JBlaze

This might help if you are painting flat or nearly flat sided baits. It works very well and as he said, you can just flip the frame over to do the other side. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/55195-post19.html

Dieter, it's exciting isn't it. Can't wait for more time to work on these. Hope you post a pic of yours soon. A-Mac, Thanks for the compliment. About the DNA Hinge, The credit for this hinge belongs to Pete Hazmail from Australia. This hinge was invented by Pete. He posted a pic and description of it in the hard baits gallery. I was very intrigued by it and set about to try and make it. I think it is the perfect hinge for a split bait. Easy to install and align although I did get this one in just slightly off verticle. I can correct it by bending the wires to be glued in the front section up or down as needed. I don't know about that squeak from the DNA hinge. Pete also thought that it might squeak but said he couldn't hear it . Neither can I but I dont have any ballast in it yet. HellRAISER, I don't mind at all your copying the picture it makes your suggestion easy to understand. Actually, that was my original plan because it would distribute the load to both hinges. I changed my mind at the last minute and sawed the end off and put the corkscrew in it for the grub instead. A-Mac, they are Balsa the smaller bait has the stainless twisted eyes in the rear section. I trust them, I have never had one pull out of a balsa crankbait. V-Man, sometimes we think alike. This is about the only way I can remember what I have done. Write it down and take a pic. My work area is a cluttered mess. I started a note book but can never find it when I need it. I always know where my computer is so looking at a folder with pics and notes seems to work best for me. Thanks Everyone for the interest in this. I hope to have more on it in a few days. John

two more

This is/was my first attempt at making a swimbait. I wanted the first hinge to be hidden and there wasn't much room inside this thing for installing a workable hinge. I dont think there is any hope of hiding the hinge on the second joint due to the small surface area between the sections. Mark Poulson made a couple of suggestions and I decided to go his way with two twist pins and a thin tail. I tried over and over to make a hinge that would fit inside the front cavity and be strong and stable. I was unsuccesful. I finally gave up on it and started attempt #2 which is shown in the above posts, it is a little bit larger swimbait. I also decided that maybe hiding the hinge might be better left for the experts. When Pete Hazmail came up with his DNA hinge, I realized that this would be the perfect hinge for fitting inside the small cavity of my first swimbait. #1 because it is strong #2 it is very stable with almost no end play #3 it is non-binding and #4 it can be made to any length that you wish. So, I went back to working on swimbait #1 and Pete's hinge. Now I have two swimbaits about half cooked. It was real tricky not getting epoxy on the hinge when gluing the two halves together. I used a small craft brush with most of the bristles cut off around the hinge cavity . (Thanks Pete, I'm going to like your hinge it lends itself well for fitting to a split bait). I was so excited about fitting the DNA Hinge inside this thing that I forgot to put a hook hanger in the second section. Hopefully, when I finish up the first section, I will not have made the same error or it will be completely useless. The body is balsa sealed with wood hardner and the tail is made from circuit board. The bait is waterproofed but I havn't tub tested it for ballasting yet. Will post more as they develop. John

A big thanks:yay: John

Maybe this will help http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/hard-baits/16041-finding-source-d2t.html

Those are beautiful, and from a rattle can. WoW!

Not finished yet but getting there. I am struggling with making hinges, my first attempt is smaller than this one and is still on the bench waiting for a Hazmail DNA hinge. This one is my second attempt and has a little different hinge. As you can see, I made loop eyes in the first section and dropped buzz bait rivets into them then formed a harness/pin for the second section. there is very little end play and the lateral movement is quite free with no binding. I also liked the idea of Herwin and DickMac's twister jerks so I sawed the back off a little shorter and inserted a SS cork screw to connect the grub. Will post a pic in gallery when it is finished.

Here is a pic of Pete's DNA Hinge I think you might like it. John Tackleunderground Home - Luremakers Photo Gallery - DNA Hinge

This should get you there. You might also want to look at Pete Hazmail's DNA Hinge. Due to its design, I think it will be the ultimate hinge for a swimbait especially small sized ones. Its not an easy one to figure out how to make. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/hard-baits/15548-controlling-pvc-action.html#post114565

rclark12, nice looking swimbait. I to am trying to make my first swimbait so I have read everything on TU which has a reference to swimbaits or the making of. JRHopkins made the hinge Pete spoke of. I will try to find the link to it.

On the link below, at the top of the page you can put in your zip code and find local distributors near you for Devcon products ITW Devcon | Two of the most recognized brands in all of industry; Devcon

At the top of this page on the link below, you can put in your zip code and find the local distributors near you for Devcon products ITW Devcon | Two of the most recognized brands in all of industry; Devcon

Herwin, I really like those two foiled baits at the top of the first pic. Are they slow sinkers? John

DickMac and Herwin, I like your baits also. Palmetto Balsa, that was too funny. DickMac and Herwin, I have an old friend here in Tennessee who has been making hand made Balsa baits for many years. He told me that almost all baits are a a likeness of someone elses with your own suttle variations or what you might think are improvements. I guess the exception to this would be you guys that do the fancy carving of the facial and body details. I wish I was good at that. Looking at all the hard baits on this sites gallery, I think he is right there are just a few basic shapes that most baits are made to resemble. You guys that come up with something very different from this that works are admirable and very creative. I would consider it an honor if I made one that someone wanted to imitate if they gave due credit for their inspiration. Best of luck to both of you. My 2

Michael, that looks good. I havn't tried it yet due to the cold weather here in East Tn. I have an uninsulated and unheated garage. I think those slightly rounded scales look a little more realistic than the mesh that I have been using. Hope you post another pic when you are finished with it. Thanks John