Vodkaman

It is not the balsa for sure, but it is difficult to help you unless you post a photograph of your bait here with your question. I checked out your gallery and everything looks good. I was going to write a lengthy discussion on tow eye position, but your tow eyes look just fine. Try more experimenting with the tow eye. Make a test lure with an extended tow eye, sticking our about ¼”, so that you can test the extremes by bending the tow eye. This way, you find out exactly what action is available to you. I just tested a lure using this method and found that even on a 60 degree angle lip, the best action was even lower down the lip than you have it and the lure was still stable. Try a wider, flat bottomed lip, this gives the water more area to work on and generates more power. I noticed in your pics that the lip edges looked rounded off. Sharp edges are better. Consider a thinner material like circuit board, especially on such a small lure. A 2mm thick lexan lip adds a lot of weight/inertia which is opposing your movement. The circuit board is thinner, lighter and gives a sharper edge for the flow. Dave

Check the paper cups, they are usually wax coated to water proof them. This would cause your fish eye problem. But you did say that the display side worked fine. Dave

The normal twist, shown by Hillbilly1 has been used for many years with no drama. No one has complained that the design has let them down, so it works and is an accepted method. I chose to use the loose barrel twist (introduced by Hazmail), because my pull tests demonstrated a significant improvement. Dave

Good job Hillbilly1. Very clear explanation, no one will have problems following the tut. You have definately filled a hole in the knowledge base. Thanks for taking the time. Dave

I do the same as Bob. I use a loose barrel twist and fit before paint, so that I have something to hold. Dave

Ben - good write up, learned some new stuff right there. Dave

She's still looking for her hair dryer, fishnet stockings and nail polish remover. Dave

You are not allowed to post ebay listings on TU. The page you posted was just a page of ads anyway. I found the listing, but if you go to the guys ebay shop, that item is 'available now' for $94.95, a lot cheaper than the auction price. The store name is 'funhobby'. Personally, I think you would be better saving up for better quality in the airbrush and a larger compressor. No details are given on the actual items, which raises suspicions in my head. A lot depends on your particular circumstances, regarding space, noise etc. Read up on TU, lots written about airbrush and compressor choice. I am sure someone will jump in here and give you solid advice on the above kit. Dave

A very confusing time for you, absolute pride mixed with absolute fear mixed with absolute vodka. Dave

The video has started the cogs inside my head turning. The blade support beam on my table, although it does its job, is quite a hinderance. So I am considering a double plate with spacers, single beam, reaching from the rear of the box, similar in design to the frame of the bandsaw in the vid. The stiffness the he attained with his construction was quite amazing. I am actually using the table quite a lot, mostly for polycarbonate, for which it works quite well. I am also going to keep my eyes open for an eliptical cutting action jigsaw. I have owned one in the past, but didn't appreciate it at the time. I think the eliptical cutting action would solve a lot of the problems. It is all down to how much I have to pay. Modifications to the box will be easy to adapt to the new jigsaw, as it is screwed together. I will probably have to make a new brass mounting plate and do a bit more routering. Thanks for your input. Dave

LP - That was so impressive. Makes me want to go hide somewhere with my meagre skills. Thanks for posting. Dave

Those results look perfectly acceptable to me. The 1.2 an 1.6 look right for the same material for both, but also demonstrates that 316L is not as forgiving as 304. The results for 0.8 and 0.9 are strange and point to different materials being used. Thanks for posting this. It gives a good reference if members want to compare their wires. Dave

Gloomisman - The melting point of teflon is 327C (621F), which also happens to be the melting point of lead. Due to the excellent thermal conductivity of aluminium, which is sucking heat out of the lead as soon as it is poured, you get away with it, but you are working well beyond the upper use temperature of 285C (545F). Teflon (PTFE) also has a very low thermal conductivity, which means they cool down very slowly, so it is a good idea to have enough pins to rotate their use in a production enviroment, to allow them to cool as much as possible. You are probably already doing this, as the pins have to be extracted from the castings. Dave

polyurethane is different to polyester resin, but I don't know about the properties. I think the shrinkage is less, but as for temperature resistance, I do not know. Even if the resin softened under the vulcanizing heat process, it would probably still hold its shape, but we are now outside my level of experience. I am not picturing what you are trying to do, due to my lack of knowledge with wire and plastic baits. Sorry I could not help more. Dave

I have done this copy method, only in an RTV mold. I cannot see PoP sticking to the aluminium, but for the kind of bait you are probably working on (thin sections etc), it will be too delicate. My choice would be polyester resin with a release agent of floor wax or something similar. Do a test pour of the resin on a flat surface (back) of the aluminium, to test the release. I am not sure whether resin would stick to the aluminium, but you do not want to take a chance with a valued mold. The wax will leave an uneaven surface, but if you flash over it with a torch flame, it will level out. I usually melt a knob of wax and brush it on with a dedicated brush for the job, but an old piece of towelling material will do the job. There will be shrinkage with resin. If this is a problem, you can add microballoons (if you have any) to reduce this or mix resin with polyester filler, to keep it pourable. Dave

In all the techy articles that I have read in the last few weeks, I have not read anything about cracking being a problem. Stainless steels do work harden when you bend them, which makes them more prone to cracking, but this goes for ALL stainless steels. I just performed a fatigue test on the two thicknesses of wire that I have. the 0.79mm (0.031") diameter bent 38 times, the 1.0mm (0.039") diameter bent 66 times. Method - I bent the end into a U shape and clamped the U between two pieces of wood. Holding with pliers, I bent flat one side (count 1) and flat the other side (count 2) and repeated until the wire broke. Seeing as we only form the wire once, plus a little bit of sideways tweaking to tune the lure, I am not concerned about cracking. You can easily perform the same test on your stock for comparison.If the wire broke after 4 or 5 bends, I probably would be concerned. Let us know what your results are. EDL - good link, very comprehensive. Pity it does not cover 308, to complete the set. Dave

Is the 316L giving you problems? What diameter is it? Have you tried using it? I would think 1mm diameter for smaller lures and 1.6mm for larger lures would work great with 316L. Dave

Reading on the web about Stainless steels is tedious, as the list of properties seem meaningless. The one property that is important to our application, is the yield strength (YS). This number represents how much load or force it takes to bend the wire beyond its spring back point. Here is a list of the Stainless steels and their yield strengths for comparison: 304/YS290 : 304L/YS241 : 308/YS205 : 316/YS205 : 316L/YS170 I have collected and verified the above numbers from a number of sources and so I am confident that the data is accurate. The numbers are surprising to me, as 304 is the most commonly available steel, most often quoted for lure use. 316 is designed as a direct replacement for 304, but having improved corrosion resistance in hostile environments and temperatures, used extensively in the food industry. I think that any of the above specs would work for lures and next time I shop for wire, I will be looking for 304L, but the numbers will at least give you all some kind of guide to help you make your own choices. Dave

Great job. All that work is starting to pay off. I recognize that shape Dave

The tutorial is called quick and easy mold box and is next to bottom of the tutorials page. Forums > member submitted tutorials > soft plastics how to. Dave

Grade 304 is the most commonly available SS wire. 316 is an improved version of 304 and has improved corrosion resistance in corrosive enviroments and tempreatures. Its mechanical properties are very similar to 304, so I would say that you will be good to go with 316. Dave

Diemai hand paints all his lures. Here is a video of him testing a few swimbaits, it will give you something to shoot for. Diemai mentions model enamel paints at 4:45 in the video: Dave

navarre66 is correct, you probably will make mistakes. If you can afford to make the mistakes in RTV then OK, but if mistakes are going to hurt and result in tears, probably better to learn with PoP, despite the drying and sealing inconveniences. When I started molding I read everything, but still ended up with a stack of scrap. If you are working with RTV, do not throw your scrap mistakes away. RTV can be cut up/diced/ shredded and recycled in your next mold as filler. This will save you some money. This tip is courtesy of Husky, who has done a lot of work in this area and is worth reading. Tutorials and instructions do not tell you everything, but we don't leave things out on purpose, just to spoil your day. A few examples: No one warns you about getting RTV on your clothes or carpet , RTV is very unforgiving on clean-up, so wear latex gloves. Assume that there will be spillage and prepare to deal with it. Lay down backing sheets, aluminium foil is good for this. I have had failures because I was careless in constructing the mold box and the RTV leaked out. Check the seal of your mold box with water. This is also a good way of measuring the volume of RTV required for the mold. While you have the water in the mold box, check for level. A one part sloping mold is about as useful as a chocolate fire guard. Don't forget the release agent when you pour the second half (2 part molds). I have scrapped a few molds this way. I got so bad, I made a big sign to remind me. I even forgot to put the master back in the mold once (Vodka). Complete and thorough mixing is vital, just like mixing epoxy. If you fail here, you will end up with uncured patches and streaks. You will get it all over you until you realize what has happened. The two components are generally different colors, this is so you can monitor the mixing process. But you cannot see the progress at the bottom of the container. If possible, use clear plastic cups, so you can lift up and examine the bottom. I use three cups, one for part A, one for part B. Pour A into B, mix thoroughly. Pour back into A, mix thoroughly, then pour into a third, clean cup and mix some more. The reason that I do this, apart from thorough mixing, is that the RTV will cure in all three containers and the cured RTV can be pealed out and used as filler in future pours or discarded cleanly. Also if you get it right, the cups can be re-used. That is all I can think of at the moment, but I am sure others have tips and tricks to help. Maybe I should have started a new thread with this. Dave

I had a choice of wife’s cousins wedding or playing with Fodens motor works brass band at a concert. That was an easy decision. I managed the church part and then made my excuses and left for the concert. The wife stayed at the party. When I returned to the wedding party after the concert, the music was playing but no one was dancing. The room was split in two. There had been a family feud about me leaving. It didn’t help that I was still wearing the bright red and gold Fodens jacket. 25 years later, they still talk about it, so go fishing at your peril. Dave