Snax

For the most part, the length of the body will determine how far it will glide. The shorter bodies will dart but not move any distance left then right.

I'm from England myself and I don't think I'm genetically engineered for Canadian winters! lol And now back to the topic at hand ...Featherlite!

The only time I try and match the eye size is if I'm doing a mooneye or walleye and they have larger eyes than normal and they are a prominent anatomical feature. Other than that go with what looks good to you.

Some types of plastic will require the use of an adhesion promoter but the first step is to clean the plastic completely with a grease and wax remover. Any finger oils or remaining mold release agent will give you grief down the road. Surface contamination is what will be your first cause of delamination and blotchiness on a plastic surface. Also scuff the surface before applying your base. A Scotch Brite pad does a great job of this.

Hi there, The paints are not what is holding you back as Createx, Auto Air etc can all produce some incredibly fine details when properly reduced. Getting fine control is the result of several factors... 1. Paint reduction: Use the appropriate reducer to thin out the paint. Use transparent paints for the finest details and work in light layers. 2. Air pressure: Lower the air pressure after reducing the paint to the correct viscosity for detailing. This will vary depending on the airbrush used and the paint type. 3. Proximity: Getting physically close to what you are painting is what ultimately allows the fine lines and spots etc. Only by experimenting with the first two factors can you then get in close and not get spidering or blow the paint everywhere. 4. Masking: The use of many types of masking such as freehand shields, paper, mylar etc will keep overspray from muddying things up. I use many different items to create different effects on my baits. Experimenting is key in getting the results you're after. 5. PRACTICE: After learning how to reduce,lower the air pressure and get in nice and close you need to put in some hours of practice. It takes steady hands and confidence in your abilities to get the level of detail that your equipment is capable of. As for the actual airbrush I use Iwata airbrushes and have different ones for different situations. My Micron is awesome at detailing but will not shoot pearls or metallics well. For that I'll use the HP-CH or Kustom CS. The MAC valve (Micro Air Control) is a wonderful tool for dialing down the air pressure to the point where you can get the tiniest details and then quickly up the pressure to blast out any build up.

The beauty of having the separate MAC valve that attaches to the hose is that if you also use quick change adaptors on your airbrushes then only one MAC valve will be needed. It will go before the female adaptor section at the airbrush end of the air hose. The male end of the quick change attaches the the bottom of the airbrush itself. I work with this set up and it's proven itself to be very handy indeed.

My girlfriend says winter is ok if you just get out and enjoy it. I beg to differ! lol I spent 6 years working in a frozen food dept and my hands were buggered for a good year after I left. It's actually a miracle that I can airbrush as any repetitive motions with my hands is quite painful after a while. I don't do winter!

I agree, the Iwata HP-CH is an excellent choice. Another one is the Eclipse CS and then buy the separate MAC valve that attaches between the airbrush and hose. Depending on the type of paints you use make sure to have solvent proof O-rings. I think that gravity fed airbrushes are perfect for small objects such as lures.

I also like to use the white bristles and I color them with waterproof permanent markers. I tried using acrylic paints once but it came off. I'm curious to know if there is a better way to color our fibers permanently. As for your kind words, thanks. I've been helped many ,many times along my own lure making career and have no problem sharing how I do things. The real beauty of everyone sharing like we do is it pushes the envelope which is what really excites me! Guys like Hopkins and Matt with their incredible swimbaits push me to improve upon my own stuff just to not get left behind. The result of course is that we all make the finest quality baits on the planet and keep lure making exciting.

With all the great threads on how to build them I'm curious as to why you want to just buy them ready made? The whole point to these forums is to learn how to do it ourselves. I'm not judging you, just curious is all.

Not every post has to have knowledge in it but certain folks never seem to contribute anything and just take take take. That was my point earlier. Heck, we all love to banter and joke around myself included. I don't like to be made to feel like if I'm not a paying TU member then my opinions or comments have no value. I assume that is how others have been made to feel through this thread. As long as we share info and are respectful of others, then why should we not also have the right to bring up valid points?

The actual microfibetts can be bought through many fly tying shops. For my musky baits I use high quality tapered synthetic paint brush fibers.

The problem where I live isn't the cold per se but I live in the snow belt. I'm about 2 hours North of Toronto and about an hour from Georgian Bay. We get some really nasty snow squalls up here and it can be tough to get any lure testing done during the winter months.

Careful not to actually touch the fibers with the tip of the gun as they will curl up.

Hey Mark, I'll trade you your chilly nights for my 3.5 feet of snow!!!

1/8", 3/8" and 1/4" are very popular.

I did do some tests using the glue to hold in twisted wires for hinges and it was more than strong enough. I tied a section of a test bait to a tree with downrigger cable and then went crazy reefing on it for a while. The downrigger cable ended up snapping and the hinge wires remained unmoved. I'd test it out before trusting it on hook hangers etc but the glue I used was extremely tough.

It can still be a bit tricky working with the hot glue but I've found it much quicker to use than mixing tiny amounts of epoxy and having to wait longer for it to set up. The one thing that sucks about most hot glue guns is that they drip glue constantly when heated. There are models available that are non dripping. I might have to snag one as the amount of glue that drips of is substantial after a while. I do save the drips but I'm not quite sure what to do with them. I have a container full of it. I guess I could melt it into more usable shapes somehow.

Mark, you have nothing to worry about my friend. You do share information and engage in intelligent discussions. Everyone has different amounts of skill and experience. Believe me, I learn from everyone regardless of how long they have been making baits. The few guys I was referring to ( One in particular) are well known among the regulars and never really seem to share anything about their own products even when asked privately. This is from what I've been told by others anyway.

That was uncalled for. I'm not a TU club member either. Should I stop sharing all my lure building knowledge until I am? We have opinions too. All he did was bring up a valid point. I inadvertently broke the rules recently and will gladly pay for the appropriate advertising when the time comes but as for the other TU club perks I really wouldn't use any of them. I personally try and support this site by answering the many questions that are sent my way via pm's, forum posts or phone calls. I also have direct contact with several companies such as Iwata, Createx and Nu-Lustre 55 (Swing Paints) and I keep them informed about how their products are being used and how they can improve. What DOES peeve me is the the guys who post useless wise-@ss comments all the time but never actually share any lure making info whatsoever. You know who you are!

I lost a gorgeous 14" cedar Sucker replica glider when i first started doing this. I'd put a ton of hours into that particular one and i lost it when my titanium leader snapped on the cast. I was REALY upset over that one! I had a customer lose a really nice 11" Walleye glider and I felt so bad for him I sent him a replacement for free!