KrawdadBill

You could possibly look at a table top drum sander.

Nice job!!

Nice looking lure.

Sorry about the double post.... It's Monday. Keep your airbrush clean, filter out any small particles (dried lumps of paint) and practice...

Loved my old Paasche VL, so I bought me a new one for birthday/Christmas present. hook it up to my compressor and it didn't spray as much paint as my old one. Took it apart and found that the paint body nut that holds the small brass cone tip is different inside. It is fluted. I have better control but less paint and the spray was now pulsing, so I upgraded my compressor. Had a cheap... errr... inexpensive Harbor Freight Special (Central Pneumatics), which did me well for a couple years. I now have a Polar Bear Twin Piston Compressor. Works great, auto on off, no pulsing and plenty of pressure. I am still working on the most desirable pressure setting for my type of spraying using Createx. But this new setup is looking like a winner for me. I even got me a new no 3 needle and tip for my old VL which is also connected in tandem on the new compressor with my new VL.

Loved my old Paasche VL, so I bought me a new one for birthday/Christmas present. hook it up to my compressor and it didn't spray as much paint as my old one. Took it apart and found that the paint body nut that holds the small brass cone tip is different inside. It is fluted. I have better control but less paint and the spray was now pulsing, so I upgraded my compressor. Had a cheap... errr... inexpensive Harbor Freight Special (Central Pneumatics), which did me well for a couple years. I now have a Polar Bear Twin Piston Compressor. Works great, auto on off, no pulsing and plenty of pressure. I am still working on the most desirable pressure setting for my type of spraying using Createx. But this new setup is looking like a winner for me. I even got me a new no 3 needle and tip for my old VL which is also connected in tandem with my new VL.

I use North Atlantic White Cedar almost exclusively, with the exception of a few balsa lures. Love the way it works, cuts, sands and finishes. The original Poes lures were made from white cedar. Ahhh grasshopper, you must become as one with your wood. Then you will be the master carver.

Hey Dwain, I don't know about shaving, but my grandmother used to put Nair on her upper lip Saturday night so she wouldn't have that mustache on Sunday morning. :-D bill

Some interesting ideas. I have used a Dremel router attachment on ice fishing rod handles like the Green Hornet from the movie Grumpy Ole Men. But think the smaller lures would be very hard to control. Giant muskie lures might work okay. One idea I saw a while back is to use a piece of tubing or pipe (PVC or other) cut it in half length wise and us it as a backing/holder/guide for sand paper. Myself, I use my trusty pocket knives on the white cedar lures, single edge razor blade and exacto knife on the balsa lures, then larger sanding boards used for finger nails. Those boards can be vacuumed during use and also washed and reused many times. Of course I'm not trying to do thousands of lures either.

Cabelas has a Rapala treble hook replacement kit that has size 3, 5 and 8 VMC hooks in both red and black.

Skeeter, Scuffing and abuse by rocks is the reason I normally use two coats of Devcon. It is really a tough finish. As I would think one coat evenly applied, as mine usually are, would suffice. I have seen how some of the Pros abuse their lures against structure. (IMHO) The second coat is just an extra layer of confidence to protect those precious paint jobs, no matter what the type of top coat is used. Thanks for all the help. bill

Thanks Skeeter

Alright you guys and gals. I normally put two coats of Devcon 2 ton epoxy as my top coat and I know it is almost a bullet proof finish. Would just one coat be adequate for bass lures?

I have a doulbe action VL myself. It does a pretty good job. Be careful cleaning yours, Most problems, with the exception of paint with hard pieces that need to be strained out, come from poor cleaning and bending the needle tip or spliting the nickel platted brass cone tip. The crew here at TU have some good recipes for air brush cleaner solution. Some even add a few drops to their paint, although I haven't tried that yet. Take care of the air brush and practice.

I have a doulbe action VL myself. It does a pretty good job. Be careful cleaning yours, Most problems, with the exception of paint with hard pieces that need to be strained out, come from poor cleaning and bending the needle tip or spliting the nickel platted brass cone tip. The crew here at TU have some good recipes for air brush cleaner solution. Some even add a few drops to their paint, although I haven't tried that yet. Take care of the air brush and practice.

It is guess work without seeing the lures. But shaving the size of the diving bill down just a little bit can decrease your action. Careful because too much shaving will eliminate your action completely. Also adding a feathered or dressed treble hook on the rear will tone down some of the action also. Shortening the length of the feathers or hair on the trebles will decrease the drag and give different results.

Check the following post by: Lurehead03 Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 11:59 pm Post subject: coffin bills

Dave is right on with his remarks. I am shooting with a Paasche VL myself. Some of the opaque colors have given me fits right out of the bottle, especially the opaque white. Straining the white through a piece of old pantie hose and/or adding a drop or two of pearl white has helped in smoothing it out. Also, if you are use to spraying lacquer, it may take you some time to get used to the finish of the Createx. It has a different look than the lacquer, at least to me it does. But after you apply the top coat, the paint comes alive. Good luck. Bill

I would not paint that lure. It is a collectable. I haven't seen many that color. Put that one up for safe keeping. Some of the bug-n-bass lures may sell for over $100.00 with their box. The one I have shown here sold for $243.00 on ebay. Just my honest opinion. bill

I have not tried to spray the blade and spoon dip. I have only dipped with it. It dries pretty quick. Have tried brushing and swabbing but dipping seems to work the best for me. If you go that route be sure to ask about their blade and spoon dip remover, which is the best and easiest way to remove the dip if you need to redo it or even change colors. Triple C, that purple and chart blade is awesome. bill

What you need is available at Stamina Inc. and is called blade and spoon dip. :!: Also you can get it direct from: www.ispikeit.com I have used it on metal diving bills myself. bill

Very nice. Great job all around with the lure and tutorial. : Just a couple questions. I assumed you sprayed the bill with Createx. How did you prepare the surface of the bill for painting and did you top coat the bill with 2 Ton Epoxy? Also, wasn't it a hassle working with the Luxon stlye line tie on the lip? What did you do about coating around the holes in the bill for the line tie and keeping the top coat from bonding the line tie and bill together? I really like your crawfish color scheme. Very creative. Again, nice job, well done. bill

I haven't seen any unpainted ones. But you might be able to contact them and purchase some. http://www.banditlures.com They are located at: 444 Cold Springs Rd Sardis, MS 38666

Dwain, I am right handed but am physically challenged because Muscular Dystrophy has and is progressively robbing me of my muscles. I have lost the extensor muscles in my right hand and most use also. Hence having to use my left hand to airbrush. Although, I can still carve a pretty mean lure right handed with my trusty Uncle Henry pocket knife. "A need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem." by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. No harm, no foul. Createx, being water based, is much easier for me to use and clean up. But hey, I love the smell of lacquer. bill

Testors does make an Acrylic paint. I prefer the Createx myself. Plus the bottles are so much larger. If I were faster and more skilled working left handed (as I am right handed) I would airbrush with lacquer. Each have their advantages and disadvantages. But Createx is so much easier to use especially when it's clean up time for me and my airbrush. Just in MHO. Plus it doesn't have the fumes of lacquer. bill