mark poulson

After reflecting overnight, I would say that Strike King is the crankbait brand I try to imitate the most. I am no artist, and their paint schemes are easy to copy, and they catch fish.

I was told by a tech at Etex that it should two equal parts by volume, and it should be very well mixed. She said that, if the first coat stayed soft/tacky, I should mix up another batched properly, and recoat the bait. That worked for me. I used epoxy syringes from Flexcoat, and I heated the two components first with a hair dryer, so they would measure and mix more easily.

Man, now you've made me have to think! Grrrrrr. I'll get back to you.

I have been using super glue since the 70's, so this is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I just figured out how to keep the little silicone caps on my ZAP super glue from getting clogged with dried glue and then sticking to the glue nozzle. I took the same artists brush I use to apply the grease to my reel gears and put a light coating on the inside of the cap and on the shaft of the nozzle. Amazing, no more stuck caps!

Forgive a non-CAD fluent question, but would embedding the mold halves in support wooden boxes that you can clamp together prevent mold warping?

Cool! Thanks for the pics, and the explanation. That is a massive amount of hook rash! I see why you changed it to top hook. Clear fingernail polish will protect the rashed wood without changing it's looks, or affecting the action.

How do they keep the line and hook in place during the cast, and when the bait lands?

I like that hook arrangement because you do have a hook on the rear section, but it puts all the strain of fighting the fish on the front line tie, and not on the hinge joint. How are the hooks held in place?

Here in NorCal, on the CA Delta, red craw squarebills work well on levee rip rap, and around shallow wood. Bluegill is also a good pattern, because the bigger bass here are bluegill eaters.

Send him a pm or an email, and discuss it with him. He's always been good about answering questions.

Dave, I love how you explain things so they make sense. Thank you. P.S. Your Oscar for videography is coming.

When I use the belt sander on PVC deck boards is when I get melting, if I try to take too much off at once with a fine belt. I don't seem to have that problem with 60 grit. I sometimes get wispy trailers, like spider webs, if I try to rip it on the table saw with a duller blade. Heat buildup seems to be the common denominator, so keeping my tools sharp, whether it's hand tools or power tools, has been key for me when I'm working with PVC, especially the deck boards.

What brand of PVC board are you using? I used to use AZEK decking, and had some machining problems, but since I switched to their trim board the problems have gone away. Maybe the decking has more of the actual PVC material, since it's stronger and heavier, and that's what's sticking/melting.

I'm guessing Leonard is facing the same Covid-related issues when it comes to keeping things in stock. He only makes money when he can sell something, so I'm pretty sure low stock is not by choice.

Nice! Depending on the lure's size, you may have to give it a fatter profile to give yourself enough room to add additional belly ballast. You can always thin it afterward with a sanding block to remove some of the buoyancy the fatter body will provide.

I can get close by test floating a jerkbait in 60 degree water in my shop. My water gets colder than that, but I use is as a starting point. On the water, I can adjust the float/sink by using either monofilament, which floats, or fluorocarbon, which sinks. Close counts. As long as the bait moves very slowly, either up or down, at rest it will work. Having the patience to test in the shop is the key, because I start with a known quantity that I can adjust on the water.

Be sure your blade is sharp, and makes a wide enough kerf. Try adding a thin wedge to the cut behind the blade to keep it open.

That is a really neat setup! It's great when something like the bench/machine match happens. Enjoy, and post photos of what you make. For me, the key to wood turning is sharp tools, and a tool rest that is close to the work piece, so you don't risk a tool catching and flipping out of your hand. Learn to sharpen your tools, which isn't hard, and you'll have a great time.

That's a clever dual injector setup!

Learn to say no. It is a valid answer, too.

I think you may be right. I always add my glitter to my cooked plastic before I add my color, because glitter will change the color by itself. A fine green glitter should not affect the color as dramatically as hi-lite power, and should help you get the bait color you're looking for.

I am just a hobby builder, so bear that in mind when you consider my method. I typically cut my lip slot while my balsa blanks are still rectangular, so they're square to the bait's centerline. After I've shaped my lure, and I've drilled for my ballast and hardware, I'm ready to add the lip. I seal the bait, including the lip slot, with runny super glue, It penetrates the wood, and makes the surface wood stronger and harder than the raw balsa. It acts as a sanding sealer, because it locks the fuzzy surface wood, so it lets me finish sand the lure blank without removing any more wood. I add my lip before paint. Because the slot has been reinforced by the super glue, I dry fit my lip into it, to be sure that it will slip in relatively easily and that is still properly aligned. Then, after I've roughed up the lip surface that will be in the lure body with 80 grit sandpaper, I add some thicker, gap filling super glue (med. ZAP glue for me) to the lip slot, and push my lip into place. I smooth out any squeeze out with my finger, and then, once I've checked the alignment again, I add a drop of accelerant and let the lure sit for a minute to be sure the glue has set. If there are gaps between the lip and the lip slot, I add a drop of runny super glue to it. The runny stuff will wick into the gaps, and make it solid. Another drop of accelerant, and I'm ready to add my hook hangers, line tie, and ballast. A word of caution: Have a rag handy to wipe the excess glue off of you finger, so you don't wind up gluing your finger to the blank (been there, done that) and DON'T let the accelerant get onto the glue on your finger. It creates heat when it cures the glue, and that hurts! I'm sure there are lots of other ways to do the same thing, but this is the way that works for me.

I mix it in the plastisol while it's still uncooked, until it's completely dissolved. Otherwise I get lumps, too. And I have some of those no-name bottles, but, so far, I can still remember what they are.