mark poulson

The only lure I've ever fished with that type of bib is a jitterbug. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/searchresults.html#search=products&searchtext=jitterbug&opt_page=1&opt_sort=alphaAtoZ&opt_perpage=20 I know there are also mid-bait winged lures that walk along the surface on the retrieve. Here's one that I've fished: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Jackall_Pompadour_Walking_Bait/descpage-JPOMP.html There are others on the TW website, but I've never tried to make one. I've caught small bass with them in the spring, but nothing big, so far.

I've found that even the $25 Japanese jerkbaits, which are supposed to suspend, actually sink or rise slowly, depending on water temp, and line type and size, but not fast enough to matter. I've also found it's impossible for me to get a lure to suspend perfectly, so I settle for close. I get it to float really slowly, then paint it and top coat it, and hope the paint/top coat make it suspend in cold tap water in my float testing 5 gallon bucket. Then I can use the type and size of line, and the size of both split rings and treble hooks, to get them to either sink slowly, or float slowly. Worst case scenario, if the lure still floats once I'm finished making and rigging it, I'll add suspend dots/strips to the belly, or a little lead wire to the belly hook shank. But I don't think the fish care if it sinks or rises, as long as it is a really slow movement. Dying baitfish aren't neutrally buoyant, either.

Do you have any pictures of the type of baits you're talking about?

I'm really interested in using these mats for tails. Where did you buy your silicone placemats, and what brand did you buy?

I don't think what the tail's made from has much influence on hooking a fish, or keeping it hooked. I've used tails from clear margarine tubs for years, sanded to add fin lines and colored with sharpies, and they don't seem to hinder the fish getting the bait. Most fish attack from the bottom or side, and a fish that's big enough to eat a bait from the rear will be big enough to swallow the tail whole. I do think the idea of a colored silicone place mat tail is interesting. I will be checking this out.

Do you have to glue the legos down to a base before you pour the silicone?

I do not, but I'm sure there are some here who do. Maybe ask in a new thread with Trigger Type Airbrushes as the title/topic. You can also Google your question, and someone will have an answer for you.

Happy to help, if I can. Everything I know about lure making I learned here on TU, from generous members who shared wotj me, so I think sharing that knowledge with others is the least I can do.

Just remember you can use your Campbell Hausfeld compressor to do really fine work if you have an adjustable air pressure regulator, and a good detail airbrush. I'd spend the compressor money on a good Iwata detail airbrush instead.

I've made masters with Sculpey Clay, fired them hard, and then poured silicone around them to make molds. It is something you could do with just one hand.

It's probably a smart idea to start with hand pouring. Like you said, almost everything is cheaper, and you can learn how to handle plastics and pouring without spending a fortune.

Really nice!

That's great. He is an amazing bait maker, so take everything he says to heart.

Each mold is different, and how each person pours is different, so this is just what I do, as a hobby pourer. I use the 6 oz injector. I have a smaller one, but it doesn't hold enough plastic, and I've found that the 6 oz will fill two Do-It ES ripper, 5" senko, or 3" grub molds, before the plastic gets too cool to inject. Sometimes one cavity won't fill all the way. I also know I can fill either three 7" senko cavities, or five 6" senko cavities, or six creature bait cavities. Those are home made POP molds. I know there are folks here who have figured out how to heat their injectors so the plastic doesn't cool as quickly, but I haven't. I have hand pour molds from Lurecraft, and I use them, too. I would say the 6 oz injector is a good starter. If you eventually find you need a bigger one, you can always get another 6 oz and the brackets and blending block that is used to do laminates. There is no rule against filling both injectors with the same color, so you wind up with a 12 oz capacity, plus you can make some really cool laminates, if you want.

When I used to epoxy my jointed swimbaits, I'd suspend them between the two wheels of my turner and then brush on the epoxy.

The guy who made that video, Frank, is a member here. Maybe he'll see this and be able to help you.

I found this site that might help: https://sciencing.com/make-sea-water-home-6368912.html

Check this out:

I've always used compressors with tanks, since I had so many of them from being in construction, so I only know of dedicated airbrush compressors from what I've read here over the years. This is what I've learned. Compressor type is a trade off. Small, dedicated airbrush compressors are quieter, but they cycle constantly, because they have no air tank. They are much smaller and lighter, so they are easier to move around. This might be a good choice for you if you'll be setting up you spray area by yourself. People here have reported having to pause while painting to let the compressor catch up and reach painting pressure, or having uneven pressure as you spray. There are many successful painters here on TU who use them, so they are a very viable alternative. If you live in an apartment, or have noise constraints, this is the quietest compressor you will find. Compressors with tanks are louder, but they cycle less, depending on the tank size, and the flow of air remains much more consistent, since you are drawing air from a tank that's typically holding 100 psi air, while you are shooting at 40 psi max. They typically have an oil bath at the bottom of the actual compressor that the crank bearings run in, so they last a long time, as long as you check the oil level every once in a while. If you plan to do a lot of painting I think this would be a good choice for you, but they are harder to move around, because they are bigger and heavier. If you have someone who can help you schlep and set up, one of these would work for you. I am currently using a 30 gallon Sears compressor that is 40+ years old. I bought it new, put some compressor oil into the air tank before I ran it, to coat the inside and prevent rust, and it's still alive and kicking. I do use an oil and water separator, along with an air pressure regulator, right where the air leaves the compressor and enters the air hose, and another separator/regulator right at my airbrush paint station, so I've never had any issue with oil or water contamination. There is a third type of compressor, the oil-less wobbler type. It has a much smaller tank, typically 2-3 gallons, and can reach 100+ psi, but it is very loud, and cycles more often. The upside is that it is lighter than a conventional construction compressor, so it is easier to move around. I still have one that I used to take one to the jobsite to run finish nail guns. It was much more convenient. But I haven't tried using it for airbrushing, because my old compressor just keeps on trucking. Sorry this is so long winded. I hope it helps.

I hope it works for you. I've never used a dual injector, so I have no idea how aggravating using one would be, but I've seen the laminates that they make, and they are amazing!

I bought these, and they work: https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/berkley-lady-split-ring-pliers

I have a 3 cavity Ripper ES mold, and only one of them would allow me to do a laminate with a dual injector, which I do not have. The other two cavities are fed off a common spru, so the two different colored plastics would get mixed as they are shot.

I think you're probably right. At least for a hobby pourer like me, I struggle to get all molds filled with my 6 oz injector before the plastic cools too much to shoot, so I'd never use more than half of the 10 oz, anyway. I know there are warmers for injectors that would surely help with that, but I am just pouring sporadically, for myself and my buddies as our baits run out, and I'm too cheap to spend the money on something I'd only use once in a while.

I read on another forum that a guy there uses a concrete sealer, mix one part to three parts water based paint, to make his paints waterproof, without the need for a clear top coat. He says it results in a matte finish that isn't very durable when fished, but he said it is waterproof. Has anyone here tried this, or something similar?

I would think rotating under a UV light would produce a very uneven coating, because UV finishes cure from the outside in, so the inner finish would still be semi-liquid while the outside is hard. That might cause dragging, like happens when you rotate a bowl of pancake batter. The bowl, and the batter on the outside, move while the batter in the middle doesn't. I use Solarez UV dual cure polyester, designed for surfboard coating and repair, for some of my PVC baits. I dip in a darker room (LED lights produce UV, so I use fluorescents at a distance), hang the bait over my dip can until drips stop, clean off the excess and clear the hook hangers and line tie with a piece of paper towel twisted to a point, and then hang them in my UV fingernail light box, rotating them 180 degrees every thirty seconds, for three minutes, but still letting them hang nose up. The Solarez is thick enough that I've never had it thin out on the end that's up, but I do sometimes get drips on the bottom, because it will sag at first, until it begins to set. I know people who use a UV flashlight to initiate the UV curing while the baits are still hanging, to prevent this, before hanging in the light box to cure, but I haven't tried that. Yet! Hahaha