mark poulson

I know, I know, but I'm just asking. I use an Iovino worm welder and repair them right there on the boat. But I was hoping.... I usually buy med., and add softener, salt, and scent.

I use the 28 gauge galvanized wire from Home Depot, and haven't ever had a problem.

I am currently having trouble with my smartphone email. When I can email my pictures, I'll take one and post it. All the flat tip looks like is a normal soldering fitting with the tip smashed flat. I don't think you can actually do that, but, if you have a tip you don't mind ruining, you could try. My blade tip is less than 1/16" thick. Here's a link to some Weller tips. The one I have is called a cutting tip. http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/weller/tips/sguntips.htm

Is there such a thing? I pour my own Ika bodies, and find the softest ones seem to get bitten best. But they are one or two fish baits, and I'd like to find a plastic that will hold up, and still be soft. Any help is appreciated.

Lurecraft sells silicone mold that are cheap, so you can afford to buy a couple and figure out which one works best for you. I catch fish on this: http://www.lurecraft.com/catalog.cfm/molds/plastic-molds/swim-baits/5x916:2643

That's why pockets were invented. Now, I can't help you with finding your pants....

I just made some jigs up using a small 0 ring and then wire. The 0 ring is the hot setup. I used a 3/16" 0 ring that I use for thin senkos and other wacky rig worms. It's a little loose, but any smaller and it's a bear to get off the jig after you add the wire. Plus being loose enough to easily adjust the skirt once it's on the jig is a good thing. I used the same 0 ring over and over, and it's still fine.

Just be sure the fan you buy is what is called explosion proof. That is important when you're venting dust and fumes. Basically, you don't want a motor that has brushes because it makes sparks as the motor spins. That's fine for power tools, but not for exhaust fans.

Your shop makes mine seems totally inadequate. Looks like I'll have to burn down my garage again!

There is a flat blade available for Weller Soldering guns that works great. I use a wooden clamp to hold the gun with the tip up, and with the trigger locked on by a U shaped piece of masonite. I hold my Ika bodies in one hand, and the skirt in the other, and put them against either side of the blade. When the plastic melts, I slide them both off toward me so the two melted surfaces come together, hold them for a ten count, and lay the bait down. It's easy.

Ben, If a predator's eyes are far enough apart to see both sides of your bait at the same time, you need a bigger boat! Hahaha

I want your shop!!!

If you can manage it, a remote ventilator fan is the quietest option. Here's a link to remote ventilators: https://www.google.com/search?q=remote+vent+hood+blower&oq=remote+vent&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l5.6325j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8 Any ventilation system for paint spraying or plastic melting and pouring works best if it is drawing from a confined space, as opposed to just drawing air out of the shop in general. You should probably look at building some kind of spray/melting booth or hood, so you can get a good airflow away from both your house and your lungs, and still use some kind of respirator if you're melting inside a closed space, like a basement.

That is a neat process! Thanks for the video.

I've seen the beautiful photo finishes you guys do here. How do you get the photo film to follow the curves of a bait?

I look forward to seeing how you do it. Thanks in advance.

How in the world do you mix enough bondo to make a mold half without it setting before you're ready?

I fish clearer lakes, so I only use two tabs. I don't want the bulk of three tabs.

There's always a catch! Hahaha

Here's hoping everyone has a good holiday season, and a great year to follow.

Aren't beavers rodents? I'm sure you could find some Brazilian beaver fur to try. Hahaha

If you're doing it for yourself and want to coat your blades so they don't tarnish, try the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails clear coat polish. I wipe my blades down with acetone, polish them with metal polish, and then coat them with the clear polish, and it lasts. If you're trying to add flash, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails "In the Spotlight" nail polish works great. It has mylar bits in it. You will be amazed at how much flash it gives your blades, and you can "touch it up" if it ever begins to lose it's flash.

I would be very hesitant to bake any lure. Hollow lures plastic lures will soften when heated, and the air inside them will expand, so you'll wind up with swollen, misshapen lures, like my Strike King Red Eye Shad rattle baits that sat in a Plano box in a lure compartment in my boat over the summer. I'm sure they used a cheaper plastic, since my older Rattle Traps and Yozuri 3D Vibes were in the same box and are fine, but the possibility is there with any hollow bodied lure. Before you bake any lure, if you've made it yourself, take a piece of whatever you made it from, or a lure that you don't mind ruining, and do a trial run to see if the heat ruins it.

Does it shrink?

I think a builder named Hillbilly posted here a while back with a video of how he does it. Here's the link to the thread with his video: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/topic/20768-want-to-make-a-mold-or-reproduce-a-old-crankbait-where-do-you-start/?hl=hillbilly#entry155313