mark poulson

walleye warrior, First of all, thanks for the info. That confirms what I read at Jann's. Second, do you find double dipping makes the paint job stronger? I have to confess that I usually lose a jig before the powder coat comes off, and, if it chips, I touch it up with a sharpie.

Sanding cross grain will remove material faster. Sanding with the grain can have the tendency to follow the grain and accentuated the grain pattern. I try to sand across the grain, with 180 grit, after the first seal coat. If the lure still isn't smooth, I drop down to 120 grit, again across the grain if I can. The whole object of a sanding sealer is to lock the grain so it can be sanded smooth. A smooth surface is what you're shooting for.

I just bought the Skirts Unlimited skirt making jig. What a dream! I can't believe how easy it is to use. And to think I've been struggling all these years with the wire-thru-the-metal-tube method.

I found my answer, 350 for fifteen minutes, at Janns. Thanks anyway.

Dumb question, but it's been a while since I last powder painted a bunch of jig heads for myself. I heat the heads with a torch, dip them in the paint, and then hang them in an old toaster oven to "cure". But I can't remember what temp. I set the toaster oven at, or for how long. Help!

I tried the leverage spinnerbaits when they first came out with the cable-attached hook, and found they were no better at keeping fish on. In fact, several times I thought the hook didn't stick because it got turned in their mouth, instead of penetrating. I use standard blades and chatterbait-type lures, and use a trailer hook if I can. Speaking strictly as a fisherman, I think the hook being rigid is a good thing, because, since I throw the chatterbait on 50lb braid, I get instant and solid hooksets. I use chatterbaits with big jig hooks, and haven't had a fish throw one yet.

Plus it doesn't like soft plastics, so, if you use a trailer on any vinyl painted bait, like a jig, be sure to put a coat of epoxy over it. And don't let the lure touch plastics on the deck. The whole thing will get sticky.

I saw this on the Westernbass.com forum. We have the exclusive on these custom swimbaits. Check out the review on tackle tour: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewise2009.html You can purchase them on our online store @ http://www.fishermanswarehouse.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=4818 Check back soon for the Hoochiemamma. Way to go, Rookie!

I usually post on the hardbaits forum, and just come here to read about the latest color, processes, and materials. I have a general forum question. Why do people post under nicknames? Are they ashamed of their real names? Posting under your real name would probably help a lot of people think before they post when they get all "internet fired up". Nothing like having to stand behind what you say to bring a little perspective into things.

I know Diemai makes spoons, but I think you might want to post this question on the wire baits forum.

I found that you have to be careful when you spray rattle can "metal" paints. I tried a gloss aluminum as an undercoat, and my Createx didn't bond to it. Too slippery, I guess. I had a bunch of baits whose topcoats and paint jobs flaked off.

The instructions on my Etex bottles says equal parts by volumne, not weight. Same with my Nu Lustre 55 epoxy. The Flexcoat 3cc syringes make this a snap. This is where I got mine. The nozzles are slightly tapered, so you can drill a snug fitting hole (test it first in a piece of wood) that will let you wedge the syringes into the caps, and leave them there when you're not using them. Then, just turn the bottle over while holding the syringe in, let the air bubbles move up, withdraw the syringe plunger to the amount you want to use, turn the bottle back over, remove the syringe, and squeeze it into you mixing cup. I waste very little epoxy now from mixing too much, and the batches are always good. No guesswork. Mud Hole Custom Tackle -- The World's Largest Rod Building Supplier

First, let me say I love your lures. It's no wonder you catch fish with them. I think everyone here has covered the problems....water absorption and hardware failure. Those were my problems, too, when I first started making wood swimbaits. I've several spectacular failures, so let me share my experiences. I have found that a penetrating sealer is much better at getting into the wood deeply, so water, even if it gets past the topcoat, can't be absorbed. For me, the sealer that works the best is Minwax Wood Hardener. I also found that drilling every hole before I seal the wood helped a lot. I soak the individual sections in a salsa jar full of the hardener for at least 10 minutes. I can tell it's penetrated to the max when the end grain stops bubbling. Then I let dry for at least 24 hours, and hit it with a hair dryer, so any solvent that's trapped will bubble out. If it bubbles, I let it sit another 24 and try again. I don't use any screw eyes shorter than 1 1/8" for my big baits, and I run them in, to cut the threads in the wood, then remove them, put a drop of runny crazy glue into the hole, coat the shaft of the eye with brush on crazy glue, and run them back in. That way, even if I have to adjust them out later for more joint movement, the threads are really strong. I use .092 sst eyes for all but the rear hinges, where I use .072 eyes to save weight if I need to, and both sizes accept bicycle spoke hinge pins. I always use two eyes per hinge, because I've had the tail section come unscrewed from the torque of the swimming action with one eye. I move my lower hinge eye up in the body so it clears my ballast and hook hangers. I mark the blank with a scribe line that's as deep as the ballast/hook hangers, and make sure my hinge eyes clear that. If a hook hanger eye hits a hinge eye, I'll shorten the hook hanger eye. I've found that a 3/4" eye, embedded 5/8", is plenty for my hook hangers, which are also locked in by the top coat epoxy I use. Believe it or not, the strain on the hinges is much greater that the strain on the hook hanger, even with a large fish. I set my hardware in D2T, not 5 minute epoxy, because the 5 minute is water resistant, not water proof. And I don't pour lead into the ballast holes for exactly the reasons mentioned above. I drill semi-tight holes, and use 1/4" diameter lead wire, which is easy to cut with an exacto knife to the length I need. I roll it back flat on my table saw bed after I cut it, using a flat piece of 1/4" steel plate, to get rid of the raised edges cause by cutting. My holes allow it to just slip in, and then I put a drop or two of runny crazy glue to attach it. Then I Bondo over the holes, and it never moves. I've even found that I can drill out some ballast after I've float tested, without worrying about water. I just put a small piece of paper towel, lightly compressed, into the hole, just past flush, hit it with a couple drops of crazy glue, and bondo over that. Lastly, if you remove the hardware and let the lures dry out, you can put the wood hardener into the harware holes, and it will penetrate and seal them, including the hinge pin holes. Then you can reinstal the hardware, using glue with the screw eyes, and be water tight. This should let you save the beautiful lures you've already made. I would, however, use longer hinge screw eyes. Wood has a lot of challenges, but it's a great material. I've found that some lures, like poppers and walking baits, are just better made of wood. But it does require attention to detail.