mark poulson

If you're trying to make a bird lure, painting feathers will probably be a tough nut to crack. If I were doing it, I'd probably treat the feathers like big, overlapping scales, and use the same overlapping semi-circle technique I've seen here to paint them first. I'd shoot a clear protective coat over that, and then add the finer "lines" with an artist's brush or sharpies, and contrasting colors. I like to keep in mind that my baits are meant to give the fish the impression of a living prey items, not an exact duplicate. Otherwise, I'd be lost, because I can't paint details for beans. That's why I use sharpies for lines and gills and rat hair and stuff.

Ben, You know me too well. But now it's that damn PVC dust, and it sticks to everything. On the glitter stripe subject, has anyone tried brushing a stripe on with the thicker super glue that comes in a bottle with a brush, and then sprinkling glitter over that?

Some of us actually wash our clothes once in a while, so that technique doesn't work as well.

Dave, You said you got some buildup on the bottom of your baits with GST. When I dip, I hang the bait over the container and let it drip back into it. It typically stops dripping in about a minute. Then I use my finger to remove the last drips still on the bottom, wipe it off back into the container, and take the bait back inside to hang over my workbench to dry. I wick the last buildup off the bottom with a piece of paper towel. So far, I haven't gotten any buildup on the bottom, and everything is hard by the next morning. I do speed up the curing process by hitting the bait with a hair dryer, and that might help prevent buildups on the bottom. I also think this material has more solvents, so it sets faster, with less time for buildup on the bottom. It is not a California specific coating. I was worried that they wouldn't ship it to CA, but when I called and asked, they said they would. I do have to pay attention not to lose concentration and leave something too long, but, so far, it's easy to work with, and hold up fine.

Dave, I didn't mean to hijack the thread. I'll post an answer on the AC1315 thread.

I think he's just trying to help. I know I need all the help I can get.

Dave, You might like this better: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/topic/28827-ac1315-concrete-sealer-top-coat/ I've used it for a month, so far, and no problems.

A non-pourer question. Could any of the alloys in the lead be eating away at your pots?

There was a guy here a while back who posted a video on how he did it. I can't, for the life of me, remember his name, but he did it and his system worked. So try the search tab at the top right, and maybe look at the tutorials.

No idea. Sorry.

Don't leave them outside in the cold. They can get condensation on them, and the hot plastic will turn it to steam explosively. Keep them inside, like Monte said.

Impressive. I haven't seen chains like that since my second wife....don't ask. I actually have an old round reel that I plan on using, along with a rod butt left over after I cut the rod label off and sent it in for warranty replacement. I'll add a short rod section with a guide, and I'll be good to go. Thanks for the idea.

49 years 11 months and counting....what were you thinking! Hahaha Congrats. to both of you, for "adjusting to the changing conditions" for so long.

Musky, I have the same plug knocker from BPS. I just order some 250lb kevlar braid for it. FREE SHIPPING 100ft 250lb Braided Kevlar Line for Fishing / Camping /Kite Flying Item# 280891893387 $6.99 USD 1 $6.99 USD Shipping and handling $0.00 USD Insurance - not offered ---- Total $6.99 USD Payment $6.99 USD I am hoping it won't cut my hands like the const. nylon line I was using did.

Just ask your wife!

Musky, I never thought about gluing trimboard and decking together to get a bottom-heavier bait with stronger material. That's a slick idea.

I used to use poplar for my swimbaits, but waterproofing was a nightmare for jointed baits. PVC is totally waterproof, so water intrusion is never an issue. I'm able to test swim my lures before I paint them without any sealer at all. JR Hopkins ( ) turned me onto Azek PVC, and, even though I'm a carpenter and love working with wood, I haven't made a wood lure since. The decking is as buoyant as poplar, and just as strong or stronger. The trim board isn't as strong, but it's fine for bass lures, and it's as buoyant as med. grade balsa. Just use a dust mask when you machine PVC. The dust is mildly electrostatic, and will mess with you nose and sinuses.

That looks like the perfect line for a lure retriever. You could tie it off to a cleat, and haul the whole tree up!

deBehr, Do you have to buy the spline and insert separately?

C, I dipped three Sammie knockoffs that were too long for the container, so I had to dip the head half, and then switch and dip the tail half. I didn't get any wrinkling, but I had heat set them really well. I also redipped some older lures that had either urethane or nail polish top coats, with no problems. The redip brought back the luster of the paint and glitter, and actually made some clear finished baits clear again, after they'd clouded from use. I just ordered a quart, so I'll have a deeper dipping container, and that should last me the rest of my lure making life. I like how thin it is, once it's dripped off. I use a digital scale, which shows grams to the tenth, and one dip coat didn't even register on my scale.

Whether or not to through wire depends on how strong the wood that you're using is, and how stout your screw eyes are. I'd suggest you do a search here for muskie lures, and see what is available here. I've made jointed swimbaits for the salt, and used 1 1/2" .092 sst screw eyes for the line tie and hinges, and they held up fine. But I was using Azek PVC decking, which is very strong.

I dipped some raw PVC trim board, and it held fine. I haven't cast resin, so I can't help you there. I tried their 8 oz sample, which cost $14 plus shipping. I called first to see if they would ship to California, and they did. Give them a call. Their number is on the website, and a real person answers! http://www.directcolors.com/products-pages/gloss-sealers/