Vodkaman

If you are casting hard material, it would be best to make a soft mold (RTV), otherwise you may find your bait locked in. Especially when you forget to apply the release agent before pouring. There are clear resins out there on the market, but the problem is that resin is heavier than water, so not practical for a lure. This is true for all resins, you have to add silicon microspheres to get the buoyancy. But then the cast is solid white. The only possible solution that I can think of, is to half fill the mold with clear resin and spin the mold on a motorised frame, similar to a drying wheel, only a lot faster. I did experiment this idea, turning the mold by hand, but had no success. I think 60rpm might do the trick. This would leave a hollow centre, restoring the buoyancy. Dave

Mountain man 26 did it. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/hard-baits/14636-soft-plastic-high-lite-dc2t.html Send him a PM. Dave

Can you post a pic of the mold? Someone here may be able to advise. Dave

If you want to save a gram or two, twisted wire works just as well. Bit cheaper too, but a minor consideration. Dave

If you have the patience to cure without baking, then that is best. I don't have the patience, sorry about that. Curing PoP has a temperature limit, google for information. Also, if the molds get too dehydrated, they get brittle. Air drying is always best. Ghost mentioned the marble idea. Much superior to sticks. You have to consider the purpose of the locators and how they function. I usually just add a couple of blobs of modelling clay, similar result to marbles. Listen to the experts, I am not one of them, I just post my experiences, as you should do. Looking good. Dave

Original lure and original music. Lure designer, Musician and composer. I'm impressed, good job. Dave

I used to use elmers for this purpose, but I was informed that it was not waterproof. However, I doubt that it is causing your problem, unless you did not give it a full 24 hours to dry. The problem could be an incompatability between your base coat and your colors. If not that, it could be also that your base coat is not fully dried. I suggest you tell TU what paint combinations you are using and let the experts help. The sealer coat serves several purposes, #1 is to seal the wood, making it waterproof. #2 is to add some strength to the wood, especially for lighter woods, like balsa. #3 is to hide the wood grain, providing a good level surface to paint on. Currently, I am using fibreglass resin to seal. But it too has waterproof issues, so I am not recommending that. A lot of TU members use thinned D2T, some use propionate. But what ever you use, you cannot rush the process. Allow 24 hours before painting. I am still searching for a suitable seal and to coat, Clemmy has pretty much convinced me that prop is my direction for both. Painting direct onto the wood, no matter how smooth you sand it, is going to give an amateur finish, with the wood grain showing through. Nice art work Dave

Don't feel sad about it Spoopa. It is a learning process for us all. I have only done one swimbait, about two years ago. It took a few attempts and modifications until I got it to work. Your diagnosis of the ballast location sounds about right. So drill it out and have another go. Don't make plans about painting until it works. All the blemishes of prototyping can easily be filled. Just keep moving forward, then post your findings. Ballast on swimbaits has been discussed, so try a search and read some more. Dave

I'm going to have to try out some of these effects. If for no other reason than having the opportunity to flirt with the girl on the knicker counter. Dave the perv.

Good job DSV. 12" deep was never going to be enough. Good idea of yours to line the trench too, or the sides will just crumble in. Of course, if it works out good, you can make some shuttering and line it with concrete. Paint it white, for videos. Flag stone the surround. Aww hell, add a fountain and a few fish. Lol. Good luck with it. Dave

Dubs. When I first poured lead from a ladle, I had the similar problem, it was a crap shoot as to where it was going to pour. Often I missed the hole in the belly of the lure and had to start over. The solution was to cut a notch '>' about 1/4" where I wanted it to pour, using a cutter wheel in the dremel. This solved all my problems. Experiment, the notch may have to be a bit bigger for the viscous plastic. This may work for your pan, assuming it to be metal. Worth a try, assuming Mrs Dubs does not use the pan any more. Dave

It is called lime in UK. I remember because my brother (chainsaw artist) acquired some from a park he does work for, after a storm. I had never heard of basswood before I joined TU. But wasn't interested in woods either, before joining. Dave

Spoopa, those figures just don't add up, so I am thinking that you are not weighing the lead, but just guessing. Basswood, from the table of wood densities, has a density of close to 0.4g/cm3 (water = 1.00). So yes, quite a lot of lead. Achieving true neutral buoyancy is quite difficult, as you have to be at the correct weight to within 0.1grams. But what is the point, a slow sinker is close enough. The problem is that, you get it to neutral, then add your top coat, which is heavier than water, hense a slow sinker. Thanks Pete, I will look it up. Sorry Spoopa for the albesia wood hijack. Dave

Thanks Diemai, how did I miss that. I googled it and it fits the descriptions perfectly, including the variations in density. I had some that was upto 0.4 density, also the color variations were evident too. This just means that I have to measure the density for each batch of wood and amend the ballast design accordingly. It will be a chore at the start, but as records will be kept, the tuning will become simpler. Dave

Here is a link to a document that lists all the popular woods and their densities in both units. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF COMMON WOODS The wood I have found locally here in Indonesia, is called albasiah, but I cannot find a name that would be more recognisable. It is very light, 0.23g/cm3, but varies from batch to batch. It is strong enough not to require thro' wiring, which makes me happy. Very cheap, $1.20 for 3"x2"x12'. Perfect. Dave

Thanks guys. Often starting out, without no prior knowledge of how things are supposed to be done, can lead to new ideas. Here is the link to vacu-venting. Post 4 shows the incomplete spider casting. Post 13 gives the explanation of vacu-venting. Post 15 shows the successful pour and also the RTV mold with the venting. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/soft-plastics/11056-hairy-worm.html As far as I know, only one member has taken up the idea and he has had success. If you want to discuss it further, I suggest a new thread would be in order, as it is off topic in this thread. Dave Post script. Robalo01, yes, good idea. It is the depth of the plastic that gives the head of pressure and not the volume of plastic.

Diemai is right about the 'kick in'. Vortex driven lures will not operate until a minimum speed is reached. It is a Reynolds number thing. Even then, it can take a cycle or two before the rhythm settles down. The ditch sounds like a good idea for innitial testing. 18" would be better. I have seen video's of successful bath tub tests though. Dave

Is there a difference between a matt and a shiny finish, viewed submerged? I suspect not, but I have not made the comparison. Maybe someone could do the comparison and report back. Dave

I agree with what Kelly wrote. But you have to seal before emersing in water, otherwise you will compromise the paint. Also, hardware will affect the result, so you really need to add the hooks for the testing. This can be temporary fixing, but the additional weight has to be represented. What you cannot represent is the weight of the top coat, but Like Kelly said, there is a lot to learn from all this extra work. Maybe you could post your findings here, teach us all a thing or two. Make notes. Dave

On the line cranks, I am more interested in the machine. Which machine is yours (post number), as several machines displayed. Can you tell us more about it? Dave

Jason actually designed and built a trout bait, that swam on its side. Here is the link. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/hard-baits/7775-new-lure-picture.html Unfortunately, the pic is lost. Jason is still around, maybe he could give us an update. Dave

Robalo01. Interesting point. To achieve a complete pour using this method, would probably require modification to the venting trategy. A bubble is probably going to force its way through the main body, so a vent adjacent to the sprue would be useful. I found this out when experimenting with vacu-venting. Also, as the plastic is used, the head of pressure will reduce, changing the pour characteristics. If a bubble consistently forms, simply add a vent. I think the idea is worth some trials and you should report back the results. Dave

I ask myself, how many wounded fish are out there in a population. The percentage at any one time must be very low. If the agressor is waiting for an injured fish, he/she may have a long wait. I deduce that the wounded fish theory is a myth. It reminds me of an old joke. Presented with a lobster with one claw missing, the diner requested the winner for his meal. I think 21xdc has it right, it is purely an opportunistic thing. The fact is that anything we make is not going to immitate a healthy fish with any accuracy, that is just about impossible. I think of it as offering a keystone cop video up for a tiger. Not totally convincing, but close enough. I think it is best to aim for the reality of a healthy fish. Just one of those humble opinions. Dave

Welcome jeff, awesome work. Dave

I've never really understood why people think 'this' body makes better lures than 'that' body. As long as the body has a reasonable shape and is of a light material, be it plastic or wood, it can be made to swim how ever you like. True, certain body shapes have certain functions, such as gliders, but generally speaking, the above is fact. It is all about the lip size, shape, angle, ballast location, distribution, buoyancy ratio, tow eye location. Other things that affect the outcome are hook size, type of top coat, how many layers of top coat. For a specific type of lure, the body shape probably has the least effect on the outcome. I understand Kims point. If someone came into my work place and told my boss that my work sucked, then my boss cut my income as a direct result, I would not be very happy. There is an unwritten rule, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything". Maybe we should write it down. Please do not take this as an attack on you personally Justin. This situation happens often, in fact way too often. We should be more sensitive to the fact that we are toying with peoples livelyhoods. Dave