c_latrans

I was just surfing through ebay, and stumbled across somebody that has a lot of glass eyes for sale.The seller goes by the name jncshop. I stumbled across his listings while looking at decoys in the hunting section. The prices are real reasonable considering what I've seen glass eyes selling for in the past. Hope this helps. Dale

Go to taxidermy.net/suppliers/eyes.html There are several suppliers listed there. They are a little to spendy for my budget, but I found a local source for plastic eyes that are pretty nice looking. A local fly shop in Rapid City SD carries them in about 5 or 6 colors and sizes of 4.5, 6, and 7.5 mm for 1.80 for a package of 18 eyes. The place is called Dakota Angler and Outfitter. Their phone # is 605-341-2450. Hope this helps. I wish I could have posted a link to the first place, but I'm a computer idjit. Dale

I like to use the clear sheets used by teachers for transparancies on overhead projectors. I think they are mylar. I work part time for the local school district and get them for free. They are very durable and very flexible. Another trick I use is for cutting various size holes in stencils. I do a lot of shooting and reload my own ammo. I use old cartridge cases that have had the necks chamfered to a sharp edge to punch holes in my stencils. I can cut holes from almost any size from .177 to .458 inch. Dale

Very nicely done. What size is this one? Is that the decal eyes or are the eyes raised and painted? I've tried to make a couple stencils for the shore minnow pattern. I've been using mylar (?) transparency sheets, but I have trouble trying to cut out such a fine pattern. Do you cut or burn your stencil? Thanks Dale

Janns has several to choose from, but nothing that matches the originals. Thanks anyway. Dale

I'm carving some wood bodies and trying to duplicate the body styles of the old Heddon Vamps and Punkinseeds. Does anyone know of a source for diving lips similar to the ones used on these lures. I think I could duplicate these lips by shaping appropriately sized spinner blades with a dremel tool. It wood save a lot of trial and error if these were available somewhere though. Thanks Dale

The dremel is the best tool I own. I have the single speed model, but the variable would be nice. I use the sanding drums to shape with and the round carving bit to hollow out popper mouths. Dale

Thanks a bunch guys, I'll give the tape trick a try. I'm sure I'm getting it on thick enough ( it's actually thicker than I'd like ). I think I'm getting it mixed well enough too, I really stir it up good in small batch just big enough to coat one lure at a time. It sure does make a lure shine, and as hard as it gets, it should really be durable. Dale

I have tried devcon on a couple baits and am having some trouble getting the devcon on evenly. I am applying the devcon with a small brush and then watching carefully for even coverage. I then rotate the bait by hand for 30 to 45 minutes by hand and then hang. After curing I am finding bare spots. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? Can the bare spots be touched up? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Dale

I've been reading a lot of the posts about making stencils lately, and thought I would share my idea with you guys. I'm also an avid hunter shooter and reloader, so I have a lot of empty case from 17 up to 45 caliber around. This gives me a lot of different sized circles to make stencils with. You can take a chamfering tool to sharpen the case neck so that it will cut through paper or plastic, or you can hold the case with pliers or vise grips and heat the neck with a torch to melt through plastic. Hope this helps somebody out. Dale

Moore,s Lures in Woodruff WI carries the plastic blister pak boxes in 3 different sizes.

I have a similar interest in the vintage lures, although I consider myself to be a beginer also. What I have done is use a search engine to locate websites for collectors. There's a ton of these sites out there and they have some fantastic information on the different models and color patterns. I also watch the vintage lures section on ebay and buy old beaters for cheap to use as patterns. You can also see a lot of color pictures of vintage lures for sale, and I print the pictures of the ones that interest me to use for reference. Hope this helps........Dale

Harder and denser woods are supposed to have a tighter action. Still experimenting myself. I do know that if you're using screw in hardware to drill a little bigger pilot hole. Harder woods tend to split, whereas softer woods will compress. Dale

The terminoligy used in the lumber industry is pretty standard across the country, so western red cedar is western red cedar . However the terms are not standard between the lumber industry and the world of horticulture. What is called western red cedar in the lumber industy is in fact a member of the arborvitae family and the botanical name for the tree is Thuja plicata. Alaskan Yellow Cedar is actually a member of the false cypress family and Eastern Red Cedar ( the aromatic stuff ) is actually a juniper. To my knowledge the are no true members of the cedar family growing in the USA. Most of the so called cedars here are called cedars because of similarities to the true cedars, which are native to the Mediteranean Sea area. I am versed in the different species of plants, but am still pretty new to this wood working bit, so if somebody else disagrees with something I have said, please jump in and correct me. Dale

Jed; Even wood from the same species is not consistent. Trees that grow in less than ideal conditions within their growing range grow slower than trees in a better location. Usually the wood from these trees is denser and harder than trees grown in better conditions. There may not be a noticable differance for our purposes, but there is a difference. As a side note, the poplar wood you are using is most likely not from a poplar tree at all. It is probably from a Tulip tree aka a Tulip poplar or from a Sycamore AKA planetree or London plane tree. Have I stirred the mud in this water enough yet??? Dale

Jed; You are about to swim in some very muddy waters. Of the names you listed, some refer to a species, or a group of species, or to the figure of the wood. The only way to know for sure is to know the botanical name of the species you want. For example...Acer negundo is known as Manitoba maple, Ash leaved maple, or box elder depending on the region you are in and who you are talking to. Norway, sugar, red and black maple refer to species of maples. Sugar maple is sometimes called hard maple or hard rock maple. Silver maple is often called soft maple. Birdseye, spalted and feather crotch refer to grain patterns. Of the woods labeled as cedar, none are a true cedar. Depending on which specific one you are talking about, they could be from the cypress, false cypress, arborvitae or juniper family. For example the wood used for cedar chests is actually a juniper. It could be Rocky Mountain Juniper which is Juniperus scopulorum, but is more likely Eastern Red Cedar which is Juniperus virginiana. I know this will not answer all your questions, but may keep you from spending too much time banging your head against the wall, or in this case the tree. If I can help any more, please feel free to contact me. You may want to scrounge some wood from old pallets. The real soft ones are usually pine, and the harder ones are often maple or oak. All you can do is try some and see if you like them. It would also help to be on good terms with the local tree trimmers. Honey locust is a beautiful hard wood with yellow to tan color. Basswood is called linden in the nursery trade. Black locust can be found in my area, and although is considered a trash tree by many, it has a beautiful tan wood with good rot resistance. Russian olive has a pretty dark brown to black wood that is fairly easy to work. Many fo these are common across the country along with oak, birch, cherry,ash elm and many others. Often pieces of these can be had for the asking from the tree trimmers. Dale

Is this the product you guys are using, or is there another product available? This stuff is available locally, but the label says not for outdoor use. Help me out if you can. Also is it harmful to the plastic eyes I put in some of my lures? Thanks ,Dale