Vodkaman

Yes, China has contracts, agreements, laws, and just like USA, has a whole money generating industry of lawyers, courts, solicitors to support the system. China is just like the USA, except they speak another language and are located on the other side of the planet. Just like dealing with patent laws, if you intend to defend your rights, you best set aside some money for the purpose, because just like USA, lawyers do not work for free. Dave

I do have a swimbait, 6 section, in my arsenal, it looks quite good but not interested. Swimbaits are fairly easy to make, most people do not realize. Dave

Wise words indeed. There is no way I could afford the risk. I could certainly do 10K using low production techniques, but the materials would not reach the standards expected by the customers. The lures would certainly perform, but the rock resistance would not be as good as polycarbonate. But, I am talking about a shallow swimmer. This is a hypothetical thread in any case, just to table awareness of the possibilities and the options. Dave

Capt - I am going by the data that I have extracted from my CAD models. Believe me, I would like the wall thickness to be greater. I am now looking at a design modification that will give me a 3mm joining face and allow me to make the wall surface 1.5mm I haven't modeled it yet. For my project, I have specific requirements were the COG and COB are positioned. These are proving tedious to manipulate into position. This lure would be impossible by trial and error. Basically, the shape of the body is controlled by my engineering requirements, and this includes the wall thickness. The final result may well have to be a compromise and hope it is close enough to theory to still work. The injection molding company may well come back stating the minimum thickness that they are prepared to inject without failures. Has anyone taken apart a 2-piece body, I would be interested in knowing the wall thickness of a successful commercial body. Dave

I have made it so thick that pouring was not possible due to thickness. I used a cake injector to pour the mold, achieving a material density of 0.65g/cm3 using polyester resin. Yes, the material was brittle, but certainly usable. Just don't drop the bare body on a tiled floor. I guess it all depends if you are going to be regularly throwing onto rocks, and even then, the velocity is significantly reduced by the trailing line. My point is that dropping from a 2nd story window would be an unrealistic test. Once the epoxy topcoat has been applied, the resistance to shock is improved. Are your numbers by weight or volume? I documented mine by weight, and I can tell you that by volume, the percentage was way higher than 50%. Dave

Technically yes you could. Your problem is going to be getting the wall thickness thin enough to even get the lure to float, let alone support any ballast. On CAD, I have given my 3" prototype a 2mm wall thickness, and it can only carry 6g of ballast for a 28g (1oz) lure. Molding will not be an issue, but you will have to create a master for both halves which could present an issue of symmetry. Dave

Capt Mike - Yes, hollow plastic, molded in two halves and glued together. By working with polyester resin, you can fairly accurately simulate the polycarbonate injection with minimum cost outlay. This allows you to make fine adjustments before committing the BIG $$$ to tooling. Dave

They both look correct to me, you can zoom right up close for clarity. TO me, the one on the right is sitting concave side up on the table. Of course, could be an optical illusion. Dave

I have just bought a kilogram of 0.8mm (0.031") SS304 wire. It pulls in 5Kg fish no problem. Dave

If I painted, my solution would be a permanent 24/7 movement, such as a turning wheel. After the initial hand mix when new, the wheel would not allow the paint to ever settle. Dave

" The blades are offset in front of each other about an inch with the lower blade being first in line and then just behind above the head and hook the main blade on the upper wire." To me, it reads that the lower blade is being affected by the turbulence from the head and hook. The blade needs clean flow in order to function correctly. Dave

You figured it out, good engineering. As I was reading, I was going to suggest a 0.5mm CSK, obviously not necessary now. DAve

Raven - Indeed, that is the ultimate plan; to provide an alternative to China. OK, it doesn't sound any better calling them from Indonesia, but at least the process will be overseen by a lure designer who understands the engineering processes and the lure designers requirements. But, before I can do that, I need a lure of my own to go through the process, as validity. Dave

I am working with polyester resin at the moment, and yes, it scares me, especially the MEKP catalyst. I use disposable gloves and work outside. I poured the catalyst from the sloppy bottle into a proper dropper bottle for better control and no mess. The micro-balloons are another bad one. Work in a closed room with still air and wear a mask. A modicum of fear will keep you safe, respect the products. Dave

Liv - A very good synopsis, which will be of value should I ever come across this problem. The whole point of this thread is to point out that such an issue is not unheard of. You produce something special, it catches fish, a big name wins a tourney with it, and before you know it you are in deep doo doo! Yes, I have made plans; a reasonable enough rough cost analysis to know what is possible, I love working spreadsheets. I have unskilled manpower available that can be trained quickly for specific functions. I have local mass production facilities (injection molding) although I haven't approached them at this time. I also have a budget that can make it happen, although I would need to be fairly certain before pulling the trigger. Taxes and insurance are also covered. Dave

You have chosen a difficult lure to start with. I take it that is a pic of the original. I would be interested in a top view of your construction, so we can get a feel for the lip shape and size. Good advice above. But moving the eye is probably not an option, instead you can achieve the same by trimming the end of the lip closer to the eye. Only by 1mm then test, and repeat. My advice - start with a shallow swimmer with a deeper body, much easier to work with. Dave

I am a more technical builder. Of all the tools, the one I would never throw away is my gram scale (0.01g x 500g), but tech building is certainly not for everyone. Good advice above; keep notes, get familiar with the search function, ask questions one at a time and in separate posts. My advice; don't throw lures away that don't work as these are your main learning tools, you have to figure out why. Keep them in a box or hang them on your wall of shame. Welcome Dave

Good advice Hilly Dave

One of the best additions to my kit was a digital stabilizer gimbal. This made a huge improvement to my video quality. But you are young guys and such kit is likely beyond your means. But I would certainly add it to your list for the future. Certainly keep posting your fishing videos here, and next time post the golf course eviction, I too was disappointed Dave

It is a good start. I watched the videos and found them of interest. I could offer advice but I am no video expert. Your best critic will be yourselves. You view the videos from a critical point of view and discuss how you can improve. Dave

As Smallie says, Plaster of Paris (or Durhams) is a great way to learn the ins and outs of the molding process without spending huge $$$$. Never pour excess down the drain or you will be spending huge $$$$. Dave

I know you are working on a few special baits. But to get away from your day job it is all about production and promotion, and of course catching fish. I hope I can help you one day with the production, but I am struggling at the moment. Plan A failed, so moving on to plan B. I still hope to offer a production service one day, but still some miles to cover. Dave

I am not a company, I am a designer! Dave

Can you afford me? Dave

I am a bait designer, looking for sponsorship from a YouTube channel. I think we can do business together. Dave