nova

You know what guys........? We can all say we knew him when he was just plain old Jim, lol. Just kidding buddy. Good for you. www.novalures.com

I'm not a scientist by any means; but I would almost bet that the lead will retain radioactivity. If you know any firemen, they may have a gieger counter. Would be nice to check it just to be sure. You don't want to make yourself or your customers sick. www.novalures.com

I like it Earther. That's a neat idea. I like people who think outside the box. www.novalures.com

The tragedy of it is that there is no magic bait. Any bait will catch fish. You just have to have the confidence in the bait you are using and be in the right place at the right time. At least that is what I beleive. www.novalures.com

Exotic/different woods make nice shadowbox lures if you finish them naturally. Some woods have a very abstract grain which looks very nice. www.novalures.com

$2.50 to $3.00 www.novalures.com

Blue and purple are so close on the spectrum it's hard to tell; especially inside of the purple color.(glitter). I think I would try one and then the other. If you want to make the "candy" color your own try adding just a touch of blue or violet highlite; but just a touch. www.novalures.com

Looks like black grape with blue glitter to me. www.novalures.com

Nice work Jim. www.novalures.com

If you are using plaster of paris to make a mold I use plain old cooking oil. Just brush it on the plaster(no need to put it on the master). If you are using RTV for the mold I can't help you there as I don't use the stuff myself. If you are only make a one-sided mold of plaster there is no need to coat the master, especially if it is a plastic bait you are trying to copy. www.novalures.com

Frank is a real authority on POP molds; he's a good source. You also should buy 2 or 3 boxes of plaster to start with because no matter how much you read on the subject before you start, you will make mistakes. This will save the frustration of running back to the store in the middle of making molds. Don't give up if your first few molds don't turn out as good as you expected. Stay with it and you'll get the hang of it. www.novalures.com

It's yellow Clemmy; lol. www.novalures.com

Sorry guys but I'm going to have to back out on this one. I just don't have the time.(personal reasons) I will get in on the the next one. www.novalures.com

I think maybe you got it too hot and it scorched. When you scorch black it will take on a greenish hue. Try reheating at only 20 second bursts. The thing with micros is that it heats from the center outwards. Even after you take it out it is still heating. As soon as you get it out of the micro you have to stir it to pread the heat evenly. www.novalures.com

You have to let the first color cool a little so it doesn't run when you put the 2 parts of the mold back together.(sticks) Then you pour the second color with the mold tilted about 60 degrees. The second color has to be hot enough to bond to the first color. This process is much more time consuming than pouring one color baits. www.novalures.com

I think it is a really neat idea no matter who does it. I'm all for experimentation and thinking outside the box; as many of the folks here know. There is one thing about all of this though that we all have to remember; and that is that Lucky Craft is in the business of selling as many baits to as many people that they can. Many of the folks here just do their craft simply as a hobby and rarely, if ever, sell their products. Some of the baits I've seen in the gallery are truley works of art and if they were priced the amount should be quite high compared to any mass produced bait. Years ago I tried glueing rabbit skin(with hair) onto a wooden plug to make a type of rat and that lead me to doing Buzz the Mouse. I have the greatest respect for anyone in any endeavour, with a healthy imagination. I don't think; or at least I would like to think, that no one here was personally attacking you. I found that when I first joined TU I had trouble with the posting because there is only the written word. There are no visable or audible emotions which are very big cues that we all use instintively. Anyway; thanks Smokey for posting the pics. It is an interesting concept. www.novalures.com

Laminates are simply one color over the other with definate separation of colors; usually a light color and a dark color. The lighter color is representative of the belly of a baitfish or some aquatic animal (snake, lizard etc). www.novalures.com

Saint; when folks buy in bulk from me I discount the prive by 10% simply because I now don't have to do all those 10 packs. My point to this is that if I save money the customer saves as well. www.novalures.com

They do make clothing out of fish skins.(Iceland) It's cured, tanned and then treated. I would think that as long as it is dry and free from oils it would work. I also think that this is just a ploy to catch the fishermen. I'm sure the cost will be very high compared to the rest of their products; and they are high enough. I'm also sure that the fish don't give a darn that it has a squid skin wrapped around it. To me this is nothing more than an pricey novelty. Just my 2 cents. www.novalures.com

The scent could also be completely artificial (chemical composition) and that can be patented. By the way; soaking a bag of grinds in softner does work. My partner fished some of my sticks and he said they worked quite well. Soaking coffee in softner will turn it brownish of course; so making lighter colors (white) with it will not be an option. www.novalures.com