mark poulson

One tip I can give you is to make a hollow channel, like a cupped groove, from the nose of the bait to the line tie. If you check the Yozuri 3D vibe lures, they have that groove. I think it acts like a cupped bill, and really helps the bait wobble. I use that with my smaller swimbaits, and they swim with a wide wobbling action. I made the groove with a rat tailed file, and sand paper on a dowel.

I see. Automotive paint flake. Hmmm....I think I have two auto repair/paint shops near my house. I see a field trip in my future. Thanks.

Is there such an animal? I know color shift airbrush paints have pigments that are shaped a certain way to achieve the color shift. I was hoping there might be something like that available for plastics. Fingers crossed!!!!

I use both round and oval, and can't tell the difference. I put round split rings on baits I make, but I'll use whatever comes on a store bought lure. I have several Lucky Craft lures that came with oval, and I just left them on and use them. I find I still have to take care not to get the line caught in the gap on the ovals. I used to use snaps, too, but don't anymore. I found I'd get lazy, and not retie all day, and lose fish and lures when the knot broke. I know it's a pain in the butt, and takes more time and line, but I retie every time I change a crank. The only time I hate it is when it's real windy, and then I have a few choice words for myself.

I remember, when I flew into Frankfurt, how amazed I was at the amount of green, wild looking areas in Germany in general, and so close to the city. Here in SoCal we're in a desert, so it only gets green in the spring, after the rains, and there's nothing like what you have in your video. I hope your water is available for a while longer. I know how you have specific seasons for different fish. Take care, Mark

I tried some Bear's silver holo flake in a black and blue laminate this afternoon, and it worked fine in the micro. I added the flake, plus some salt, after the blue was heated, and just reheated it for 30 seconds before I poured it. No sparking, no problems. I think it may be because I add the flake at the end, and only heat it for 30 seconds, so maybe it doesn't have a chance to get too hot. Or maybe it's just dumb luck. But the holo silver really stands out in the blue plastic, and it makes a nice contrast to the black top half. I cheated. I took some old leftover plastic of different colors, and added black until it was totally black, and it worked fine. I added a little new plastic and some softener, too.

DEFT has been around for a long time. I still have a can of it on a shelf in the garage from thirty years ago. I never thought to use it to seal wooden lures. My can is, no doubt, dead, but I may have to buy some and try it.

Thanks Jim. Carol Martens, Aaron's mom, spoke to our club last year, and one of the things she said was that Aaron is color blind, so he picks his colors by contrast. That's why the Robo Aaron's magic colors are contrasting. And they work. Our SoCal lakes get so hammered, a new color will work because it's new, and then the fish wise up as soon as everyone starts throwing it. So I'm looking to pour some contrasting laminates, since Ikas represent crawdads, and they have contrasting tops and bottoms. I sandwiched a clear blue layer between a brown bottom and a green pumpkin top, andI think the way the clear light blue second layer lets light through is really cool! Just me. I guess I'm easily amused.

Great! Now I'm going to have to go out to the boat and thump all my balsa lure to be sure they're in tune!

Angus, Even though the manuf. says you don't have to heat set AutoAire, I would do it anyway, to be sure all the water is out. It won't hurt the primer. That paint isn't necessarily designed for lures, and in other applications through drying might not be as critical. I don't know this, so I'm just guessing. I do know that trapped moisture (or solvent) is a sure way to have your paint scheme delaminate. I would only sand it if it is rough. Otherwise, dry it a hair dryer and paint. Primer has a more open (flat) surface so the paint that's sprayed over it can bond well.

Beautiful. He really captured the lure's action.

Del, If ignorance is bliss, I'm a happy camper! Thanks for 'splainin it to me, Lucy.

Sounds to me like the primer isn't truly dry. I don't use that primer, but I heat set my primer, which is a solvent based rattle can primer from Rustoleum, and wet sand it. Then I let it sit for 24 hours before I start my air brush painting. That way, I'm sure there's no solvent, or water from the sanding, left before I continue painting. I'm just curious, so forgive what might seem like a dumb question. I understand you can lift the topcoat and paint off the primer with a blade, but why would you worry about that? The fish, at least here in the U.S., don't carry blades. I'm guessing Australian fish have teeth. Maybe you need a stronger top coat.

Thanks. I'll try the half full method, and see if that helps.

I add my salt and flake once the plastic is already heated, and just reheat for 30 seconds+- to get it back up to pouring temps. Maybe the flake doesn't get hot enough to spark in only 30 seconds. When I reheat plastics with flake, I always add some new plastic. I don't know if that helps, but I don't have problems with that, either. I buy my flake from Del, Lurecraft, and some from Senkosam. I don't know if any of them are aluminum, but I think they are all polyester. And I spray the Pyrex with PAM occasionally, when it seems like the salt residue is sticking to the bottom.

I didn't think I had room in my life for another addiction.

Be careful. I'm paralyzed now with trying to figure out which colors to combine in the laminates!

Do you think spraying your Pyrex with PAM first would keep any glitter from sticking to the Pyrex and arcing?

I have one of those metal pans, and it pours really badly. I get runback, with the plastic running back down the face of the pan, instead of pouring out into the mold. Any suggestions? I am thinking I need to make the pour notch deeper, more like a spout.

Great video, Dieter, and great looking lures. That's a beautiful stretch of river.

I just did my first two and three color laminate. No pictures, and they really aren't that impressive. But it wasn't that hard, and that's why I'm posting. I had made a twelve cavity Ika body, two part POP mold, hand pour. After reading about split cups here, I started wondering if I could just pour some of one color into the open half of the mold, and then close it and pour the other. Short story long, it worked. Hot plastic on the second pour makes sure the two melt together, but the colors stay separate. I got a bee in my bonnet, and tried three colors, hand pouring both the first and second colors into one half, and then closing the mold and pouring the third color. It worked, too. I'm posting because it isn't hard, and I wanted to encourage others to try. The pouring sprue hole for my Ika molds is approx. 1/2" diameter, tapering to 5/16" where it meets the cavity. I also tried the feather in between the two mold halves idea that Toadfrog invented, and it worked too. I guess that makes me a GIT...Genieass in training.

I add the glitter to my salt cup, and premix well before I pour it into the already hot plastic. Then I stir it in well, reheat a little, and pour. I've never had sparking or cup issues. Of course, I've never watched the plastic heat in the microwave, so it may be sparking like crazy, and I just never noticed.

I think you could probably still use it if you cut your bill slot, and drill all your holes, including the one for the line tie wire, and then seal your baits. That way I think you can epoxy in the bill and line tie after the sealing, and still get a strong attachment.

That is a fatty! Congrats!

Jamie, I was just answering the question about thinning epoxy in general. I understood what you posted about a thin coat, which is what I do, too. Of course, that's a first for me. Doh!