mark poulson

I would be concerned that the D2T wouldn't lay down as smooth with the glitter in it, unless you thinned it first. In that case, you'd have to put on a second, unthinned coat to really protect your lure. If I were you, I might try another method. Nathan B. suggested mixing fine glitter in Minwax Polyacrlic, and then applying it, before you top coat. I've used this method, and it works well. I apply it with a brush, and can control where and how much. The fine glitter I got from a hobby store really sparkles, more than the spray glitter I had been using, and it doesn't change the colors, since the polyacrylic dries clear.

AAron, In my experience the S shaped swimming pattern is a function of the number of joints. I have to have at least three joints (4 piece) to achieve it. My two joint lures (3 piece) swim well, but they tend to have a wildly flapping tail section on a faster retrieve. I've only made a couple of two piece lures, and they have a much more subtle swimming action, and only at specific retrieve speeds. I had to add a bill to them to get them to swim all the time.

If I were you, the first thing I'd do is try a test piece with the sealer, paint, and top coat I was planning to use. Rosewood, like teak, can be very oily, and tropical hardwoods can have weird reactions with paint schemes. Plus the saw/sanding dust can be very irritating if you breath it.

Good job! You can try your extra glue layer system on a piece of flat plastic, like a formica table top, to see if it works before you move to featherlite. Or you could take that beautiful lure you just foiled and use it for your master when you make your mold.

It might be easier to mold in the larger hole, from front to back, and then drill the smaller, side to side hole afterward. That should make the operation simpler. Be careful that whatever you use can be cleaned out completely, without leaving a residue that might react with you paint and top coat. That goes for the release agent and disolving chemicals, too.

A drop or two of the runny crazy glue, poked down the hole with a thin wire, will seal the holes, and not interfere with the D2T sealer. I also apply it again to the screw eyes each time I run them in.

If you're using D2T as a sealer, it's much easier to predrill all your holes, and then redrilll them after it's sealed. If you're using it as a top coat, I think you should have already installed the screweyes before you painted. In wood baits, predrilling is a good idea to avoid potential splitting or breaking off the screw eye. Just use some D2T or brush on crazy glue on the threads when you run the screw eyes in. Even if you want to adjust them later, the glue will make the threads that are cut into the wood stronger.

It looks perfect! Great shape and detailing. I haven't tried fins since one of the first swimbaits I made, and that one only had a huge dorsal fin. Total failure. The only reason I could think of that it might roll is that it's more of a rounded shape. My lures, even though I soften the edges, are more of a flat sided lure. Think Triple Trout, but with more detailing and my own paint schemes. Your lure looks tall enough that the additional rounding might affect it. Ask Vodkaman Dave. It's a vortex thing. The rounder body profile isn't as affected by the passing water as a flat side, so the swimming motion isn't initiated as easily. I had trouble with a rounded four piece bait that I made out of a punker-type home made lure. It doesn't roll, and is a great twitch bait, and swims on a jerk, pause, jerk retrieve, but it only actually swims at one very specific speed. Let us know what you finally figure out. I just saw Dave's post. See, I knew he'd have an answer for you. One more thing. I rechecking your pictures, I noticed your lure is kind of blunt, for lack of a better word. The head is rounded, instead of starting out thin and widening as it moves back toward the joint. I wonder if this isn't causing the water to be spread all around the head instead of being "split" by a tall, thin head, and forced down the sides. In that case, the side fins would act to redirect the water down the sides, like diving planes on a submarine, and make the lure more stable. Just a thought.

I've found that the section of the swimbait, the shape top to bottom, affects how much it rolls. I've always tapered my lures front to back, from a small "point" at the front of the head section to a full width at the back of the head section, and then a steady taper back down to just before the tail, which I flair out slightly to give me room for a soft plastic tail. Lately, I've started tapering my lures from just over 3/4" at the top to 3/8"-1/2" at the bottom. In section, it looks like a V. I got the idea from looking at the 4 1/2" BBZ shad, which has no fins, but swims perfectly at all speeds. I still do the front to back taper, and adjust the lure section top to bottom taper accordingly. I think it really helps. Probably because there's less water resistance on the thinner lower section than the thick top. It's just a guess, but it makes sense to me.

Lots of the mesh bags produce come in work well. I use avacado bags, orange bags, and garlic bags. I like produce bags because they're stretchy.

I've had this problem when my Iwata gets paint residue in the trigger mechanism. Take it apart (be sure to make note of all the parts and how they're assembled) soak it and clean it. Then reassemble.

Whenever my father got pissed at me for a screwup, he'd ask, "Do you have to learn everything the hard way?" As I've grown older, I've come to realize that we all learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. Maybe that's why we make so many. I tell all the new kids who come to work for me, and start trying to do things their way, instead of mine, that it's not that I'm the world's best carpenter, it's that I've already made most of the mistakes. And I can't afford to let them learn by their own mistakes on company time. The guys on this site have really shortened the learning curve for me, but I still continue with my own version of education, one mistake at a time.

How'd you know?

For larger scale patterns, I use the green mesh that avocados come in. It's flexible, so it can be stretched to mold to a lure shape. I looked at the mesh bag you included. Interesting. I just requisitioned my kids camp laundry bag. They're through with camp, and the bag has an interesting double mesh pattern. Sick, I know.

If your line tie is not in the lip, you can glue them in with gap filling crazy glue. Then fill any voids with the same epoxy you use to coat the finished lure. I don't know how strong that joint would be in a lure with the line tie in the bill.

Rookie, That's a great tip. The only lips I've put into lures have been either when a lip breaks off a crank, or when I've made a lure that doesn't have enough action and I'm trying to save it, so the lures are already shaped. I've been able to free hand it so far, just holding the lure by hand and cutting the slot with my bandsaw, but your method sounds perfect for me. Once I get the lure actually embedded in the foam, I can sand the base of the foam block to get the lure oriented perfectly to the blade. You are a genie a$$!

For longer working time, you can switch to a different type of epoxy. D2T is a glue. It cures out quickly, and is very hard. It is also very brittle, prone to cracking and flaking off in large chips if you hit a rock with a wooden lure. It also yellows from sunlight over time, since it doesn't have any ultra violet blockers. Envirotex Lite, and Nu Lustre 55, the two I'm familiar with, are decoupage epoxies, meant for surface coating. They are a different formulation, and take longer to set. They are designed to self level or pool on the surface they coat. That's why you need a drying wheel of some kind to turn the lure after it's coated so the epoxy doesn't run and sag. Decoupage epoxy is more flexible, because it is designed to spread over larger surfaces which are subject to expansion and contraction, like table tops. It can be applied to a flat surface with some kind of an edge form in relatively thick coats, like 1/8" thick, but for lures you need thinner coats to keep it from sagging, so I usually use at least two coats. The Nu Lustre 55 is available in a UV blocker formula. I've had sags from time to time, when I've put too much on, and have been able to take them down after they cure out with a fine file, and then 400 grit wet and dry sand paper. The second coat of epoxy will bring the shine back to the sanded areas and make them transparent again. Good luck.

Pikeman, Thanks for the clarification. I had visions of spraying 3M glue on mesh, and applying it, and then painting over that. My mind is weird, not me.