cadman

I dip my spinnerbait and buzzbaits in a fluid bed. However my fluid bed is 5" tall and filled to the top. I dip hook first. The key is to make sure you do not get the hook bend and point hot, because you will get paint on it and that would not be easy to get off. My base coat on all of my spinnerbaits are done in a fluid bed. Everything is usually do-able, it just takes time and practice to figure out the easiest way.

Pictures don't open. Anyways, there have been times after ice out, that I got bass, but never on a spinnerbait only on a rattle trap type lure. I do know that when I reel them in and the water is that cold there really is no fight. Feels like reeling in a wet t-shirt. Congrats on the new hobby and the first fish of the year.

A lot of good info here. I have been powder painting jigs and commercial steel since 2006. There are a lot of good powder paints out there. However Harbor Freight in my opinion is not one of them. Pro-Tech is excellent paint and they have colors that you can't find anywhere unless you go custom. There are other companies that sell powder paint. BTW welcome to TU, you have a PM from me.

You won't be crying, because now you can just make some more for pennies on the dollar.

Welcome to TU. Jigs look good, should catch some fish.

Majority of Do-It molds have a 1/8" base hole pin. This cavity takes the FG-30 weedguard like mentioned above. Now for finesse jigs I usually use 12 strands of .018( FG-30) weedguard or you can use surflon which is a soft coated wire. You can either use a turned down pin to get a smaller hole, or you can fill the weedguard hole in your jig with epoxy and then stick the strands in. There are a lot of ways this can be achieved.

There are spinnerbaits on the market that mimic schooling bait. Here is one by Booyah Bait Co. If you plan on making some, it will be a big investment, because you need a lot of components. It is cheaper to buy these than to make your own.

I don't remember what they are called either, but just buy stainless steel wire, in the diameter that you want or need. Make sure you match the clevis to the wire diameter, so it spins freely, otherwise it will bind.

Are you sure you have the correct clevis size and is the blade on correctly (cupped side to the back)?

Congrats you're on your way to paint flawless jigs.

I personally don't see a difference other than it might run a little faster when you crank it because there is less water resistance. The holes are supposed to add bubbles when the bait is retrieved. Anyway, to me blades are blades as long as you get the same thickness and same profile it should be fine. However maybe a different style and or thickness might enhance fish catchability. Try it and see, they can't be that expensive to do a little trial and error.

I have never used super glue on thread, however I used to use it on weedguards, and it does wick up quickly and did leave a powdery residue. I do know that if you leave a small fan blowing on the jig with the super glue, you will not get the white residue. The air from the fan, flashes of the fumes emitted from the super glue thus leaving no residue. I have used thread sealer and epoxy with good results. If you try it post your results here so we can all learn.

Ok , so here is the rest of the info and some pics. First of all take a look at the pic of the jig. If this is what you are after read on. If not then I did not understand what you are looking for. On the pic of the jig, you can put that keeper on the top side of the jig or like I have it on the bottom side. I tried it and it really holds plastic. The wire keeper is even more beneficial when the jig is painted, because the plastic trailers have a tendency to want to slide off of a painted jig, since the paint is slippery especially when wet. Now onto the mold. I only modified the 1/2 oz cavity and I only modified 1/2 of a mold side. Reason being if you modify both sides, the keeper may be too loose and it may want to slip down while pouring. This still may be the case with one side modified, however, you can put a piece of masking tape to hold the keeper in place while you pour. When the you pour the jig, the masking tape will stay on the mold and the jig will release. If you look closely on the 1/2 oz cavity all the way at the bottom where the hook shank exits the mold you will see a shiny spot. That is the material I too out (.013 per side) of the mold to make room for the wire keeper. Now there is no need to get fancy here. No CNC and definitely no Dremel. I took a small hobby file and filed out the groove to the right and to the left. These are aluminum cast molds, and a small file will cut quickly. Now if you want to use a Dremel go ahead, but they have a tendency to cut fast and if you make a mistake and cut too much well there you go. Just take your time about 10-15 minutes with a small file, put your hook in and your keeper, check fit to see if it closes and there you go. I will tell you the when you pour these, the lead wants to hang up by the ringed collars and not completely pour. Just get your mold hot, put your hooks and keepers on a plate under a 100 watt bulb and have at it. All my pours came out flawlessly. If you have any other questions ask away. Good luck.

Yes, I just did the Trokar Pro Arky Jig. File out about .013 on one side of the hook shank slot in the cavity and about .013 on the other side. This will keep the .026 dia wire keeper centered in the cavity. I have mine set up on the bottom. This works really well. You must have a hot mold and hot hooks and wire keepers to have everything fill all the way down to the bottom of the jigs. I am in the process of pouring them right now. I will take some pics and post here in about 3 or 4 hours. It was a request by one of my customers, as he did not like the rounded collar keepers. Hope this helps. Just remember once you put your trailer on the jigs, and you decide to take it off, it will rip them open. However there is always Med-It which will fix that issue.

Pretty simple: Hook, strong split ring (2x or 4x), hand loop wire with eye above weight, below weight add a bend so you can change weights if so desired. Made many of them for my customers.

Jake, I will echo, Vodkaman's comments as well. I use Solidworks at home and at work daily. You can create lips, scales, gill plates etc. However like Vodkaman said it is very time consuming. From a simple 3d model in 3 cad hours to 15-20 hours in surfacing cad hours. It can be done in Solidworks with surfacing. I have been using Solidoworks professional for 10 years and there are things on there that I still don't know how to use. It is a big learning curve if you want to make a lure that has scales, gill plates and more. Now once you have that figured out, you have to 3d print the model and there may be things that don't look proportional on the 3d printed model and so it's back to the drawing board. I have already 3d printed some items that I designed. Not lure related, but I need to print items to know how to use my 3d printer. I have a lot to learn on it but I am getting 3d printed items so that is a good start. I am currently printing with PLA which is a thermoplastic filament. I do know that it does not stand up to heat well, however that will not be an issue, as all my jigs and lures will be used in water. Anyway as time develops, I hope to post some of my findings here for others to try. If you want to talk about shop further, PM me your e-mail and we can stay in touch that way and talk more about Solidworks and 3d printing..

You can probably use any material, as long as it is the same thickness. If it is only a shim, a piece of cut copper works well also.

There are a lot of oils and greases on the market for reels. Yamaha marine grease is a really good grease. You can also use super lube, Penn reel grease and Abu silicote grease. Use grease only on gears. For oil I personally I don't like motor oils, but some oil is better than no oil. I would recommend, TSI 321, Abu Oil or rocket fuel. Each has there own purpose. TSI 321 is about universal as you can get. Also remember to use Cal's or Daiwa grease for drag stacks. Do not use other greases for drag stacks, as the grease I mentioned is made for that purpose. This is just my personal opinion.

I've never seen a mold for a 1/64 oz tube jig. Yes the jigs are made, however it probably is a custom mold or they are spin cast. If you find one post your results here in case others are looking for them.

I have been using D2T for over 10 years and only a couple times I've had issues where it was tacky, because I did not measure equal amounts. Other than that it always dried clear and glossy. When you mix the two equal amounts together, only mix for about a minute. Than brush it on your jig or bait. Do not over brush. D2T is self leveling, and it will even out. Make sure you are in a warm environment 65 degrees plus when mixing and letting it dry. If you wait too long to brush it on, D2T will start to harden and you will not be able to brush it on a jig or bait. I have never had brush marks. You really only have about 10 minutes of working time from the time you mix it to the time it starts to harden, so don't mix too much. Try it again and see how it goes. Good Luck and Welcome to TU.

For jigs that small Hobby Lobby, Michael's or Jo-Ann Fabrics. They all have flush cutters for about $10.00. Michael's and Jo-Ann Fabrics also have a 40% coupon.

Looks good, once they are skirted and painted up, they will catch fish

No problem, the EC's are just as good, you will like them.

Jig Man, I believe the comparable hook to that number in EC is L3052M. I inquired about the same question with Shorty's. That is what they told me and that is what I bought. Please inquire from them and let me know here if that is still the case.

Can't help you with your question, but welcome to TU. Lot of knowledgeable guys on this site, smalljaw is one of them.