Snax

I'm thinking that I may give the Automotive clear a go on one of my new molded baits. It's better to have a harder surface like the Featherlite for the clear to sit on as it helps avoid potential damage. With all the scales carved in it will have lots of little nooks to cling to as well. I'll post the results for sure. By the way I already have a spray booth and the proper equipment as I also airbrush helmets and such on the side. You definitely want to protect yourself when spraying automotive urethanes.

A true shifting paint like the Gem colors can be sprayed over anything. The highlight colors are lightly misted over a base color so that at times you see the base and other times, the highlight.

Haven't tried that particular brand but I do use color shifting paints from Auto Air Colors on some of my baits. They look really good when clear coated and viewed in sunlight. You can get some incredible combinations by mixing the hue shifting paints together!

Even if you don't actually mold the lures you can mold a simple block from which to cut your shapes. The Featherlite is super easy to shape too and cuts and drills perfectly as it has no grain. It's also possible to melt in your lead without melting it which surprised me a little.

Great points Jamie. I prefer a balance between the cedar and oak that I've used to build baits from. Actually, the Featherlite seems to be a happy medium so far. I'll be making some gliders with it soon and I'll post on how they work compared to the lighter cedar baits.

There seems to be a misconception about the weight of baits and the type of wood used to make it. The lure must have a certain weight for it's given dimensions to sink. If the lure is made from a lighter wood it requires more lead but the actual total weight of the lure can be exactly the same as one made from a denser wood such as oak that needs less lead. It's just that the ballast is more pronounced in a lure made from lighter wood. I can make two identically weighted baits (Total weight) from two completely different materials and the actions will be different if the ballast is not the same. Hope this clears that up for everyone. Jed from bikinibaits can probably explain it better.

For the liveliest action I like cedar but for the best balance of durability vs action then maple is my choice. The reason why cedar has a lively action is that the weight will be concentrated more and if you know how to place it you can really get a dancing glider that works with very little effort.

Mark, I'm VERY curious to hear how your experiment goes!

I might be able to hook you up. Send me an email to muskysnax@gmail.com and I'll send the best ones I have.

I'm really curious to hear if making the concave edges face forwards will really help with slow speed action. Love to hear some results from experimenting with that concept.

Nice paint job! Is that the Auto Air Hot Yellow?

Dan told me the other night that 72 degrees is optimal for pouring. Hope this helps.

A word of caution on using the fluorescent colors. They do not retain their lightfastness and may fade. The Auto Air color specifically is 4261 Hot Yellow. It's almost an exact match. I have the binder with the color chips for reference.

I would think so but there's no reason to for me anyway. I have someone else do the actual molding that has far more experience. Featherlite is the particular resin that is used for my new baits.

I've caught largemouth and smallmouth bass on the original wooden versions of the suckers.

For one it will not damage the airbrush finish. As for it's actual ingredients I'm not sure.

Hey guys here's a tidbit of info from Createx.This is part of an email I got today from Craig Kennedy who is the main support guy. "we also improved the Auto Air 4011 Flash Reducer by increasing its solvent-content. That too will be included in your shipment. In regard to reducing Createx Airbrush Colors, 4011 Flash Reducer works excellent. Only reduce what you intend to use during that paint session as the mix has @ a 12 hr pot life."

No, I decided on the extra joint after the mold had been created so it's easy for me to just cut my tail sections with the band saw and use the screw eyes. It would have the same action if the joint was the same as the others. On future baits the same size I'll mold in that joint.

Here's a look at some of the 4 section suckers painted up...

I also prefer to keep most of the weighting towards the front of the swimbait. I like them to sink nose down.

No shame in learning something new! They look very good for a first attempt. Keep spraying!

You raised some excellent points with your observations. For me anyway, the action looks "right" with the placement of the joints with the 4 sections. This is going by what I can recall from seeing many suckers swimming over a lifetime. Of course the action is probably somewhat exaggerated compared to the real thing. You mentioned how different fish swim compared to one another which is a great point. I have noted that making the shape of the lure as close to the actual fish you are simulating does automatically get you closer to what is correct. The panfish profiles such as a bluegill or crappie tend to have a very darting and tighter swim compared to a cylindrical fish shape such as a perch or walleye. I think that there are many factors that come into play when trying to really get as close to a live fish motion and the placement and spacing of the joints is probably the most crucial after the body profile. Regarding weight placement I've found it not to be a major factor as long as it is low enough in the belly to give stability. I do tend to avoid weighting the very last section by the tail although prototypes still swam well if I did. Well, I'd better get back to airbrushing now but thanks for raising some great points.