KelpKritter

I am trying to mimic this color as close as possible but don't have any painting background. Any suggestions for acrylic airbrush paints to get this scheme. Thanks, DaveB. KelpKritter

I purchased a Badger Cresendo bottom feed brush a few weeks back and have been practicing a bit on paper and scrap wood. The kit came with three color cups and three different sized tips. At this time I am only planning on painting a few baits at a time and do not want to paint them all the same although my patterns will be limited to probably three schemes. All of the paints are Folkart waterbased acrylics. The instructions did not come with any info on thinning or storage of paint. Here are my questions. 1) What ratio should I thin the paints with, the pearls are much thicker, if I am using Windex and is one tip size better than another? 2) Once the paints are thinned should I leave them in the color cup and store them this way or should I return to a different type of container for storage? I do not want to return thinned paint to unthinned. It would seem that I would need to invest in more color cups and simply store and attach to the brush when changing colors. This would include a cup for cleaning the brush between color changes. Am I missing something simple with regards to color changes and storage? Thanks for the help and suggestions. DaveB. KelpKritter

Fongster, I don't want to get to personal over the web, but is this SWBA Fongster? Based on your viewable information I am guessing so. If so this is DaveB. from the same group. This is where I have been getting all the help in developing the crankbaits I have been making. If it is you we should hook up and do some painting. I just bought a new badger airbrush and have a lot to learn. DaveB. KelpKritter

Dave, Thanks for the link. Everytime I see someone ask for some specific info it seems like you have a link in your back pocket. Sometimes the search feature can lend to a lot of useless browsing if you do not put in the right words. Thanks again, DaveB. KelpKritter

A few months back I finished a three piece swimbait for fishing the salt here in SoCal and was happy with the tail I made using the weed guard material from the leadheads I was pouring. This however was a little messy and somewhat hard to control while gluing the tail into the bait. I took a hiatus and am now back to perfecting the bait. I have the means to make a mold and pour my own plastic tails but am wondering what methods everyone is using to attach them to the bait. The downside of a plastic tail is replacing it after it gets torn up from a few fish. My current thought is using something like a "twist lock" you would see on some of the leadheads on the market. What do you think. DaveB. KelpKritter

With my Michael's 50% off any item coupon I picked up a Badger Cresendo 175-7 airbrush kit today. I have a compressor already, but recall a few necessary items mentioned here such as a moisture trap and in-line pressure regulator. Are there any other essential items that will make for better performance that I should be investing in? I am looking forward to putting this thing to good use here real quick. Thanks for the advice. DaveB. KepKritter

Thanks for the help everyone. I am out in Ontario so none of these suggestions are close but certainly a step in the right direction. When I get a few spare hours I'll get to work on getting some material. Mark, I may take you up on that offer but I have to find some time to hook up. DaveB. KelpKritter Baits

Hey Guys, After seeing another of John Hopkin's baits a lot of talk has happened recently about the use of pvc. I have looked at Lowe's, Home Depot, and a local plastics supplier and the best I can do is 1/4" x 4' x 8' which is way to big of a sheet while at the same time being to thin. Any other builders in SoCal having luck finding pvc in at least 3/4" thickness? I am itching to try this now that I have a swimbait that is to my liking. Thanks for the input. DaveB. KelpKritter Baits

Hey Everyone, Looking for some advice/insight here on topcoating. I have been making baits for a limited time now and up to this point have not encountered any issues with the topcoat cracking or chipping unless I banged a bait on the rocks. I am currently sealing with solo cups dissolved in virgin laquer thinner and topcoating with d2t. I know that epoxy is somewhat brittle and probably not the best topcoat, but is obviously used a lot by luremakers here. I also now know, thanks to a recent post here, that the sealer mentioned can also crack. So here is the problem. I am fishing this weekend and hit nothing but water all day, no rocks or docks. After fishing the bait for thirty or so casts I see a huge crack the length of the bait. During the next 10-15 casts the finish basically deteriorates with cracks and chipped d2t all over the bait. My question is two-fold and I know there is a ton of info here if I do a search but let's see where this goes. First, how common of a problem is this using this sealing and topcoating method? Second, what is your favorite combination to deal with these two parts of crankbait making? Thanks,

I just finished my first prototype swimbait and I used weed guards that I just purchased for pouring weedless lead heads and they worked awesome. Seperated them into individual strands laid on a piece of tape, shaped to fit tail slot, taped over the top to keep in place, and finally epoxied into place. Worked great and far easier to work with as opposed to paint brush bristles. I used two for my bait and they cost about 5 cents a piece. I am going to post a pic of the bait later this afternoon.

Everything Mark said above is spot on. I live in Southern Cal which as most know is a big bass mecca. I personally am not a freshwater guy but still read about and see all the gear. That bluegill is quite simply the most realistic one I have ever seen. For the fishermen that have the swimbait mindset and want the best, which there are a lot of, that bait is easily worth $75. I'll add that time and effort and costs of production are all necessary factors in determining price, but supply and demand are as important. If you are a bad craftsman and it takes you forever to make a so-so product you cannot base your product price primarily on the value of your time then your bait may be overpriced. On the other hand if you are skilled and efficient with your time and can still produce a superior product you do not short change yourself and charge less because the process is shorter. Bottomline is you charge what the bait is worth and what people are willing to pay because of demand. Your bait is worth a lot more then 20 bucks.

This is a bit off topic, but I have found it very valuable in my limited experience. My first successful crank which I just recently finalized is now repeated quickly with the use of a template as Mark P. stated. I made my first one on aluminum sheet that is marked with center lines, hook hanger, and lip slot location with notes on the template for what bits and cutting angles I used. If you do not have one already for your bait make one once you are happy with the finished product. I marked, drilled, and cut 15 baits this week from one blank in roughly an hour. Once I get my first swimbait to do what I want this will be priority #1 to make sure I get it right everytime.

Carpholeo your last assessment is most accurate. My problem is actually more in line with what you said about the joint "binding". In reality the the front section turns only slightly to the side and the rear sections roll to the maximum amount allowed by the joint clearance and then the bait runs straight on it's side. Thanks for that observation as I will now focus my efforts on the second two joints.

The bait does have ballast, but apparently not enough. It is roughly 3/4" thick and nearly 1 1/2" tall and as I said the bait swims perfectly on the surface and does not roll over but changes action underwater. Does the dynamic change that much underwater that added weight is needed? BTW it has been nearly 20 years since my last physics class! Carpholeo, your bait is very nice and I have enjoyed reading your posts. I started out trying to imitate a grunion but got tired of fooling around with such small pieces. It was six inches long but very small otherwise and tricky to work with as a first bait. I grew up in the east county of SD and now live in Ontario and mostly fish OC and LA county waters. I now fish Calico bass tourneys and a lot of freshwater baits are crossing over into the salt for bass.

I have been fooling around with a few different designs for a swimbait that immitates a mackeral to fish on the west coast. I now have a bait that I like in terms of shape and size. The bait is roughly seven inches, which includes the paintbrush bristle tail. When testing yesterday it swam great on the surface, a nice 'S' pattern at a slow to moderate retrieve. However, when I lowered the rod tip to take the bait below the surface it immediately rolled to about 45 degrees off vertical when the bait went underwater and was pulled straight back, losing all action. Ultimately I want to make this a bait that is slow sinking so it can be worked 4-8 feet below the surface. Before I start adding weights and going through the trouble of finishing a bait that will not swim sub-surface does anyone have any pointers or ideas as to why the bait lost it's action below the surface. Thanks,

Pete, I saw your sanding wheel in some previous posts and knew that was the tool I needed to have. I tried to get someone to turn a wheel on a lathe for me but they were not as willing as I had hoped they might be. What is the wheel itself made from or is it simply something you had lying around and attached to the motor. I know if I can get my hands on a tool like that I could whp out the sanding real quick. Thanks for the input.

First off let me say thanks for the responses. Second, safety is always of utmost concern. I learned that a long time ago from my father as I would work on the lathe in the garage. I cringed a little myself when I saw the video that was posted last week with the worker cutting on the lathe with long sleeves. With that said, let me say that the way I have the router set up now is safe as safe an be with a router. What I mean by that is the router is one of my favorite tools to work with but one I think I have the most respect for as well. It can be an extremely dangerous tool if not used with extreme care. My goal was to find a faster cutting tool that I could run over the entire bait. Hence, the question about the Dremel. My impressions were essentially the same as those mentioned here but was curious as to other's thoughts. Now I cut a string of baits (held together with a large amount of wood between baits) with the band saw, run most of each individual bait through the router, cut out each individual bait, knock off any edges uncut by the router with a stationary band saw, and finally sand with paper laid inside half sections of PVC pipe. The process is fairly quick, but becomes frustrating trying to match the perfect router cuts with the freehand sanding. Part of the fun is figuring out new solutions and what brings you enjoyment to the hobby of luremaking. Here is one of the baits I just finished. Actually, the guy I gave it to caught a nice halibut on it during a saltwater bass tournament this past weekend. [/img] Check out the rest of the baits in the gallery Tackleunderground Home - Luremakers Photo Gallery - Flat-sided Cranks

I have been looking for a better, more accurate way to shape the flat-sided cranks I have been cutting lately. I have been partially cutting out 4-6 cranks on longer stock and then running what I can through the router, but even this is a little sketchy and I end up doing a lot of sanding to get the edge right. Has anyone used the Dremel Router kit or simply the bit to round off edges. If so, what were your impressions? I am thinking it would be a lot easier to control but at the same time would like to see a little bigger cut than the bit they offer. I just finished my first six baits and would post pics, but can't seem to find my camera after my most recent vacation. When I find it I will show my work and get some feedback. Thanks, DaveB. KelpKritter

I am trying to quote from multiple responses and am having trouble. Can someone point me in the right direction? Helpful information here as I ponder my next move.

BM08, Nice work on the paint. I especially like the second bait in the last photo. Are these repaints or your own carvings? I ask because I saw how the lips were done in the third photo. Trying myself to perfect lips and tow eyes and those baits look like what I am trying to achieve. Again, great work. DaveB. KelpKritter