mark poulson

Makes perfect sense when I can see it like that. Thanks.

I am looking to buy the Do-it weedless football jig mold that takes the 90 degree hook. It shows that it takes an Eagle Claw 575 or 570 hook. I want a salt-compatible hook. I use a lot of GYCB hula grubs and twin tails, and they are loaded with salt. Do you guys know if there is a black nickel Mustad ultra point hook that will fit this mold, or some other good hook that's salt-compatible?

No, but I use magnets to hold my loose blades on the deck of my boat, so they probably get some short term magnetic loading. I just read that heating one type of magnet to 175 degrees Fahrenheit will make it lose it's magnetic properties, so there may be manuf. issues with making a magnetic wire form. I get some magnets here, but I don't find any magnetically charged wire: http://www.apexmagnets.com/

Off subject question. Bluff-Bassin, how do you get that jig into a tube with the weed guard exposed without tearing it up?

I put my POP in a tupperware, twice the volume I think I'll need, and then add water slowly and mix until it's all wet and the consistency of pancake batter. Let it sit for a minute, so any little bits of unmixed material gets wet, and you should be good to go. Cold water gives you more working time. Vibrate gently to eliminate any air bubbles that get trapped in the pour. I typically coat my masters with POP by hand first before I lay them into the mold, so I'm sure all the details are filled. Take your time, you should have lots of working time, and make the mold face as even as is possible, if you're making a two part mold. Someone here (I apologize, I don't remember who) posted a link to his website, where he has a tutorial on POP mold making. Do a search and see how he does it.

Creekbeater, Could you put a lag bolt into the backside of your wood block, cut off the head, and chuck it up in a drill press, so you could use that as a press?

It's fun to hear you guys who deal with this stuff commercially talking shop. I home pour, mix the snot of my microwaved plastic with a bent wire coat hanger to try and keep the salt and flake in suspension, and never really worry about bubbles. I leave the mixer in my NorPor cups while I'm pouring and mix again after a couple of cavities, so I can keep the plastic well mixed, if I'm pouring a lot of plastic at one time. I see bubbles coming up into my sprues on my hand poured Ika bodies, but I never really worried about air bubbles in my thinner injected baits. Maybe injecting them helps to get rid of bubbles, or maybe I just don't notice them. I always figured any small trapped air bubbles would make my baits float more, which isn't bad. Whether they do that or not, I haven't notice any real loss of strength, or transparency, on my own hand pours.

I want one!!!!!! P.S. I also want to win the Lottery.

I think you're supposed to post lure photos in the Hard Bait Gallery, and then add a link to your photo here. I don't know how to post directly to this forum.

A-Mac brings up a good point. I use sump pumps all the time, but never noticed if they create their own turbulence, like a trolling motor. Maybe piping the water down so it passes under your central barrier, and has a chance to even out any pump induced turbulence, will give you a more even flow pattern. You could hang the lure right in front of the return water intake. That way the lure would be as far away from the pump turbulence as possible. It's like the air movement in front of the cold air return grill on a house's AC system. You don't feel the flow there like you do in front of the supply vents. I'm not sure how to help you with rounding off the corners. I know, from masonry chimney designs, that the corners of a vertical chimney flue aren't counted in the flow calculations because of resistance. That's why masonry flue liners are oval, to eliminate those "dead" corners. Maybe you could use a flexible material like a piece of Formica to bend around the bottom corners, and to help redirect the up flow back toward the intake at the top corner. Just a thought. Good luck, and let us know how your tank project works out.

Eric, I have never painted Solarez on with a brush. I dip my lures in it, and let them hang until they stop dripping before I put them in a UV nail light box to cure. I also use drops of it over painted eyes to get a 3D look, but that's it. I did find that I got a slight cloudy streaking on a black bait, but I can't see it on any others. Sorry I can't be more help.

I arrived at the ramp once and the entire tread had just vanished. All I had was side walls and the inner rubber lining, which still held air. After we put the spare on and fished, we looked for the tread all the way down the 5 mile road to the freeway. As we got on the on ramp, we saw the tread doughnut lying by the side of the off ramp. So we drove all the way up the hill on that inner tube. We were sooo lucky....with a single axle trailer, what if it had happened on the freeway at speed? I'll never buy Cooper Tires again.

Looks good.

X2

Great share! Thanks. The next picture, of the delaminated tire, brought back some bad memories.

I dip on a metal fish tank stand, and the motor from my air pump makes my cup vibrate a little, which helps, I think.

If you smell something, or see some smoke, stop. Your nose and eyes are your best safety feature when it comes to painting and heating.

You sound like a problem solver. It's the challenge, not the final result, that's the kick.

I think the crankbait hardware chart is for trout baits. But the rest is great. Thanks to both of you.

Tacklewarehouse: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Mustad_KVD_1x_Strong_2x_Short_Triple_Grip_Treble_Hook/descpage-MKVDEST.html

Look here: http://www.basscraftlures.com/lumaflexspinnerbaits.htm

I powder coat my jigs outside my garage, but cure them inside the garage in a toaster oven, and haven't noticed any smell. I wouldn't do it the house.

So....does the tan on my arms and face, and the age spots, mean I'm finally beginning to blend in with my surroundings? I guess it's as good an explanation as any. Hahaha

Just remember, UV only works when there is sunlight. I don't know about moonlight, which is reflected sunlight. Glo paint works at night, too.