mark poulson

You might try a soldering iron with a flat tip. I use that to melt the skirts onto my Ikas. Don Iovino sells the Wormizer, a battery operated device to melt and repair plastics while you're fishing. Here's his info: http://www.iovino.com/index.php/wormizer-tools.html

I don't know of any plastic or resin that you can inject yourself for crankbait lips. There is a video somewhere here on TU of a guy (I think his handle was Hillbilly) who made is own two piece hollow plastic cranks. Maybe it has something in it that might help.

Pick a commercial lure that is similar to what you want, and use it as a model to begin with. From there, you can tweak one thing at a time to see how stuff affects your lure's action.

If you need to coat a blade, and worry about the extra weight slowing down the speed and flash, try coating with Sally Hansen "In The Spotlight" polish. It has short mylar fibers in it that really flash.

Nice looking lures! Have you fished them yet? If so, how does the finish hold up so far? How does it hold up on wooden lures? What UV wave length does the light need to be? So many questions, so little time! Hahaha

Thanks Dave.

Just be sure to flush them out well after each color, or you'll wind up with frozen brushes that are a pain to clean. Do a search here to find out how they are cleaned.

Nate, That video is addictive! I just keep on watching and watching and watching.......... You really did a great job on that lure.

Thanks Tony. That's exactly what I'm looking for. I ordered some, and I'll let you know how they work for me.

I thought about using the aquarium pump as a vibrator. It seems like a natural. If you are using one, or multiple beds, I bet you could make a wooden tray to hold the bed(s), and put the pump in it, and it would shake the whole thing. Another option is a small vibrator sander. It has a flat pad that you could screw down to the tray.

Does liquid scent act as a softener in plastic?

Airbrushing isn't that hard. Airbrushing well is, but that's another story, and has to do with artistic talent. But I can airbrush so I know it isn't that hard. Practice on a piece of white PVC pipe. If you're having the paint move around, you have the paint thin enough. Try doing lighter coats, and hit each coat with a hair dryer between each coat. It will take a little longer, but it will help you learn to paint. I spray with the regulator set at 45lbs, and use the trigger to adjust the pressure. It takes a little practice, but it is the easiest way to paint. Once you've learned to paint at higher pressure, you can play around with the pressure, too. It is a learned skill that takes practice, lots of practice. But it is a doable thing.

I use Sally Hansen Hard as Nails nail polish to coat my blades. It holds up really well.

Guys, I didn't mean to start a shooting war. I really appreciate all the help, input, and offers of help. I like the Mustad 37177NP-BN hooks, their Megabite Lite Wire EWG hooks. They have a really deep bite, so even the smaller sizes work with thicker plastics, and the lite wire lets me fish them on 8lb fluoro and still get a good hook set. I think the mold on Zeiner's is for a heavier wire hook, which is already available commercially. I think making a mold with bondo first is the way to go, even if it doesn't hold up too long. I am only making them for myself and my fishing partner, so quantity isn't a big issue. I'll give it a try, and let you guys know how it turns out.

I swirl my fluid bed before each dip. It works.

Watch that you don't accidentally inhale those microballoons. They are really light, and move with the slightest breeze. A dust mask is a good idea.

I always save my costume for next year. Hahaha

I think I got my figure 8 hangers here: http://www.luremakin...e_8_hangers.htm It's been a while, so I'm not sure.

Bob, I do that now, or split one side of small egg sinker and pinch them onto the hook shank, and they both work. But that is big and bulky, and I'm hoping to find a slimmer, smoother setup.

I want 1/16 and 1/8oz mostly. Do you have that mold?

I use crazy glue to set both my twist wire line ties, and my hook hangers. I sometimes use small swivels for hook hangers, too, and set them with crazy glue. I once tried to remove a swivel that had been locked by the glue so it didn't turn, and would up twisting off the wire. I couldn't get the swivel loose from the lure, and to drill another hole next to the first swivel to mount another. So I know crazy glue will hold in PVC. And I'm sure the line will break before the hook hanger wire either breaks or pulls out. When I build balsa lures, where weight is important, I drill my hook hanger holes, add a drop of runny crazy glue, which soaks into the balsa and makes the area around the hole stronger, and then add my figure 8 hook hangers. If you're concerned, try a test mount in a piece of the same material you use to build your lures. Be sure the test piece is big enough to allow a good test. Mount a hook hanger, and then add a split ring. Put the test piece in a vise, tie on some heavy line, and try to pull the hook hanger out. You can even leave a weight hanging from it overnight. You'll find out quickly if my system works for your material. If it does, it will save a lot of time.

I've had that happen when I applied the first coats too thick, instead of several thinner layers. The thicker coat didn't completely dry and harden all the way through, and the netting cut into it. I make sure to spray light coats, and heat set each one thoroughly, before adding another coat. Color with lots of pigment, like opaques and pearls, are the worst culprits for this, so be sure to do thin coats with them, and heat dry each one. I also don't clamp my netting onto my lures to paint them. I have an "easel" type setup, with a piece of 1/4" foam board mounted on the face of a sheet of plywood that's leaned next to my paint area. I attach a piece of tulle netting at the top of the plywood, so it drapes down over the foam. When I want to scale a lure, I hold the lure when I want it, and use push pins to pull the tulle around it semi-tight. The push pins and tule keep the lure in place, so I just spray my scale color, hit the lure with the hair dryer, and remove the push pins while holding the lure by the tail or bill. It works for me. I also wear a blue nitrile glove on my left, non-air brush hand, so lots of times I hold both the tulle and the lure by the bill in my left and shoot the scale color like that. That way my hand stays clean, and I can hold stuff much better than trying to clamp or pin it sometimes. The blue gloves last a long time. I am no artist by any stretch of the imagination. I am a carpenter who makes baits and paints them. I only paint for myself now, so I'm a little more cavalier about my painting than I was when I sold baits. I want the general effect, but I want to get them finished and top coated, so I can fish them.

I use a drywall knife, an exacto knife, and a dremel with small sanding drums. The knives give much better detail, but the dremel is really fast and easy. If I carve anything else, I'm going to use a real carving knife with a decent sized handle. Sharp edges are the key to good carving.

I'm looking for a light wire weighted offset hook, 1/0-5/0, for smaller plastic swimbaits. Does anyone know if there is something like this that's sold commercially, or is there a mold available for pouring my own? Ideally, someone sells them, or I'll find a mold that will let me pour around Mustad Megabite lite wire offset hooks. They have a really deep bite, and are strong and sharp, but the fine wire makes setting the hook on lighter line possible.

I hate twisting wire if I don't have to. A while back I bought some figure 8 hook hanger, but I forget where I bought them. Worth carries them, but I don't think that's where I got mine: http://lurecomponents.worthco.com/sites/lurecomponents.worthco.com/files/catalog-pages/WorthOEM_2012%2098.pdf I'm sure they are available other places. I build cranks from PVC, so all I do is drill a pilot hole that is a snug fit for the hook hanger, add enough gap filling crazy glue to fill the hole, use some needle nose pliers to insert the figure 8 hanger, and then hit the glue with accelerator. They hold fine, and I can easily set the belly hanger crosswise, so it cuts down on hook rash.