Vodkaman

How hard is the final result (comparison will do)? Density? Cost? Website? We need to do some reading on this material. Dave

Is fishing them going to be a problem, as they will be so light? I think the material must be similar to that used by some of the hardbaits guys, 16Lb foam. But this is a 2 part mix, pour, close the mold and wait 10 mins. Dave

With everything set up and all the materials and tools to hand, you should be able to make as many as 20 - 30 in an hour. It is just a bit fiddly for the first dozen or so, after that you'll be flying. Having said that, you should not tie for more than 15 mins without a break, or you will hurt your eyes. It can be intense with the concentration. I used to tie flies in my youth, I wouldn't dare attempt it now, without someone beside me with a pair of scissors, ready to cut my fingers loose, my eyes are that bad. Dave

I really liked that the rod position is adjustable, allowing you to make the solid head longer or shorter, to your own taste. My guess is that the timings will be similar, with the dip being a shade faster. But this is not a race. Time how long it takes to set up the mold, pour and de-mold, in other words, one complete cycle, then Bojon can do the same. DON'T rush, this is just for interest. Dave

I don't think the rattle would break. The ball would reach it's settled position long before max revs are reached. Rather than fitting the rattle, I would drill a small pilot hole for the rattle, so after shaping, the rattle hole can be easily and accurately drilled out to size. I would be nervous about drilling the full size, incase the chisel catches the hole and throws the wood. I hope some experienced turners jump in here with real experience to share, these are just my engineers thoughts, worth no more than the usual , for which I will dispatch an invoice in the post. Dave

What! you forgot your own birthday! Didn't anyone remind you? Lol. Good luck with the mold thing. Dave

Seems pretty clear to me. There is nothing new going on here, nor is it unique to the USA. The current recession is hitting UK hard, with unemployment reaching record levels. Record numbers of house reposessions. Over zealous credit companies, allowing desperate people to take on credit that they obviously could not afford. I have just done the executor to the estate of a family member who died recently. $30,000 in credit card debts! His wife and daughter lost the house and now they live with her mother. This is a typical case, not unusual. These are hard times and it will get worse before it gets better. Zero cheap imports is a utopian idea, the American public demands cheap imports, as does UK, europe etc. They may not shout it out loud, but the wallet speaks loud enough. Dave Robalo01, eloquently put.

5bites, Friday has come and gone. So, what did you do in the end, to solve your problem? Dave

As stated above, you should not even consider trying to compete with the mass produced baits. Your selling point is your unique design, quality construction and finish. You have to consider what your time is worth as well as all the other fiscal factors, which have been amply covered in recent similar threads, so let's not repeat ourselves. As a hobbyist, lure building is a labour of love and a challenge appealing to our primeval nature as natural hunters. But once you start selling and find yourself locked in the man cave for 14 hours a day, that lerve will diminish. If at this stage, you are only clearing $5 per bait, then you will soon wise up. Once you have set your stall out, raising your prices when you get serious, will not work, your customer base will abandon you. So, decide at the start, what is your time worth. Dave

Birthday greetings and felicitations oh wise one. Think of the ozone layer before you light those candles. Dave

I don't think so. This discussion is so wrong on so many levels. Being a non-USA member, I feel insulted. Tackleunderground is NOT a USA only site, it is an international site. The only stipulation that the site rules makes is that the posts are written in English. The original post was a very good one, with lots of U-turns and knowledge spread. But this ugly turn is not welcome and should be removed from the thread. Dave

Alginate. It sets in about 1 minute, so you have to work really fast. It is made of seaweed, so is harmless to the fish. There is no heat generated either. It is a soft rubbery material when cured, so may need support when casting from it. I use layers of material, dipped in plaster, a bit like making a medical plaster cast. You can only cast plaster of Paris in it, as all other casting materials are too corrosive for the alginate. Also, it is a one shot cast, if you are very careful, you could get two. The PoP casting has to be made within hours, as the alginate degrades very quickly, as it dries out. After 24 hours, it will be virtually unrecognisable. Not sure how you are going to cast the fish, my thoughts are to do two halves, then sand the dried plaster castings and glue together. You could totally encapsulate the fish, then split the alginate with a exacto knife, to release the fish. This has been discussed before, but no one has reported back, so I wish you luck and keep us informed. Dave

Beware of communal smoke detectors too. I set the alarm off in my apartment in Sweden. Apart from the embarrassment of setting every alarm off in the entire building complex, two fire engines arrived. I had to pay $1000, the most expensive sausages in the world. I ate salads after that day. Dave

Congrats on the job. The boss obviously didn't think this one through. You'll be sneaking onto the internet in the secretaries office, ordering RTV on the companies inventory, he'll need extra cleaning staff to get the balsa chips out of the carpet and paint stains off the bathroom tiles. Every time you get a big order, you will have no choice but to pull a sicky. Dave

Plumbers flux has been mentioned before, did anyone ever try it? Not sure exactly how it works, but you cannot solder without it. Kinda wets the surface and promotes adhesion. It could be worth a try, if all else fails. Use it carefully (full safety precautions) the first time. I don't know what the effects would be, pouring an ounce of molten lead into a closed mold containing a fluxed hook. Dave

You need to install a digital coded lock on your man cave and change the code once a week. A woman has obviously infiltrated your space and tidied up. While I was in UK, my ex-wife gained access to mine, it took a week to get it back into shape, when I returned. Dave

If it is the motor that has failed, you might be able to rig something temporary with a variable speed drill. A few screws drilled into the side of the wheel would act like a pulley, retaining a chord. Manufacture a wooden pulley wheel with a bolt spindle for the variable speed drill chuck. It might solve your immediate problem. Dave

So, what was the solution, the lead mix or the venting? Glad your problem was solved. Dave

Gadawgs, the preferred and proper way to display pics, is to re-size them first (620x280 pixels) and then upload. Instructions for these operations can be found under "how to" at the top of the page. Then select "site usage instruction". There you will find three posts that cover everything. Note, your pic WILL be deleted if you fail to re-size. Site Usage Instruction - Tackleunderground link to 'site usage instruction'. Dave

JB, excellent work and a good result. The thin CA makes all the difference. I did a very similar experiment to test twisted eyes (plain twist and loose barrel twist). I sealed the inside of the holes with polyester resin, but its viscous properties does not allow it to soak in sufficiently. The wood I used was slightly heavier than balsa, at 0.3gm/cm3. I found the loose barrel much stronger than the plain twist, holding 47Lbs for weeks. I tried the same test with light balsa, but it pulled out very early, at about 15Lbs. This is why I say that the thin CA makes the difference. I am hoping for similar results to yours, when I seal with propionate with vacuum assist. Once again, great post, thanks for sharing. Dave

Way too much is the answer. Starting top left, receipts “in box”, Psion ser5 calculator, CAD discs, outstanding tax paper work under torch (electricity often fails here), also on paper work, test specimens for PoP air dryer (thread needs writing), another Psion calculator, head set for Yahoo, under head set is a resin release agent test piece (looks like a round disc) and an external hard drive. Front right, laptop, digital thermometer, failed swimbait project (to be re-visited), another calculator, various electronic bits (for duplicator project), couple of trash DVD films (looking at the material for something, don’t know what yet), vernier, bearings, motors, bicycle parts (for dup m/c) and two digital scales. I know, not as tidy as some of you expected, but highly organized. This work station is located in my bedroom, (no resident ladies to accommodate). prototype bench picture by folicallychalled - Photobucket (link to full size pic) Dave

When I get better with the airbrush and sort the patents out. Dave

Buy her the AB for her birthday. Add a personal note, like, "I love you so much, I want to share my whole life with you, including my addictions". Dave PS. BIG box of chocs needed as a backup, incase of back fires. PPS. If all goes well, save the chocs for Christmas.

Gadawgs, I tried to PM this to you, but PM is turned off. Open 2 windows, in one, start writing your TU post. In the other, open photobucket and get your picture up. Place your cursor in the middle of the pic, right click and select copy. Switch to the TU post, place your cursor in the middle, right click and select paste. Done. Dave

Yes I do see your point, but you might not be quite seeing mine. If your baits take off and you find that you want to go full time, you will then need to account for the other bills too. To meet these extra committments, you will probably have to raise your prices. Chances are that your now solid customer base will not be as forgiving as you thought they might and sales will drop all of a sudden, rocking the boat. Better account around a bait number that would cause you to go full time and set your unit price that covers the bills, so that the transition will be a smooth one and not cause any ripples. Dave