Vodkaman

The difficult part is controlling the symmetry, keeping both sides the same. I would start off with balsa, as it is easy to work and the feed back results come faster. Once you have mastered controlling 3D space, you can progress to more durable woods. I am not a skilled wood technician. I do all my carving with a dremel, sad, but what ever it takes. It's the final result that counts, no matter how you get there. If you are going to cast your bodies, then you can justify all the time and attempts you need to get a good master. You are going to produce a lot of lures from this, so be self critical, try to get it as close to perfect as you can. Don't be afraid to start over. It's just practise.

The temperature extremes here are 80F low to 100F high. Usually around 85F every day throughout the year. I don't go out in the day unless absolutely necessary. When I return to the UK, my friends expect me to be tanned, milk bottle white am I!

You certainly know how to work the camera.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10312&highlight=biodegradable This thread ran a few months ago, might help some.

He's not kidding, he just escaped from a mental institution disguised as a cat! Welcome to TU.

If you are contemplating aluminum, you should definately prove the lure by going the PoP or RTV route first. Otherwise it could be an expensive mistake. Can you post the diagrams, I can understand if you would rather not, so no problem. It would just allow us to help you more specifically on the best method to make the master and the mold.

Design is a compromise between fantasy and reality. Personal experience. Dabskie, your Pop was a wise man.

That'll work, neat idea.

OK, no one is convinced about my idea. Well that is understandable. It is natural to want to position the grain layers from top to bottom. When the body is shaped, this configuration gives nice curved contour lines, pleasing to the eye, when viewed fron the side. Whereas, if the layers are positioned side to side, all you get is a bunch of parallel lines. Unless you are going for a natural wood finish, all the above is irrelevant, no one will ever see the artistry. Another arguement for horizontal grain layers is construction strength. The ballast hole would be a lot safer to grill, virtually eliminating splitting. To prove the point, I found the grainiest piece of nasty wood in my apartment (now a three legged kitchen chair) and the bluntest 1/16th dia drill. I hung it out of the end of my drill and drilled this hole 1.4 inches long. Laser Straight!

Is the grain lined up top to bottom. If so, this is your problem. Run it side to side next time. This way, the drill passes through the layers, rather than running parallel and getting pushed over. The layers of wood from one grain to the next varies in hardness. The drill will try to take the easy route. I hope that made sense.

Typical ozzie.

I cant view vids at home, some problem on my laptop. Now I can't view them at work, they've put a block on youtube. I'll have to get the laptop sorted out, I'm missing out on a lot of information.

That's got me reaching for the frying pan.

Hi Slider and welcome to TU. Don't worry about the English, we can all understand what you have written. Below is a tutorial, from the member submitted tutorials section. This excellent document should get you started. If their is anything that you don't understand, just post a question. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5195 A lot has been written on this subject, so you should find a wealth of information if you try the search function at the top of the page. But, you can always ask, if you cannot find what you are looking for.

Unfortunately, the posting software has edited out the full link. Is their a search string that can be used?

I'm with Dampeoples, I need to see a pic of the lure. C'mon, c'mon!

Two part epoxy is a chemical reaction. So once it is mixed, it is going off, no matter what. You can slow it down by reducing temperature, but this might not be enough to solve your time problem.

Read the recent thread on Dick Nites. I recon the same rules will apply. Don't let the excess drip back into the tin.

The first two coats of the Elmers 50/50 will soak right into the plaster, so absolutely no detail is lost. If you pile extra unnecessary coats on, after the shiny finish has been achieved, then slight detail degredation will occur, but the coats are very thin. Many very experienced pourers swear by the Elmers method, so it should not be discounted until you have given it a proper try. But there is nothing wrong with the epoxy route either, it too has a strong following.

Those look like they are about to flip right out of your hand! Very nice.

No one has replied because probably no one has tried it! But believe me, people are interested. Don't get disheartened by the lack of response. I look forward to your findings. Once you have it, you will need to do some comparison tests with the epoxy, to guage if it is better or not. PM me or post for ideas on how to procede. It is all down to how deep you want to get.

Mine seems to be working fine. I've sent you a photobucket pic to your PM. If it works, the problem is your end.

Bravepiper. You have my respect too, for your chosen profession. I take your point, that inevitably, people will leave appliances running unattended. I just feel a real need to mention it, because we are talking home made equipment, using motors and electricity possibly beyond its design parameters and with no real knowledge.

Bruce. Very nice job. Very tidy and presentable. What's an "ut shen"? Sorry, just could not resist.

Pete, what do you mean 'it's not rocket science'. It will be, if I get my way!