the bubbles make it not worth ruining hundreds of lures on.

LOL A ball end mill in a drill press can be used to make impressions in an aluminum plate...then drop a black pupil in each one and then cover with a piece of foil in the color you want. This is basically how commercially mfg eyes are made except those are done on grid squares and sheets of pupils etc.

Some like to ummm...exaggerate a bit? I'd like to see anyone brush coat 700 lures a day. Good luck with that.

yep very well said. Best post in the whole topic.

Biggun, I made some comments based on extensive experience in the business wholesaling and retailing. If you realized just how bad the problem is in this business you would echo exactly what I say here or anywhere else. You're exactly right too in that some good information is given here. But I'll guarantee you that none of it will be followed...costs money. Fishhead no nerve struck. Actually I'm disgusted at how low many stoop in this business. I threw away $100k in business last year because I have to charge people the excise I'm required to pay. Why should I sell products to people who don't do it legit and have to pay their tax out of my pocket. I got an email that you asked a question about this subject is why I said it here. Again off topic. This thread is about making money in the fishing lure business. I'm telling you it's not what it seems and you ain't making what you think you are. I work for .40 an hour. It's taken me 13 years to bring it up from .10 an hour. People think this is a get rich quick business. They get in, make a ton of sales then realize how much work it is and they're gone in 6 months or a year. MEANWHILE they just ate up a slice of a 6 billion dollar industry that could have been mine or someone elses doing it legit. Multiply this by thousands and thousands...you get where this is going? I bet if you walked into ANY tackle shop right now that I could help you pick out 25 products that were made and sold illegit. That's alot of peg space a real business could have... That's why I link the two together.

I make fishing lures. I don't give tax advice. I save that for the cpa and the irs. I pay what I'm told. Please don't send me private messages asking questions. I make even less money answering questions than I do making fishing lures LOL If you're importing lures and you don't know the answer to this question then you're not a legit business and would advise you to fix this asap before you get caught.. And it doesn't matter if you've already paid the excise on hooks or any parts. It's illegal to deduct the excise paid off the top or use that in your calculations.

Cougar I went through the same thing years ago. I finally got hooked up with the guy (Roger I think was his name?) out in upstate Michigan who is the guy who wrote the tax book for the examiners. He spent over 2 hours with me on the phone one day and educated me on how it works. You pay excise tax differently if you're are a retailer vs a wholesaler also. You pay 10% on a wholesale sale, You pay excise on the constructive sales price of the items but if your wholesale price is lower then you pay excise on that. (the lower price of the two) I'm not giving advice on this, will leave that up to yourself to figure it out and get the straight ninny. I see alot of people who think they pay $2 excise on a $20 bait and this is not the case unless you are selling it to a shop for $20. If you retail it to someone then you pay $1.20 excise on it because the 06% constructive price which they calculate cost at is actually $12., if your wholesale price is $11 then you pay excise on that. I digress here this topic is about making money on fishing lures. You might think you do but it's really a money loser business.

And don't forget the constructive price rule. You don't pay excise on the total amount.

Flash...people don't care. I could name you 100 names right now of people in this business and out who don't pay excise tax or even go so far as to COUNSEL people not to pay it. MAGAZINE WRITERS EVEN. It's disgusting. Several months ago I took offence at a editors comments on people in this business enough that I penned an email to him even naming names to back up what I said. He took out the stuff he didn't want to print and printed my email without my consent. nice. 13 years I been fighting against people doing this stuff illegitimate. Never once have I dropped a dime. If I did the irs doesn't seem to care. They've never ONCE gone after a single person I've seen doing it under the table. NOT ONCE. There's entire websites devoted to this stuff. Even advertisers here! The owner of stripersonline.com takes 25% off the top of every illegal lure sold, knows it and flaunts it. He encourages guys on there to sell their stuff! As guilty of tax evasion as every guy doing it. I'll even go so far as to say this 16 year old kid ISN'T registered as a legit fishing lure business. Why? Cuz another one doesn't care. They just want to make the money without regard for anyone else. ​I sleep at night I pay my taxes on time every quarter. If more people did the face of this industry would be totally different.

Ran across this in my travels thought you guys might like to see the inside of a spoon factory.

If your not registered and paying FET you don't belong selling anything.

All the reviews were bad? Really? Cuz Vega makes probably THE best duplicator for a lathe of any I've ever seen on the market. Show me something better and cheaper to maintain. I've used Vega duplicators to turn out more lures than you've probably seen in your life. And I sold each one for close to what I paid for them with spare parts included that I never used.

It's a henweigh I've seen those before I'm sure of it

Mold material is about $30-50 for good stuff. Should not cost more than $100 to make a 9" and no more than $125 to make a 12". Recommend you find someone who knows what they are doing. Making the molds is a learned process and easy to eff up. I have 2 machines, I don't spincast for others anymore so pse don't ask. Recommend you learn how to cut the channels, don't think the pre done stuff works as good. Contenti is a good source for stuff they are online. If you're missing mold tops then you may as well throw the bottoms away you won't get far with them.

Even better is to scrap the drill...it goes too fast and can easily slip and mess your lure up or your hand.. I use a Ryobi cordless screwdriver with a bad hex shaped screw bit that you grind off the end and then put the groove in. Small, turns slower and you are less apt to slip and mess anything up. And you can take the bit out easily to go back to a philips or straightblade in seconds.

Hi Dave hope all is well! Seriously though be very careful with that Minwax stuff. It is Toluene based. It's a very small molecule and is easily absorbed through your skin. It causes all kind of gnarly things in your central nervous system. You can become very easily hypersensitized to this. It works well for rapid prototyping. Needs several dips separated by 12 hours or so to make wood totally waterproof. Doesn't play well with paints either...

Oh she did....it was the glaze on the chicken all those years roflmao

All the good stuff is gone. EPA killed it all. Best stuff was made by Behr. Gone. Infinite shelf life. Mark watch out for that Minwax stuff it's nasty and will make your balls turn greenish blue yellow and fall off.

I wish I could show mine. It's been declared Area 521 and you have to wear pink glasses to walk in the door. Most guys that see my shop walk out shaking their heads in disbelief LOL

Never saw this until the post in the main forum this week. Sorry to hear and condolences to friends and family. Did not know Coley personally but read many of his posts here on TU and previously TM.com also. RIP Coley.

G2L There is a lengthy piece on my forum about sealing. Would suggest you read it before you do anything. BLO is not the best to seal with and 24 hours is much too short of a time for a drying oil like this. Add another 72 hours minimum and then check it by feeling it. If the surface feels cold it's not dry.

Wow sorry to hear this. Coley was a long time contributor here.

I can help you with that. First, tell me where your fishing Second, what you throwing?

demerit duel

LOL but I never knew they would be so profitable I sent him the link and said that and asked for more rofmao. One of the best and funniest things I've ever done I still laugh about it today