BobP

Then I'm Bonehead Jr. Been there, done that - and learned my lesson. Awhile back, I saw a pic of a well regarded guide on Lake Guntersville holding a double handful of broken $25 custom balsa baits, bewailing how fragile they were. I commented about the stupidity of blasting balsa lures into the water to clean grass off them. An eerie silence followed.

It's player's choice. Would I use a commercial 1/2" screw eye glued with super glue into raw balsa? No, but I would use a 1+ inch hand wound stainless screw eye into a slightly oversize hole filled with epoxy. It's all about how durable you want your bait to be and how much work you are willing to do to get there. Some guys have the equipment to saw a bottom slot into the bait and place a thru-wire into the slot. I think that's what Rapala does to their factory baits. When I thru-wire, I split the bait in half with a razor blade, make small troughs in both halves of the balsa where the hardware goes, lay in the hardware, and rejoin the bait halves with 5 minute epoxy. That gives the bait a nice durable epoxy "backbone" but you usually have an external repair to do to the bait where it was cut in half. I also often I will just drill holes in the balsa, fill them with epoxy, wet the hardware with epoxy, and fit it into the holes. I've never had a piece of hardware come out, so either way works for me. In my experience, bass don't break balsa baits. They are either destroyed due to a failure to the topcoat and subsequent water intrusion, or a bone head breaks off the top of the head and the lip when he smacks the bait on the water at 100 mph to clear weeds off the trebles.

Ben, never heard of it. Sounds like a brand from Sri Lanka or somewhere I don't get revved up about claims of small diameter versus strength in fluoro or copoly lines because there's just too many ways to fudge on that equation. Most lines have break strength that is considerably more than their advertised rating. If you begin to use the true break strength in your advertising, your line diameter to strength looks better and better in comparison to other brands. Maybe so, maybe not.

Like G-10, there are several versions of polycarbonate and you can choose based on their performance qualities as explained on the McMaster site. But the version cited is advertised to be the same as Lexan.

Here ya go - from McMaster-Carr - http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-polycarbonate-sheets/=xiw1k3 BTW, garolite G-10 is stiffer than polycarbonate at about half the thickness. Also carried by McMaster under the name "garolite"

The only TU guy I know who paints with a brush is littleriver and he produces some very attractive lures with his own particular brush technique. You might check out his baits in the gallery and PM him if you have a question.

There's no 'overkill' about compressor max psi if the rig uses an air tank to store the pressure - the more the merrier. I use a Porter Cable 135 psi model with a 6 gallon tank that sits under my garage workbench. I can paint several lures before the air tank drops below its cut-on pressure and the motor kicks on again. And that includes dialing up the pressure to 45 psi several times during the session to clean out my airbrush. When it does kick on, it's a shock because these tool compressors are LOUD. If you plan to paint inside the house, I wouldn't count on doing it while other household members are sleeping or doing anything else that requires quiet. Unless you have a "fortress of solitude" that you can sound proof. If so, it will just be annoying to them instead of startling the life out of them every time it kicks on. If I worked inside, I'd be thinking smaller quieter airbrush compressor. Even they can be rather loud and obnoxious. If I were forced to paint inside, I'd probably forget compressors altogether and try a simple compressed air tank. Not necessarily a cheaper alternative but it would be soundless.

I use an airbrush and acrylic paint but if I had to guess, I'd bet lacquer is what was used on old lures. If lacquer were not toxic due to its solvent, I think a lot of us would be shooting it instead of acrylic latex.

Balsa comes from 6 lbs/cu ft to 18 lbs/cu ft. The average density is 12 lbs. The last I bought was from Specialized Balsa Wood LLC and I ordered 12 lbs/cu ft. When I first started out with balsa, I ordered "competition balsa" and later found out that means ultra light balsa intended for making model aircraft. The upside was that ultralight 6 lb/cu ft balsa was super buoyant and so were the lures I made from it. The downside was that it required lots of extra surface reinforcement to make the lures durable. So you pays your money and takes your chances. I think the 12 lb/cu ft balsa will work out well. When ordering, you'll find there's an extra charge if you specify the density you want. But it's worth it, IMO. Considering the cost of all materials and hardware, plus the labor you put into a lure, the cost of the small piece of wood used in a bait is pretty negligible.

I run plain water through my brush after a session and then clean the bowl and wipe the needle with acetone. Whenever I feel the need, about once every 6 months, I disassemble the brush and soak the parts in airbrush cleaning solution overnight to remove anything I missed with the lighter cleanings. I put a drop of light machine oil in the trigger mechanism afterward. Airbrushes are simple machines and it usually doesn't take a lot to keep them going as long as you always clean them after every use.

I've tried several things on spoons and what works best for me is to simply paint the raw metal with acrylic airbrush paint and then dip or brush the spoon with moisture cured urethane as a topcoat. I use epoxy on wood lures but on spoons, it will draw away from the sharp edges as it cures and leaves those areas with a very thin epoxy coating that is very prone to chipping and wear. Dick Nite (http://www.dicknite.com/TU_Lander.htm) is a good source for the urethane and he also sells lacquer paint, which is probably the ultimate combo for spoon painting. Dick Nite is a spoon manufacturer. Another popular moisture cured urethane is KBS (http://www.jegs.com/i/KBS+Coatings/191/8404/10002/-1).

I've owned several compressors, from an inexpensive Chinese "30psi" model, to a stronger Badger airbrush unit, to compressors designed for air power tools. My take is this: compressors tend to be pretty loud, whatever the model. if you work inside where noise is an issue, a relatively quiet dedicated airbrush compressor will be less disruptive to your household. If you work in a garage or where noise is not an issue, a tool compressor is usually the better choice. Small airbrush compressors are usually advertised to deliver X psi but this is max psi, not the sustained psi at which you will be shooting most of your paint. PSI drops off from max to sustained a heart beat after you activate your airbrush. Sustained psi is typically 15 psi less than max psi on small airbrush compressors. I want an airbrush compressor that has a max psi of at least 45 psi so that the sustained psi will be at least 30 psi. I don't use 30 psi all the time but when I want it, I need it. The most popular alternative for situations where noise is not a big factor is to use a tool compressor. For the pressure they supply, they are more cost effective than an airbrush compressor. Specifically, an oil-less tool compressor with a storage tank holding at least 2 but ideally 5 or more gallons of air. The bigger the tank, the less often the compressor will kick on. Add a pressure gauge on which you can dial up the desired pressure and a moisture trap (you can buy a combo unit that does both) and you're set. If it's an oiled compressor, you'll need an oil trap too. Airbrushes companies usually state that the brush is designed to operate in the 10-45 psi range, so a pressure gauge/regulator in that neighborhood is ideal. I couldn't tell from your link at what max pressure the compressor operates, so would be leery of it. The Chinese manufacturer a lot of these units and they, along with the airbrush supplied, are truly the low end products in the market. Hope this helps.

If you measure it accurately and mix it well, Devcon 2 Ton is almost foolproof. But with any epoxy, failure to do both will result in a topcoat that fails to harden. I mix mine energetically with a strip from a credit card for about a full minute in a small jar cap lined with aluminum foil. If you are afraid that you won't have enough time to apply the epoxy after mixing, you can mix in a FEW drops of denatured alcohol to slightly thin the mixture, extend the brush time by a minute, and help remove bubbles. That will give you about 3-4 minutes of brush time, or enough for 2 baits. If you want to avoid measuring errors, I suggest either using the epoxy that comes in a double syringe or using a pair of epoxy syringes that you can buy from a rod supply shop like Mud Hole. I measured by equal size pools of epoxy for many years and it worked - most of the time - but there's really no better way to measure than epoxy syringes. With them you never have a question that you got equal amounts of resin and hardener. I use 1cc each of the hardener/resin for each typical size bass crankbait. Yep, a second coat of epoxy will fix the soft first coat.

Well, the traditional way of attaching feathers to a lure is to wrap them onto a hook with nylon thread and coat the threads with nail polish or similar glue. Feathers tend to get beat up during fishing so it's better to use a system that lets you replace them eventually without damaging the lure.

Mark, since it's acrylic latex maybe you can use anything you might use on that type paint - but I never tried to dissolve dried latex paint so what do I know? Sounds pretty iffy to me. According to the Glo Nation site, you have to be careful thinning lest the glow particles fall out of suspension. I think that's why the stuff comes in a gel consistency.

Don't know. I bought some at the Glo Nation website, which sells various colors of acrylic latex glow paints.

Mark, with acrylic glow paint it's all about how many glow particles you can get together. I use the stuff on jigging spoons and brush on at least 3 coats as heavy as I can make them with a soft artist's brush, letting each coat dry for a few hours. The total coating when dry is a rubbery 1/16" thick but becomes very durable when topcoated with MCU. I can literally read a newspaper by the greenish white glow they give off.

No, I don't make soft baits for the same reason I don't make Rapala copies - it doesn't seem practical due to the low cost of the 'originals". I do see a trend lately of companies making soft swimbaits and charging an arm and a leg for them. I like soft swimbaits ... a lot .... so maybe I should be pouring my own. But it may bee too late to teach an old dog new tricks.

When I can turn out something that is the equal or better than a commercial or custom wood bait, I build it. So there are lots of shallow wood baits, plus a few super deep divers that I make for myself. But I still fish at least 50% commercial baits. To me it's not about trying to build every bait under the sun. Neither I nor anyone I know has ever been able to do that well. It's all about fishing the best baits available. Does anyone make a wood bait that does the same things a Megabass Ito Vision 110 can do? No, and so I fish a few of them regardless of the cost. How about a #5 Rapala Shad Rap? I'm sure I could build some after a lot of trial and error prototyping. But at around $6 per Shad Rap, I don't see the point.

Mark, yep that's the one I have. If it cured truly clear and glossy, it would be great. But for me at least, the gloss is less than either epoxy or DN and I still can see some wax haze on dark areas so it just doesn't measure up - which is a shame since it's so easy to use. I use mine to undercoat baits, for which it is a very good product.

I still think Solarez is a great product ... for what it is: fast and durable. However, after topcoating a number of baits with it in the past year, I decided to give up on it for topcoating lures and now am using it only for undercoating wood baits. The low gloss and tendency to show wax haze just doesn't hack it for me when there are durable high gloss alternatives available. It's only a question of esthetics but...

I have some AC1315 and am trying it out occasionally to see how it goes. Hope springs eternal! But it has to climb a pretty big mountain to attain the durability status of either epoxy or MCU in my book. Both have their 'pain in the butt' features but once on the lure, I never have to worry about their performance. I stuff a bunch of crankbaits tightly in a plastic bait box and go fishing. I'm not gonna start wrapping them individually in newspaper to prevent them from melting or something.

JRammit, surprised you could get 5 min Devcon on your lure before it began to harden. The way to go is a 30 min epoxy, which will level out nicely, give you time to brush it on without panic, is waterproof, and will not yellow like 5 min epoxy invariably does. Guys - Devcon Two Ton is a good epoxy but honestly, any slow cure "30 minute" epoxy will do the job. 69_GS-400, most experienced hobby builders use epoxy, moisture cured urethane, or concrete sealers to topcoat crankbaits. Will lacquer work? Yes but it's not as durable as many other coatings. On the other hand, using a spray can is lots easier than the trouble most of us go through to get a durable topcoat on our lures. So you need to try it yourself and judge whether it's "good enough". If you decide to use one of the topcoats that are popular here on TU, you need to use the search feature to bone up on how to apply it, and the various "gotchas" and pros/cons it has.

Hmm.. OK guys, in my book that is a big -1 for concrete sealers. Like Mark suggests, there are work-arounds to stop the problem and if I were building solely for myself, that would be acceptable - but since I often gift crankbaits to other guys it's something I don't want happening. There really is no free lunch.

I use this freeware CAD program for lip templates: http://powerdraw.software.informer.com/ I'm not a heavy user and don't use the program to make body templates (I trace these on paper from crankbaits or draw them freehand) but Powerdraw works well for designing lips. The nice feature is that when you print the lip out on an ink jet printer, it will be sized on the paper exactly to the specifications you drew it to in the program.