BobP

If the directions say to mix equal volumes, why would you want to do otherwise?

BTW, I've mentioned this before but in the realm of finesse baitcasters, one I really like (if you don't mind using round reels) is the old Ambassadeur Pro Max 1600 or 3600. These reels are decades old now but you still see them occasionally on Ebay, selling in the $50-75 range. They retailed for $169 back in the day, which was a lot of money for the time but they had bearings on the spool (2), pinion (1), disengaging level wind (2), and the handle paddles (2) plus a light spool and a 5.3:1 retrieve ratio. About 8.5 oz. Lifetime warranty. I got 5 of them on which I did a 100 % disassembly, clean, and lube and upgraded any worn parts (still available from Abu). Slick little reel for a bargain price! I use two black brake blocks in the centrifugal system, turn the cast control knob all the way OFF and cast a crankbait long distances all day long in windy conditions with nary a backlash. Frankly, I'm unsure why they cast so far without backlashing with so little cast control engaged. I think it's just the configuration and spacing of the spool inside the frame.

Lightly oiling the centrifugal brakes is something a lot of guys miss when servicing their reels. I don't oil the brake pins but I do put a drop of bearing oil on a Qtip and run it around the brake drum. It really helps the casting smoothness. One thing I've seen on brake drums I get to work on from others is the drum is corroded and its surface is sometimes literally torn up. Don't know how you expect the brakes to work smoothly with that!

I used the Duplicolor when I painted a reel. Chipped pretty easily. I don't think you'll find a really durable one part aerosol auto clearcoat that will give good service on a reel, especially over a water based acrylic paint which in and of itself has limited adhesion. JMHO

Do a search on "turner" and you'll see some posts on the topic.

I tried painting a reel once and used a spray can auto clearcoat, which began to chip pretty quickly. JMHO, if you're going to the considerable trouble to paint a reel you want a two part catalyzed auto clearcoat with a "high solids" content, which is much more durable. There are plenty of them on the market. Even then, it won't be as durable as the finishes you get on factory reels. If you go the two-part route, use a solvent rated face mask and good ventilation because the isocyanate in two part auto clearcoats is poisonous. It's why you see auto painters dressed in space suits!

I use a scroll saw with a regular ?1/8?" wide blade, tightened down really good with pliers, and I feed the blank into the blade slowly.

If you look at the pics in the gallery and ask which airbrushes were used to do the work, you'll learn that it's the airbrusher that creates the art, not the airbrush. It takes time and effort to learn what exactly an airbrush can do and how best to get the results you want from the particular airbrush you have. That said, I've used a Badger 170, a Paasche VL, an Iwata HP+, and an Iwata Revolution BR and of them all, I like the Revolution BR best. For me, it's .3mm tip is just the right size for shooting paints of various thicknesses and the small 1/16? oz gravity feed cup is easiest to clean and right-sized for the small batches of baits I paint as a hobby builder. Its approximate $80 retail price also makes it a good deal considering its made-in-Japan high build quality. The Iwata Neo is not made in Japan and I've read both good and bad things about them. Don't cheap out on the air compressor. You want good CONTINUOUS pressure. Small Asian compressors often advertise their MAX pressure, which goes away 1 second after you pull the trigger on your airbrush. "30 psi" instantly becomes 15 psi, which is not enough for all lure painting tasks. Most guys are happiest using a regular tool compressor that employs an air tank. Mine is a Porter Cable 6 gallon 135 psi tool compressor that I really like. Saw them on sale at Lowes home centers last week for $99. I started out with a $25 Badger single action siphon feed plastic airbrush powered with a can of compressed gas. It worked but I soon outgrew it. It pays to use good equipment because you will learn faster with fewer limitations/hassles and get better results. But it all depends on your wallet size, plans, hopes, etc.

It takes a little time to develop a good brush technique for epoxy. Epoxy is viscous so you don't want to brush it as you might a thin viscosity paint because that introduces bubbles. It's really more like smoothing it on the lure and the critical thing is to make sure your brush always has epoxy on it - you never want to be dragging a partially dry brush over the surface of the lure. I've always used flat fine bristle nylon artist brushes because I like how they smooth on the epoxy and the finer bristles tend to break any bubbles in the epoxy as you stroke it on. I rarely see any bubbles after application. I don't try to get too finicky around the line ties - I just run over them with the epoxy and use a micro drill bit in a Dremel tool to clean them off later.

MCU tends to be pretty touchy about what goes underneath it, especially if you use a solvent based product to undercoat your bait. It's also difficult to store without beginning to harden unless you use the "tap the can" method of storing and dispensing it. But it does provide an excellent thin tough topcoat that I really like. Epoxy is the "old stand-by". It makes a very attractive topcoat that is thicker than most others and is very durable too. It is also very tolerant about other coatings since it cures by its own chemical reaction. Downsides - you need to measure and mix it right to get best results; it tends to draw away from any sharp edge on a bait and will soon wear off at that feature; it will eventually tend to yellow at least slightly from UV exposure. Player's choice. I use both and like them both, just depending on the specific bait I'm building and what it will be used for.

It's pretty straightforward. Drill a hole in the lip that is a tight fit for the line tie wire. I use hand twisted "screw eyes" from .041" dia soft temper stainless steel for mine so only need to drill a single hole in the lip. Bend the screw eye slightly below its loop at a right angle before you insert it in the lip. You want the line tie to sit upright in the lip and run snugly along the bottom of the lip to the rear of the lip assembly. Assuming you cut the lip slot when cutting out the basic lure blank, you need to make a groove in the bottom of the lip slot in which to fit the line tie wire. When you epoxy in the lip, the line tie gets epoxied into its slot at the same time.

After you cut out the blank, cut the lip slot, and taper the lure, It's time to begin rounding. A center line is indispensable for locating where all the hardware should be installed. What helps me in rounding is to use a compass on the top, sides and bottom of the lure to mark off where I will cut facets off of the corners to begin the rounding process. I usually measure a distance half way between the edge and the center line of the bait to fix the compass for a round body shape. If I want an oblong bait cross-section, I use the same half-distance measurement on the top and bottom of the lure and use a full edge-to-center measurement to fix the compass for the sides. Since the lure has been tapered, you cannot cut full size facets at the tail and nose of the bait. You just have to blend the facets in the middle of the bait into the tail and nose shapes you want. After faceting, use sandpaper (I like a Dremel with fine sanding drum) to blend the facets into the round body shape. Accuracy and symmetry is EVERYTHING in a bait body and the more operations you can make into measured "no brainers" the better off you are. I've been hand shaping baits for 15 years and yes, you develop a knack but I still cannot shape a symmetrical body just by eyeballing it. Wood grain and variations in the color of the wood, plus lighting effects while you work make it almost impossible for your brain to accurately judge what is going on.

Yeah, those exact straight cut Wiss metal snips. It cuts 1/16" Lexan and circuit board very easily. Cut to a mm outside the lip line, then touch it up with a Dremel tool and a fine sanding cylinder. I also use the Dremel with a felt polishing cylinder to clean up the lip edges after shaping, and to cut a couple of slots in the back of the lip to help hold the lip in when epoxied into the bait.

A band saw's teeth cut continually. A scroll saw's teeth cut only on the down stroke. I wouldn't use a scroll saw to cut Lexan, but neither would I use a band saw since metal snips work faster and are just as accurate.

I use a scroll saw 'cause that's what I had. Which to choose also depends on the wood types you're planning to use for baits. If you only ever cut balsa, either type saw will work fine. But for harder woods like poplar, pine, etc, cutting a 1" thick bait out with a scroll saw is a lesson in patience you will not want to experience. On balance, a band saw gets the nod by most builders.

I don't think pouring hot lead into a wood lure is the best method of ballasting. If the lead is hot enough to burn wood, you have a very weak bond and slapping the lure on the water to clear off weeds can cause the ballast to shoot out of the bottom of the bait. I know this from personal experience! In terms of production, I think gluing in pre-cast lead ballast or lead wire is more accurate and more secure.

There are lots of sources. Two I have used and like are Predator Bass Baits and Bustin Bass Baits - but there are many others I haven't used, like Dakota Tackle and unpaintedlures.com. They all sell mostly unpainted plastic knockoff baits manufactured in Asia. "Best" depends on exactly what kind of body you are looking for. If you see a body you like, I recommend ordering a sample and testing it on the water to insure it has the performance you are expecting before ordering in volume. Some are great crankbaits, some are OK, a few are dogs that just won't hunt. None are really exactly like the popular commercial crankbaits they mimic. Of the knockoffs I've used in the last couple of years, Predator's copy of a Wiggle Wart and Bustin's copy of a Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait have been very good ones. Most of these companies also sell versions of square billed shallow crankbaits that are decent performers, as well as a variety of lipless crankbaits.

It's very hard to evaluate how a deep diver will run until you get it down to the pressure depth it's designed to work in, so I wouldn't prejudge how it may run until you take it out in the wild and give it a spin. A lot about a deep diver's action is determined by exactly where you put the line tie - the closer to the nose of the bait it is, the harder the action usually is. But too close to the nose and it will blow out on you.

I use Solarez as an undercoating and it works fine - and it's fast. Don't much like its low gloss as a topcoat, however.

I tried the Pledge "Tile and Vinyl Floor Finish" and it sprays nicely. It's a clear acrylic latex finish that when used as a thinner for paint creates a paint film that is harder and stronger than just the typical paint by itself. The downside is that it dries very hard and you don't want any of it remaining anywhere in the airbrush, including the barrel and the barrel packing nut. I let that happen once and it welded the needle in the packing nut, requiring pliers and a strong pull to break the needle loose. Yes, the Pledge does have a nice fragrance, at least to us humans. Do bass like it? No idea. One caution I have about various thinners, reducers, etc is about when to mix them with paint. It's best to mix in small batches immediately before spraying. Some of the stuff I've tried, including Pledge, occasionally caused all of the paint pigment to fall to the bottom of the bottle during storage, forming a sludge that would not re-mix. It only happened in a couple of cases with specific colors and brands of paint (can't remember which) but it's something to watch out for. Acrylic paint creates a weak film that requires strong topcoats to protect it. If you have trouble with acrylic paint adhesion - say maybe your topcoat contains a strong solvent that tends to wrinkle acrylic paint - the Pledge is a good way to reinforce the paint to resist wrinkling, either used as a reducer or applied separately over your color. There's never any free lunch. All finish products have pluses and minuses so you have to try them and experiment to find which combinations work best for you.

12oz distilled water 4oz denatured alcohol 4oz ammonia free glass cleaner 10 drops of glycerin The above is a reducer formula that many Createx shooters like. Auto Air paint has its own reducer - 4011. It thins Auto Air paint and says it shortens the drying time somewhat, so I doubt it would help with tip drying. Maybe I'm just lazy but I rarely if ever thin acrylic latex airbrush paint, including Createx. Many of the colors I use are taxidermy paints that come pre-reduced.

Guys on TU have reported very scattered results dissolving plastics in solvents for undercoating. Unless you're willing to experiment and live with the results until you find the right combo, I'd just use another product. I don't build musky baits but if I did, I'd consider undercoating with either Solarez UV cured polyester or epoxy. Either yields a very tough undercoat. I don't much care for the low gloss of Solarez as a topcoat but it works great as an undercoating, it's fast to use, and fairly inexpensive compared to many alternatives.

X4 Texas Tackle. Geomel1518, it's not about the pliers, it's about the thickness of the eyes' wire. The only way I know of fixing it is to use open screw eyes and crimp them closed after slipping on the split rings. I avoid the problem by making my own screw eyes from thinner stainless wire, which are plenty strong and have more glue area for a stronger grip in the lure. Only takes a minute to do them so why not go "100% custom"?

A drying wheel doesn't have to be big or tall. Build one that holds the baits horizontally like you would grill hot dogs on a rotisserie . It doesn't matter in which orientation baits are held while they are rotated. I rotated a few D2T baits by hand before I built a wheel. It was a pain in the neck to switch one lure up/down every couple of minutes for 45-60 minutes. Took no time at all to convince me that was not something I was gonna do again.