mark poulson

Sounds like the same kind of material that the big Sebile flutter spoon is made from. Heavy enough to cast, but a slow fall.

Well, it arrived today, and it is really clean. The spool pivot from cast to retrieve is a little stiff, but I spoke to the US rep. and he said the micarta material the reel is made out of doesn't need lube when new. He says he hits his own reel every so often with WD40. I had to sand the bottom of the reel seat a little to get it flat, but it went onto a Quantum spinning reel with no problem. It is light! The line capacity says 500 meters, but I don't think I'll put that much on. Some mono backing first, and then braid, with a fluoro leader, like I do my regular spinning stuff. I'm going to spool it up tomorrow, and take it up to the local pond for a tryout. I'll keep you posted, and try to post a picture or two.

Thanks Cami. I just ordered two from your site.

Air brushes have very small internal passageways for both air and paint, so it's really important to clean the brush really well between colors, and after each painting session. Paint the sets up inside an air brush is royal pain to clean out. Look at online "how to" videos. Google "how to airbrush" and you'll see lots to choose from. And practice on a piece of white cardboard or poster paper. You won't waste a lot of paint, and you'll feel more comfortable once you do start painting lures. You will make mistakes. We all did, and still do. So don't let that stop you. And come here with questions once you've gotten started. The folks here on TU taught me everything I know about lure making and painting. They are a very generous group. And a two stage brush is easy to learn to use, and much more versatile than a single stage.

Now I'm really confused. The description says it's a top water lure, but you guys are recommending lead spoons. Am I missing something (it wouldn't be the first time)? Are these cast and then burned back in over the top to keep them up? A 6" lead spoon would weigh a ton....even a 6" steel spoon is heavy.

That's funny. At least your should name one of the baits after him, to make up letting him take the fall. Hahaha

I set my toaster oven at 350, and heat my powder coated jig heads for 15 minutes. I let them hang in there with the door closed to cool. I find that overheating causes the paint to dull, either when I'm heating the jig prior to dipping them, or afterward, if I hang them directly over the heating element in the oven. I use 350 because it works, it's the temp. that I heat my soft plastics to, before I pour them, so it's an easy temp for me to remember.

Will do. Thanks.

Thanks Cami. It says it's heat resistant....do you put yours in a microwave to heat your plastic, or do you put the already heated plastic into it to pour your molds?

Joliepa, I mean steel BB's, the kind for shooting out of a BB gun, not lead split shot. That's what is in the original Rattle Trap.

Ben, I went with the Tracker because of their welded hull. I think I got the first year model, and all of the bugs hadn't been worked out. The welds inside the hull, attaching struts to the interior framework, were all done by hand, and they were brittle. And the keel welds, hidden behind a keep cap, were brittle, too. They all failed, one at a time. Tracker replaced my hull with a 2004 hull, and I never had a problem after that. I remember from Jr. High shop class that welding aluminum is tricky. My boats were't that light, but weighed 2/3's of what the same size fiberglass boat weighed, so they sat really high in the water. They caught a lot of wind and were a bear to keep steady in the wind.

Thank you again for Solarez!

Since I use a flexible silicone cup, and form the spout by pinching the mouth down with a big black paper clip, I can't easily do that, but I can switch sides mid pour, and use the other side of the cup for a clean spout opening. Thanks for the idea. I am going to wear stronger glasses when I pour, too. It's hard to see down into a straight tail worm mold and be able to tell if I've got enough plastic down in the bottom for the first part. Grrr!!!!

Can you use the caulking gun sealant silicone for lead molds? It works for plastics.

I would try drilling a hole in one lure's forehead, half way between the nose and the line tie, and begin adding BB's until you get the lure to suspend, or as close to suspend as you can get. You can use tape over the hole to keep water out while you float test it to get the number of BB's right. Once you get it right, you can seal the hole with bondo, strengthened with crazy glue after it's sanded down smooth.

No harm in plugging the Postal Service. Considering what they have to work with, and the huge job they face, they do a pretty good job.

I followed everyone's advice, and raised the area I was pouring up so it was comfortable, and I was able to pour four more 8 worm batches today. I quit when the plastic got too low to reheat. And you were right Travis. The more I poured the easier they were to pour, and the better they came out. Thanks a million!

Don, I thought about that, too, but I'm going to try it with a spinning rod to begin with, and see how that works. Their website illustration for side casting shows a hybrid rod, with a butt closer in length to a trigger rod, but almost the diameter of the rod itself. It's like a fly rod with a short butt. I'm guessing there will be a learning curve. I'll let you know. Fingers crossed!

Cami, That looks interesting. Do you have a web link for that cup and lid? I googled Dexas, and they didn't show it on their website.

The reel should be here soon. I'll post a review. The one I say back then seemed to throw off line on the cast like a dream, and the rotating spool was slick! Of course, it is a 1 to 1 retrieve, so I'm sure it'll be a little slower than the spinning reels I now use, but, with a 4" spool, it should take up pretty well.

I tried that as a kid, melting 22 bullets and repouring them in a modeling clay mold. It didn't work, too hot for the clay, even after I tried cooling the mold with water. Big mistake, but I escaped uninjured. You really should post this in the Wire Baits forum. Those guys know everything there is to know about pouring lead.

Travis, Since I use a silicone cup that's pinched to form a pour spout, I think it would be a problem trying to clean the "spout" during the pouring. I could try just moving the clip to make a new spout in a cleaner part of the cup. I'll try that. I am sure that raising the pour location to the top of my table saw will help my back, and my friend says she'll do the trimming, so I should be okay. I'll let you guys know how it works out. Thanks for the suggestions.

I think you guys are right. I'm already raising my pouring station, and I'm pretty sure getting a rhythm will help. It has with other molds. I was just hoping there was some really neat trick I was missing. Hahaha

I always wear a dust mask when I machine or sand PVC. I use an oscillating belt sander with a dust vacuum attachment to rough shape my blanks. My sanding station for finish sanding is right at the open overhead door to my garage, with a box fan hung from the ceiling in the back blowing out. I use twp palm sanders with both 80 and 220 grit paper for my finer shaping and sanding. I also have an air hose right there to blow off both the lures and the sanding dust from my hands and the sand paper on the sanders. If I'm feeling particularly ambitious, I will wet sand with 400 grit auto paper, but I usually skip that step, because the 220 grit leaves a smooth enough surface for painting, and I'm lazy.

When I wanted to know if Kim had a particular worm mold, she said to mail her a sample. She is very customer friendly. Here's her email: LureCraft@ClickaNerd.com Good luck.