mark poulson

That makes sense. I'll give it a shot. I'm going to try to post pics of my damaged lures: These are 6" lures, a crappie and a trout, that I caught fish on yesterday. As you can, hopefully, see, the epoxy came off where I hit the rocks, and the Createx came with it, leaving the rattle can aluminum base coat. I'm sorry the pics are so small. I've taken the damaged lures apart, removed the epoxy that was lose, and sanded down the damaged sections with 600 grit. I'm going to wipe them down with alcohol (denatured, not beer), and repaint them tomorrow. I'm too tired tonight after finally figuring out how to post pictures again!

I had thought about that, but am afraid the epoxy would just float over the aluminum paint, instead of bonding to it. The same thing that makes it so shiny makes it slick, so there's no mechanical adhesion. I did see that crazy glue bonds to the paint (that's what I used on the water to seal the wood temporarily so I could keep throwing the lures), so maybe I'll coat one with that before I continue my paint scheme. But it darkens the silver. I may also make a test with epoxy directly over the aluminum paint. Knowing me, I'll lose patience with the process, and go back to my old way. But getting some of the foil effect without the work is so seductive......

When in doubt, try sharpies. I use them all the time for on-the-water touchups and alterations.

Rod, that's a really clever idea! Pete, After I read your original post about that brush, I bought one, a Master from Airbrush City. Not $39, but a lot less than the same brush from Iwata. Good investment. Makes detail painting sooooo much easier. What is the purpose of the notches in the tip? Are they necessary, or can I substitute another tip for that one. The notches make cleanup a little harder.

Maybe you could make a plaster of paris (POP) mold first, line it with scale cloth, and then make a pour which would have the imprint, and then another final mold. Getting the cloth to follow the shape of the mold without folds is probably the hardest part. If your swimbaits are flat sided, it shouldn't be too hard, but rounded bodies might be a challenge. That's probably what I'd do. It sounds like a lot more work, but, if you're going through the trouble of making a master mold for a bait, it seems like, if this method worked, it would be worth it. If I were doing it, I'd probably make a small POP test mold, and do the lining and pouring on that, to see if it would work. Let us know how you finally solve this problem.

Well, I thought I was cutting a fat hog when I decided to undercoat my last batch, a total of 7, of three piece 6" jointed swimbaits with a rattle can aluminum paint that dried really shiny. Too cool, I thought, it will look like foil without all the work of foiling. Short story long, the aluminum paint bonded perfectly to the Krylon primer, but the Createx paint didn't bond to the slick aluminum paint. I found this out yesterday, when I introduce three of the baits to the rocks. The good news, I hooked three swimbait fish, and landed two. The bad news, the D2T peeled where I'd hit the rocks, and took the Createx with it! Obviously, the bond between the aluminum paint and the water based paint wasn't strong. I'm going to strip those three down to the aluminum paint, sand it up, re prime with Krylon, and then use pure Createx and D2T in my paint and finish scheme. I know that there needs to be a mechanical bond (rough surface) between dissimilar paints, since they don't melt into each other. I just had a brain-fart/"brilliant idea" overwhelm my base knowledge. I had planned to photo them and post them here when I got back yesterday, before the paint failures. Now, I'll photo them showing the damage, and, hopefully, again after I've repainted them. Too bad. I really like the paint jobs I'd done. I think they were my best so far. Oh, well, I need the painting practice anyway.

No, I was referring to Rookie's method of using a drink straw as a paint applicator. He and Bill Clinton both swear they never inhale!

Try putting a layer of tape onto the spool when it's about 1/4" below full, and then continue winding on line until 1/8" low. That way, the birds nests won't go too deep.

You guys need to get a life! That movie is too old (and too funny). My brother-in-law is one of those cult movie fanatics, and he's, err, well, bent. Next it'll be, "Soylent Green is people!" or, my all time favorite, "What we have here is a failure to communicate".

And store your respirator in a Ziploc baggie when you're not using it. Otherwise, the activated charcoal filter will keep absorbing stuff from the surrounding air and lose it's effectiveness, but you won't know it until you get a really good dose of solvent fumes.

Just don't inhale.

Now that's baaaad! Rookie, must be that new math.

Bob, I agree there is a definate difference in texture between Createx/Wildlife paints, and Apple Barrel. But I like the $, and I can only find moss green and some other colors in Apple Barrel. I know you mix as you spray, but I'm not that good yet. Although, I can figure out how to make colors now by mixing different colors. Yes, he can be taught! I bought a Master brush with the air valve, and, so far, although the fit and finish aren't up to Iwata, the function is great. And it's much cheaper. And, thanks to your windex tip, I can spray bunker oil now with that 2.5 tip.

In America, the English we speak is made up of words from all the cultures that we immigrants brought here, so it's really bastardized. But it's the easiest language to say exactly what you mean, because it's stucture is so loose, and there are so many different words incorporatated in it. It is not, as we now speak it, nuanced.

Bob, I was able to spray some Apple Barrel paint by thinning it with windex. I also used windex to thin some opaque black Createx, and it sprayed much better. I sprayed them both with a 2.5 tip, so thinning it was critical. Thanks for that tip.

Again, a great looking bait. I made some 6" Bue Gill three piece swimbaits, and put the rear treble in the last section with a weighted hook hanger. I can use 1/0 Owner trebles and they don't foul most of the time, and never on the swim. Only if I work it like a jerk bait, and then only twice in a morning of fishing. I like to use the biggest trebles I can fit, because the hooks on trebles are small compared to their overall size. I don't really have any other "gems" to share. I look forward to seeing more of your work. Catch fish!

The main difference between jerkbaits and crankbaits is that jerkbaits are fished in an active, jerk-jerk-pause cadence, and have an erratic action. The more erratic the better. Generally, jerkbaits are a shallow (3-10') lure. The deeper they run, the less erratic their action, and the more important their suspending action becames. For winter bass, a Staycee jerked down to 8', and then paused, is a great lure. Because the SoCal waters I fish are clear, bass see the lure come down, and, when it's paused, slowly come over to investigate it. When it's jerked again, they hit it out of instinct. The colder the water, the longer the pause, sometimes up to a minute. And the colder the water, the smaller the jerks. Sometime, just a twitch is enough. In warmer water, when the fish are more shallow and in cover, I throw an Orbit 80, which runs down to 3' max., and jerk it quickly. I throw it right to the outside edge of flooded brush, or into a open lane, and then retrieve it with a fast cadence, and micro pauses. Fry guards, and fish hiding in the brush, or weeds, will come out and smash it. Jerk baits make great search lures. I guess you can tell I like jerk baits.

Man, that's a beautiful bait! Where'd you get the photo? Now I'm going to have to get photoshop, or some other program so I can do that kind of stuff. Too cool! Try using clear plastic coffee or margarine tops for tails. Sand it in the direction of the lines in the tail, and color it with sharpies. Works great, and really tough.

Cut a round split shot in half, and epoxy one half to the underside of the bill.