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'EPooxy'-It's starting to mean Extremely Poxy for me lately. The last two top coats have finished in a disaster. This one wanted to swim on a piece of carpet on the w/shop floor, a couple of days ago, and I can't bring myself to sand it all off and start again - epoxy, it's all too much. pete

gulp------------- pond, it's bigger than most lakes around here. pete 11 DAYS to GO

Just goes to show, 'there is more than one way to skin a fish' - great post AC/DC, really interesting stuff. pete

mjmmusser- no wonder I could not find it, I only had to look, theres an earlier one somewhere also, but it's much the same as this, only all over the place. Thanks mate . pete

Mark- I posted a 'how to' last year (on forming poly), but can't find it, it must be back past 20 pages of posts and has probably dropped off the face of the Earth - it was pretty long winded anyway. Here is a copy of a Word Doc I saved, which may be helpful. pete "I formed my first lips between 2 spoons with a paper clamp on the handles to apply the pressure. There is no need to get as exotic as this press I have made. 1. Get a small can, I used a SMALL discarded, chopped tomato can, something you can heat cooking oil on the stove and is narrow and tall. Put about 2" of cooking oil in it, I used olive oil (I have a cholesterol problem), but any cooking oil should do. Place the oil on a very low heat gas or electric burner and SLOWLY heat for a few minutes to get it around 170 C to 180 C (350-360 F). Tip- Hang a piece of Polycarbonate in the oil and periodically move it in the oil- when @ correct temp the Poly will start to bend easily, now lower the heat a bit so oil does not overheat, test every so often to make sure the temp is O.K. Don’t overheat the oil or it will blister or spall the poly. 2. The press formers, or whatever you use, must be close to the same shape, the lips I use are about 3/4"wide, 1 ¼” long 1/16” thick, and you will have to make the former plates to accept your required size. 3. Stand the former in the hot oil, making sure all the former and poly are immersed in the oil, leave for about 10-15 sec, you will see the top former begin to close on to the lower bending the poly under the pressure applied by the paper clamp, quickly remove. 4. Place the former on a damp wash cloth and wrap the cloth over the top, then press the plates together (a spoon is handy). Hold in position for about 5 sec's so the damp cloth can cool things a bit, lift the paper clamp, separate the formers and flick the new lip into a glass of water/detergent mix to cool and clean, then do another one. Sometimes the poly is formed so well it sticks to the formers (suction) so you may need to slide it off the die into the water, be careful as the poly is still hot and you may push it out of shape. This sounds pretty laborious but once you get the oil to the right temp, you could probably do 20 in 10 mins. You may see one lip in the photo is a bit cloudy looking, this one was placed in the oil when the temp was too low, and bought up to temp. and it did not form properly. Allow the oil to get up to temp before you place the poly and former into it and they will come out crystal clear as in photos. These lips have not been sanded etc, they are standard ‘Moores’ 1/16 “ lips, I have tried it with 1/8” pre cut lips, and it forms just as easily (see photo). Beware of over heating/ under heating the oil, as it will make the Poly craze and crack (too cool) or you may see small air bubbles in it (too hot)- this is caused by overheating, which causes the moisture in the Poly to expand.There is probably a 10-20 degree ideal range where it will form like butter. Also be aware of the usual HAZARD of water, hot oil and flame. Make sure the press is dry before immersing again in the hot oil. Also see Poly properties etc- " http://www.sheffieldplastics.com/fam_mak_poly.cfm

Has anyone done a head count of the "Headcount" yet, I was going to try and do it, but so many names with no faces makes it difficult. pete Only 12 days to go

Thanks for all that boys, I'll bring 2 light reels, and if some one can fit me out with a rod, I would be greatfull. Boots, I have some hiking type boots and I will bring my own 'night crawlers' !!!! Tin things, I don't know much about, you will have to enlighten me when I'm there Bruce. Thanks all. pete

Yep - A more streamlined (same), skinnier version coming to TU soon. I hope so anyway, it must have taken 30 minutes to upload that. After working on it (tute) over about 6 weeeks, it's amazing the little mistakes you don't notice until after it is posted .pete

Bruce - our shoe/boot sizes are the same as yours . What sort of boots are we talking about??? What type of fish are there around Clinton (how big) and above all what do you all reccomend- I'm flying blind here!! If we only need light tackle , I could bring some of my cheapo ebay 'eggbeaters', would not matter if I lost them, what line weight is recomended. Sorry to be a pain in the A. pete

V/Man and Phil - Just a warning, don't try and board with a loaded reel, because they will take it off you at the security point - this happened to a mate of mine recently, and it was an internal flight. As for me and fishing gear, for the same reasons, I will not bring any, too much hassle with the security and opening everything before every flight (three flights in and out) - it's bad enough with the clothing. I will buy something when I get there, besides I can just watch the action, which can be as much fun - yes Bruce I'm a voyeur. pete

Well done mate - gee they are a pretty fish, I would like to see one live. pete

Dean - I'm thinking that Bloxygen is probably nitrogen, whatever it is, its a great idea, might be good for preserving that opened bottle of red wine too ! !pete 13 DAYS TO GO

Red - I found these about 12 month ago, I wish I could read Finnish/Sweedish!! The copier under yours, also shows considerable ingenuity, note the bearings, bike wheel centers and space must not have been a problem. pete 12 DAYS to Go

Red- here's a few links on copy lathes, to make you think - you probably will not be able to read it (finnish I think) but there are pics of everything from backyard boffins machines to high tech air operated models. 13 DAYS to GO. pete Kalastus.com keskustelut

David - " Talking endlessly to a fishing buddy about crankbait action and why it happens, when they don't care." I can relate to this, I have been doing it for years - you can't beat the look on their face , when suddenly there is another fish on your line, and they still have not caught anything. pete

Clamboni - Here is the fact sheet for the stuff I use (called Plucid), it is the same single pack, humidity cured as DN clear. Only 13 DAYS to go. Pete http://www.ppc.au.com/fact_sheets/pelucid.pdf

I have had a strip of 'duct tape' stuck on the shed wall for about 6 months- it has one coat DN, D2T and 'hard shellac' applied separately on the strip. The DN and Shellac, can still be bent, the D2T breaks like glass. I think the fact that these can still be bent is a good indication of toughness, rather than the hardness/brittleness of D2T -!! Saying all this , I am using D2T lately, which, being unobtainable 6 months ago, I now have 6 tubes to get rid of. Pete

Great tips here Vince, I particularly like the one about 'baking' the Envirotex for 15 min, before application. pete

I make a good living out of it now!!. I go to this place and look after 1000 volunteers for the week for nothing, and when I come home, they pay me $40 an hour to make lures - that's how I see it anyway. Rams are worth a fortune here too - everyone is trying to re stock after the drought. Couldn't help that .pete

Push button SIX SPEED ENGINE (for turning lures) - heated or cold rollers (for pressing foil and maybe Poly sheet). Can't wait to pull it apart, but may wait until I get back into the country, otherwise I may forget to leave. Oh yeah it WAS a laminating machine.pete ONLY 19 Days to go, Clinton, center of the universe

Jerry, we know, you are just using the two days to go away and work on the 'Infernal Machine. Should give me a chance to catch up on these lures I am supposed to be making. Pete 19 days to go

Now that's thinking outside the box Smitty, great idea , great work. pete

In here somewhere, there is a jig for cutting lip slots, if you have the time to read it, that is. pete http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/member-submitted-tutorials/10686-micro-through-wire-construction.html

Spike - No, Dave and I will get there before we take off- (Time difference 15-16 hrs) flight time about 14 hrs, so we will be going back in time !! . When I get back here, I lose something like 2 calander days, leave on Wed, land on Friday, I think - figure that out. pete

Yes Phil, could be BS - It would be pretty light though, being carbon fiber with everything melted out of it. That's pretty much sand he is standing on too, so maybe it bounced!! Probably a set line for cod, he pulled out of a river??. pete 20 DAYS and I go into space