BobP

I bet different species of fish vary in which bait attributes are critical, important, nice to have, or meaningless. Talking about largemouth bass, I've seen lots of "favorite lures" with almost all the paint eaten off of them - but still catching bass like crazy. That suggests color is probably not the most critical factor for this species. Sure, better is better. If EVERY lure factor is right you'll catch more fish. Ok, you're loading the boat on a #5 Threadfin Shad Shadrap. You get broke off. What do you tie on now: Any #5 Shadrap you have in the boat, or a Norman DD-22 in Threadfin Shad? It isn't hard to answer.

If you plan to do more of the same, it won't matter when you put in the ballast as long as the same amount goes in the same place. Listen to "The Hand"

Haven't used Auto Air so can't comment on nozzle size, but IMO the C cup is overkill. The B cup holds plenty for crankbaits and is handier. I put in 4-5 drops in my HP-B+ for details. Half a B cup will coat a whole bass lure twice. Keep your VL for color basecoating and use the Iwata for shading and details.

I use interlinked handtwisted hinges and install them last. Fit a couple of snug-fitting wires into the hinge holes to keep the segments together while you paint. Then separate the segments and clearcoat them, then epoxy in the hinges. A Dremel with a piece of ss wire inserted is a good way to clean epoxy out of the hard-to-reach hinges once the bait is finished. If your hinges are already installed, Hughsey's method works fine too, although it might take more than just a drop of superglue if you're building a big bait like a swimbait or musky lure.

I always put the line tie in the body just above the lip on shallow baits. If you imagine a line tied to your bait pulling it as it would during a retrieve, you'll see the pull force passes quite low through the bait, probably down near your ballast. IMO, that's too low and there's too much lure body above that imaginary line. If you increase the mass below the line with more ballast, that may help but it might require so much that you'd kill all the action. I'm assuming you have some ballast in there already. BTW - nice paint job!

Rofish, the "High Performance Fixed Nozzle" brushes you cite are the Iwata HP series (HP-A, B, etc), not the Eclipse. High Performance=HP I wouldn't hesitate to buy any Iwata, just pick a nozzle size. The Eclipse is .35 mm, Revolution .3 mm, and the HP .2 mm. If there is an alternative nozzle size for the Eclipse, that is a plus (I don't see it on Dixie Art). The HP's come only in .2 mm. None come with an air hose, which costs $18 from Iwata. I like the Paasche air hose because they're limp and easy to use (and I already had one), so I bought an inexpensive adapter from Dixie Art.

IMO, both are factors and action is more important to fish. Yes, color is also important to fish some/most of the time but action is important all the time. However, paint is obviously more important to fishermen. So, if you're selling to fishermen...... I think the only way you'll supercede the color-consciousness of fisherman is to develop such a high rep among fishermen that they'll buy anything you build.

You usually get what you pay for. I think the high price of the HP comes from its smaller nozzle and needle, which are machined to a fine tolerance and then hand tuned at the factory. If you saw an HP nozzle you'd understand. It's half the size of an uncooked grain of rice. I love my HP but also have a Badger 175T for color basecoating and large size shots. If I could own only one airbrush and it came down to a choice between the 2 Iwatas, the Eclipse with its .35mm tip might be the better choice based on the above info. Now dampeoples is gonna be mad at me.

I use a 1/8 hp Badger with auto cutoff, 40 psi sustained pressure. Works well. There are inexpensive Chinese compressors on Ebay but their sustained pressure is a minimal 15 psi (half their 30 psi max pressure). Take a look at dixieart.com for a variety of choices. Lots of guys use small tool compressors, some around $100. They're not small compared to airbrush compressors however. If you plan to use it in the house and have a family, noise is a big consideration. Most compressors tend to be loud. So you need to narrow it down by asking yourself: how loud, how small, and how much you're willing to spend.

Vodkaman, I use a 4 rpm wheel, 6 rpm might be better, I'm not sure. Water cured poly flash dries VERY quickly. Like Dean says, if you brush it, move quickly or the first edge you coat will have begun to tack up by the time you get back around the lure to it. Cliff - airbrushing it sounds attractive. Have you experienced any problems or do you have any tips regarding doing it? Don't you have to clean up the brush like RIGHT NOW to prevent clogging? The stuff flashes so fast that I figured atomization with 30-40lbs of air pressure was not an option.

JMHO - DN is nice; slicker, thinner, more transparent, but just as tough as 2T. You can dip with it, which can be a plus. But 2T is easier and less finicky in my experience. It's thicker and levels out much better, which tends to hide any sanding problems, etc. I haven't finished learning how to use DN, and using 2T for several years has made it a "no brainer". But I like the finished product with DN and will keep experimenting with it.

Rook, we'll miss you. If you aren't giving up personal computing, say hello occasionally.

Many solvents will work, you just don't want to use anything that will cloud the Lexan (like lacquer thinner or acetone). I use naphta (lighter fluid). The blue 3M masking tape works well. It only leaves residue if you push the tape across the Lexan with your fingernail. I use an Xacto knife point to lift the edge to get it started when it's time to come off.

Yes, sorry. The Eclipse is .35mm, the HP's are .2 mm. BTW, another question that comes up on Iwata gravity feed brushes is which size cup do you need. I use a HP-B with 1/8 oz cup and it holds plenty of paint for crankbait painting. I'm often dropping only 4-5 drops of paint into the cup for a particular color shot. Even for white basecoating, I rarely use more than half a cup of paint on bass lures.

I use a syphon feed Badger 175T and a gravity feed Iwata HP-B+. The Iwata's .02mm tip will not work with hobby paint like Apple Barrel. The HP is built to very fine tolerances and is great for fine shading and details but it clogs with anything but airbrush paint (containing smaller paint grains, flow enhancers). My opinion: gravity feed brushes spray better, use less paint, and are easier to clean. If you're buying one brush and want to use hobby paint, you need a larger tip, at least .05 mm. Even better, choose one that comes with several tips and needles. The brand won't matter as much as practice and experience with the brush you choose. You rarely hear anyone cursing their brush's quality or reliability, just the level of their own skill. Personally, I think the best airbrush deals are to had on Ebay.

You can get Suspendots and Suspend Strips from various online sources like BassPro, Cabelas, Staminainc.com, etc. Sports stores with decent fishing departments also carry them. Alternatively, you can go to a tennis or golf shop and buy rolls of lead tape, a cheaper alternative. The Suspend Strips/Dots are more convenient to use while on the water. Just peel and stick, adding more until you get the float level you want.

Dilute the Devcon 2T 50% with acetone or lacquer thinner to use it as a waterproof undercoat on bare wood. Brush it on undiluted for your clearcoat. It's critical to mix it thoroughly. I do it in a jar lid lined with tin foil and mix with a piece of plastic. I mix enough for 2 lures at a time. You have about 5 min. before it gets too thick to brush. No panic, but keep things moving. Don't overbrush (it makes for bubbles), apply with the idea that you're "laying it on" but be sure the paint is wetted out all over. Devcon is a thick clearcoat and has excellent leveling properties, the best I've seen on any clearcoat. The lure needs to be alternately hung up/down for the first 30 mins or so to prevent the epoxy from migrating. Rotating on a lure "dryer" is easier if you have one. You can clean the brush with acetone or lacquer thinner. Once cured, epoxy can't be removed with solvents.

A modest amount of water absorption will cause wood fibers to expand and crack finish, and running lures at 100+ ft is a severe test of water absorption. Crankbait clearcoats don't have much resistance to wood expansion. Notwithstanding several atmospheres of pressure, I still think toughening the clearcoat is the first place to look. I'm having a hard time believing your little submarines (especially the hardwoods) are reaching "crush depth" at 100 ft

Most likely the lures are absorbing water, expanding and cracking the finish. You need a tougher clearcoat. I suggest Devcon Two Ton epoxy or similar clear epoxy for your topcoat. Be sure to coat over all hook hanger holes, etc to eliminate water infiltration.

Welcome to TU, ricam. There are no hard and fast rules but most guys epoxy hardware into hardwood and use thru-wire construction on balsa (I'm talking bass baits and not baits crazy northerners build for pike/musky ) I don't have experience with cypress but it has similar density to cherry and ash (around 32 lbs sq ft) so it's pretty heavy stuff. As wood gets more dense, it can be hard to ballast a bait without ending up with a sinking bait, and baits from dense wood tend to be less lively. What the heck, try it and see how it works for you on your local fish. If it doesn't, you might consider lighter woods like pine, white cedar, basswood, etc. Basswood is 21 lb/cu ft density and is very nice to work with since it has little if any grain effect and very uniform structure that shapes, sands and finishes well.

Don't know anywhere you can buy body halves. Easy enough to buy the bodies and split them with a razor blade, though.

Well, I think there is a japanese site on which one of the premier japanese designers had posted a template for a wooden Sammy, and I think Blackjack may have brought it to the attention to TU members. Maybe he still has the URL or the diagram? Think it disappeared during the TU site crash awhile back.

You might try building a slow riser and include a capped cavity in the bait where you could insert different weights to get it to suspend in different water temps.