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Jay- not sure of how many atmospheres, but it's enough to make the blank really fizz- for $9 maybe worth finding out. pete

For those of you (including me) who like to vacuum your lures when priming, I found this at

At the recent TU meet in Clinton we went to Dave Aery

Oh yeah Dan, I did get to see Lone Jack and the Lexington town Hall with the cannon ball, beautiful little town too- thanks for all the tips . pete

Well I’m back, and compared to the beautiful Missouri weather when I left, it’s freezing here, it was -8C the other night (17F). I have left this until I returned, because it was such a hassle posting from a borrowed laptop, by the time I typed the message, I would be logged off TU and have to start again. I had an amazing time due mainly to the generosity of a lot of people who were good enough to show me around, and were so generous with their time. Nathan and Deb, fed us, entertained and ‘Fishing Guided’ us all, for 3 full days, and I with all the other guys who have already posted would sincerely like to thank them. Coley’s cooking, which was a treat for me, and the ‘grits’ for breakfast, which were different. Gene and Linda, put up with me for 3 days in Tennessee, fed me, rendered first aid when I bashed my head against their brick work - took me fishing for a day on a beautiful lake, tried to update my GPS so I would not get continually lost (I was more confused than the girl in the GPS sometimes) and gave me a personal tour of Gene’s work shop, with some of his secrets revealed – these 3 days were a testimony to ‘Southern hospitality’. Dave, at ‘Hook Solutions’, showed us his little factory, and all the in’s and out’s of “Spin Casting” jigs – Dave I still marvel at the time you have spent on template’s and jigs, for making moulds etc, must have taken years of work to set up – thank you Dave it was very instructional, as was the “break and enter” on Jerry’s car. Then there was the ‘bait’ swap’ which never seemed to end (I got all the wood, plastic and paints through customs) – it’s great to actually see and hold some of these gems in real life, masterpieces all of them, which I treasure, and will be mounting in a special case – I’m a bit embarrassed for not having enough lures with me. Mrs Redg8r for all your work on the hats and shirts, thank you, and Jerry, I am sorry I could not get to Florida, maybe next time, when the copy lathe is finished??? It’s hard to imagine so many strangers meeting, and getting on so well, so many characters - Dan, I would love to have spent a couple of days talking s--t and drinking that concoction, you called beer, we could change the world. Bruce and his ‘Tin things’, amazing wire work here and George had all the knowledge on Jigs and wire. Josh, what a nice young guy, which I hardly had time to talk to, Coley and Gene, gave him the rounds of the workshop, shame you had only the one day, but boy were you taking it all in – Unfortunately, I missed Tally, who was in Clinton the day before Phil and I arrived, maybe next year. Phil, what a nice guy (for a pom!!), we met for the first time at Kansas City Airport, and got on like a house on fire (even when I was late - lost again), his sense of humor and enthusiasm for anything, including lure building, is something to behold. I also saw “That Thing” in the shadows, when Jim (great guide) took us fishing on Truman Lake, another great day out, but still no fish. From Gene’s place in Tennessee, I drove up to Lake Eerie and on the way stopped in and saw Vince (‘Fatfingers’) and Mark (Cuttem Jack), who lived nearby. Vince took me fishing, on another beautiful lake for a day (Silver Lake I think), I had a great time, talking, building, coatings, paints etc, this guy is an encyclopedia of lures, I can’t believe how many different shapes/styles he makes- I came away a few pounds heavier with all the paint flakes, plastic and lures he gave me for future experiments, thanks again for your time and knowledge Vince – no fish here either. As with every other day I fished with Gene in Tennessee, and all the guys on ‘the pond’, fishing is only part of the fun, being there was a privilege. Also, the ladies at the Clinton-Hampton Inn, looked after both Phil and I, like were their kin, this was great place to stay. Thank you all, you made an old man, very happy. Pete

James Hardy (Another great Aussie company) -- like the way you finished the cladding around the windows, something they can not match at home. You have probably posted it , but where is this house? - I have probably drove past it recently. pete

Gene I have been getting weird looks (weirder than usual) all around the country. I have just completed the scab clearing, this morning. Spent a few days last week with Vince (Fatfingers) in Ohio, fishing and talking, nice guy and like you and everyone else I have met, extremely generous with their time, I'm learning all the time and have loved it -I leave here on the 21st Linda and Gene thanks again, you made it even more memorable. pete

Just heard on the radio there is a BIG civil war thing going on in Kansas City this weekend- might have to drive up and have a look. I was lucky enough to have Gene take me along to a small demo in Tennessee a few weeks back, saw some really interesting stuff there- hope you all will excuse my enthusiasm, we don't often get to see this stuff, where I come from.pete

Trying to post on a borrowed lap top sucks. I am back in Clinton to do some day trips, and leave on the 21st, and will try and catch up with Nathan again. I will do a 'proper post' when I get MY computer back. Thank's for all your generosity and unbelievable hospitality. pete

Bruce- Have been here for 2 days (KC) only got lost once on a feeway, yesterday. I pick up Phil at 7pm tonight and if we can find our way out of here, will be heading for Clinton - depending on customs and navigation, we should be there by 9, so see you all in the morning maybe. I am having trouble with my cell phone, but will try and ring Nathan . pete

This is off fleebay Australia, I am in Kansas City at the moment and this does not appear on the US site, so try and follow this link - or maybe search Seller "Princess Trade" . pete http://cgi.#########.au/BRAND-NEW-DUAL-ACTION-AIR-BRUSH-W-MICRO-AIR-CONTROL_W0QQitemZ130216456819QQihZ003QQcategoryZ2594QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Basseducer - I am sure I could find most things here, but cost is the big downer - I finally sourced D2T here, but had to buy it from a hobby shop in Perth, 2500 miles away, and it costs about $12 for a syringe - I think by the time you got it here it would cost the same. The company that makes D2T also owns 'Selleys', who make the equivalent here (called Araldite), but it is not the same, it's the old yellow epoxy- eventually, I suspect they will come out with a 30 min clear soon, as 5 min clear has been available for a while. All this is the same for paints etc, you just have to search - for paint, I just buy tubes of good artists acrylic and thin it - could not be bothered paying big money for 'The right Stuff', when usually it, at best, is artists acrylic in a bottle, with water added - half the pigment @ four times the price. If the acrylic in paintings last for 100 years, I expect the paint on my lures to last that long too (not so for the lure body). Sorry, but you got me on my rant, I hate paying big $, for big names which turn out, at best to be just standard products, with flash labels and lots of advertising/endorsements. pete

Phil- They are hard to find here too, but stumbled upon them in a hobby shop (electric cars choppers etc), 10 cost about $4. Fatfingers had a good source over there , same brushes, by the 100, cost about 8c each. I contacted them and they would not send them over here. It's amazing that we have to travel 12,000miles to buy a cheap paint brush??? pete

This is what I use, I suppose it is an Iwata copy; it’s made in China and cost $36 NEW, on fleebay. I have had it for about 9 months now and had no trouble with it. I pulled it completely apart yesterday, for a good clean, and found it breaks right down to past the tip holder, so is the easiest brush I have ever had to do a spring clean on(I have 4 including a Iwata HP). It is a .2mm model ( thought it was .3) and I have sprayed a little thinner based lacquer (Propionate) through it, with no ill affects yet!!. I does not have a ceramic seal on the needle, so this may be a problem in the future. All the air/paint adjustments are really handy, compared to a standard brush, and the needle stop, with a bit of ‘souping’ up is a great feature. The only drama I have had with it, is a bent needle, which straightened O.K, it was my fault. I tried to fit the Iwata tip in it when I had it apart, and found they even use the same threads, so all in all I’m impressed- !! For the price, compared to Iwata Hp Plus @ $294 here, I can buy about 9 of these. Saying all this, if I was doing commercial lures I would spend the money on the Iwata. pete

Phil - looks like we may be doing some shopping when we get there ???. for what it's worth, I use acid brushes now, and chuck them away. pete

they all look good to me, but the Jointed job looks brilliant. pete

Rookie, you have turned the light on here - we could clear coat underneath and 'practice' paint on top, the ultimate lure- going cod fishin , paint a cod pattern, goin Barra fishin, paint barra colors, how versatile would that be- we could call it 'The Transformer'- I'm still working on that 'shrimp' too. pete

Very nice Paul, what sort of fish chase a lure 6" lure in the Netherlands, must be big, must be fun. pete

phil- I will try and grab a 'cooler' (esky) in K.C on Wendesday. Should be something to see, a jet lagged idiot, dragging an 80 litre Esky around the suburbs of KC, full of new tackle etc. pete

Dave- I have never been able to get a good 'glassy' finish dipping with prop. Do you use lacquer thinner and how thick - I have dipped them with the coating @ a thin sprayable thickness and finish up with waves all over. I would love to top coat with this stuff, it would make life a lot simpler, compared to D2T etc. Just realized I have hijacked the thread again, sorry about that. pete

Spike - Yes, I know what you mean, better keep my mouth shut. That plane is in a museum at a place called Longreach (Qld), which is in the middle of nowhere, and is where Qantas first started flying, about 80 years ago. I drove through there about 15 years ago, so had to do a bit of rough 'photo shopping' to get back. Don't know anything about the ewes Dave, except they are all single. It's not going to be the same without you there (Clinton) Dave. pete