BobP

Cellulose Propionate

Whteglve, you may find more on propionate if you google cellulose propionate. It makes a good waterproof undercoating and is also good for reinforcing balsa baits with multiple dips (I use 7-. I haven't tried anything else but sometimes I think we make things more complicated than necessary. For hardwood baits, anything that keeps the wood grain from rising when hit with a water based paint is OK, IMO. You're gonna coat the bait with a tough waterproof clearcoat later anyway. The same thing goes for balsa BUT I think prop makes a harder, smoother reinforcing undercoating than epoxy on soft balsa. I like the prop pellets because they are easy to use. Disolve some in acetone and do multiple dips with a few minutes between dips. When I run out of the ones I got from Swede (they do last a long time however), I'll try disolving some of the translucent 3 oz SOLO cups in acetone to see how it works, just for laughs. I won't use prop or other "homebrew" coatings for clearcoating baits. I just don't think it's as durable or or has the clarity of either epoxy or water cured polyurethane like Dicknite Lurecoat.

I don't try to extend the pot life of Devcon, just mix enough for 2 baits at a time. Personally, I can't apply it faster and guarantee that I won't screw up the finish. If you want longer pot life, you might try Environtex Lite, a tabletop epoxy that contains solvent and has a longer pot and cure time, and produces a thinner topcoat. It's sold at most Michael's Hobby shops in 2 8oz bottles. Of course, there are also guys who swear by Flexcoat, Glass Coat and other thread epoxies, too. For ease of use and durability, though, Devcon is hard to beat IMO.

IMO, yes, it's a good alternative to epoxy. There's a learning curve associated with applying and storing water cured polyurethanes, however. It's not as simple to use as epoxy but does produce a very durable, high gloss, thin topcoat.

I've heard of various techniques, from having a punch die made up and punching them out on a benchtop press to having them cut professionally on a laser cutting machine. Neither option is inexpensive. The only reasonable cost option I know for small batch lips is to buy them ready-made from one of the hardware providers. I think there are other considerations if you're building trolling baits and want them to perform exactly alike; lure weight, body shape, ballast position, lip angle. Everything affects everything else on a crankbait.

I haven't tried it on guides but Devcon Two Ton levels very nicely and I wouldn't hesitate to try it on thread wraps. Maybe add a few drops of solvent to make sure it penetrates the threads. I'm not recommending it as the perfect rodbuilders epoxy or anything, but think it will work OK. It isn't brittle and yellows no more than some of the rod epoxies I've used, like Flexcoat or Glasscoat.

I do epoxied baits with a Sharpie. I'm not thrilled with the results but it gets the job done. When clearcoating with polyurethane, I use an ultra fine calligraphy pen and black Createx so it won't run. It will write at least as small as an ultra fine Sharpie and you can use any color paint. Just a few bucks at a local craft store.

I've used a Scorpion 1000 for 3 yrs and like it except for a few things. First, IMO the handle is too short, to the extent that the reel almost feels like its about to bind when reeling against a heavy lure or fighting a large fish. Fix? Exchange the handle for a longer one from a US Chronarch SF (about $16). Don't forget to put some blue threadlocker on those screws when you replace them! If you do your own maintenance and plan to take apart the levelwind system, be aware that it is NOT as simple as on a Curado 200. It caused me an hour or two of frustration the first time I tried it. Once done a couple of times, it becomes a bit more routine. Also, do not fail to wrap teflon plumber's tape around the wiffle spool to prevent water entry (true for ALL wiffle spool reels). A tournament fisherman friend who often has to fish in the rain had a problem with his 1000 getting water into the brake drum, causing very unreliable performance. When I serviced his reel, I coated the threads of the left sideplate and the frame with Superlube grease. No problem since then. The thing I really love about my 1000 is the SVS brake system. It's much better than typical centrifugal brake systems on other reels, IMO. I've cast a 1/3 oz crankbait into the wind for hours without a backlash from the 1000. That's almost unique performance. With the great casts, small size and light weight, all at a reasonable price compared to other reels of this class, the 1000 is a winner.

Click on "Gallery" at the top of this page, and then on "upload" at the top of the Gallery page. It will walk you through uploading pics from your computer.

Tapp refers to the Zoom Tapp crankbait, a medium runner with wood body and coffin bill. The earliest version of this style was the Blazer. Here's a link to some pics of Nomad Lure's Blazer style bait, made by Blackjack, a TU contributor: http://www.nomadlures.com/images/Blazersnew2006.JPG Horton is a crankbait color: white belly, yellow or chartreuse sides, green shoulders and brown back. I'll leave the glider to the musky guys!

I guess different browsers show different stuff and I don't see the link JBlaze mentions. Alternatively, click on the Forum button at the top of the page, then scroll down to the bottom and click on Member Submitted Tutorials. If nothing comes up, go to the "Display Options" box and change the time period searched from 100 days to "beginning". There are 36 tutorials, many on making crankbaits - have fun! p.s. - the site crashed a few months ago and the accompanying photos for most of the tutorials were lost. But you can still get a good idea of the basic steps if you read the descriptions.

In deadweight lifting tests on bass rods, the guides begin to come off the blank at around 12 lbs. Not saying that there couldn't be instantaneous stress greater than 12 lb on a lure when fighting a fish but it does give you some idea of what is required to keep baits together. Borderbasser, I solve the problem of too much space between segments by cutting a small slot across the hole drilled to accept the screw joints. If I want less gap, I can easily push the eye of the screw down into the slot when gluing the segments together. I use a fiber reinforced Dremel cutting disk that has been worn down to about 1/2" to cut the slots. This works fine when using .029" stainless leader wire for screws. Don't know how it will work with the much thicker screw eyes, but if necessary, you could drill in a dimple at the hole to recess those.

Many guys use Devcon Two Ton. It levels out very well, cures to touch in 5 hrs and requires rotation for only the first hour of cure. Others like Envirotex Lite, a table top epoxy sold in 8 oz bottles (2ea) that contains some solvent, produces a thinner topcoat, and takes longer to cure. Don't be in a hurry but don't waste time. I brush around the lip and the tail first, then brush systematically down the length of the bait, making sure all areas are wetted out. You should feel you're laying it on smoothly, never brushing over dry areas where the drag on the brush increases. Too much brushing introduces bubbles. Too little risks getting voids (aka fisheyes) where an area did not get wetted out. Just make sure the coating is continuous. The Devcon will level out nicely and release most bubbles all by itself. If you see a bubble after a minute or two, breathe on it (like you do on a pair of glasses to clean them) and most bubbles will disappear when hit by CO2 from your breath. To aid in handling the bait while brushing, I put a piece of masking tape on the lip and clamp on some locking forceps (aka hemostats). Very handy. I'm never in a big hurry to get epoxy brushed on, it just results in more mistakes. I mix enough Devcon 2T for 2 baits, then throw away the foil I mixed it in and start with a fresh batch.

I use a 1/4" carriage bolt. Press down and roll it at a 45 deg angle from the bottom of the bait, then do the same from the top. Adjust the angle for different scale effects.

Check out a recent thread discussing different thinners for epoxy (including isopropyl). It will extend cure time somewhat. I brush on thinned Devcon Two Ton for a raw wood waterproofer, then shoot a white color basecoat, then colors, then brush on a single unthinned epoxy clearcoat. Thinning epoxy is just to help it penetrate the raw wood. Mix the epoxy first, then thin a few drops at a time until you get the consistency you want. If you're doing saltwater or big fish baits, you might elect to use multiple clearcoats. For bass, I don't think it's needed with Devcon Two Ton, which goes on pretty thick anyway.

I use .029" Malin "Hard Wire" stainless steel leader wire for hangers. Comes in a 42' coil in an envelope at tackle shops. For the line tie, I use either .040 soft brass or .031" soft stainless steel safety wire sold in 1/4 lb spools at www.mcmaster.com. I like soft wire line ties to tune the bait more easily. .029" leader wire is about the largest I can wind with my fingers. You can go larger if you twist it with vise grips but the .029" is 190 lb test, which I feel is plenty strong. Different guys like different hardware. You just want to use stuff you have confidence in and which helps you produce reliable results.

I thin the paint to the consistency of milk and use the #1 tip for everything, shooting water from a spray bottle through the airbrush between colors. Just lazy I guess!

A handwound screw can be thinner in diameter, any length you want and has more surface area for glue adhesion. I just don't see a downside unless you make 100 baits per day. If you finger twist the screw, you get more diameter that works well in balsa. If you use vise grips to twist the wire over a nail or drill bit, you get a small diameter screw that still has good glue surface area for use in hardwoods. I push epoxy into the receiving hole with a length of ss wire and also coat the screw, then wipe any excess that squeezes out when I install the screw. Never a failure so far. Jointed baits - sand the edges of the segments so they have a radius and not sharp wood edges. Epoxy tends to draw away from a sharp edge while it cures, leaving it with almost no clearcoat. I usually use 5 min Devcon for installing hardware and 2T Devcon for clearcoating. Not thinned. Mix it on tin foil and don't waste time brushing it on. I have time to do one big bait or 2 smaller baits with each batch.

There are several varieties of spiral wraps. Roberts, Revolver, O'Quinn. Personally, I prefer O'Quinn. Determining where and at what angle to place the guides can be involved. Suggest you read RodMaker magazine Vol 4 #2 article on Revolver and Vol 3 #5 article on the O'Quinn method. A sustained read at www.rodbuilding.org will be helpful to see latest info on the subject.

The acrylic latex airbrush paint seen most often in hobby shops like Michael's is Createx. It works well. You can usually just squirt it into your cup and shoot it "as is" in many airbrushes. If you have a general purpose airbrush like a Paasche VL or a Badger 175, you can opt to buy cheaper "hobby" acrylics that come in a much wider array of colors than Createx. Hobby acrylics aren't formulated for airbrushes and must be thinned with water or Windex before use. I've had good results with Apple Barrel brand. Their only limitation IMO is they have larger paint particles and will clog airbrushes with very small tips like the Iwata HP or Micron. I suggest you color basecoat with white before other colors and flash dry the paint with a hair dryer between colors for best results, whatever the paint you use.

I sometimes melt lead ballast into hardwood baits but that won't work in softer woods like balsa. You definitely need to epoxy lead into soft balsa. If not, it may shoot out the bottom of the bait the first time it's slapped on water. Slapping balsa baits on water to clear weeds is not very smart! It either slaps the ballast out, cracks the finish along the lip slot, or tears the head completely off. Been there, done that, got the pieces to proove it

Personally, I don't use prop pellets for clearcoating because I feel epoxy or water cured polyurethane are clearer and more durable. But it's great for waterproofing a lure before you paint it and multiple coats of prop are a very good way to reinforce soft balsa baits. After messing up many paint jobs, I now flash dry each shot of acrylic latex paint with a hair dryer before moving on to the next color. That way, no problems with touchng the paint, etc while painting...plus, when you're finished, you can clearcoat immediately.

If the pins are stainless steel, I don't see a problem. An option you might try is making eyes out of stainless leader wire you can find at many bait stores. I use 190 lb test .029" Malin Hard Wire leader wire that comes in a 42 ft envelope in either bright stainless or stealth coffee. Bend a piece around a nail, grab the ends with visegrips and twist. Makes a secure hook hanger any length you want. Actually, I clamp a drill bit in one visegrip, clamp the visegrip in a bench vise and use a second visegrip to twist the ends. You can customize the size of your eyes by choosing different drill bits.

Plastic? PVC cement does a good job. Use the clear, not the purple primer (the purple will bleed through your finish). Wood? 5 minute Devcon epoxy in a 2 part syringe at Walmart does a great job.

Woodie, you're obviously neater with epoxy than I I always figure that if a little is good, too much is even better! I started using a Dremel when I built some jointed baits and had to get epoxy out of the hard-to-reach wire hinges. It was easy with a Dremel. Now, I join the segments after color basecoating and purposely get epoxy on the wire joint so it keeps the bait stiff while I paint and clearcoat it.