mark poulson

They don't sell Owners. I think you have to go to Owners direct, and have a resale number, to buy direct from them.

I did a quick check on the site, and the PVC they sell seems to be pure, with specific gravity of between 1.35 and 1.6. I think that means they are heavier than the water they displace, and will sink, but I'm not sure. Vodkaman, help!!

Not that I know of. Epoxies don't dry, they set. The ones we use are two part, a resin and a hardener, and mixing the two sets off a chemical reaction that makes the resin's molecules link up and form a hard surface. Left separate, they say liquid. We generally use one of two kinds of epoxy. The first, Devcon 2 Ton 30 minute Epoxy, is actually a glue. It sets in about an hour, and is very hard after 8 hours. The second is the decoupage epoxies, like Etex and Nu Lustre 55, meant to self level over larger surfaces, like bar tops and table tops. It stays runny for a long time, so it can level out. They need to turn at least 8 hours before they are stiff enough not to sag, and aren't fully set for 24 hours.. Any attempt to modify the proportions with decoupage epoxies, like adding more hardener, just ruins the mix, and they'll never set up. There's a member here, Down River, who is actually an epoxy expert. Do a search for his posts, and you can read what he says. He actually knows what he's talking about. In a pinch, you can use a variable speed drill, with the trigger tied at a low speed, and turn you lure that way. Or you can use Devcon 2 Ton 30 minute to coat your lure, and turn it by hand for an hour.

I am very allergic to lots of things, but I haven't noticed any reaction to the Minwax Wood Hardener.

CMARTIN269, Where do you buy that body glitter, and who makes it?

I think danderson is right. There may be something in the mixing cups that's contaminating your epoxy. Like he suggested, mix it in a metal container, like the bottom of a coke can, to see if that makes a difference. Make sure your amounts are correct, because Etex is very sensitive in terms of mixing proportions. 1 to 1 by volume. If it turns out the mixing cups are the culprit, try buying some from Michael's, or go to a Mexican fast food place and "borrow" some salsa cups. Salsa is very acidic, so the plastic cups they use are bulletproof, more or less. As for the lures that didn't set up, wipe them down with denatured alcohol, and see if that gets rid of the slimmy feeling. After wiping them down, you can try lightly sanding the surface, to see if you can get down to a sound layer. If so, you can recoat with a good batch. If not, you're going to have to strip the finish with acetone, and that will probably ruin the paint job, too.

There is a difference between dry and set. I'm no chemist, but T shirt paints, like Createx, may be dry if left to sit long enough, but they don't achieve the cross link molecules that make them waterproof and strong unless they are heated above a certain temperature. I know there has been a thread here in the past that dealt with that. I'm having trouble finding it with the search feature, so I'm going to ask a question here about that thread, in hopes that Snax will answer. In terms of heat generated cross link molecules, didn't I read here that the new water borne paints, like Wicked Colors from Createx, don't actually need heat to form their cross link molecules? I've sprayed a color, then had to clean up and go in before I could heat set it. I've always heat set it when I resumed painting, before the next coat, but, if memory serves, Snax said this new paint doesn't need the heat to achieve the cross link molecule set. 68KingFisher, if you know the answer, I'm all ears, except the foot that keeps finding it's way into my mouth.

So many vortexes, so little time! Those are great links, and really make the vortex effect clear. I've found that making the last joint in a jointed swimbait looser, so that it can swing free, enhances slow speed swimming, and initiates it at a crawl. Maybe the wider joint starts its own individual vortex? Also, keeping the tail as light as possible give you the best shot at slow speed swimming. I guess it's because there's less inertia to overcome.

That looks like a great bath or pool toy! Well done.

I use Wild Life colors iridescent paints as accents on my swimbaits, over pearl white/silver. The iridescent paint doesn't show up until you turn the lure just right, which means, to me, it will flash off and on in the water during the retrieve. It is subtle, but adding a clear topcoat enhances it, so don't go too heavy to start with. You can test some samples, or add a clear paint coat over the iridescent paint while you're painting the lure, to see how it will look. That way, you can add more if needed, before you top coat.

He lives!!!! Hi Nathan. Good to hear from you again. I have used the spray glitter in the past, and still do when I want just a light misting of glitter, but, since you suggested putting glitter in Minwax Polyacrylic, that's my method of choice now.

Tim, The reason I suggested the bicycle spokes is that it's solid sst wire, and of a decent thickness. It is easy to remove for maintenance, just by pushing it with a small punch until you can get some needle nose pliers on it, and then pulling it out. But, Dave's right. If the wall is thick enough in the brass tubing it should last a looooong time.

Dave, That lure swims beautifully. Excellent job on the hinges. And nice music for the video. If you don't mind, one thought. That's all I have left at this hour. I find the repetitive back and forth of the wire against the pin is what wears out the pins, though, not the trashing of the fish after it's eaten the bait. If I were you, I might think about using Captsully's bicycle spoke pins instead of hollow tubing. The brass will eventually wear, because it's softer than the sst wire, and it could collapse or deform under load. Once it's damaged in the joint, it looks like it would be a bear to change out. But the bike spokes are solid, so they might be heavier and affect the ballast weighting. I know, when I changed to spoke hinge pins, and the larger .092 screw eyes to accomodate the larger guage wire, it affected how I ballasted my swim baits.