bojon

Oil pastels are on line at the Dick Blick site.This is a large art supply store.Check out the large assortment of colors.Most can be bought by open stock of each color. Think of oil pastels as adult crayons.I have tested the oil pastels over the past twenty years,and find that they do rather well.Very few failures.They dissolve nicely and are bright.Sure are a lot neater than dyes,and the pigment is highly concentrated. Worth trying.Get a small box at Hobby Lobby,or other art store,or borrow a small piece from a art student.

The wax is what made me go with the oil pastels.I figured the wax would set up and do like Nova said. I thought about using regular pastels,they are a lot more like chalk.They would have to be ground up pretty fine and should be like the powders sold for the plastic.I would have tried this but couldn't find a mortar,and pestel(spelling?)Like drugists use.

The oil pastels I use were bought at HOBBY LOBBY in their art section.They cost about $3.50 for a set of 12 sticks. I think that was about right.It's been awhile. Yes you can mix colors ,BUT,I have some tube lures that looked great only to change color dramatically over night.I mixed some of the new colors with some that were twenty plus years old.Went from tan,to green.I find that that was my worst failure.I recommend trying the flourescent colors,you can add them before you heat the plastic.I made some tubes that had a body of charteuse,a black back,and a flourescent red belly.There was no bleeding to other colors.I placed them in a baggie of white lures,and left them in the car on a warm day,to test if they would transfer to the white.They didn't and that is a improvement on dyes,unless I got ahold of bad dye. If you send me your e-mail address,I will send some pictures of the box of oil pastels,and the tubes.I have to use my cameras program to send.Sorry.

Thanks,Nova.

I have used one for a bunch of years and it is great.It is a simple shaker and a improvment on the embarassing devise I did use in the past.I think it would work just fine,but you would have to use a rubber band to fit over the bottle.The rubber restraints that came with mine,after many years of use,rotted.I place bottles up to two ounces in a baggie,and secure with a rubber band.The V shaped cradle should hold the 4oz container,and the shaker should work.

I like Nova's method for dipping,and even though I haven't tried it,I think it would work great for what you want.If I was dipping to come up with what you want,I would dip twice horozontal then dip vertical to a depth of the body only,for four more dips.This would give more action to the tail and make the body tougher. I would spray the inside of the can with Pam to make clean up easier. Nova, How long does the plastic stay fluid enough to dip?Is the pan on a heat source?Do you insulate the cans?I'm some what clumsy and worry about tipping the plastic,is the bottom weighted? Sorry,it seems I have asked more questions than I gave solutions.

I have been using oil pastels for over twenty years with good and bad results.The flourescent colors work great,much better than the dyes sold for soft plastic baits,and they can be added after the plastic has been heated,they do not bleed,and stay bright.That said,when mixing some of the other colors from different companies,you can get some wild results.The oil pastel sticks disolve very well in the heated plastic.Oil pastels are like ADULT CRAYONS used in art classes.Ask some one who is into art work,and they would be happy to give you a bit of a stick.A 1/4 inch piece will color a cup of plastic.

Dip horozontally and save a bunch of plastic and headaches.A friend dips a 14 inch muskie bait.Get a hot plate(not a griddle),and a loaf pan with a roughened bottom,with handle attached and you will out perform the vertical dipping.You are working very hard on a simple task.Eight inch tubes are easy to make.Why aren't you making a really big tube?Or buy them from RED OCTOBER BAITS.Big lakers seem to like large tubes.Do you tip them with sucker?

Years ago I used used BOUNCE dryer sheets to reinforce joints on some small projects I was working on.Using it with epoxy made a very strong joint.I wonder if this would work to reinforce the plastic bait,like the screen idea.Just a thought.

Use scent.

I have seen SWO's blood color,and it is great.

Add green to the red.Works for me.This was how I did it when in art school.Wow!That was a long time ago.

Years ago I would make split tail grubs by the bunch.They were black back,charteuse body,and fire tail belly.I woudn't worry about a cold joint,but I placed then on a cookie sheet and backed them for a few minutes at 275deg.in a oven.They get shiny when they are done.Never had one come apart,but I didn't like the process.

I use oil pastels from HOBBY LOBBY with mixed results,you can get the flourescent colors that work very well.They are opaque,and most colors are stable.MOST is the key word here,some change color overnight to ,what is this I have done.As I remember the purple was stable.Might be worth a try using a couple ounces of plastic.Use a very small amount of the pastel stick.

Thanks guys!!!! That is nice,to see that I have helped. Ron

Charkins way would give a much neater division line between the two colors,and would look very professional.The way I suggested gives a slight taper to the second dip it looks ok and the fish like them,but probably wouldn't sell well in stores.One of my favorite colors is a brown body with a blue tai.This is a effort to duplicate the crawdads in my area.Many of my tubes have two,or three colors and sometime more.like a bronze back,with a silver body,and a pastey white belly. Have fun with colors,and enjoy.Don't limit yourself.Limit out on fish.

I have good luck horizontal dipping the primary(body to be tail color),then allowing it to cool on the rod,then dipping at a sharp angle to make the body color.Easier than it sounds.You also can do this vertically,but that is something I never tried. PM message me,and give me your e-mail address,and I'll send some photos.

Salt might cloud it up enough for your liking.

I do the same as Nova for my eyes.With super glue,i find a smooth finish seems to work best,with the gap filling formula.

I have been ordering from Lurecraft since they first started up thier bussiness.In all the years dealing with them I have never had a problem with them.They always were helpful in assisting me and answering my questions.If you stay with a company as long as I have they are doing something right.I buy all my supplies from them and I see no reason to change. The only thing is the fish that they used for a logo in the old days. Now that was some ugly fish. LOL I always recommend them highly when it comes to products and service.

If you are dipping horizontaly,and then hanging the rods downward,at a 90 degrees,with the end the nose of the tube,at the lowest point,the nose(front) should be slightly thicker than the tail.Not so thin as to be a problem like you are having.Are you using LC formula #500,extra strength?How much salt are you adding?Are you using remelts of old plastic?The junk(addatives)in the remelts may be causing your problem.What kind off tail cutter are you using?If it is a rotary blade cutter are your blades wobbeling?Shaft worn? I have helped a lot of people make tube lures,and have yet to hear of the problem you are having.You are not doing something not quite right.Rethink the questions I have asked and find out where your process differs. Maybe another member has run into this problem,and we can both learn. HELP ANYONE!!!!

In the old days I used the netting from Wal Mart,and a crochet loop,made of wood,to spray the scales on my crankbaits.It worked very well.Might work for plastics.

Agree with Nova.

Spike It might have MKE as a thinner,but I'm not sure.Smells a bit like it.