JBlaze

Relentless, that's looking real good. I think you are on the right track. I wonder if you did what Brent R said and shrunk the lufa in hot water, do you think it would also thicken the individual strands of the lufa material. My thoughts. Tek, glad you started this thread. John

Thanks Ben, we have several of them. I will check them out. It is amazing, all the tips that I have picked up from the TU members. Again, Thanks. John

I like your idea. I hate to admit to being ignorant, but what is lead tape and where do you get it. John

Hey Carver GLX, I finally found the post, It was Lincoya that answered the post. The tool was called an "Anvil and Setter". Many Thanks Gene! http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/topic/13057-weighting-a-bibbill/

I just re-read my post and Now that I think about it, it may have been called a doming tool. Not sure. Any one know what it was?

CarverGLX Several years ago I faced this same dilemma which you are facing. I was using hard lead weights (recycled tire weights) I drilled the hole slightly larger than the round balls and beat them on an anvil with a hammer to flatten and tighten them up.It worked but was not symmetrical and was very ugly. I posted basically the same question as yourself and got a response from one of the Hardbait Guru’s. I have searched the forums and tried to find this post so that I can give credit where credit is due. Unfortunately I was unable to find it. So thanks to the unknown Guru you get it from me in my own words. This guru told me that I needed a tool , He had a name for it which I can’t remember but from his description of what it did I was able to make one. I used a small piece of aluminum sheet 3/8in thick and a 1/2in steel bolt. Using a drill bit, I made a concave dimple in the aluminum sheet then made another matching concave dimple in the threaded end of the bolt. I put the lead ball weight in the dimpled aluminum sheet then center the lip over the lead ball (that is the hard part, getting it centered half way on the lead ball) and the dimpled end of the bolt on top of the lead ball then proceeded to tap the head of the bolt with a hammer. Just a few light taps and the leadwill tighten in the hole, a few more and it will start to spread over the edge of the hole. It will not fall out. You can file the domed top and bottom of the lead ball with a file and it looks pretty neat and professional. Had not thought about Ben's use of soft solder. Also his advice about keeping your drilled hole about 3/16in. away from edge of bill is Spot-On. Between work and grandchildren , I don’t have much time for tinkering with lures but I am still lurking in the shadows and keeping up with TU. I have learned much here through the unselfish generosity of the Guru’s of TU and when it is my turn, I try to give back when I can. I owe this board a lot. Again, thanks to all who have helped me learn . I hope this was not too confusing and helps you with your endeavor. John

welcome Ryan. Loved your introduction, very inspiring. Hope you will be able to aquire some of your great grandfathers lures one day, thta would be very special. John

Hey Mark, I too thought they were floaters, but I read this and it says they are not floaters but if I understood, they stay near the surface even with a slow retrieve.

That is a great looking lure. Very innovative I like it! John

You're welcome, I am still lurking behind the scenes. Just don't have much time for getting involved in things. Good luck with your idea with the wooden bait. Let us know how it turns out. John

Hello Ben, I have been building buzz baits for quite some time, I would like to mention another feature of the off centered blade. That is vibration. You can hold an on center bladed buzz bait in your hand and blow on it or hold it in front of a fan and it is pretty smooth. Do the same with an off center bladed buzz bait and you will fell very strong vibrations coming from it, they are strong enough that you can actually see the wire vibrate. I now that sound and splash are part of a buzzers fish attracting attributes but I also feel that these vibrations (sonics) are just as important. The off centered blade is the only one that I use. Hope this is of some help. John

That is some great swimming action, goood job. John

x2, thanks, I just purchased an Eclipse gravity feed, with this info I should be able to keep it in good working order. John

Hi Ben, thanks for sharing. I use a silicone basting brush for making small splatters. Just barely dipping the tips and then touching the lure with them. actually, I'm not sure if it was called a basting brush or a pastry brush. Just another way, hope this helps someone. John

Thanks , I hope that is what the problem is, and it is good that it is fixable

A-Mac, I hadn't thought of that. I have two stencils made and cut, both are very tight and do have to be popped off. I have not had the time to paint with them yet so, I appreciate the heads up on this. Thanks John

I bought a few scatter lips at Bass Pro last week. Will be taking them fishing Wednesday, I got two #5 scatter raps, two #7's and a count down. Will take a close up pic of them and post. It is a neat looking lip. I think it is doable with a set-up like Pete made to bend lips with. John

Kris, what I used was some clear packaging plastic I measured it with a micrometer and it is .016 thick. It formed very well. Today, I used the top lid and bottom from the clear plastic packaging of a dozen donuts from the deli bakery department. It was thinner and a little more brittle but it formed well. You can also buy stencil material at Hobby Lobby. Hope this helps. John