BobP

I agree with Mark on the circuit board. 1/32" works well for small to medium cranks and you can use epoxy putty from a home center to mount the thinner lip. Just fill the slot with putty and push in the lip, smooth out the excess that is pushed out the rear of the slot. If you want to go traditional, polycarbonate (aka Lexan) sheets are available from many sources. It cuts easily with simple metal shears and cleans up nicely with a Dremel sanding drum. Since you are having to modify lips you buy from LPO, etc, anyway you might as well go whole hog and buy raw lip material. It's easier to use than you think and is much more cost efficient.

Dick Nite Spoons is a TU member and sells lacquer paints and an excellent moisture cured urethane topcoat product named S81 Fishermun's Lurecoat at a discount price to TU members if you use a special URL to visit his website. He manufactures spoons, so you can bet the stuff works well. If you are using it as a hobby builder, I recommend that you read posts on its storage and handling. S81 Is hard to store without beginning to harden and most of us use the Tap The Can method of dispensing and storing it to avoid the problem. Sorry, I don't have the URL handy on this computer so maybe someone can chime in with it.

I can't really speak to northern waters since I fish them only about once a year but blue back lures are a staple color throughout the south, especially paired with chrome or chartreuse bodies. Blues and greens are the colors most visible at deeper depths as lures begin to lose color.

I like epoxy on wood baits but on plastics, I opt for moisture cured urethane. Dick Nite S81 Fishermun's Lurecoat or KBS Diamond Coat are the two most popular. Either will give you a thin tough high gloss topcoat that is very similar to a factory finish.

My basic rule is this: measure or template every thing you can measure or template, no matter how boring it may be or how little patience you may have. If you build with hand tools like me, that's the only way to prevent wood grain from fooling you into making a body that is not symmetrical.

I've always used epoxy to anchor hardware, specifically Rod Bond paste epoxy which I like because of its longer work time and that it does not run like liquid epoxies. I worry about the shock resistance of super glue. When I first started messing with lure hardware, it seemed relatively easy to break the glue bond of super glue just by quickly turning a screw eye with moderate force. Epoxy seems to have more resilience to impacts. I know the choice depends to a large extent on the mechanics of how you build crankbaits and the timing involved. I build baits in batches of 3-6 and usually install hardware in the evenings so letting epoxy cure over night is a non-issue. Hey, whatever works for you.

I also think the cure time may have been too short. Until it cures, MCU is just a weak coating of urethane. I haven't tried KBS but Dick Nite cures hard in a couple of days in my experience. It might use different solvents and a different MCU formulation.

Gary, ETEX is much thinner and runnier than Devcon Two Ton epoxy and requires rotation for at least twice as long to avoid sags and drips. Do yourself a favor and build a rotator before you try it. As far as gloss and toughness goes, I think moisture cured urethane like KBS or Dick Nite S81 Fishermun's Lurecoat are actually a bit more glossy than epoxy and tougher for the same coating thickness. They form a very thin, very tough topcoat that is similar to a factory finish. You can simply dip lures and hang them up to dry/cure hard (no rotation should be used). KBS is slower to go off and begin hardening in your storage container, so gets the nod for convenience, but Dick Nite is also fine if you use the "tap the can" method of storing and dispensing it and quickly brush on a flood coat of it before hanging it up to drip off the excess and dry. I use both epoxy and MCU. MCU on plastic baits and epoxy on wood. All of these are good choices, just depending on the end product you want to achieve and the technique you want to use.

Dale brings up a good point about durability depending on the "whole enchilada" of the finish coatings used on a crankbait. Sealer/waterproofer, paint, and topcoat all work together to determine how well the layers will adhere to each other and how durable the finish will be, so you have to develop a regimen of coatings that adhere well to each other and are chemically compatible, or are at least not chemically incompatible. Finding a set of coatings like that isn't always easy. I think Vodkaman pointed out that epoxy has a density of 1.1 compared to water density of 1.0. In practical terms, that means epoxy is almost neutrally buoyant and so doesn't affect the performance of a bait as much as you might expect. Another good quality of epoxy is that it is chemically neutral and will not react badly with any other coating you might choose to slap on a crankbait. Those are two of the reasons it is so popular. Its downside is that its adhesion is mechanical instead of via chemical bonding, so if it is damaged water will infiltrate the finish layer under it, which is usually water based acrylic paint. The paint reabsorbs water and pushes the epoxy off the bait.

I haven't tried KBS yet but have done quite a few plastic lures using Dick Nite S81 Fishermun's Lurecoat, another moisture cured urethane brand. It's much harder to store than KBS and I assume that's because it contains different solvents. What I found is that it will actually soak into and through acrylic latex paint and form a monolithic finish that bonds very well to the plastic substrate. It's as durable as anything I've tried, and that includes most of the topcoats discussed here on TU. You can't really dip in it without the storage jar beginning to harden pretty quickly. I use the "tap the can" method of storage, decant as much as I need into a small container, then quickly flood coat the lures with a soft brush before hanging them up to dry and cure. That method works well for me. I can't say that it is superior to KBS since I haven't tried that one yet, but am just reporting my experience with Dick Nite. I still use Devcon 2 Ton on most wood baits since it is thicker and tends to cover up any minor surface imperfections. I also use Devcon on lures I use for trolling as I've found the thicker topcoat lasts longer than a thin coat of MCU when exposed to constant hook rash. Many musky lure builders prefer multiple coats of ETEX on their big lures and feel it is more durable and crack resistant than Devcon, especially in cold water. To me, Devcon is fine for bass baits and I sure like its shorter cure time and the fact that one coat is thick enough for my purposes.

You have to decide for yourself (or maybe your customers will do it for you) whether a particular topcoat is "good enough". JMHO, I topcoated a reel with auto color followed by a 1K spray auto topcoat and the resulting finish was less durable than what I consider "good enough". I hope your experience is better, especially since we're talking saltwater lures that take a real beating.

It's a general rule that all epoxies yellow eventually, and I've heard that any finish ending in "thane" will too. It's just a matter of time. In my experience, the hardest, thinnest, most durable clear finish is moisture cured urethane. Two brands are popular here on TU. KBS Diamond Coat and Dick Nite Fishermun's Lurecoat. They can be thinned with xylene. The problem you may have is whether either one is compatible with the finish coatings you apply it to. If not, they tend to bubble up and ruin the finish.

Jigginpig, pay your money, take your chances. Average density balsa (12 lbs/sq ft) is the most buoyant wood you can find for crankbaits and it can make a huge difference in the performance of a shallow running bait. Faster wiggle, faster rise after hitting cover or pausing during a retrieve. In my experience, that means more bites. Do you pay a price in durability? Yes. But since I make a lot of the baits I use, it just means extra hobby work, not much extra expense to get more fish in the boat. You can finish balsa to make it bullet proof but that also tends to kill some of its performance advantage with added weight, so it's a matter of balance and each maker has to judge for himself where to draw the line on performance versus durability.

Then you're a better man than I. If it's catching, I just give it a little kiss and hug, then a little grooming to get the weeds off.

I bet the main culprit was you slapping the bait on the water to clear it of weeds. That puts tremendous strain on the head of the bait around the lip slot. I've had the top of a balsa bait's head snap completely off when slapped on the water. Do that once or twice when you're on a hot bite and have only one bait of that design and you'll learn not to do it again. At least it schooled me! A guide posted that he loved using balsa D-baits but was going through so many of the $15 baits per trip that it was breaking him. Duh! Just stop slapping them on the water and problem solved. Balsa ain't like trim board! It's strong along the grain of the wood but you can lever the grain apart pretty easily, which makes force around the lip slot problematical.

A weed is any plant that you don't want around. Paulownia is an Asian tree that was imported for ornamental reasons and escaped "off the farm" and into the forests. It is popular in Japan for furniture construction because of its light weight and its hardness, compared to balsa. Lots of them in Tennessee, I hear. Unlike many woods used for crankbaits, it does have significant grain effects you need to aware of. The white grain is very hard and dense. The dark grain ranges from fairly soft to almost crumbly in some specimens. This grain variability can make hand sanding difficult unless you use a sanding block. The last batch I got from the source cited above was pretty uniform in grain, so no problems. Its nominal density is 18 lbs/sq ft, which is the same as "heavy balsa" a but it's hard enough not to require special construction techniques or reinforcement.

I tried the Venture brand copper tape and yes, it tarnished badly under an epoxy topcoat. I think the company discontinued it for that reason.

Here's where I bought my last batch: http://www.sustainablelumber.com/ You'll probably need to call them after perusing the website in order to get the length/width/thickness you want milled. The prices I paid a couple of years ago was reasonable considering the custom milling and size I wanted (1/2'x3"x12')

I've ordered blanks from quite a few sources over the years and suggest you make a small order from any source before you go "all in" and order in bulk for any particular blank. I find knockoff blanks are usually a hit or miss proposition as far as home the perform, depending on a lot of factors that are hard for suppliers to control. One thing I've found is that a knockoff bait is almost never the same as the commercial bait it copies. Sometimes it's better, sometimes worse. You need to test it on the water to find out. If you think you'll get a Megabass Ito 110 copy for 4 bucks that works just like the $25 original, you are deluded. The copy may look right externally and may be a good bait in its own right, but it ain't a Megabass and won't fish the same. Some sources, like Predator, have taken the trouble to special order a bait like the Wiggle Wart and have worked with the Asian factory to ensure the bait is high quality and performs well. Others have baits that perform very well too. But it can be hit or miss and if you care about the customers you will sell the baits to, or even just your own fishing success, you have to do your due diligence and test them for yourself. JMHO

I'm not familiar with Grex. Hope you like it and it serves you well!

http://www.dicknite.com/TU_Lander.htm

My Granny used to say "Penny wise, pound foolish". She liked sayings that originated in the 18th century.

I paint metal lures with acrylic latex and then coat them with Dick Nite S81 moisture cured urethane. The Dick Nite actually soaks through the paint and bonds with the metal, forming a very durable finish. If all I wanted to do was paint blades and wanted the most professional job possible, I would buy Dick Nite solvent based lacquer paint, followed by his S81 urethane topcoat (aka Fishermun's Lure Coat). Somef crankbait makers might suggest coating with epoxy as a topcoat. Don't do it, epoxy is too heavy and will wear off the edges of a blade very quickly. Using moisture cured urethane has its own problems. It is very hard to store without "going off" and hardening in the storage container. It's not cheap. It also has a very active solvent that likes to bubble if applied too thickly or over a paint that isn't absolutely dried. But if you want durable finish that looks and acts like a factory finish, it is. You can buy Dick Nite products at a discount if you acces his website via a link provided to TU'ers, which you can use the search function to find. Dick can also probably give you tips on how to apply his finishes via his website. His main business is producing and selling metal spoons. I'm sure there are other ways to paint blades. Suggest querying the Wire Baits forum for another perspective.

One reason I don't thru-wire is that it's a PITA to bend the wire just right unless you have developed a bending jig and do a lot of the same crankbait design to make the jig worthwhile to make. I don't. There are different ways to do thru-wiring. I would split the bait in half, lay in the wire, outline it, and scratch a channel in the balsa to accommodate the wire. Then I would epoxy the halves together with 5 minute Devcon. I felt this was a good method because it was easy to split balsa with a razor blade and the epoxy/wire frame gave the bait an tough "backbone" that was good for the 6lb/cu ft density balsa I was using. But when I got in a hurry, I tried using epoxied- in hand twisted ss wire hardware. Fishing with the two styles of hardware installation showed me that either bait worked as well as the other as far as durability goes. So I use the twisted ss wire method because it's less time consuming. i believe that the durability of a balsa lure depends on how durable the finish is, and not how the hardware was installed. Your experience may differ and will lead you to a different solution. No harm, no foul. My perspective on crankbaits is that I only use them to fish for bass in an environment free from large pike or muskies. I don't care much about build method as long as the bait is reasonably durable AND CATCHES FISH. By durable, I mean a bait that will last through at least several seasons of fishing. No bait will last forever, no matter how tough it may be. If you are fishing it right, you will probably lose a titanium crankbait to a snag or a line break eventually. Relax - you can build more!

Don't use mesh myself but a contact cement that you allow to dry before joining the mesh to the lure might work. Downside might be that it is not adjustable after sticking it on there.