mark poulson

Mend-it is actually an MEK based solvent. It remelts and refuses plastics, without sticking to your fingers. Tom Leogrande at Bass West Mag. came up with it, or at least he's marketing it. I think it's available at BassDepot.Com. It's great for repairing swimbaits. You can't tell where the repair was, it's just as soft and flexible as the original bait. No like super glues, which turn stuff hard. I've used a Worm Welder, from Don Iovino, for years. Same idea as a cordless soldering iron. It runs off two AA batteries, and is a life saver when you're down to you last worm of a hot color. I keep it on the boat.

Those look like 5/16" or 3/8" eyes. Measure the one you have, go to Stamina and look at their 3D eyes. If they have one that's close, I'm sure the bass won't know the difference. You can set them in 5min epoxy, and coat them in it, too. Thin the epoxy a little with alcohol, use a tooth pick to put it on a drop at a time. If you can mask off the head first, it will make it easier to keep the epoxy from making a mess, because you can wipe off any runs with alcohol. I know 5 min yellows a little, but I wouldn't want to have to watch the thing for two hours, and I don't think it will yellow enough to affect the lure's fishability. I live in Los Angeles. I woke up this morning at 5:00 and there was this wet stuff falling from the sky. It's been so long since it rained here, I don't remember what it looks like anymore. Mostly, we've been getting ash from our fires. For a while, my trucks and car looked like something from Pompei. At least now I won't have to wash them!

Thanks Bob. It's on my favorites list now, so, hopefully, I won't lose it again. What kind of glue do you use to set the hooks hangers? I've been using 5 min. epoxy, but I wonder if the smoother cylindrical shape would pull out.

I have the C+. Bob, I think you're right, the needle is too thin for any other tool to actually fit in the hole. Do you clean your gun completely after each use?

If you do use wood stick (I use my kid's ice cream sticks) besure to cut the end square so it will get the material in the corners mixed. I also find it's good to put the hardner in first, so that, when I mix, there is less chance of unmixed pure resin being left. I also thin the ET slightly with a small amount of denatured alcohol. Just be sure NOT to use an open flame to get rid of bubbles if you thin it. The alcohol makes it extremely flammable! But I find the thinner mix is easier to brush out, and gets down into carved details better, with less chance for trapped air to bubble up later.

I have an Iwata gravity fed airbrush. I wash it between colors, and clean it out every couple of days. I seem to have a coating of paint in the needle slot. How can I get it out? My airbrush has teflon seals. Do I need to do a complete teardown cleaning everytime I paint?

Braveviper, I understand BJ's dilemma. His company would legally be liable if he gave out a chemical that's potentially harmful to the environment. No one can afford to stick their necks out that far, not in today's fairytale world, where someone in Glendale, Ca, can be fined $350,000 for trimming their trees because the Glendale Fire Dept. said they had to. That story was in the L.A. Times a couple of days ago. It's just nuts out there.

I have been making Lunker Punker type baits, and I need a source for hook hangers. I've been spitting egg sinkers, and pushing cotter pins through the halves, then epoxy setting them. It works (thanks to whoever posted the idea here), but it is a pain to cut the sinkers. I saw a source for ready made hook hangers with poured on cylindrical lead weights on this forum, but I lost it. Help! Thanks in advance.

Owner Stinger trebles are strong, heavier gauge wire, and have a shorter shank, so I can put a 1/0 on a lure that had #2s, and they clear each other.

I've seen fiber optic cable installed on a job. The material, plastic looking fibers, doesn't look like anything special until the light source is applied at one end. My guess about the eyes glowing in the photos is that the light source for the photo is somehow being reflected back, causing the glow.

Hoodaddy, How thick does the Dick Nite's coating go on? Is it a dip or brush on? Is it a one part or two? What are the winning lottery numbers? )

Vince, I just read this thread, and wanted to put in my 2 cents. I've found the plastic rattles that are used in the rubber yoke of the Rattle Claw by Northland are actually louder than the same size glass rattle. I'm not sure if it's because the BBs are larger or what. These rattles are available separate from the rubber yoke at either Barlow's or Stamina, I can't remember which. CRS They are about 5/8" long and 3/16" in diameter. I put one in the head, and one near the second hook of my glider baits.

Most dimmer switches aren't for motor-type loads, so you may be burning up the motor because it's not getting the right juice. Also, not all motors are meant to be slowed down, so they overheat and melt their windings.

Bassinfool99, I use solid when I can, too. I just had some 3/4" pine and wanted a 1 1/8" blank, so I glued some up with gorilla glue, clamped it overnight, and it seems to be fine. A happy accident is it gives me a centerline to work off of. I glue one face, and wet the other, then rub them together to spread the glue everywhere. It expands when it sets, so it fills any voids and it's totally waterproof. Of course, if my Envirotex Lite clear coat lets water in, I have bigger problems than a glue bond. )

Do you buy thin stuff and laminate it? If so, what kind of glue do you use? I've used Gorilla Glue, and it seems to hold fine.

I have both white Pine and kiln dried vertical grain douglas fir left over from some jobs, and I just bought a piece of 8/4 poplar. I love how easy pine is to shape. I'm going to try the poplar next week. This weekend, I am going to the Anglers Marine Bass-A-Thon Saturday, and then I have a club tourney on Sunday at Castaic. But Monday, after I lay a few bricks, I'll be in the Garage, carving the poplar. It looks like a good, even textured wood. I hope it sands up smoother than the fir I've used.

I was wondering if anyone is using pine for larger baits, like the Punker-type baits? I have a garage full of wood, and time to burn.

Pete, since I have my own residential const. company, I have more tools than I ever dreamed I'd own when I was young. But the handiest tools I have, other than my hands, are a band saw and an oscilating belt/spindle sander from Home Depot. It's their Rigid line. With those two, I can rough out a wood swim bait in fifteen minutes. I finish them with rasps, files, and sand paper. Symentry isn't that important in surface baits, and I get it close enough for me.

Maybe I'm just doing it wrong, but, since I make glide-type swimbaits, I coat them with Envirtex Lite, hang them from the line tie, and let the drip. The finished coat on a 9" lure weighs 3 grams. If I thin it a little with alcohol, it's a little lighter, and it spreads easier. It does affect the lure, but, since the heavier portion of the epoxy is down at the tail, it generally helps the side to side glide action, as long as the lure is bouyant enough to begin with. I can see that this wouldn't necessarily work for crank baits, but the epoxy on the head is still thick enough to protect the lure. I used to wrap my own rods years ago, with clear decopage stuff, and I had to keep it turning so the wraps were even. If you guys have to do that with lures, I share your pain.

Pete, you're a clever devil! That looks like something my Dad would have cooked up. His garage was full of home made tools, and all they did was exactly what they were supposed to do. Nice job, and thanks for sharing. P.S. I'm a much better carpenter than my Dad ever was, but he was a lot smarter than I.

Drill a hole, epoxy in worm rattles.

It looks to me like they used the hook attachment points for weighting.

Beautiful baits! If you don't mind me asking, what are you using for fins and tails, and where do you get it?

You can use Bondo to repair or fill wood baits. We use it all the time in residential const., to fix exterior wood work. Just try to be symetrical with your fillers. Different woods have different specific gravities (weight), and the Bondo won't match the wood the bait is made of. Another thing I used to use when building model airplanes years ago was micro balls and Zap glue (super glue), which I got from a hobby store. It was super light and strong. Not sure if it's still available, but it was sure helpful in making fairings and gussets that were really light.

What size screw eyes, and where do you get them? I've only been able to find .072 wire screw eyes, with holes about 3/32", the size of bare #12 copper wire. I'd love to find stainless steel eyes that are larger, with a longer screw.