mark poulson

I've seen the gantry routers that were computer controlled at wood working shows. They are pretty amazing.

This thread could have been titled, "Oh, the things you will learn", by Dr. Seuss. I sure learned a lot.

Dave, I'm no music expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not the rock they mean when they say rock music.

Skimpy, I bought both the swimbait and the 3" grub molds, and they both pour perfectly. And that little swimbait does swim well. The tail flaps like crazy. Thanks for the tip.

Can someone machine bondo, or some other softer material, with the same machines used to make aluminum molds?

I also use Solarez. I like it for baits where a thicker coating won't affect buoyancy, like bigger PVC baits. I only notice the slight hazing on a black or very dark bait. Otherwise, it's fine, and quick. I can make a bait, paint it, top coat it, and fish it the same day, if I get a bug up my butt. That doesn't seem to happen as often as it used to!

Nail polish is an easy way to add contrasting colors and accents to powder coated jigs and spinnerbaits. The colored nail polishes are soft, so they need a coat of clear over them to make them harder. I add soft plastic flake to my clear, so I can add flake to the colored head at the same time I'm protecting the color. I am only a hobby builder, and I am in no way, shape, or form an artist. My method may not be feasible or economical for mass production, but it works for me, with dollar store nail polish.

Dale, Remember that predator fish, like bass, pike, and musky, are, first and foremost, visual feeders. If they can't see the bait it's harder for them to eat it. I fished cold, dirty water today, and got bit on a chartreuse/white spinnerbait and chatterbait, both with chart. trailers. Those colors were visible in the dirty water. White is a great low light/dirty water color because it is visible. Add some chart. to the back and/or sides, and you have a very visible bait. When I live down in SoCal, the lakes were clear, so natural colors were important, but, even down there, chart/white spinnerbaits got bit. And don't forget to add some flash. It represents how a bait fish looks when it moves sideways, and, more importantly, it adds to a bait's visibility.

My father had a moto..."If it won't fit, get a bigger hammer". Maybe that's why I never really mastered computers. I kept breaking them.

I was thinking more 60's Motown.

I saw those, and they are beautiful!

Did you add anything to the plastisol, like heat stabilizer? I'm really intrigued by your idea, and am going to try it, as soon as my garage shop warms up.

Bob and Frank, I think I'll stick to something easier, like parenting.

Wicked paints have some solvent in them. Would they bond to plastisol better?

I've done some pull out test with wire set into 3/16" holes with D2T epoxy. I tried the twisted wire, and just a U shaped bend, with the ends of the U bent back at 90 degrees in short 1/8" ears. I broke the wire before I could get either the wire or the epoxy to pull out.

For me, two piece slow sink lipless swimbaits swim in a lazy S pattern. The longer the bait, the bigger the S. They will catch fish all year. Three piece faster sink baits swim with the tail section flapping like a flag in the wind. Great for faster retrieves, in early spring next to steep walls, and anytime the water is 55 degrees and up. I also like them fished fast across submerged weeds. They move enough water to draw reaction strikes from fish in the grass. Four piece slow sink baits swim in more snake like pattern, wiggling along. They are great at any speed, and in warmer (55 and up) water. I get a lot more followers who don't commit with a four piece. It gets their attention, but not as aggressively, so I usually have to trigger strikes by speeding up the bait, or having it do a 180 degree turn and pause, so it's looking back at the follower. But lots of times the bass just turn away, like they were just curious, but not interested in eating. Try giving your baits a V cross section, with the back and shoulders thicker than the belly, like 1" at the top, and 5/8" at the bottom. That way, the back/top of the bait is naturally more buoyant, so your bait won't roll on a fast retrieve. And keep your ballast as low as possible, and in the front section(s), never in the tail. That way the bait will swim level, instead of tail down. I don't know how to make a jointed bait that will hold up to a musky, but I've had some eaten by barracudas. Plan on doing repairs.

Fishon-son, The older we get, the harder it is to learn new programs. My eldest son took computer programming in college, and learned Basic. I couldn't. Today's computers and programs are light years ahead of what we had when computers first became "commmon", and I still can't learn most of the programs. My youngest, a 20 year old daughter, has computers so far embedded in her operating system that she is instinctive, where as her older sister (late 20's) and one of her brothers (30), both college graduates with advanced degrees and successful careers, and both computer literate, are left in the dust by her skills. Try and keep that in mind when you say it should be simple. It may be for you, but, for some of us, it is a struggle.