mark poulson

justwannafish, Sorry my first post was not clear. Having sharpies run is such a common problem in lure making that I assumed everyone would know what I was talking about. You know what they say about assuming anything.....

Sharpies are solvent based, and so are most rattle can clears. Do a test. Take a piece of primed wood, put a line of black sharpie on it, and then hang it or lean it so the sharpie is sitting horizontal. Be sure the sharpie is completely dry. Then spray a light coat of the rattle can clear, any solvent based rattle can clear, over the piece. The sharpie will sag down, as the solvent in the rattle can clear dissolves part of it. With a light coat, the solvent in the clear will evaporate quickly, so it shouldn't sag too much. Experiment with how much clear you need to get the effect you want. You may have to try different brands of clear. I discovered this when I used red sharpie to make gills and throat markings on my rattle can baits, and then cleared over them and hung them by the line tie. The red ran, and it was a cool effect. Almost like flames. You could probably get a similar effect by spraying the sharpie sample with denatured alcohol, and then letting it flash off, although I've never tried it. With the alcohol, you could do a real light misting, and see how that looks, and then continue with another misting if you want more sag. Just be sure you clear your lure with Createx or some other water based clear before you put the sharpie on, so the solvent won't affect the paint job. If you're using water based paints, it shouldn't be a problem. And be sure to put another coat of water based clear over the sharpie effect when you're done, or the epoxy or other topcoat will make it run some more.

I've used sharpies to make the initial pattern, then hung the lure and shot it with a very light coat of rattle can clear. The sharpie runs a little, and gives the same effect as a stencil.

Dave, I think the patent on thumbs has lapsed.

Twelve 7" 4 piece swimbaits. They're shaped, drilled, 4 floaters are hinged and ready for paint. The other eight are four slow sink, four fast sink, and I hope to get to them next week.

If you're using a wheel, you might want to thin it a little, to help it flow out.

Dave, I didn't read the #12 post as a rip of a supplier. I read it as someone posting because they needed help. I've often thought of doing the same when I'm unable, for whatever reason, to navigate the great void of cyberspace and make contact with the "life form" I need. The internet is great, but, when it doesn't work, it can be a very lonely, frustrating place. I was told by a lawyer who actually went on to become a judge that there can be no crime without intent. I didn't read any intent in his post.

Looks great!

It looks perfect. If it swims like you say, there will be Pike marks all over it! Nice work!

Nice job. My wheel is similar, but I used the two piece rotisserie spit for the shaft, and it sags. What did you use for the shaft and hubs?

I never thought about using Gorilla Glue as a wood sealer. Makes sense. That's a clever idea. Thanks for the tip. I already use it to laminate wood for thicker blanks for gliders and swimbaits. If you moisten the wood before you apply the glue, it will soak in more deeply. When I use Gorilla Glue in residential construction, that's how I make sure to get a good bond. Glue on one face, moisten the other, and then clamp, firm but not super tight. Otherwise, you'll have a starved glue joint that won't hold. You should be able to clean the brown off you fingers with acetone, too.

X100! You're gifted. An airbrush would sing in you hands.

I missed the photos before Spike axed them. How about posting in the Gallery?

Most of the best, commercially successful swimbaits use an eye and pin hinge system, with either screw eyes or cotter pins for the "female" part of the hinge, and sst wire hinge pins. I started by using twisted sst wire and spinner bait wire hinge pins, but now I use .72 and .92 gauge sst screw eyes and sst bicycle spokes for the hinge pins. I get my screw eyes from Stamina, whose link you can get from the TU sources list, and the bicycle spokes from the local bike shop. Of course, the rumors of me stealing the neighbor kids' bikes is totally unfounded!

That should get hammered!

The bait is great, but the video is amazing! What video camera are you using? How did you get the underwater shots?