hi guys making lures is fun. you can craft your own destiny. being a detroit lions fan leaves me great amounts of time,,,,seeing they never make playoffs.
my wife bought me an airbrush 25 years ago. since then if she needs me im in the shop. while watching movies im either screwin around or hookin. thats her opinion. in reality building for a living does have its moments. the names of musky baits baffles her imagination. dogs balls really is a color. oh well after all these years shes accepted my addiction.
we tried oak. its durable wood. it does not accept water. it cracks and is hard to tool.. lures immersed as cranks running miles being trolled it tends to create paint adhesion problems. just my opinion.
we use etex or circa new lustre. by the gallon its less cost to build baits.. im sure the others are very good also. it can depend on availability of what you can get in your region.
we use western red. you have to sort lumber for the best wood. densitys do matter in the wood chosen. cedar is user friendly. you do need a dust system if you sand or turn the wood.. its great for sealer absortion and holds paints very well.
we used to order pradco bombers in base white and chrome. they were cleared already. without sanding we would shoot lacquer primer over, no sandinf. the chrome we overshot candy colors. them a clear acrylic. never had an issue. over the years we did thousands. thosee 9a bombers were great in lake erie.
i am the odd man out. i use a laquer sanding sealer. then i immerse in wh/ laquer primer. no issues at all. the largest issue is a beautifull paint job and paint cracking off from temperature differences in the northern regions.
actually im in ontario. a few skeeters very cool. i can attest to fire ants firsthand. floridas very nice. i used to travel there every winter. as for cold. the older i get the worse winter is. im sure you can tell from all the snowbirds wintering there.