scoop10

Well, I am definitely wrong then. It is not Western red cedar. It is Eastern red cedar. It is deep red and was intended to be used for furniture. So, River Man, you got any opinions on working with Eastern red cedar?

I got a bandsaw for Christmas, and it has been great. I would think a scroll saw would be slower, and the thin blade might also break a lot. An 1/8th inch blade on a band saw can handle pretty much any delicate cut you need to make. And the 1/4 blade will go through most wood like a knife though soft butter. The only problem I have had with the bandsaw was breaking a 1/4 in. blade by trying to get too fancy with a turn. And that involved cutting my son's Pinewood Derby car (fairly green pine), not any work on lures.

when you say good, quality mask, are you talking one of those large deals with the dual filters where the paper fits inside, covering the entire lower half of your head?

I know this has been discussed before, but to refresh my memory ... should I be worried about the oily nature of cedar. A buddy of mine who was working to break down heavy machinery at a closing furniture factory recently brought me what must be $500 in kiln-dried western red cedar. Two big boxes of the stuff, mostly 2"x2"x8" blocks, used to make handles on chests and doors. (Get this, they were going to chop it up into cedar shavings before he rescued it for me.) Given a good coat of sealant, should I have any problems with this wood?

try denatured alcohol, but just a few drops.

Yep. this guy is definitely talking about the Excaliber Fat Free Shad, Skeeter. Think they stopped making this color two years ago.

Is the .063 inch thickness what I want for lips? As for the weights, I notice those at NJ Tackle are 0.15 oz., which would be less than a quarter ounce. Believe some plug makers on here have recommended a quarter ounce on larger, Poes-sized lures.

Anyone know where I can buy some lexan sheets? Also, does anyone sell belly weights that are already cast. I have seen the excellent tutorial here on making them. Also, I have used some small, 1/8 oz barrel weight for smaller baits that seem to work OK. But wondering if there is something out there especially for lure making.

excellent tutorial. You've inspired me to try it sometime. I remember as a kid in the 70s reading about the pros slaying the bass bouncing original Bombers through the standing timber at Toledo Bend. I caught a few fish on a brown one I owned at Falls of the Neuse Lake in Raleigh a dozen years ago.

Just FYI for those of you trying to catch fish with these baits: Part of the advantage of a slow-rising or suspending big crankbait is that you can hit a stump or bush pile, pause it a second, then SPEED it up, either with a jerk of the rod or by burning your reel. The bait is still in strike zone and near the cover, and the BRIEF pause followed by the JERK or BURN can trigger a reaction strike, even with a fish that is not necessarily active. I have literally talked fish into hitting the back hook of a lure that I know they really didn't want by doing this. Believe Fritts employs this trick as well.

Skeeter, about weight, how about a cedar bait the size of a Poes 400, and how about something the size of a Poes 300 and 400 in basswood? BTW, thanks for your help and answering all these questions. I didn't know the WEC baits were Balsa until you mentioned it. Explains why, beyond the workmanship, that the Z-4 performs differently than the Poes. I bought two of the Z-4s a couple of months ago after fishing in an NBC tournament on Jordan which David Wright won with a Z-4. Been very pleased with one of the baits, catching a 4 and a 5 lber on Kerr the first time throwing it. I suppose I could cut it up and figure out some of its secrets, but I think that would kill me.

Skeeter, I misspoke about the Z-4. The additional weight is in "the chest" as you describe, about halfway between the lip and the belly hook. But I'm still confused about the actual weight under the belly hook for crankbaits. How much do you use here, for say, a Poes or one of those nice flatsided crankbaits in your pic? Are you attaching it simply by drilling a hole and running the eyescrew through it? And doesn't that take a pretty long eyescrew?

Thanks for the replies guys. So Skeeter, when you mention "chest weighting," do you mean putting the weight into a hole above the belly hook with the eyescrew through it? If so, don't you need a pretty long eyescrew? I would think it has to be longer than the 3/4 inch eyescrews that I typically see. I'm I thinking right here, in terms of what you are talking about, or am I completely not getting this?

Great tutorial on casting crankbait weights. But I have some questions related on when, how to use. Recently, I've come up with a successful small crankbait design that runs true and has a nice wobble, made with cedar. The bait definitely floats up fast, although I am putting the final expoxy finish on it now, so we will see whether that slows it some. I've fished for bass for years, and understand the value of suspending baits, but wondering if crankbait makers generally frown on baits that rise fast. Is there an optimum rise that people are looking for, so that weighting a wooden bait is considered necessary? As far as weighting the baits, how do you establish how much lead to use? Is it all trial and error? Also, do most crankbait makers use just one weight on the belly, and is it inserted by drilling a hole in the belly of the bait, then attached with the eyescrew and painted and expoxied over? Does that take a longer eyescrew? I know that the Z-4s also have some weight in the throat. Curious how that weight is attached. I know that's lots of questions, but this is an area that I really know little about.

Talked again to the guy I mentioned, the bike painter. He said guys who paint bikes and classic cars use a black primer before putting on a chameleon or irridescent color. Said putting the chameleon over a darker color will produce some nice effects. Also said you can really mix it down, to skim milk consistency, and a light coat over any other colors will produce a nice angled tint effect that won't overshadow the original colors.

Thanks for the advice Skeeter. I had been wearing a mask, but I'll take your suggestion. I had definitely noticed the sore throat deal.

A guy who has been painting bikes for about 20 years told me all the Auto Air used to require a catalyst. BTW Spo, this same guy sold me some of the blue Chameleon last week, and yes it looks bad. Not far from your neck of the woods, on Yadkin. I believe he had some of the purple too.

good to be here! Been lurking for a few days and have already learned a lot.

I've been playing around with lure making for a couple of months now, and have used both cedar bought at Lowe's and basswood that I ordered and bought from local hobby shops. A custom lure painter many of you know has advised me that untreated cedar will create problems. Looking for thoughts and suggestions. Do I need to use kiln-dried cedar? If so, where is a good source? Does anyone here treat their own wood? Also, where is a good source to buy basswood in bulk?

Chip, I'm also new to this and this board. What wood sanding sealer and primer do you use, and where do you find them?