Vodkaman

I would wait for other ideas and suggestions. Don't be in too much of a rush. Take advantage of the wealth of knowledge. Look through the gallery to see how others solved the problem. Dave

You could modify your master to include a fillet web, say 2mm thick, by gluing in a trimmed piece of lexan or acrylic. The web will start at the tail plate and run along the under body, gradually tapering out. This will prevent the fold-back, and limit the movement to side-to-side. Depending on the size of the lure of course; could be more or less than 2mm. The extent of the web will have to be experimented with, so it would probably be best to make it too big. You can then gradually cut back at the water's edge until you get what you want, then modify the master to suit. Yes, this means making at least another two molds, but this is all part of the development process for a new lure. The experience gained will help you on the next project. Dave

Back to the buses then! Dave

It was about 20 years since I had cycled. Even though I ride a small motorbike, it is totally different and a bit scary at first. It was a mistake for me to go out in the dark, but the daytime traffic is horrendous. I should have waited until first light at 5am. I am good now, but I am about 10 months in. I hope your mate stuck with it, Only takes a few more hours before it comes together. After that, it is a case of noting the mistakes that you make, and work on them. For the first few months I shot video, and reviewed the video when I got home. Dave

Absolutely correct. The day my E-bicycle arrived, I took it for a test ride after dark when the traffic had died down. I hit a pothole and was thrown over the bars. Many months later, I am still suffering the injuries of ligament and muscular strains and a ripped off toenail. The body certainly didn't bounce very well at all! Dave

Very useful information Pete, thanks for jumping in Dave

Hazmail (Pete) wrote a splendid tutorial on how to form curved lips, in a thread titled: Polycarbonate (Lexan) Lip Former. Unfortunately, I cannot get access to the PDF files, so I am hoping Pete or someone from TU can jump in here with a solution. Perhaps re-posting the information. Update - I did eventually manage to download the PDF by clicking the bottom PDF link in the list. Well worth a read. Dave

Read up on the safety and ventilation aspects of pouring before you make any hard plans. DAve

I have been lurking around this place for around ten years and still regard myself as a beginner. I agree with the 'bigger barn' notion, one thing that I have learned is that no matter how big a space that you allocate for lure building, it will never be enough. Welcome to TU. Share and enjoy. Dave

Anglinarcher - good post with a useful graph. Those are about the numbers that I got using micro-balloons, except I am sure I did mine by weight. But, it was a long time ago. The lightest density that I achieved was around 0.66 but the mix was so thick that I had to inject using a cake icing syringe. It worked out very well, once you get the hang of the method. DaleSW - good job. Dave

Thanks Pete - feeling good. The last time I was 140Lb was my 18th birthday. Dave

Good result. Dave

The offset is clear enough to me. This problem has to be reported all the way back to the manufacturer, with a line of girls assembling these baits. It needs to be explained to the line workers; the importance of the alignment. If no one explains, then it is just an assembly, and they think that they have fulfilled their contract. The line inspection and management probably don't even understand the significance of the alignment. I have worked in China, I have visited subcontract shops where such items are assembled. It is all about time and efficiency, but if they knew the importance of alignment, a better product would result without a loss in efficiency. Dave

Someone along the supply line has to eat the loss, be it the manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, you or your customer. Why should it be you. The retailer doesn't like it because returns eat into the bottom line, but you can guarantee that he scanned his supply and returned faulty goods. If your supplier refuses to deal with you because you made a return, then I think that he should be named and shamed. Dave

Thanks guys. The cycling thing is more of a post weight-loss effort rather than a means of achieving the weight-loss. Also, because I live on the side of a volcano, regular cycling at my age, after 20 years of inactivity, would be impossible. I elected to go for an electric power-assist bicycle. It is fantastic. Most days I do around 25Km. Dave

Glideb8 - Glad you managed to fix the problem. Always test with the baits assembled, including hooks. Everything makes a difference. As for the symmetry thing, you need to think about that; you carve a left side, make a mold and pour it. You now have two left sides. Don't sweat the symmetry thing, just do the best you can, knowing that it is important. Dave

Thanks fshng2 - cycling attire. Amazing what becomes available with a 32" waist. Dave

Thanks Travis. Wise words indeed. It is very difficult taking control of one's own body, even though as you say, it is the one thing that we have complete control over. Good luck on your personal quest. Dave

I have designed and built a new version of Vodkaman. The new version is a lot sleeker and requires a lot less effort to retrieve. The increase in agility is amazing, with an action that no predator could resist. The cost of manufacture and maintenance has been drastically reduced. Although the aesthetical appearance still leaves a lot to be desired, I feel that the enhanced action is enough to make this new model a lot more attractive. The secret is in the raised centre of gravity which makes the trailing appendages a lot more active. Although the bulk has been drastically reduced, which in turn, reduces the power of the vortices formed, the reduced mass more than makes up for this, resulting in more than enough wiggle to satisfy this builder. The development of this new release has been a year in the making, with much suffering and hardship. Although much money was saved in the cost of raw materials, I do feel that the weight saving of 35Kg will prove to be the most significant positive attribute to this lure builder. Dave

Anglinarcher - of course you are correct; the first direction should be random, assuming perfect symmetry. But, no matter how good the build, perfect symmetry is unattainable, we can only do our best. On a scale of improving symmetry, there will come a point when the start direction heads towards random. The question is; where on that scale is this build. Just to qualify: just because the lure starts in the same direction everytime, does not make the lure bad. We aim for perfection, but rarely get close. Dave

GlideB8 – what you have described in your original post, seems to me like a vortex problem. Even though glide-baits are lipless, they still generate vortices which alternate from one side then the other. The alternating period (speed) is controlled by the feature that is causing the vortex and the speed of the retrieval. What seems to be happening; is that the ‘1/4 turn’ pull is just too long, and is allowing the 2nd vortex to form. You explained that on a constant retrieve, the bait swims nicely with a side-to-side action, which is good. But, because the 2nd vortex has already formed, the next pull will initiate the 3rd vortex, and so on, giving the lure a limp biased to one side. As for solutions; you could stop the pull a split second sooner, to prevent the 2nd vortex, or pull long enough to get through vortices 1, 2 and half way through the 3rd and then pause. The build solution would be to alter the feature that causes the vortices, to slow the period down a tad. The speed of the vortex period is controlled by width; a wide lip produces a slow waggle, a narrow lip causes a fast waggle. It is the same for glide-baits. I know this is bad news for you, as you have already made the mold. Also, this is all theory and I admit that I have never made a glide-bait. Before altering the mold or creating a new one, I suggest that you do some testing; 1 - Experiment with the retrieve, that I suggested above, to see if my prediction for the behaviour works. 2 – make a new cast, and modify the front of the head to make it wide/blunter, using Bondo filler or something similar. Even molding some soft clay would work, allowing you to try several shapes and forms while at the water’s edge. This will slow the period down, and the glide will happen before the 2nd vortex forms. Once you have a better understanding and feel for what works and what doesn’t, you can then design a new master, modify your original master, or make one of the pours your new master. Gliders are on my list, and I will get around to building a few one day, just so that I can understand them better – good luck with the project, and don’t forget to report back, be it good or bad. Dave

A couple of 50' gliders would work Dave

Falkirk wheel.

This wheel is a barge lift (the Falkirk Wheel). It shifts 500,000Kg (500 metric tonnes) and is driven by 10 motors with a total power rating of 22.5KW. It raises and lowers canal boats through a height of 79-feet. My point is that a small motor is capable of doing the job, but there must be balance, even loading. As for rotation speed; before I built a turner, I would up-end my coated lure every couple of minutes, and they turned out just fine. For a viscous coating like D2T, I don't see a problem with 2rpm. DAve

MG - true enough, if you don't have the most basic of tools for the job then you have no option but to order a lip. I keep forgetting that TU is NOT just a lure building site. I tend to see things only from my perspective. Dave