smallmouthaholic

I can and do wholesle and retail under one business name and tax I.D. #. I really don't see your point but feel free to educate me. Samples fall under supply and materials and your cost of manufacturing-both are deductable. You can't write off(deduct) money you never received-just your cost.

There are no guarantees in the business world- that's what separates the men from the boys. Yes-you can deuct all related expenses. If you're going to deduct mileage then you better have a specific log book in detail. Measure your office and work space precisely and figure the percentage against the rest of your home. That 's the percentage you're permitted to deduct your heat,electric,A.C. and taxes as part of your business expenses.

Here's a presentation I put together early in 2013. It is not intended as an advertisement for sales but a basic understanding of various buzz-baits and their specific and varied surface comotion. The close-up pictures may help many of you w/ your own manufacturing and the necessary components required.You want to use a harder lead w/ antimony for pouring your own so the hooks and bodies don't loosen -up after a few fish. Enjoy-

Poor advise for sure- A disgrutaled customer and/or competitor is all it takes to be investigated by the I.R.S. The government wants their 10% excise tax (due on quarterly gross sales) from tackle manunufactureres. You are required to collect 6% state tax in P.A. and file those state taxes withheld bi-annually ( for a small business) A knock on your door from an I.R.S. agent can be one sobering -and expensive experience. Make no mistake about this statement- you will be investigated by the I.R.S. if someone turns you in and/or you end up on the I.R.S. radar screen- no matter how small and clever you may think your are. The government knows all the games and sneaky tricks the "under the table crowd "likes to play Play it straight and file your quarterly #720 return and contact the state for a sales tax I.D. account. Get your E.I.N. # from the I.R.S.You can deduct all of your associated expenses for 3 years .Trading off w/your friends is one thing- getting them to pay for the product is another. You'll need internet exposure if you wish to be successful and that requites a website and a domain name protection.Tackle shops usually want 40 % off of retail prices and you still have to pay the 10% gross exise tax of those discounted sales. Stay away from the consignment trap that some tackle shops want to offer. Advertisement and credit card collection fees add up quickly. Good luck and success to you. Edited for spelling

A good C.P.A. can apply for an E.I.N.( employer identification number) from the I.R.S. and form #637( manufactures excise tax exemption.You can also do this yourself to save some $. I'm not sure if you need a state sales tax license #. In the U.S.A.- the I.R.S. no longer mails out form #720 ( 10% quarterly excise tax due on gross profits) I download them from the I.R.S. site They are due April 30th,July 31st,Oct 30 and Jan.31st. Good luck and success!

I had the exact same experience w/ fancy eyes I bought from a retailer ,advertising on TU.The eyes were beautiful but required CA glue on the back of each to make them stick.That is one messy P.I.A. Mine would not stick over water based paints that were airbrushed onto the finished product.. I do not apply 3-d eyes over Powder Paint. I still have some left and will suffer through them but my last 3-d eye order is also from witchcraft. Edited for spelling

You are not going to be able to use the Highrock system w/ Bear's stirring system. Light colors will darken rapidly w/o a constant stirring system.

No stirring system in the high rock deal-no blending block required w/ Bears

Being original w/ custom ,multi-cavity injection molds(plastic and lead) is expensive-i speak from experience.. You'd better be the cheapest on the block if you're expecting to sell copies of what everyone else is. It will take 7 years to enter the sucessful "niche"of a custom manufacturer and develop loyal customers The hours are long indeed and the real net profit may supplement another major income.You have to love it to stay in this business. Website,shop , credit card processing and office expenses add up quicker and higher then most expect.The 10% quarterly excise tax due on gross sales takes a painful chunk out of profits. Then there are those that attempt to create a legitimate ,small companiy image by running their business under the table and not paying taxes - until they are discovered by the I.R.S. and face very high interest and penalties. The I.R.S. will nail "you to the cross" when they catch up to you and determine fraud is involved.It's very easy to ger caught-especially if you talk about your customers on the internet and Tackle Underground.A disgrutaled customer or competitor is all it takes and the I.R.S. will check your tax returns to see if you're filing quarterly form #720's.Then comes the knock on your door or garage with "greetings and salutations" from the I.R.S.

anglersambush- Cleaning any two-color system is necessary from time to time. 1- Unscrew the wing nuts and remove the motor and s.s. stirrer (1 unit complete) 2- Cold plastisol easily peels off of the paddles 3- Peel out the plasisol left in the bottom of each pot. over time,salt use will eventually wear away the coating on the bottom of the presto pots requiring scraping. There is always the option of purchasing new presto pots and taping them for a new,threaded discharge.fitting. Changing Colors You'll need to purge some new colors through the system -utilizing both pots and injectors. Check the colors coming out of each port-purge the 2 color injector into a container until they match your desired color. this does not waste a great deal of plastisol which you can add to a darker color. There are additional options and changes coming to the shooting star system in the future. Each system currently available has its advantages and disadvantages.

Frank, Good reply and I respect that. Like i stated, different strokes for different folks.Breathing excessive plastisol fumes will eventually cause shortness of breath-been there done that. My exhaust booth fan cover and fan blades will get slimy,slick and messy from all the plastisol fumes being exhausted over time and don't want my lungs coated I'm a reformed anti -smoker who quit 11 years ago.

Frank, Nice ,instructional video. You've help many beginners w/ them. That said, 1- I don't like the plastisol fumes coming off the presto pots-why no exhaust booth?-exhaust hood?No respirator? You only have one set of lungs 2-You have to stir the two mixes by hand- not so w/the Shooting Star complete system. I prefer the stirring system Bear's offers- keeps gliiter and salt suspended 3-Your Bass tackle blending block does and will clog w/out cleaning. Not a shot in the back against bass tackle,just the facts.You still had to clean the blending block-no block to clean w/ the Shooting Star Everyone seems has their own ideas and thoughts that are influenced by their budget and willingness to move up to a better system I.M.O.. For simplicity and price,your system seems good. I tried the twin-injector and blending block years ago and returned it.. Have you ever had the opportunity to use the Shooting Star System? The original Shooting star system has had two recent modifications/improvements and I instigated the 3rd so one can almost empty the pots w/ a very small amount of plastisol left over. Vanilla ,chocolate and strawberry- to each his own.Thank you for taking the time to post this video. Edited for layout

Verical swim-bait molds produce better laminates vs. horizontal moklds simply because of the 90 degree turn the plastic has to make.That said, they should still produce decent laminates if- 1- the temperatures of both plastic mixes are the same-350-360 degrees 2- the viscocity of both mixes must be identical 3-make sure your injector is not drawing air Not looking to start an argument here but-the heated injectot of the shooting star system makes a tremendous difference since- 1- there is no cold blending block w/long paths for the plastisol to go to reach the mold cavities 2-The heated,dual injector of the shooting star system injector shooting straight out of the bottom of the injector.

Change your plastisol supplier and kiss hard packing goodbye. i won't tolerate and/or use any plastisol that hard packs-been there,done that 5 years ago. MF,Chemionics,Spike-it and Calhouns plastisols do not have a severe hard packing problem.

Send the mold back and request a refund.There are numerous ,2.pt.CNC molds available today Many times,trying to save money,costs you money.

I don't match the weight of a Senko-not worried about it one bit. Mine are heavier but just as soft and flexible. Anglers who follow the pack and magazine articles learn nothing but copying everyone else beating the banks. Little do they realize a 10-15mph breeze on the water, blowing a belly in their line and their beloved Senko (or exact copy) is skating-1-2 feet under the surface. Not a productive presentation when the bottom depths are 5-12' Fishing buddies , myself and customers do very well wacky worming w/ 1/64-1/32 or- no more then a 1/16 oz. bullet weight placed 6" above the hook and pegged w/ a rubber T stop on my heavy sticks. This data was gatherd over hours of underwater observation and experimentation. As always,the bass have the final say and have responded well.The light weights will not inhibit the wacky action of the baits I really have to chuckle when these experts say-"Never put a weight on a Senko" . They have no idea what they're missing-post spawn in 8-12' of water w/ a slight breeze.

Typical granular salt will make baits weaker simply beause it creates more space between the plastic and the salt.but the ultra fine salt from Bear's will not.Customers have told me repeatedly how my sticks w/ ultra-fine salt/sand mix outlast Senkos on a average of 7 to 1. That said, use no salt if you want your baits to float and salt if you want them to sink. i always use 2 different types of proven commercial scent cooked in all of my soft-baits.

Depending upon the product I'm packaging. I'll use worm oil to aid in a slick finish, helping product so slide easily-especially in precise ,fitting bags. I also use very fine powered salt from Bear's and Powered salt from Spike -it. Powered salt will give the soft-bait a dull appreance and great slip for easy packaging.It will disapate and washed right off on the 1st cast,resulting in a shiny soft-bait.Use powered salt very sparingly unless you want white soft-baits. A little goes a long way. Customers may object to slimy,oily baits so i wouldn't be concerned about soft-baits absorbing the worm oil. Heavy,large salt granulars are a P.I.A. in my opinion as they make a mess for rigging and burn w/any small cuts on your fingeres and hand.

Many companies have minimum order quantities-or a small order charge. It takes time to process,pack and complete an order- especially small ones.It's still cheaper vs. driving your motor vehicle to and from the store. That said,i use $amount brackets for shipping charges. Many times ,I inform the customer that they can add an additinal $ amount to their order w/out any increase in shipping charges.No small company is getting rich from the shipping and handling fees they charge.Let's not forget the 10% excise tax manufacturers pay on gross sales every quarter.

I've shipped large orders (in excess of $200.00) to Canada). Yes it does cost the shipper more money and time-to fill out the inventory paperwork required.The orders get sent priority mail-flat rate boxes insured.Orders can sometimes take up to 10 days to go through customs- after they arrive in Canada.- a bit nerve wracking for both the shipper and customer.Kindly remember the shipping charges include credit card fees. We charge a handling fee $2.00-$4.00 to assemble and pack the order- depending upon the size and complexity of the order. I certainly don't feel that fee is excessive.

Smalljaw- I tried to end this peacefully-now you state complete mistruths trying to undermine my integrity and honesty. That's really low to stoop to those deceitful levels w/ those untrue statements. I must have struck a few nerves w/ you. It seems like you violated board rules w/you personal attack attempting to undermine my credibility.- shame on you! Red hooks and two color jig heads are completely un-necessary and yes -i did state that. I try to inform young anglers that those two,aforementioned items are a waste of money.

darkman- You are correct.I'll keep my technical info/experience (crap as you label it) to myself. You can lead a horse to water but you can't force him to drink. Have a great day!

I gave you the factual truth solely based upon experience and the creation of functional,reduced snag jigs and you label it arrogance.-sorry it wasn't sugar coated. The truth usually upsets those who can't handle it. I have never had a customer request a river jig w/ a fiber weed guard simply because there are better jigs for river fishing. Many young anglers read this board and i have to speak up when people are exaggerating the performance of their stock jig molds in river rock. I turned more Do-it jig molds into flash masters trying to modify them 30 years ago. II is time consuming ,frustrating and gets expensive.Do-it molds are fine for the hobbyist who pours strictly for themselves. and is happy w/ basic performance. Double barbs are necessary to hold plastic trailers firmly in place w/ out the use of additional glue. The ring and single barb collars available today doesn't do the job. Now i'll leave you with a constructive thought-spread you Fg12 fiber guards into two separate bunches making a V. Experiment w/small diameter shrink tubing or other various forms of tubing that will permanently maintain the V shape and render them adjustable..You just may approach the function of dual,flexible wire guards in snag resistance and hook setting performance. Try something new- you may be pleasantly surprised.It would be refreshing to show some gratitude/appreciation for those willing to spend the mega $ required to develop a new concept in river jigs and share them vs. maintaining your adamant stance justifying the use of FG12 fiber guards in a rocky river environment.

I 've been running a jet -boat in the Susquehanna,Juniata,Delaware and Schuylkill for 17 years.

Respectfully- the way to help prevent a snag in a river environment(w/a weed guard) is to prevent the jig from going under the rocks in the 1st place.Take notice that my wire -guarded jigs have the wire positioned almost straight up behind the line tie eye.An FG 12 fiber guard will not do this and they also impede hook sets due to the fact there is nylon fibers in front of the hook.I don't follow the convention wisdom that many anglers had but now through their new experience w/wire guarded jigs,they can appreciate the performance and excellent hook setting ability. Typical molds cannot be modifies(w/o flashing) for the adaptation of dual wire guards. They take time to make and the flexible wire must not pull out of the jig. I fanned out fiber guards for years for fresh water bass jigs. The problem is they don't stayed fanned out plus the more you fan them results in poor snag performance working through submerged wood.There are ledges in the Susquehanna and Juniata that run on a 45 degree angle-the perfect boat position is not feasible. Add wind and current and the recipe for snag city awaits the typical jig angler. Saving me money- please! I've had the do-it swim jig mold in my hands and many of their fiber guard jig molds.They may work O.K. for the budget minded angler. That said,I never try to justify a cheap product due to the reluctance of spending the $ to create a better river jig. I don't want a modified Do-it molds w/ all of the flashing that goes w/self modifications.Computer Numerical Control precision molds only for this manufacturer. To each his own-have a good day.