Vodkaman

I am not sure what you really have in mind, but you still have a few inches of wire left at that position. More than enough to have leverage to pull the wire around until the former can fit and complete the tight bend. You could build different formers to solve different problems, for example, I will have the standard former at one end of the rod and make a second former at the other end and grind it down to 6mm. This will help form a tighter eye shape. You could build more double end formers for other solutions, like this one. Once you have the material, the formers are very quick and easy to make. Thanks for your input. If anyone builds this tool and comes up with any more former shapes (like Hillbilly), I hope that you share them here. Dave

It was a good effort. You gave the unit every chance. Thanks for reporting back. Your next challenge is to find another use for the unit, now that you have taken the hit and spent the money. It will be interesting to see what you come up with (using for cooking is not allowed). Maybe a vibrator for releasing bubbles in PoP. Dave

No release agent required. Dave

The models are drawn on a professional CAD system called Catia V5. I am a car designer by trade, so use CAD all the time. Dave

In that case, I suggest working with brass, as you can grind it quite easily with a Dremel drum sanded attachment. It only takes about ten minutes to make the former. The hardest part is finding the material. Try to find 6mm - 8mm square section bar. 1 - drill the 3mm diameter hole 5mm back from the end. 2 - make a hacksaw cut, to define the forming face. 3 - grind a flat from the hacksaw cut to the end of the bar. The depth of the flat to be the same as the wire diameter. 4 - round off the sharp edges at the end. I can produce a set of instruction pictures if you require, no trouble. Your first job is to find some materials, square bar and 3mm diameter rod. Dave Dave

Yes, water has to be moving past the fish before anything can happen, so in still water, the fish has to drive itself forward. The fish powers itself with its tail and utilises the free vortex energy. The mechanical fish has been done, a bit big for bass fishing though: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/meet-roboshark--the-mechanical-fish-that--has-netted-the-bbc-hours-of-ocean-footage-586862.html I don't think anything would be gained using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software. The programs are very expensive and no where near advanced enough for this kind of modelling. It is enough to understand the basics of what is going on and with a little imagination, you can apply the theory to lure building. Interesting about the nose ballast having the stabilizing effect, something else for testing. Dave

Go to 'forums > knowledge base > member submitted tutorials > soft plastics how to'. At the top of ANY page, directly underneath the TU logo, there is a list of directions showing you exactly where you are. As you are reading this, scroll up to the top of this page and have a look. Dave

I never thought of applying the scale theory to a lure. I guess it is possible that a spiked or ribbed surface on the sections behind the front section, could catch more energy and promote more action. You have got me thinking now. Kinda disappointed that I didn't think of it though, after doing all that research. Dave

It works really well and with the former I have modelled for you, I think you will like it. One thing, do not make the former out of round bar, it does not work at all. The wire rides up the radius. Don't ask me how I know this. If you need any detail/dimensioned drawings, let me know, but I think it is straight forward enough. I have no money for defending patents, though it could be patentable I guess. You could patent it, just pay me, LOL. I have started drawing my next project in the suite of swimbait tools. I am not revealing it yet, but I can guarantee it will blow you away. Dave

When the fish is making progress through the water, it is creating vortices and riding them. Here is a very good article on the subject and written in a very easy to understand form, easier than trying to read my explanations anyway: http://theartofnature.org/id20.html I think this was the first guy to understand the function of scales, which was one of sciences big unanswered questions. I did actually figure it out, but he published a few months before I thought of it. Simples really. Dave

I see only one problem bend and that is the bend from the belly eye towards the tail. This will have to be started manually, as the former too cannot get in there because of the previous bends. Not a great hardship. Dave

Here it is, the Vman wire former. The wire former consists of a base plate, which is held in a regular vice, by the vice pins. A bunch of removable former pins, around which the wire is bent and the wire former. Base plate – this can be any metal or a hard wood. If it is going to be used thousands of times, then metal would make sense. I used brass and soldered all the pins, as I did not need them to be removable. Vice pins – I used 6mm diameter brass rod, but any metal rod will work. Form pins – I used 3mm diameter brass. Choose the diameter to suit your eye requirements. The pins must be a sliding fit in the base plate, for easy removal. Former – I used bits of soldered brass, but it would be better if it was made from one piece. I have designed the best solution for you, based on my experience. Square section steel would be the best choice (8mm x 8mm), but a brass rod would give you a lot of service before it wears out. The critical part of the former is the notch. The depth of the notch is the diameter of the wire and the distance from the edge of the hole to the notch is also the diameter of the wire. This will give you a tight bend. How to use – start with all the pins removed except for the eye and starter pins. Lay the wire between the pins and wipe the wire around with the former, using the starter pin to hold the wire in place. After that, simply add pins as required and form the wire. If you measure the unbent wire and measure how much you trim on completion, you can cut the wire to actual length. Mark on the base plate where the wire starts and you will have repeatability. I did a time and motion study and it should take about one minute per complete form. The learning curve is very short. After half a dozen, you will be upto speed. I hope this is what you were looking for. I am really enjoying using mine. Dave

Good points about too much realism. But even though the bait looks real, it is giving off a different pressure wave pattern to a healthy fish. The vortices that form around the head of the lure (and the fish), push the segments away and drift down stream away from the lure. Whereas a fish senses these vortices and leans into them, catching the turning water with its scales, thus getting extra forward momentum for free. The fish also grabs the last bit of energy out of the vortex with its tail and the vortex is broken into two vortices swimming in opposite directions. The point of this techy talk is to point out that the predator picks up on all these pressure waves. Its senses probably tell it that it is not quite right, but it is moving under its own power, so it must be edible, a bit like a tiger eyeing up a Keystone cop. Even the most realistic of swimmers are going to appear injured to the predator. This perfect action that we are looking for, is more for ourselves than the fish. To build a swimmer and see it snaking across a pond, is very satisfying. Dave

You actually don't have a problem and you can stay with the heavier wood. If you build a balsa lure and a heavy oak lure, both identical in shape etc. Ballast them both until they are neutral buoyancy with lead. If you weigh them, they will be exactly the same weight as each other. If you add an extra half ounce to each of them, they will both sink at the same rate. It is all to do with Archimedes principal, which states states : Any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. I could discuss this further, but some members will become irritated and we don't want that. Dave

Can you post a pic of a wire form that you are wanting to make. A rule in the pic would help for scaling. Also what material and thickness. I may have something for you. I have just built a wire former for bending/folding tow eyes and wire links for my swimbaits. I may well be adaptable for your application. Dave

You guys have given me lots of ideas to think about and try. Thanks for the feedback. I will report back on what I decide on. Dave

I don't have an answer for you on this one. I have thought about it in the past, but every time I think of an explanation, I think of arguments against. Pretty sure it is a ballast thing though. I will get around to experimenting with this. Some builders prefer a lot of head movement, some do not. Personally, I am a 'do not'. Dave

The mold release you are looking for is Frankford Arsenal. It is used by the gun crowd, for pouring bullets. Try gun clubs and the like. Dave

Yes, these services are available and reliable, but Fedex is $43 (0.5Kg) from USA to Indonesia. This is why I do not sell lures in the USA. Dave

If I could get S81 locally, I would use it. The postal system to Indonesia is abysmal, a lot of stuff just goes missing, so I am confined to what I can find locally. I have found a source of D2T at a DIY store, but $4.30 for a 1oz pack, is a tad pricey. So the hunt for a locally available epoxy goes on. I found an epoxy supplier, but the finish was soft and yellow, disappointing. As far as cost, you have to break it down to cost per ounce and compare between products, also how many lures you can get out of an ounce. I can coat 18 small cranks with a pack of D2T, so that is 27c per lure, so not so expensive. S83 is a lot thinner than D2T, so the number of coatings would be a lot higher. More importantly, you have to consider quality and finish. The order that I would place a top coats attributes: 1 - performance. 2 - ease of use. 3 - storage. 4 - cost. Others would possibly arrange the attributes differently and even add others, but I think most would place performance first. If the coat does not protect the lure and make the paint look good, then what is the point. If someone brought out a coat that looked great, repelled musky teeth, applied faultlessly every time, cured in 5 minutes and had a working time of two hours. People would pay a dollar a lure for it, I am sure. Dave

I don't use S81, but with all these types of coatings, the best time to re-coat is when the first coat has set, but not cured. This way, the two coats bond together to make an effective single coat. If you wait 24 hours, you will get two separate coats that have the potential to delaminate. If I am wrong on this, please correct me. Your best bet is to prepare a test piece and experiment with coating times, just to make sure that nothing wrinkles. Don't forget to report back. Dave

That's a great result. You should post a video. Thanks for the feedback. Dave

My holes start out 8mm in, after the parting of the segments and shaping operation, they are around 6mm to 7mm. I think this is more than enough, especially with the denser woods. It is on my list to do some pull tests on much smaller gaps, to see what the safety margin is. As for the slot, I like the two holes and clean out in between. I am using 1.5mm diameter brass links and 2mm dia brass pins. I am folding them rather than twisting. They passed the pull testing with flying colors. They can hold the bend to adjust the hinge OK, but only a big fish test will tell all. I have just bought 10m of 1mm SS wire and the 1.5mm brass is stiffer. I am considering a router solution for the slots, but the jig that I designed last night, is a major build. If I was going to build hundreds of these, it would be worth it, but I don't have any plans for those kind of numbers. Respect to those that build a lot of these monsters, they require a lot of effort. I estimate five cranks equals one swimbait. Dave

You do not have to kill it to make the cast. put it in the fridge (NOT the freezer) for a few minutes, until it slows down. Make a cast using alginate. You have to be quick, but it sets up in seconds, allowing you to release the animal unharmed. You can only make one cast from this mold and you cannot use resin or epoxy type materials. I use plaster to make the cast from this type of mold. After drying, seal the plaster with thinned epoxy. From here you can make an RTV mold from the plaster. Bear in mind that any small appendages will probably break off, but the process works and the detail is excellent. I did a cast of my own face and every pore was visible in the plaster cast. I believe in cast and release, LOL. Dave