rofish

I cut the lipslot with a handsaw, while the square body is clamped in a vice. Although I cut it very straight, when inserting the lip I sometimes see that the slot is not straight. So I correct it, using sandpaper which is glued or not on a thin piece of steel blade, grinding more to the side which needs to be sanded. It' either top right together with down left, or viceversa. You just have to feel how much presure you have to apply to correct the slope, and also you have to feel the right angle for sanding. I think this method could be applied in the case of round bodies as well. Also, think of having a loose lip in the slot, so you can adjust the lip while gluing.

Originally Posted by barry batchelor I think I managed to get most of the hair and crumbs off of it. I spent all day carving sanding and painting only to drop it on the carpet. Barry, I couldn't help thinking of how lucky we both are: you being a bachelor, and me using other materials than epoxy to clearcoat (which could be quickly removed from the carpet, before my wife could see the catastrophic happening)

Fatfingers, let me tell you a story. I was with a friend in a fishing articles store. I looked with admiration at some Rapala crankbaits, and I told the seller that they look quite expensive to me. I also told him that I make my own crankbaits, but if I take into consideration all the things which I bought just to make them, than my crankbaits are more expensive than the Rapalas. The seller loked puzzled. At this moment, my friend explained to him: - You know, the addiction ...

I have also made spinners, to some of them I painted the exterior of the blade, and I had no problems at all in doing that, so I am not sure I understand your problem well. I put my spinner blades in wire hangers (my blades have a hole in the top end, as I presume have yours) and sprayed them with rattle can paints. I could paint both sides if I wanted to. In case you need a stronger grip to the blade, instead of this loose grip which the wire hanger offers, simply screw the wire above thr hole, until you get a tight grip (you have to use soft wire). For more help, try the wire baits section of the site. They will surely know how to handle your problem.

It does't much matter what kind of sealer you use, but the sealer has to be thin enough to penetrate the wood. I assume you use a thin one, since the grain of the wood rises up. Try this, and let me know your oppinion: 1. The perfectly dried wood is covered with sealer, preferably by diping. 2. Let the sealer dry for one day, even though you could see that the surface is already dried after, say, half an hour. 3. Sand to get a smooth surface 4. Dip again and let dry, not necessarily for one day If you still have rised grain, repeat the process once more.

Fatfingers, I agree. Let's say we own the truth together.

To remove the remaining of the lip, you can also use a dremel like type of rotary tool, perhaps in conjunction with the methods described above. But use the dremel only in case you have experience with it, and don't forget about safety glasses.

Come on, Fatfingers, do you really want to scare the man and perhaps direct him towards other activities than lure making, which might even be harmfull to his health? I can still make crankbaits without having the following from your list: - bandsaw (I have a scrollsaw, but dream of having a bandsaw as well - table saw - drill press - airbrush - compressor - heat gun - gram scale - drying wheel (I do not use epoxy as clearcoat) - paint booth - screw eyes ( which cannot be found in my country, but even if I could find them, I would still use hand made wire eyes) Did you have all the things of your list when you started this activity ? I make crankbaits using rattle can sprays and the printing foil technique which Husky invented Crankbait making is catching with a few things to start with, the rest will come in time

In the thread "Quick tips ..." which you can find in the second page of threads you can read some ideeas posted by BobP and myself, which could also apply for ss lips. In addition to that, here are some more. 1) Take a kind of high steel sharp nail and try to punch holes with a hammer in the epoxy area. If you cannot make holes (this depends on the thickness of the material) you will still have a better surface for the epoxy to bond the lip to the body 2) In case you use a through lip line tie, you can make the wire longer than the lip slot. I do this as follows: a. While the crankbait is still "square", I put it in a vice, and drill the hole for the hand twisted wire, which will be longer than the lip slot b. taking out the drill bit, I insert it with the other end in the hole c. usind a saw blade for metal (maybe you can tell me the correct name for it ) I make the lip slot just above the drill bit, using it as a guide d. I bend the twisted wire, so that the eye will be above the lip, and the rest will be underneath, and aligned with the lip. Make the necesary adjustments (to fit the hole length, to have the right bending angle, etc) e. in this stage, you can epoxy the wire to the lip, but this is not necessary f. epoxy the lip and wire into the body Regards

I had the same problem as you have now, Pete, but the other way round: I had too much wobble, and I wanted to make it tighter. I make crankbaits which rarely are longer than 3", so there is a difference in action, but the principles are the same. Take these ideeas into conideration: 1. The lighter the wood is, the more action you can give to a crankbait 2. Being a very long crankbait, try to place the lead more towards the nose 3. It is better to bring the lipslot closer to the tow eye, than to lower the placement of the tow eye towards the lip, because in case that the things inside the lure are not perfectly symetrical, the crankbait might roll over 4. Try a longer lip, not a wider one, and take into consideration the fact that the longer the lip is, the harder it is to tune a crankbait. 5. I am amazed at the thickness of the lip. 0.22" is 5.588 mm. For my lures, I use CD material, which is 1.2 mm thick. Of course you should use a thicker material than I do, but I think not that thick.

To maximize the holding power of the lips, you can do as BobP does, and, I think, as the majority of the crankbait builders do, or, you can take a needle file, triangular one or similar, to make "V" shaped cuts at the end of the lip. I prefer this solution, since I do not have a workshop where I could have the necessary machines ready to use, so it saves time for me. The sanding of the lip in the epoxy area is a must.

I do the same as BobP, only that I do not have propionate to dissolve it in thinner. I use CD blancs which dissolve in thinner or acetone. As BobP said, almost any solvent based coating will do the trick. But I consider that for better results, you should do 2 things: - the wood must be perfectly dried when you dip it the first time in the solution, and also it should be warm, because in this case the wood takes in more solution, so it is better protected - even if the solution dries quickly, you should let it dry one day after you make the first dipping, because you can see it dried on the surface, while inside the wood it didn't. I made an experiment with the first layer. After it dried on the surface, I heated the wood, and the solution started to come out of it. The second or third layer dries much quicker. I usually do 2 dippings. You can sand it afterward, if needed, and if you really want a smooth surface, you dip again the wood after sanding

Savacs, you mean you catch bigger pike perch here in Romania, than that skinny bass you came acros in USA?

Trying to make crankbaits as to the method described by Husky, I came across problems in finding the right materials. I couldn't find a spray adhesive, so I had to replace it with some other kind of glue. I found a glue which is used mostly for flexible bonds, such as for rubber, leather, but it can be used successfully for many other materials. You have to apply a thin layer on both parts, wait a few minutes until it dries, then press the two parts together. I think you call this glue "contact cement". I use my finger to obtain such a thin layer, on both the plug and the foil. After applying it, you do not have problems with glue drying time, the crankbait being ready for painting or clearcoating as soon as you finish glueing the foil. The cigarette packet foil can also be used on crankbaits. I made many such crankbaits. The paper which is on the back sticks well, using many types of glue. Once I had a surprise, when fishing a crankbait with cigarette packet foil on it, the foil went apart. The water "travelled" through the thin layer of paper, but this accident was not due to the foil, it was caused by the poor cearcoat I used

After a few months of work, not on a dayly basis, here they are. Photo finishing foil (see Husky's tutorial), lips made out of CD. Four of the lures were made using photos I took myself to baitfish. Two of such lures were made with the same photo, but to one of them I changed the colour http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/rofish_2006/rofish_2006-1/

I made lots of spinners over the last 20 years, and to many of them I covered the blade with fingernail polish sealer, after sanding it, or after sticking a metal foil. The fingernail polish was a cheap chinese stuff, so it wasn't epoxy. These spinners still look OK, with some exceptions, due to the abuse they suffered. Never had problems with color changing over time. But I use other materials for my crankbaits, which are not necessarily better. So for sealing crankbaits, I think fingernail polish is OK, but you have to work quickly, because it dries in seconds.

Those big eyes are really impresive, and they give a very nice look to the lure. Maybe some of us would like to try such eyes on their own lures. May I ask how you have made them ? (materials, technology) Regards