bojon

Glad to have been able to help!

Once you come up with the inside diameter of the tube,you might consider using a wood dowel that fits inside with a hole drilled into it to make the weight you want when you pour the lead directly into the dowel.Easy to make a weight of the head that you want.I bent stanless steel wire that was placed into a small hole drilled,this wire had a eye formed for the line tie,this wire went thru where the lead will be,and on to a large hook.I used this method for very large tubes,that needed to be heavy.Sounds harder to do than it is.

Sounds tough,as the others said.You may try washing them with Dawn dishwasing detergent,then drying with a paper towel,then dip in clear.I do this with some of my painted tubes,and it seems to work pretty good.I started to final dip in clear because I use Acrilc paints on my tubes,because the vapors of other paints bothered me.I think you will find that oils coming to the surface might be the problem.Let use know how you make out.

I use JB Weld a lot,and find it useful for a bunch of things when making lures.I have sealed the end of brass,or aluminum tube to make dipping rods.Works very well.I also use Epoxy putty to shape the end of the rods to give a new look to tube lures.Fat head,swimbait style,and several other shapes.Horizontal dipping the rods to give them two or more colors makes for a different look.Try the Epoxy putty,the type you can sand,or file,and dip the creation.Fun!

Please don't try that!!!!!! You don't have to cool the rod down that much.This would be a accident waiting to happen.

The end does not need to be rounded.The hot plastic running down the rod tends to round out at the nose.I dip 100% with flat dipping rods.Send me your email address and I will send a photo of my rods.Try the knit needle rod and cut off the end square.See how it works.No worry about a rounded end.

When I lived in Alabama I had a setup simalar to Daves.I was getting a film on my car because I was venting to the car port,I ended up filtering thrugh a charcol bed for the final vent.This shows that the fumes would be bad for the lungs.Worked great after the charcol modification.I now live in Colorado,and it is minus 8,with a chill factor of like -15.Strong winds.Good stay inside weather.

I have tried wood coated with JB WELD,epoxy,Elmers,and pvc pipe coating.You can get a half decent tube by cooling nose down,and cooling for a long time.The nose will be thicker,but this method is very time consuming,and you can use a whole bunch of other materiel for your dipping rods,that will work better.Whatever you use to make your rods be sure to lub lightly.I use Pam.Too much will cause it to run off and sag,so use a slight amount,and gently wipe down.Remember the dipping process should only take a second.What you want is the hot plastic to build up on the cold rod.If you keep the rod in the hot plastic too long,the tube wall will be thin.Cool between dips and you will get a thicker walled tube.You can cool the rod in the fridge,after the first dip has cooled down and is formed.Be sure to wipe dry before you dip again.Worst possiable enemy would be moisture.Water,and hot plastic is dangerous.One guy I helped wanted to make really big tubes.I suggested he use the top rail of a chain link fence,and seal the ends so no air would be trapped he would have to use a hollow handle.That would be one giant tube.My guess it would end up being 1 3/4" to 2 inches dia.Like a lot of guys he may have dropped the idea.I never saw the final results.I also told him he could use aluminum rain gutter,with the ends sealed with JB Weld as a dipping pan.To make a big tube like this would require more than one guy,and several microwaves,and a whole lot of plastic.Sorry about the long post.Ramblings of a old man can be boring.

Good thinking!

Merry Christmas to all!

Dave, Been there,done that!

I use the powders that I had on hand from my wood carving days.The powders come in about twenty colors,and give a great effect on the iredescent effect on feathers.This also works on my tubes.A little goes a long way.You can get some amazing color effects. I buy my powders from Sugerpine Woodcarving Supply in Oregon.I can send a photo of the catalog page,with their phone number if anyone is interested.

They look great.Good job.

Contact me at kocron@comcast.net I will help you get a start.

Looks good,and the fish proved it!Keep up the good work,you will find that this hobby is fun forever.

Agree about the water,I surely would wear saftey goggles.More spray inside would help you get the tube out.I tried the plastic pipe for dipping years ago for the horizontal dipping method,and as I remember it wasn't too good.But the way you do it it would be perfect.I would recommend that you try to get the forward 40% of the tube about twice as thick as the tail,this would give you a bit more action. Thanks for sharing the videos.I haven't been able to post photos or videos on this site.I know I'm a computer dummie!

For years I have been helpng guys wanting to make their own big tubes for trout.Most of the large trout caught that I know of were caught on big tubes.One of the guys I taught how to make a huge tube caught a 40 pound lake trout.Now that is some fish.It looked really good on the photo.Made me kind'a proud.I have caught many large fish in a bunch of different species on tubes,but I admit I fish the tubes mostly,only changing size,and color.

Gee it is nice to see a clean,undented pan.I use the same pans,but mine look like they went through a war zone.In the later years I sprayed the pan with a light coat of Pam,inside,and out(not the bottom).Just using a paper towel to remove excess on the inside then using the same towel to wipe the outside ends,and edges.This is a real major improvement for me.By bringing my plastic to the correct temp in the microwave,then pouring into the pan on the hot plate.I always add my salt to the cold plastic,and stir with a DRY wood stick(hobby stick),and then after pouring from the Pyrex,gently stir the plastic using the same stick that has been in the Pyrex cup thoughout the heating process.Salt disolved,and no bubbles.Works for me.

I had used this type of diffuser in the past.It works very well.I really had a hard time finding one,or even telling store people what I wanted.Seems to be a rare item here in the states.Nice to see it on line.