woodieb8

cedar dust is not good for you. if your sanding you should have good ventilation and a dust collecter running. some people will brak out in rashes using cedar.

bravo mr LaPala. well said. i say no more.

we run 2 lathe duplicaters. they work just fine. if i had the coin i would buy a cnc,, but im just a poor baitmaker. im sure theres a few others here also.

wow guys. like i said before whatever works for you. some use plastic seal some none at all and some sanding sealer. if it works for you do it. its still free choice.. if your building for dollars you do whatever produces the best results. steps in a building process are never cut here. the end result is beauty to the eye and durability. . i think we all need some spring weather and go fishing,,,, cabin fever has set in.

i have not used it but an associate swears by kilz. as stated let it dry and its very good

yep be prepared for a few knicks and cuts. nature of the beast. its really not to hard once you get going. explore you will be surprised what you can create.

old timers used shellac as a sealer. nowadays theres sealers available. one thing not taken in this talk is. water temps. contaction and expansion of woods. many think sealing actually creates a super bond to keep out all water. if you fish a wood bait it will let water in somwhere sealed or not. the thing is sealers create a very good bond for the paints themselves to hold. . as for cracks and hazing thats created from in ability of paints and clears to actually expand and contract. thus the cracks and paint blo.. every wood is different in its ability to hold pait. the harder the wood the tuffer it is to create the desired durable finish.. basiclly your proof is very obvious plastic versus wood. . i prefer wood for action. after 25 years painting theres always a new hurdle,,new paints and epoxies. if it works for you use it.

actually we use a sanding sealer. it absorbs into the wood giving great adhesion of primers and covers rising grain issues. creek chub pikie the standard in my business did have issues of durability. todays paints are far superior in all aspects.

good effort. its nice to see minds thinking.

i was inspired 20 years ago.. after all being a snowbound canuck you can only watch so much hockey and drink beer lol.

im still chuckling about the hairy frog. sorry its not funny but ya gotta chuckle.. it may be hot ya never know with fish.

all cedars are normally marked. white is more knotty then red. white also comes more from the east coast.

sucks. been there. its part of the game. i have dropped 12 at a time. grrrr

burnout thats before insanity right. i use the excuse to get away from the other commitments.. if you feel the creative juices have ebbed do as etch says wander, go crazy, do some feel good colors and shapes. as long as you stay ahead of the bank your winning.

hello from windsor ontario. great site and very talented folks here.

hi . for spinner blades or spoons heres what we have done for production. get a legnth of rabbit wire. it comes in rolls from farm supply. clip every third square, bend down. that leaves a small wire to hang on your blades. . make a wooden frame to keep the wire taught. you can spray hundreds at once. when done and dry lay an old sheet on the floor tip the framework and then collect finished blades and bag em.. hope this helps its a fast efficient way.

old pikie creek chubs were done in clear lacquer clear. many used varnish. im sure you could do without clear but the life span of your lures would be very short

looks like a winner for sure. screw eye placement now is key.. nice job

too many vaiables. if its wood foam,,lip angle size of lip. if its weighted,, trolled or casted. thats a few, im sure theres more

hi. from what i see the lip is set to far back in the body. move it forward closer to the line tie. you will increase the wobble. looks great though.

longball no worries. the baits bigger lol.

now thats cool. where theres a will theres a way. kitchen sinks awesome. i do know they are good for testing lol.. my wife gave up on me a man in his mid 50s sitting in the bathtub floating baits.

i have see the artist charles weiss. he only uses a brush. its incredible when you have the talent and patience.. his paintings look lifelike on every bait

depending on paint types. lacquers will cure in cool weather but as the above post use a hair dryer or at least try to get a small warm working area. clear coating is what really slows us up, being it was 2 below zero outside. its a pain to keep a shop heated . good luck, theres some very talented craftsmen on this site, with very good info.

ok cool john. i have been using 1/16 or 0.63. its pretty tuff to bend