Vodkaman

Thankyou gents, you are so kind. Just got back from the bar. Had a really enjoyable nite. A few beers (no vodka), a few friends around me and kicked some on the pool table. It doesn't get better than that. Dave

Happy birthday to you both. Have a great day.

Look at all the foam on the surface, it really tore up the place! Great fish, great photograph too (Star filter as a lens protector?).

Maybe there is someone within driving distance of your location that you could spend an hour with and see both types of mold. This would make the decision a bit easier. Also there are two types of commercially available mold materials, aluminum (expensive) and RTV (rubber, cheaper). Both get the job done, aly lasts a lifetime and holds much of its value for re-sale. You could really get stuck in and make your own molds. PoP (plaster of Paris) is very cheap and will make an excellent one piece, with only a little practise, 2 piece molds also, with a little more practice. RTV is also very easy to work with, just a little more expensive, but less hassle than PoP, as it does not require sealing etc. Lots of options that will keep you awake at night and lots of reading to do. Good luck with your new venture. Dave

I found a small material store the other day and bought 2 meters of a plain hexagon mesh material for $2. It feels a bit stiff as new, but a few washing machine cycles should solve that problem. That maybe all that is required to loosen up the tulle material. Dave

All you guys are true designers, very enjoyable and innovative creations. Diemai, I did a few experiments with double lipped lures and can see how the duckbilled fattypus lure would have a good action (black pregnant lure). The only thing missing from this thread is some video of bananas and some of the monsters too. Dave

Jim. Most cameras have a setting for artificial light. If you don't change this, all your light box photo's will be tinted yellow.

Welcome to TU Sizoua.

OK cupcakes! It has to be a character with lots of cunning and guile. A devious character that can take the failures and never give up, but will keep coming back with a better fish trap. I agree with fish_rman2000, Wiley Coyote would be my number one proposal. Occasionally he does have success. Sylvester cat would be a close second choice.

I'm still trying to figure out which part of the badger do you use to make the airbrush.

That is an English address, so the number will be: +44 1843 583595 Replace the (+) sign with your international dialing code.

I was having the same supply problem, but finally found a store for both lead and the soft SS wire. The shop was a metal suppliers, selling stock bars of just about everything. 3" dia brass bar caught my eye. A stack of lead ingots, anything metal, they had it, including 8Kg roll of 0.8mm SS wire, of which I bought 3Kg. Won't need to shop for wire again for a few years! Try looking for locking wire also, I think it is soft SS. Check out motor cycle repair shops. Locking wire is used a fair bit on bikes. Good luck with the search, I feel your pain!

Like Cheesehead said. I've been caught out with this one. Hooks and eyes need to be fitted to proto's also. Sorry for the diversion, but this is important.

Birthday greetings to you both. Dave

Tyjack. My link was to a search result for

Rsinyard. When you calculate the cost of your new hobby, you also have to factor in the occasional box of chocolates, bunch of flowers, cinema tickets, new pair of shoes and salon expenses.

Tyjack I'm not so sure if you will have access to the tutorials, as you are not a 'club member' yet. But, as applying the top coat with a brush, should not take more than 3 minutes, I assume the rest of the time is spent rotating the lure manually, in order to keep the top coat level. This is good technique but I agree, rather tedious. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/search.php?searchid=364068&photoplog_searchinfo=1&photoplog_searchquery=drying+wheel+motor Above is a link to a search on “drying wheel motor”. Read the threads that refer to drying wheel or lure turner, for a variety of ways to construct this magical piece of equipment. Well worth the effort if you plan on making hard baits a hobby. This piece of kit will release your hands to coat ten more lures in the same time.

Thanks LBH, I will try that.

Seconded. I wish everyone an easy ride, thro' the storms. Dave

Haulinbass posted something on this subject not long ago. Here is the thread if you haven't seen it. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/fishing-tips/14561-question-about-tweaking-spinner-bait-blades.html#post106809 Did something about offset holes. Give him a PM and tell him to post a pic! Dave

One Sock, great idea! You have taken a problem and turned it into a solution. Lots of possibilities with this idea. Laying down stripes for example. Scales - pour the plastic over netting (glued down). Turn the plastic over and lay the baits. Color transfer only on contact. I'm sure lots more ideas will occur to you. Good share. Dave

http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/soft-plastics/14579-mold-weighting-swimbait-hooks.html#post106880 ref post No2, by Rottweiler., in soft plastics forum. He used bondo to mold lead. Might be worth a PM to Rottweiler to find out more information. Invite him to post in this thread with his experiences. Dave

I think what is required, is a purpose built box, specifically for lures. Hanging a lure in front of an open lamp is not a good solution, purely from a safety point of view. But also from the point of using the light efficiently. A purpose built, small box, will greatly reduce the power requirements of the UV tube. I picture a box with the light mounted in the base, with an acrylic sheet to protect from drips. The lid has a micro switch, preventing the light being operated with the lid open. The box is lined with mirrors or some other reflective material, so the light reaches all parts of the lure. The bait would be held in a removable frame, with a built in turner. The box really only need mount one lure, but could be designed for three lures and two light tubes. I

Minesapint. I missed the smoke unfortunately, probably didn't reach Indonesia, where I am living at the moment. Great pic, looks like a haven for sea bass. I used to play in brass bands, so spent a lot of time in north Yorkshire. Beautiful part of the country, pity I can't understand a word the locals are talkin'. We have another TU member residing in Yorkshire, PhilB. Very experienced lure designer and a nice guy too. Dave

Sorry your first RTV try did not work out so good. Sounds to me like you either did not mix thoroughly enough or did not get the proportions absolutely correct. Read the instructions for the proportions for your product. Mine was 50:50 by volume. BUT, also had a sticker giving the proportions by weight. This was 100:118. If you have an accurate digital gram scale, this is a much more accurate way of measuring out the proportions. But, use the figures provided, NOT mine! If you have to measure by volume, tall, narrow measuring containers are better than wide, shallow containers. For mixing, I use clear plastic disposable cups. So when mixing, I can visually examine the mix at the bottom of the cup, to make sure there are no streaks of unmixed components. After mixing, the result should be smooth and constant in color. Try to work the air bubbles out before pouring. A vacuum will greatly assist this, but I don't own one. Be thorough and fussy about measuring and mixing. Mistakes with this stuff are expensive, as you have discovered. All part of the learning curve. Good luck with your next try.