Vodkaman

I think the 'squishy' thing is to do with shape only. The weakest shape is a flat sided body. There is no resistance to depression. In car design, this is called 'oil canning' and we design against such features. The next weakest shape is the cigar shape. It has some lateral strength in the curvature, but still is easily buckled or deformed. A body shape with double curvature is the strongest shape and very difficult to deform. The strongest engineering shape of all is a sphere. The closer your body emulates spherical properties, the stronger it becomes. Dave

Mark - case hardening is what I remember it being called. Bob - yes, slippers count for those Eureka moments, when you rush to the cave to try something out. Dave

We used a powdered carbon in school metalwork class. More time held at the temperature would mean more carbon absorption. BOB - no, it doesn't, but we'll let you play anyway. Dave

There have been a few threads on this subject in the distant past. I seem to remember brake fluid being an option. Do a TU search on brake fluid and you should get half a dozen relevant hits. It has been a while, so it is well worth having a fresh discussion. DAve

Stewy3 - No worries, we are just trying to understand the product AND each other. First line on your link states: 'UV Blast is a chemical coating that reflects ultraviolet light'. For UV Blast coating to appear UV, there must be UV light shining on it. Even on cloudy, foggy conditions there is UV light present. A bright moon is a source of UV light, the stars too, but they are too feint to be effective. The whole point of using UV, is that UV light penetrates deeper than all other light wavelengths. We all know that red is the first color to disappear, penetrating only a few feet, and blue is the deepest. Note the color spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. These colors are quoted in the order of wave length or depth to which they penetrate. The next color in the list would be ultra violet. How bright the UV shines/reflects is dependent on the amount of light. Moonlight will give very low reflection, but at least some. A cloudy, foggy morning will give a little more, this is all common sense. BUT, a cloudy night sky is going to give zero UV reflection UNLESS you are using a Glo-in-the-dark UV coating, which will actually emit light and will require re-charging occasionally. In low light conditions, UV blast has more chance of visibility than any other color. In fact, if you were fishing deep with your jig, the pink would not penetrate to any significant depth with it being at the red end of the spectrum. The jig would have merely been a dark shadow from below and a hint of UV from above. I have a feeling that we are all arguing the same case here, just from different angles. Dave

Sealing with CA glue is fine for a quick swim test, but it is not meant as a top coat to keep water out, as you have used it. My guess would be that your bait is heavy with water. You have to remember what CA glue was developed for; the battle field. The idea is that it can bond skin to close battle wounds very quickly, without the need for stitching, to prevent infection. The glue coating also has to be able to breathe, to prevent the wound rotting under an air-tight coating. Dave

Totally agree with WalleyeKing. There has to be sunlight, including cloudy, for the UV to be reflected. Do not confuse UV and photo luminescent paints which actually GIVE light off in total darkness. Stewy3 - your UV did not have any effect until the sun came out. This changed the look of the lure and the fish did not like it. Dave

Mark - designed for surfboards says it all; tough with enough flex to take the knocks. Dave

Yes, at least now you know what you are dealing with. DON'T let them get a hold with a nest, keep knocking them down while they are small. If they get more than a fist, you have lost, get someone in. You know you will have problems, so invest in a safety hat/net thing, in anticipation of the problems. It will be a lot less nerve wracking to deal with. Dave

Good job - I'm jealous Wasp problem sorted out then? Dave

Fishon-son - Extending the lip could get messy. Let's consider a few scenarios: 1 - Current build has the lip/eye design perfect. Extending or shortening the lip will make the lure swim shallower. 2 - The tow eye is built too far forward. Extending the lip will achieve more depth. 3 - The tow eye is built too far back. Shortening the lip will achieve more depth. The way it works; is that the lip, tow eye and the lure back, form a see-saw balance. This balance will have an optimum position for maximum depth. Either side of this optimum and the bait starts to swim shallower. A good analogy that is easy to see, is the cannon. As the angle of the barrel increases, the shot fires further, until the optimum angle is reached for maximum distance. If the angle increases further, then the distance decreases again. Any modification of the lip length will usually require a re-evaluation of the tow eye position. Dave

I just found a local epoxy, here in Indonesia. $11 for 1.5 liters. More than one hour working time and yet could not thumb mark it after 8 hours. I poured a slab and cured it for a few days. Very tough but didn't snap. Unfortunately quite yellow in the hardener, but I will be using it. At only 9% of the cost of D2T, I can live with very slightly yellow. Dave

Very nice work Mark. That tail really looks like it is going to fire water forward and sound like a herd of bull-frogs. Dave

Posts 23,24 and 25 should be deleted. Domo, post No23 posted the strong complaint and hasn't visited TU since. These types of whinging posts should not be allowed. Dave

One big problem with 5 minute epoxy, is that you just do not have enough time to mix it, get it onto the lure and then allow it to level out to a smooth finish. You inevitably end up with a lumpy mess, and the whole point of an epoxy coating is the smooth glass like finish that makes your baits look so professional. All 5 minute epoxies seem to yellow very quickly too. The box may well say 5 minute, and the other epoxies may say 30 minutes, but don't be fooled into thinking that you have got plenty of time because you HAVEN"T! Someone should sue these companies for misrepresentation. I have no idea what the 5 min or 30 min is supposed to represent, but it is nothing of any use to us. Dave

There is no reason why you could mold the slot with a removable plate and fit the final lip later. This is what I would probably go for. Dave

Thanks for the rescue Mark Dave

Welcome to TU. It is important to read through all the stickies for information on safety. The Pyrex thing is more about metallic surfaces that conduct heat. A cold, DRY wooden surface should be a lot safer. You should consider getting away from Pyrex. A lot of members use a plastic jug. I cannot remember the name of the jug, but if you do a search for 'Pyrex', you should find the jug mentioned. Dave

Welcome Dave

Images of the open mold would be more useful, showing the pour hole and vent positions. Dave

Bob - 0.3" dia rod driving a 10" dia friction wheel. Dave

I got a 'feel' of my circular hand saw the first day I got it - nearly lost all the fingers of my right hand. The saw that I had owned years before, had a grip handle on the right side. My hand automatically went for it and touched the blade. Ripped a chunk of fingernail off two fingers, but I consider myself very lucky. The circular saw is a brutal tool. Take care around all power tools, but particularly circular saws, table saws and routers. Dave

With lots of use and practice, you get a 'feel' for the tools. You instinctively know what you can get away with and what you can't. Dave

BLT - the lead is never ONE temperature, so the numbers on a digital display can only ever be a guide, but an accurate one. You should go with the flow and embrace the technology. BUT, the first couple of goes will be about learning what the numbers represent. Dave

Changing the game to enable more scoring would be a crying shame. The fact that you mention it, tells me that the idea is 'on the table'. Even an outsider like me, knows that American football is ALL about defense strategy and to appreciate the game, this is what you must be following, not the fancy long throws and the silly dances. Like soccer, the game is about a long struggle were a single skilled breakthrough wins the game. This is NOT basketball were you score every 30 seconds. I guess if ticket sales got dangerously low, then something dramatic would have to be done. Years ago, in soccer, they changed the points for a win from 2 to 3. This made a win more desirable than a draw, but draws are rarely an issue with football. Possibly a reward for the points spread might provide the incentive for more scoring, rather than defending a narrow lead. Just my thoughts. Dave