bojon

I fish Pueblo,and Lathrop Park,and a few gravel pits,plus the Arkansas river. Pueblo is my home town,so it is really around here I fish.I'm getting old enough were fishing on a long trip is a problem.But there is enough good fishing here to keep me busy.I lived right next door to Guntersville lake,and the Tennesse river system.When I worked for 22 years in northern Alabama.Talk about good fishing.But I had to move back home for my health.Life is a tradeoff.

Sounds like it would work for me.My fishing partner would like the idea of the WD 40.He sprays his lure with it almost every cast.I'm a bit bothered with it because of my Astma,but I think what you are doing is great.I have never had to change blades,but I have had to change two differt shafts,because the blades wore down into the metal shaft,and no adjustment could be made to stop the wobble.The blades are really tough. What surface are you using to cut on?I use a Fiskar self healing matt,and it seems to protect the blades. Making tubes is a blast,RIGHT!?

Similar to mine.Good Idea.Do the blades rotate smoothly,and are you able to keep proper adjustment to the blades(no wobble)?

Please disregard my last post.There is a major error in the formula.Sorry! I will resubmit the proper formula. Smallie,thanks for bringing up the error.

I use the 500 for my tube dipping and it works fine.Stir it well and use a micro wave and a Pyrex cup and I think you will be a bit more happy.

JB WELD takes up to 600 degs,so dipping it in the tempature of the plastic that we use for dipping doesn't bother it.I use it to attach the handles to my dipping rods.Might carve the shape from wood (popsicyle stick) with a small rod or tube glued to the back.cut a slot for the spinner blade,and cover the whole thing with a coat of JB WELD,then finish sanding to shape.Spray with Pam,remove the excess then dip.Cool.Cut the back of the lure(part way),remove the rod assembly,slide in a second rod (same size),with out the assy,also lubricated.Then dip into a second color just enough to cover the cut,and color the back.The out side of the lure will be shinny with no blemishes,because it will self level. Using the horizontal method this should be easy enough.I have dipped coated wood,but never a shape like this.I will try this.How could I call myself a tube man without at least giving it a try!!!

One on the basic colors I use for my double dip craw colored tubes.Great color. 4 onces of plastic Lurecraft 500 14 drops lurecraft yellow 1/2 drop of MF black (my way of saying very little) 1/2 teaspoon large black 1/4 teaspoon of small copper matchhead size of green hi-lite powder. Check

You can set them on a cookie sheet in a closed up car.The temp will get way up there.I guess you could pin them down on a piece of cardboard box.That would straiten things out.The temp out here,in a Colorado car, really gets hot.If I see a dog in a closed up car I have to fight the urge to go up to it to break the glass.It can kill babies,and pets.I just don't understand sometimes.Years ago my buddy used to make bows,and would laminate the different pieces of wood.This took a 180 degrees to do.He just placed the bow in a close up car while he went to work.I never dreamed it could get that hot.The bows worked,so I guess it was close.

Good job Jim!!!

If the guy making those tubes,in those colors ,is going out of buisness,then just get in touch with him and ask what colors he used.He may just give you the formula.Lure makers are a friendly bunch,but if he is hesitant then dont push it.The two colors are so similar that you might have trouble matching them even with help.I,for one,have trouble matching from pictures.Quite often my fishing partners want a special color,and only have a picture,they would be less than satisfied with my results,but when they gave me a sample the results improved.If you make your own attempt at these colors,be sure to mark down how much of each color you add to the plastic.

Kim, Thank you for the permission to use Tacklecraft as a supplier in my book.If the rods you are talking about can be used for horizontal dipping please let me know and I will include Tacklecraft in my book as a supplier.

I use a paper plug and JB WELD for my smaller aluminum tube rods,but the large one you are talking about uses copper pipe plugs.I'm not sure they are still available,but you could use wooden plugs on both ends (not too thick or too deep),and come up with the same.Use JB WELD for the inserts,but the end of the tube would be Epoxy Putty shaped,then when cured ground down to final contour using a Dremel tool, or sand parer.Make sure that all wood surfaces are coated with JB WELD.Use your own judgement here.It is not too big of a challenge.

I have put skirts on tubes almost from the start,always for my own use.I dip a tube then cut both ends,discard the nose(front)then cut the tails on each end.Easy to do.To attatch,to the front end of a tube,after the skirt is sliped on,I used a VERY small drop of super glue.Careful here it takes a very little,too much and you are setting yourself up with a mess.The tube for the cutting of the skirt would be dipped using a slightly larger rod.I never poured a beaver,but the principle should be the same.

Go to the post above by redgr8r dated July 12 2007 to get a idea of what I'm talking about.This short movie will explain a lot.The fist part of the movie shows a large tube being dipped,this was done in cool water to show how.DON'T DARE PUT YOUR HAD UNDER A PLASTIC COVERED TUBE.The dripping will burn you. I'm sorry if I haven't been able to answer all your questions and e-mails,I'm some what swamped.I type with one finger,and slow as all get out.

Great job Del.Should do the job,and fish well.

I have been working on a book that is loaded with pictures and short movies,that covers all I have learned in twenty years of tube dipping,and there is nothing left out.60 still photos a hour and a half of movies.Everything you ever wanted to know about horizontal tube dipping is there.Tools where to get them,how to make them,ect,ect. You will know when the book is ready,because I will ADVERTISE it on this site first.I'm about finished.Just checking for errors.

Use plenly of ventilation when using these paints.The smell coming from the paint,or the PVC cement is the same.Check the can of the cement.As I remember it is MKE that is used for thinning.CAREFUL WITH THIS PRODUCT,you may need your lungs to breath.I was so concerned that I painted outside,with a breeze blowing over the tubes.

I have been very busy working on the ebook,so I have not tried to dip any paddle tails.I'm thinking that I would coat the aluminum with JB weld,and dip quickly into the plastic,and make probably no less than three dips,so I could have a back color,and the final dip would be after a thin pointed end rod would be inserted(after removing the original dipping mold),I keep thinking of this as a tube,that after the mold is removed I would have a opening at the nose of the bait,which means there would be a fourth dip with the plastic dripping to the nose,and sealing it.Might have to super glue the nose shut before the last step.There is no doubt that the dipping forms would have to have a good coat of a Pam type lube,so that the rods can be stripped.Very labor intensive.

Why not use balsa,covered with Devcon 2 ton epoxy?

Looks like I'm fixn to get more gray hair.Thanks guys.

I was thinking I might try sueezing a half inch aluminum tube in a vice leaving a small cavity at the top,then grinding the boby to shape with a dremel.Then epoxy puddy a spinner blade for the tail and fill the concave of the Colorado blade.

Thanks for the info.Looks like I will have to try to make some.I enjoy the challenge.

What diameter is the hollow tube part of the cavity,on a 4 inch long size bait? Has anyone tried to get a scale pattern by setting the bait on newspaper type print?Not the high clay content of magazine print.I noticed that if I set my tubes on the newspaper it picks up the print after a time.Seems this could be adapted to transfer a scale pattern on to a bait.As far as the multiple dips,it is slower by far,but a lot of my tubes are three,and four colors.At the high cost,making them for your self could be an option.

I use the #500 from Lure Craft and add about a teaspoon of their salt to four onces of plastic.I stir well throuout the dipping process.Most people use much more,and I do also at times.Some of my pumkin pepper are loaded to a point were the salt no longer disolves.This also weakens the tube by quite a bit.The salt will settle to the bottom and you have to stir a whole bunch,even then the last few will be almost worthless to give away or sell.Keep them for yourself because they work great,but they tear up right away.One fish one tube.

As I get closer to finishing the book on tube dipping,I would like to include questions from the forum members,that I could answer in the book,as part of the format.Any thing that I can help with,I will make a effort to answer as best I can.Email me thru the forum,and of course I will use no names.No question is too silly,if a person doesn't ask,there will never be a answer to share. I'm getting major support from one of the board members,so the book is moving along.Thanks to you,and you know who you are.