KcDano

Most of the old tack eyes are small brass brads.

That has been done before! Take a look at a Lazy Ike Wig-L-Jig Same idea they have changed it a little by turning the spoon around

I did use it once to make a couple of baits uniform. At varying degrees around the bait, But it does work good for stripes

A profile gage works good for various sizes and spacings for stripes

The addition of a ballast weight located in the lower section of the bait will most likely correct your problem.

Give it a little heat treatment, carefully though only enough to break the bond

Yes, muriatic acid will clean copper quick in non-dilluted form. Be sure to wear protective, gloves, goggles and respirator. You can dillute to find the solution that works the best for your situation.

Yes, there is that possibility of solvent saturating the foam with dipping. But straight (no prior thinning) from the can most likely will have less solvent than the prop mix. I am confident you will work it out one way or the other. There are plenty of two part primers on the market that would do the job, but are going to cost more and not as easy to use as lacquer primer.

You might try high build auto lacquer primer straight from the can for dipping. Which one dip should fill any voids or you spray it on with a fast drying thinner. Preferably with a gun (detail gun) that can pattern a larger volume of primer than a airbrush.

Some use stock tanks which come in many different sizes.

Best of luck, Bear.

A detail gun would make applying the finish easier (less applications). You might benefit from using a hotter thinner inconjuction with the acetone. This will allow the paint to flow out better. But you will have more waste with a bigger gun due to clean-up and unused finish.

CJ, are spraying DN with an airbrush?

Good to see ya back, Skeeter. You once being such a ardent advocate of devcon epoxy for a lure clearcoat. I was suprised to see you here again. Especially, since I hear that you are spraying urethane for a clearcoat

I had mentioned using some disposable paint gun cup liners which are designed to hold urethanes. Dick nite never came back with any results for or against using a liner. If the plastic would hold up, you could clip the corner and dispense the desired amount and tie it off. The product could be stored in a bag with no air in it.

I have made several baits using catridge casings with loose weight to act as a rattle. On one particular bait I epoxied a bolt to the weight and epoxied a nut on the bottom of the catridge casing. This was done to allow me to move the weight vertically and take note of the difference in action.

Finding old hardware in quantity and at a reasonable price is going to be a difficult task. You could post at joe yates board many life long collectors read that board. There are 2 individuals that have old glass eyes in bulk, but at $3.00a pair, rather expensive. There is a company in Springfield, MO. - Little Sac Bait Co. The make old style lures in addition to the new Winchester baits. They have the machines to stamp the old style props with tyhe long bearings. They might sell you some. This is just a guess though. There are some Japanese companies that sell some old style hardware, but again, expensive! In any event. Good luck

Yes, I hope I can make, it would be sin to miss out on that much fun. But as the old adage goes: Man plans and god laughs. So we shall see I wil know in a weeek or two, one way or the other.

I don't know if I can make it or not, the date change may present a problem. I wil just have to wait and see.

Nathan what prompted the date change?

Make the line tie more circular and make the holes spacing less than than the diameter of the line tie. This will lock the tie to the lip and prevent up and down movement. Make the bends under the lip as tight to the lip as possible.

As a general rule: With a complete and fully hardwared lure, the water line should land around 2/3 to 3/4 up the side of the bait. In most cases this will provide a good action and stabillity. Also the diving bill should be completely submerged.

You could wrap the lure with mesh and once its tight around the bait and positioned correctly. Take some pop or dry wall compound and coat the mesh entirely. Once dry sand it evenly down do the mesh and remove the mesh. You will then have raised scales. You might have to experiment with different mesh to find one that releases easily from the drywall compound or soak the mesh in floor was before applying. When you paint the lure you can shoot your basecoat white then rub black in the cracks and the scales will show very distinctive

What a deal! The VL will suffice as far as painting a lure is concerned.