Vodkaman

Very clear instruction John. The polishing process is very effective and I imagine only takes a couple of minutes to achieve. Dave

I have watched all your videos and they are all interesting, informative and entertaining. I have to admit, it took a while to warm to the style, but I am old, so please forgive me Dave

DaleSW - Yes, that was the intention of my reference to broadback. Dave

Sorry for any confusion. Diemai is correct, I was referring to a general style of lure shape adopted by Australian builders. Dave

I know you are asking about existing baits, but I would like to expand your question and ask what creatures are missing or not represented well. I would like to see a video of a crustacean bait that actually swims like a craw/prawn/shrimp. Dave

The dollar value of plastic is high enough to provide a livable income for Indonesian people, making it worth while trolling the streets of the city to collect plastic bottles. The same goes for glass bottles and drinks cans. If the Kg numbers are high enough, I am sure you will find a local company that will pay. Dave

Mark - regarding the curved rear, it does create the effect that you are talking about, and in my early testing I was convinced that laminar aerodynamics were at work. But this did not fit with the turbulent flow at work from a crankbaits lip. The explanation that works with turbulent theory, is that the convex top/back presents less area to balance the lip. This allows the lip to rotate down further until a balance is reached. Conversely, a concave rear curvature has the opposite effect and will make the lure swim flat and shallow. Dave

I wear my full face ventilated mask when working in the shop regardless of whether I am making dust/fumes or not. The cooling effect is far greater than the inconvenience. What I would like is one of those USAMRID level 4 ventilated full body suits. 85F - 90F and 95% humidity is the normal all year round. Dave

Richard - expensive, but what a super piece of kit, I want one. The only issue is for those that wear glasses, like me. I use a full face mask for this reason. Dave

When I was working in Shanghai earlier this year, it was really hot weather, so the boss bought everyone a small desk fan. It attached to the table by a simple crock clip. This would be perfect for those close-up jobs involving solvents and fumes, easily adjustable to clear the vapours away. Installed and tidied away in seconds. Dave

Jig Man - very neat. Just what I am talking about. Same principle, different materials. Dave

Dieter - For a shallow swim, the Aussie broad back is a good idea, as it forces the lure to swim flat and allows a lot of rear weight for casting. Combined with the pointed lip for tighter action, mounted at a shallow angle for casting, I think you have it cracked. DAve

Dieter - I did a lot of work on hinged lips. This achieved a huge increase in casting distance. Shallow cranks are the biggest problem because the lip sticks out and spoils the airflow, doing what the lip is supposed to do by creating turbulence. I cannot remember the exact numbers, but a 30% increase in casting distance sounds reasonable. Dave

Plaster of Paris is a fantastic insulator. So good that you can take it out of a hot oven with your bare hands. I posted the idea of making plaster jackets a long while back. I am not sure if the idea was ever used. Dave

Mark - yes indeed, it is called build experience I would say most experienced guys would be able to tell what a new lure is going to do in the water without knowing a thing about physics. Dave

Archery1 - unless it is a straight worm, the design time would cost that much, before the machinist even sees the job. Who ever did that job for you, keep him close and happy. Dave

The first bait that I painted, I did not include eyes as I thought it a minor detail - I was so very wrong. Dave

Dieter - superb video along with explanations and construction details. Loved the addition of underwater video DAve

Mark - yes, in the world of physics, it is referred to as the Grand Unified Theory, which is one set of rules that applies to atomic physics AND regular classical physics, electromagnetics and all the rest. The idea is that you can take any shape, and by applying a set of rules or guidelines, you can predict the movement of the object through water. Such a set of guidelines would be of great use in designing new types of lures or you could pick a certain movement that a creature makes and figure out the shape that would replicate that movement. It is a long shot, but it is only my time that I am wasting. Dave

If I was selling baits, I would have at least a 10 second video of every lure, so that you could see what you were buying into. I think that this basic requirement should be expected of the supplier. If the videos are posted here on TU, it would just be pure sales propaganda, but you could say that about any lure video. So, although you all know what I think of these lures and all the free advertising that they receive, the service of recommendation is for TU members should be allowed, provided it is not posted by the lure supplier. Apart from videos, don't you think that there are already enough of these sales threads, seems like a new one appears once a month. Try a search. The trick is to search using a word that is only applicable to the subject - try 'Chinese' and you will get three pages of these sales threads. Dave

CM10lber - made me smile. These are priceless lessons that we cannot teach you, they have to be learned the hard way. We ALL served our apprenticeship DAve

It is a great product idea, it fills a gap in the market, but a few people slamming the product as useless is so damaging. My message to the manufacturer is, that there is still time to fix the problem and feed the market, but he will also have to look after those that have seemingly wasted their hard earned money. This means he will have to take a small hit, but if good reviews follow, he could OWN the market. Developing a good regulator for the required temperature range is not rocket science, I have designed and built the same for beer brewing, were I could hold the temperature at 150F +/- 0.5 degrees for four hours. There will be suitable control units on the wholesale market that will do the job nicely, he just chose the wrong one and didn't adequately test before marketing. I am certainly not slamming, just stating what needs to be done to rescue the product and make us all happy. Dave

I suggest monitoring the temperature independently with a IR gun or something, until you get the feel for the thermostat. Dave

This could easily be solved with a better temperature controller, but this is down to the manufacturer. It will probably raise the price, but it sounds fairly useless as it is. If the unit is designed for this market, then he better get busy and quick, or he will lose the confidence of the market place. He should also consider a free retro fit upgrade for those who have wasted money, this would help to generate goo vibes in the product. If the manufacturer refuses to take all the above steps, then he might as well close shop now. DAve

A vibrator motor, how simple. I can't believe that it hasn't been mentioned before. Dave