Vodkaman

Congrats Ken on cracking the hunter. Once you understand the geometry, it can be reproduced. I like persuing hunters because I doubt that a mass produced bait could made to such close tolerances, being so close to instability. I have a design for a high speed trolling hunter. Not even built never mind tested, but I am very confident that it will work. The lip does not need to be over size to achieve hunting. Some think that the lure has to be off centre or some other build error to achieve hunting. This is not true, the bait must be perfectly aligned. For those wishing to explore hunters (zig-zag) action, everything you need to know is in this thread. The subject seems quite popular at the moment, being discussed on another forum. Dave

Great machine, congratulations Bear. Here's a link to the video thread: http://www.bearsbaits.net/forum/index.php?topic=3053.0 Dave

That is a very nice machine, with some interesting solutions to the problems of duplicating machines. I have not seen this cutter before. Could not see if it was an abrasive or toothed. A broad cutter like this, cuts down on the cycle time compared with my choice of a circular saw. The saw produces ridges, which I reduce by slowing the feed screw, which doubles the cycle time. The 'donut' shaped cutter does not create ridges. With a broad cutter, the first cut is a problem, compared with the saw. The saws first cut is like butter, but the 'donut' cutter has to be fed slowly into the stock. The designer of this machine solves this problem by building a 'lead in' shape on his master. 'parting off' when the master is mounted on a spindle is not possible. The designer solves this problem by making the master over size and scales down the size through the transfer levers. Clever use of hydraulics in the feed mechanism. A complex design, one of the best I have seen. You have your work cut-out (excuse the pun) if you intend building this design. Dave

Sorry wrong thread. Please delete.

Why cork? If you just want a light material for buoyancy, try balsa. Model/hobby shops sell very light balsa in 1/4" diameter lengths. Dave

Thirtyacre86, I totally agree with you and for the same reasons, you will not find a single picture of my baits, anywhere. The blatant plagiarism within this industry is a big concern to me and all the other TU members, who work on new ideas and are thinking that one day they might bring their product to market. Like Larry stated, they will even copy patented ideas, because the small producer cannot afford to defend his work. When/if I ever make it to the market place, I will not be presenting my BIG ideas. I will not present them until I can afford to defend them. I will present new ideas, but only those that are not practical to patent anyway. Good luck with the ICAST thing, but if you generate big orders from the show, you’d better be able to meet them. JSC, I for one, would love to read a lot more of your experiences in the industry. I think it would be a big eye opener for anyone thinking about taking the next step. I think the information would be relevant to this thread, or you could start a new discussion. I feel certain that others would be interested too. Dave

RG, I feel your pain. Everyone gets stung like this sooner or later. Wish I could help you, but I cannot. This next paragraph is the last thing you will want to read right now and I appologise up front, but it is meant for all those who fear this happening to them in the future. Everyone who values the information on their computer should perform regular back-ups. You can use the built in features on your computer to do this, which only backs up new and modified files. Personally, I don't trust this. My disc is split into two drives. The C: drive contains all the programs and software. The D: drive contains all the files and photo's etc, that I create. Once a month, I copy the entire D: drive onto a 500Gb external plug-in drive, into its own named folder (date of back-up). My D: drive currently holds about 30Gb, so plenty of space. When tha back-up drive starts to fill up, I simply delete the older back-ups. I even through the occasional back-up onto a second portable drive, just incase. It is all about forming good habits. I hope someone learns from RG's bad experience, I know that is what he wants, he is that kind of guy. Dave

Thanks Rayburnguy, but it is Highpockets who should be credited with the technique, he did the work,all I did was a search. Dave

The above quote should not be confused with a valid opinion. It is deragatory comment meant to damage a business. Just my opinion. A valid opinion would say: I do not like the hinge because; and then offer up reasons why the hinge is not preferred. Before any opinion is presented to an open forum, the supplier or manufacturer should have been given a chance to put things right or explain the reasoning behind the hinge. As far as I am aware, no such opportunity was offered. Dave

Yes it is quite embarrassing. I used to live in an apartment complex, with a communal pool. I always did my testing at 5 - 6am, before the natives arose. Still the security staff would come around to see what I was doing. On a similar related note, I showed my wife my bullrider video, of a hunting lure in the pool. She watched it intensely twice, then asked me why I put fish in the swimming pool. Dave

I am glad things are progressing for you. Mark has a lot of experience and he is sure that the mouth has no effect, this is good enough for me. But you can test for yourself without harming the lure, by filling the mouth with soft modelling clay, for a swim test. Dave

Thanks for the feedback Mark, good to know. Dave

I see what you mean. It looks like it is right on the edge of swimming. If it had a sinusoidal action inbetween changes of direction, it would be a winner. Hunting lipped cranks wiggle and change direction. I have not experimented with cutting a mouth on a swimbait. My thinking is that it acts like a lip, which generally produces vortices too fast for a good sinusoidal action. What did you do with the line tie to fix the problem and did it achieve the swim you wanted? Dave

That lure has had swimming lessons. Grreat job. Dave

Sounds very much like a hunting action. Any chance of video of this. This action could be desirable. Are you getting a lot of roll with the lure? Dave

The technique was published on the forum 'stripers on line', by the member named Highpockets. If you search for a thread titled 'scale tutorial', all will be revealed. I will PM you the link. Dave

You should start off simple. Carve some wood using hand tools, box cutter, sand paper, hack saw, elec' drill etc. Stuff you probably already own. Read up (search) on sealing and top coats, key words propionate, devcon, etex, Dick nites, createx (color paint). It is the sealing and the top coat that make the quality. If you enjoy the experience, then you can think about more tools. The first tool would be a quality mini drill, most use Dremel, do not skimp here, as the failure rate of cheaper drills is significant (personal experience). Brouse the gallery for patterns that catch your eye. Ask specific questions when you find problems, everyone here wants to help you. Dave

Diemai, already published, 21. Dave

Happy birthday Milia. Dave

Is this the thread? http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/9688-basstrix-paddle-tail-tubes/page__p__64136__hl__basstrix__fromsearch__1#entry64136 Dave

Great explanation Sagacious, especially the salt/water example. Dave

Sorry Chris, I have done absolutely nothing for months now. I have been bogged down with other stuff. Might be getting back to it soon, but cannot say when. I will report any progress. Dave

I am using firefox too. Everything is working for me. I have 9 links on the tool bar. At the bottom left of the screen, the drop down menu for the theme should be "TU", that is all I can think of. PM Jerry, I'm sure he will be able to help you. Dave

That is a very tidy bait and I can see that a lot of time and effort went into it. Nice paint too. I am hoping that you own a video camera, I would love to see it swim. Top coating swimmers has been discussed a few times. Not sure if there is a perfect solution. Best to read how others do it, then find the method that works for you. That didn't help you much, but when you find a method that works, post it back here. Dave

link there for me. Dave