Vodkaman

Bassgrabber, I just read another post of yours. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/soft-plastics/16244-how-many-trick-worms.html#post120457 I fealt it more appropriate to comment in this thread. If you do intend to make a business, you will need to factor in many other costs, many of which will be tax deductable, but will still affect your unit price. Electricity, rent, tools, equipment, clothing, health insurance etc. I'm sure the actual list is a lot longer than mine, but you get my point. Dave

I just done some googling and read that lead is No2 on the USA toxisity list. So you better get used to the idea that it WILL eventually get a total ban, as in UK. I read up on the common metal elements that we probably have access to. Lead, nickel and zinc are toxic. Even if not banned, what is the point. Copper melting point is beyond our reach, at 1084C. Tungsten powder, mixed with a polymer binder (I guess resin would do the job) Would give a density comparable to lead. The down side to this would be the extra labor involved. Not sure of the cost or vailability (lots of adds). Tin. pours well (tin soldiers). Density 7.28gm/cm3 (lead is 11.34gm/cm3), so will take up more space, a problem for balsa builders. Low toxisity, low melting point at 232C, compared to lead at 327C. But the price was approximately 9 times that of lead. But to put this into perspective, 1/2 oz would be $0.20 approx. I have not looked into alloys. At what point does lead in an alloy become safe, if ever? Does the bill cover this point? Dave

Welcome to TU PR. I'm sure you'll find your answers here, lots of very experienced members to help you. You will get the most help if you post your questions in the wire baits forum. Dave

I was reading through some old posts, when I found this one from Lincoya. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/hard-baits/294-prevent-airbrush-tip-build-up-while-spraying.html It might be relevant to your problem, but either way, I think the idea was worth mentioning. There is a lot of very good info in the older posts that gets missed. Next time you run out of reading material, go to hardbaits forum and click the down arrow next to the heading 'last post'. Dave

CA, it is a latex splash of my thumb, in which I poured polyester resin (fibreglass resin). Dave

WOW, great post Sagacious, many thanks for that information. I really like the 'rebar' idea, I will definately be trying that in my next mold. Dave

FNF is right, the mold does warp, at least mine did. The material seems to slightly soften with the heat. But this can be used to your advantage. By clamping as demonstrated in Sagacious's pics, this truly forms a good seal and I experienced zero flash, just the normal seam line, pouring lead ballast weights. I have the same clamps as Sag', but could not compress them far enough to use them, so I used a couple of G-clamps. I guess I need to do some grip exercises. What ever material you choose, there is a learning curve. You have to get to know the material, just like PoP, Durhams or RTV. It may take a couple of tries before you get the hang of it. Don't give up after the first attempt, learn from it. Dave

I think NOW is the answer, but I am not American. Lots of very good information in recent weeks on the subject, about tax and stuff, so get reading, QUICK! Dave

Bob is right on the money. I have already abandoned one swimbait project, because I got too technical with the hinges and I went too small. Keep the first one simple and learn from it. Lots of people to help here, so report back with your progress, so I can learn some more. Dave

I use the bottom of a coke can, no corners to hide in. Then, after mixing, transfer to ally foil, mix some more. Should be no problem after that. Wipe off the stirrer after the first mix. Mixing on foil first leaves too make creases for unmixed epoxy to hide, especially if you are scraping the last bit to finish the job. Better to mix too much than not enough. Dave

Farfingers, could be the start of a new career! On a similar note, I was bored with my old thumb drive, so jazzed it up a bit.

I only tried ice fishing once, with my brother who lives in Sweden. It was before I got involved in lure design and he knew nothing about fishing. So, dangling a strip of bacon rind in the middle of a huge lake was not destined to be fruitful. I do not like the cold, that is why I live in Indonesia. But what I do remember from my youthful fishing days, is that if the fish are biting, I will endure anything. So, respect to the keen ice fishers, it is just not for everyone. Dave

Probably was not a very good example to get my point across, sorry DM. But I am sure you all understand what I am getting at. Dave

I'd say you muddied the water a tad. I was quite happy with your original statement, They are just different densities, but the same basic theories apply. Dave

Pete, imagine sitting in a deep freeze, watching e-tex harden. Dave

Ah yes, now I understand your problem. Dave

It does not sound right, but I am not an electrical guy. I hope you have insulated all the coils. You cannot allow the coils to contact the pot directly, or you will feel the force. Dave

What Bob said. Dave

0.072 is huge. Are you fishing for marlin or what? Load one up with a bucket of dirt and see what weight it fails. Then load up your rod to the same weight. Second thoughts don't. You will end up in tears. You have to examine your entire system and determine the weakest link. A 0.072 eye is NOT the weakest link, believe me. Dave

Time to drill and adjust that ballast. Dave

K.C.K. That is reasonable thinking to me. Dave

Sapper, that stuff sounds like latex. Does it have an ammonia smell? Dave

Post No6, ref the cow catch. I remember now. We had read an article on distance casting, were you swivelled around 360 degrees on your heels. My friend over did the rotation and cast into the field behind us. He was all for reeling in the line, hoping that the treble would not impale the cow, which was innocently grazing, blissfully unaware of the pain comming her way. We wound in as much as we could and then cut the line. All went well. I guess this doesn't count, as technically, the bait was not in the water, only the intent. Dave

Rightly so Joe, that thing weighs more than 1.5 tons, full of water. But ware houses should be designed to take heavy loads. That is what they are for. Dave

Not 100% sure on this, but I think you will lose the 'walk the dog' action and replace it with a straight wiggle, if you add a lip. I'm sure someone will jump in and correct me if I'm wrong. To keep the lure on the surface, the lip angle needs to be around vertical. Not much we can say about lip size, some experimenting will be required here. Someone may be able to reccommend a lip shape for you, but again, experiment. I only make 3" to 4" cranks and use 2mm thick lips, but I am going to change to 1mm thickness. Easier to cut and less weight in the nose, should give a crisper action. Check out the gallery to see what others are doing, as a guide to get you started. You will soon develope a 'feel' for lip design, provided you do the experimentation. Dave