JBlaze

The wedding veil material sold in the fabric department at walmart works well. It is cheap and comes in two different sized meshes.

Thanks "Uncle Spike", I been wondering how to do that. John

I have never used stamina or jann's blades but I have used Barlow's premium and Worth's blades and IMHO, I dont think you can get a better blade . the finish is second to none and the edges are very smooth on both of them. John

I use a Hagens wire bender and make a closed eye/twisted loop. I also use spring steel split rings instead of stainless. I have not lost a swivel or blade yet. You can see the twisted eye that the Hagens makes in the blade baits gallery. On the pivot point spinnerbait, Its on page 9 as of now. Robbor is correct in bending the loop past the main wire to get some pressure on the gap but they will still sometimes spring open if hit hard enough and you will lose blade and swivel. Hope this helps. John

Redgear, that is awesome. I really hope you can make this thing safe and affordable for the small time builder. Thanks for sharing. John

Hey Pete, how does a copy lathe work. and what would I need to build one? John

Spike, you ain't right. But you sure make people smile. Pete, great post on thinning acrylics and how it works. Even though I have read several different post about using windex, I've been using pure water and sometimes I have not been happy with the results. Thanks, I am going to start experimenting with the Windex. By the way, I copied your post to a folder on my computer so I won't have to look for it when I want to refresh my failing memory. John

I too would like to thank Rob for all the help he has gave me. Most recently at the Knoxville show. He makes you think about what you are doing. This is not the first time he has helped me with building cranks. Mine are a much better looking bait (especially the foil ones) because of his advice. I also concur with Tncranker, his baits are second to none. Thanks Rob John

Mike, welcome to TU. Like you, I started out many years ago (in my early 20's) pouring and tying my own jigs. My first mold was a Do-It Flipping jig mold. I then advanced to making my own spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. In the fall of 2006 at age 54, I started trying to carve and paint my own crankbaits. I am absorbed and fascinated by them. As of yet I consider myself a rookie crankmaker but I am getting better thanks to TU and its members. You will find that you have many options when you start tying and painting your own lures. You will become more and more creative with your colors, patterns and materials you will use. Some places I use to purchase supplies. www.hagensfish.com www.Barlowstackle.com www.jannsnetcraft.com www.livingrubber.com Recently thru TU I have learned about this site, I have not used this source yet but it is highly reccommended by other TU members. I checked it out and their prices are great. My next order for silicone pads/strips will come from here. www.fishingskirts.com There is no feeling quite like catching that first fish on your own creation! I must warn you, be ready to have fun and become a tackle building junkie, there is no cure for it. Let me know if I can help. John

Welcome and good luck with your endeavours, this is the place to learn.

Denatured Alcohol works well , I mix my D2T in small medicine cups and add a few drops of Denatured Alcohol while stirring until I get the consistency that I desire. if you are coating a lot of jigs, you can add more Denature as it starts to thicken. This works well for me and you can continue to add a few drops as it starts to thicken until you have used all the D2T this has kept me from wasting a lot of Devcon 2T. The finish coat will be a little thinner than straight uncut Devcon and I try to let it harden for at least a week before I use the lures. Hope ths helps. John

Doug, I have been considering building some type of paint booth, You just made it a lot easier for me to decide how I wanted to do it. I think downdrafting, is a good idea. Like you, I hate wearing the respirator. The dimensions of your booth would suit my needs well. Any Idea as to how many cfm your blower is? Thanks for posting, that is a great contribution to TU. John B

Great, hope to see more soon. Hagens, #1 for integrity, promptness, pricing and quality products.

Very Impressive, you are going to be good at this. John

Loco, hope they turn out good for you. John

Theflyingplatypus type in ACTION in the search forums box at the top of the page vodkaman explains this X location in detail

Slick!! They look good to me.

Would Mylar balloons work?

Bottom line is that probably all bashing should be eliminated from this site and let's just continue 'sharing' our knowledge. George, I agree with you. Bashing others is not what I come to this site for. I come here to learn, and share when I can. I have dealt with several of the tackle supply company's and have never had a problem that wasn't resolved to my satisfaction. Ted, sorry to hear about your bad experience with another member. Your post was well thought and well said. You showed a lot of integrity by not exposing that person who did you that way. I understand and don't blame you for how you feel about it. I know its not much of a consolation but usually, People like that eventually expose themselves for what they are. Pete you got it right, there are lots of unethical people out there but, there are also many many others who have a sense of ethics and are honest. So, we can't mistrust everyone. Anyway guys lets keep learning. My 2¢ John

I got my motor off of a reindeer. the kind that is made of wire and minature lights. they are sold at christmas time. the motor made the reindeers head move. it is geared to turn approximately 4 RPM's. they cost about 20 bucks and as an added bonus, you can use the minature bulbs to make the glass rattles.

Worth gets my vote

Thanks guys, for everything. John

Welcome aboard Mike, My name is John Blazier. I have been a member for about a year now and I still think this is an awesome site. I like you have made wire baits and jigs for a long time. I started trying to make my first crank baits a few months before I found this site. They didn't turn out to well and I almost gave up on the idea of making my own cranks. In Januarary of 2007, I found this site and it wasn't long befere I had a crank bait that did what it was supposed to. (Catch Bass). You can find out anything you want to know here about all phases of bait building. There is a great bunch of people and in my opinion many experts here that are very encouraging and more than willing to share their wealth of knowledge with us beginners Young and Old. I am from East Tn also. Rockford to be exact and in my mid 50's. This is the greatest hobby I've ever had. I think I have become a "Crankoholic" its all I think about. Just wish I had more time to devote to it. Again, Welcome John