mark poulson

When I used the Hardener, I dipped my bait for five count, and hung it to drip dry for 24 hours. Then I hit it with my hair dryer on high, and watched as the end grain had solvent seep out and bubble. I repeated that process, hanging to dry and then hitting it with the hair dryer, until no more seeping or bubbling occured. At that point I hung it again for 24 hours, and then started my primer/paint/topcoat process. I never got it to work perfectly. That's part of the reason I switched to PVC to build with. Totally waterproof from the beginning. I could shape, add my hdwe, ballast weight, prime, paint, and topcoat with Solarez UV in one day, and fish the bait that same day, if I'm in a hurry.

Just be sure to let the wood hardener fully cure before you paint. Otherwise, the hardener will continue to outgas solvent and create bubbles in you paint.

I'm sure she did. My grandson loves his, too. He got it today at a family birthday party and went nuts! It was fun to see.

Recently, I went, with my daughter's family, to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. My older grandson was fascinated by the otters. Afterward, I remembered a large, two-piece otter wake bait I had made, and then found too heavy to throw all day. So, yesterday, I dug it out of my old baits stash, cut off the bill, removed the hook hangers, and put a stubby fat senco onto it for a tail. He'll get it today, and I think he'll love it. It's not the first old bait I've given him, but it's the first one that actually looks like something he's seen recently and liked. Lucky grandpa!

Buy good tools, and you'll only need to buy them once. Good tools eliminate a lot of the problems and frustrations that can making pouring soft plastics a slog.

Just be sure that whichever fan you use is explosion proof, like the fans in kitchen hoods.

Thanks for sharing. Looks like a great site!

I use .008 glitter in clear nail polish, and it works. One coat goes on smooth, and the brush lets me put the glitter on where I want it.

Talk to people who are doing what you want to do, so you have a realistic idea of what's involved BEFORE you spend money. Ask people on this site to send you a private message so you can talk with them privately, and get their honest answer, without any public pressure. Just keep whatever you learn from everyone confidential.

This is what I learned when I made jointed swimbaits out of wood. Glue epoxy, like D2T, is the hardest, but it will crack off if you hit rocks. Decoupage epoxy, like Etex lite, will give a more forgiving topcoat, but teeth will penetrate it, so be sure you wood is really well sealed.

If your dryer has a vent to the outside, maybe you could into it somehow with a Y. Just be sure you have gates that will keep the two vent lines separated, and don't paint while the dryer is running.

I bet you could use a length of pool noodle or water pipe insulation.

Really nice! You have the patience of Jobe. I would be afraid to fish that lure, on the chance I'd lose it, or, worse, break it!

https://www.coastairbrush.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Restorer&cat=59

Forgive me for being thick. Please explain your process. How are you using the sanitizer?

Try Rustoleum Self Etching Primer, then use your paint, topcoat with whatever is compatible with your paint. I use SE Primer, Createx, and clear nail polish (dollar store brands).

How do they hold up when you fish them?

I don't print baits, but I do make them. For poppers, I want the weight as far back as possible, because it helps with casting. I want the bait to hang almost vertical in the water, like at 80 degrees to the surface, and I adjust the amount of ballast I add to the belly to achieve that angle. That way I get a good bloop when I hit the bait, instead of a slosh. That works for me. I hope it helps.

I size my swivels a little differently, because I am not worried about fast rotation, or a lot of flash. I fish the CA Delta, which has lots of tulles and weeds, and the bass are always eating bluegills and crawdads. So I want a lot of thump, so the bass can find my baits, so I fish bigger blades. I use larger Indiana blades, and pull them through tulles, so I size my swivels by how strong a split ring I can fit through their end holes. I don't try to make them so big that both the split ring wires go through the holes. Instead, I pick a strong split ring, and then make sure the wire will pass through once. It doesn't take too strong a split ring. I generally use one I've taken off a crank bait when I've upgraded the split rings for the hooks. Then I space the split ring so that the "cross over" part, the space between the two wire ends where it's still a single wire, is in the swivel hole when I put it on the swivel. That way I don't rip the bigger blades off in the tulles, or cast them off on s long cast, and it still allows the blade to move freely. I seldom fish my blades in open water, since the fish in the Delta live either in the grass, at the grass edges, or up in the tulles when the tides up, and they're hunting.

I do the same, except that I don't us wax and grease remover. I wipe down with acetone or denatured alcohol. I would try changing that first, and see if that helps. The other thing I would do is make sure my Createx is really dry by using multiple thin coats, and drying each coat with my hair dryer.

When you're fishing for salt water predators, getting their attention is key. For Calico Bass, in the kelp, the best bite is a reaction bite, the same as with a largemouth. A yellow jighead with a blue swimbait trailer will outfish live anchovies and sardines. Plus it's a blast doing it. Chuck and wind is a kick wherever you do it.

Today is Ben Siegel/aka Rayburn Ben's birthday. He would have been 68 today. Happy Birthday, friend, where ever you are.

I tried spraying the glow powder suspended in Createx clear base. It took forever to get enough coats on to get a decent glow, because I had to keep it very thin to get it to spray through my 3.5 nozzle. When I mixed the powder in cheap clear nail polish it worked great when I just brushed it on.

Forgive what may be a dumb question, but would a quick dip in whatever solvent melts that stuff cause it to have a smoother exterior? I know nothing about 3D printing.

Ouch!