captsully18

Just like I've always said..........Ya Da Man!!! David

Give this site a look Gator Boat Co. Wooden Boat Plans David

Thanks for the info, Mattman. I had never dealt with ATC. Still working with stock of Shikari blanks I have on hand. This info helps me as I have run out of one particular blank and have been thinking of trying ATC to see if their quality was as good as Shikari. Thanks again David

Sorry, I had the name wrong. Company is called Advanced Tubular Composites and you can find their complete listings at Merrick Tackle. My bad, David

Will, a company called American Tubular Composites bought the Shikari specs. Check them out on the web. Just google ATC. You may also check with Versitex. They still have some limited inventory of Shikari blanks. David

Jed, I pour mine into the plastic bottle caps that come off soft drink bottles. Less than half a capfull does three crankbaits like Big-Os. I have no problem with it setting up in the cap. I throw what ever is left in the cap out with the cap. If yours is the consistency of maple syrup, you need to get a fresh supply. I would have to say that it has begun to set up due to opening the lid too often. However I say this without knowing for sure how you have been using it. Once it begins to set up there is no way to stop it. What you are saying is the same problem I had with the Perma Gloss before I learned how to store it. Hope this helps and hang in there. Good luck David

JZ, I can't say about spraying DN. I don't see the need to. If it is spread thinly with a brush and turned for about 20 min. there are no runs, no drips, no errors. And you don't have to figure how much to thin it, and you don't have to clean your airbrush. Brushing it on right out of the can gives you the same finish every time. David

Yes Jed, you can get screws at local hardware. Just make sure they are self tapping and that the starter hole is smaller than the screw. And yes there will be some leaking. This is good. The leaking will allow a build up on outside that helps the screw seal, so a little leaking is good in this case. As you use the DN it will build up and be automatically threaded to the screw and after a while there will be no more leakage. David

Hey Jed, if you took the lid off the can the DN started curing at that point. When air and moisture, ie. humidity, are introduced to this product it will begin to form a skin on the top. This stuff is an air/moisture cured material just like Perma Gloss from U-40, used for rods. Learned the "screw in the bottom of the can" from the guy that started U-40. Met him at a seminar and mentioned the problems I was having with the Perma Gloss and that I could only coat about three rods before the stuff curred in the bottle. He informed me that it was because each time I opened it I would introduce air, and thusly moisture to the product. It would then begin to cure. He told me that the thing to do was to decant the Perma Gloss into a pint can that had a thumb screw threaded into the side near the bottom. Tightly close the can as soon as the product was decanted. Then, when I need to use it, just unscrew the thumb screw, let as much as I will need out, replace the screw, and no problem. HE WAS EXACTLY RIGHT! I have been using the same Perma Gloss for past two years and there is still some left. Have done approx. 20 rods with it, coated a rod just last night and it is just as fresh as day I bought it. Used above storage method with DN I bought about 16 months ago and results are exactly the same. I turned the can upside down when I got it, poked a small hole in the side near bottom of can, inserted a self tapping thumb screw, and NO PROBLEMS. When I need to clear a bait I just remove the screw, let as much DN as I need to drip out, replace screw, material stays fresh. I brush my clear on and last night I applied two coats to a crankbait within 30 min. of each other, had no trouble brushing at all. To be brutally honest, I fail to understand all the hullaballoo over this stuff. How simple can a process be. There is no mixing, no thinning, and this is the HARDEST clear coat a person can put on a bait. I promise that I have bounced several of my crankbaits off rock cliffs, not intentionally but because I can't cast for crap, and I do not have a single bait that has a scratch or crack. I have intentionally bounced a bait off the rock wall of my basement and cannot get the stuff to even scuff. If you for some reason don't like the screw in the can method, then by all means use Dean McClain's method of Bolxigen, or some other inert gas. If you feel the need to dip, use the gas. This stuff will last a loooong time and remain fresh if you just take the time to eliminate the outside air/moisture. There, that's my , or, after looking this epistle over, maybe 5 or 10 cents. Oh well, sorry for the length. Hope this helps someone. David

That's what they make lure retrievers (sp?) for. But if you do loose it you can go home and replace it, perhaps with a better model. David

Ron, I must echo what the others have stated. Thanks for the wonderful tutorial. Duh, why didn't I think of that? David

Milia, I would suggest that you seal your blanks with something like D2T thinned with either denatured alcohol, or acetone to the point that you can easily paint the solution onto the blank. Let this dry overnight and then add the hook hangers, line tie, trebles, and any other hardware. At this point put blank back into water and see how it floats. Then start adding weight to the treble hooks to get it to float exactly like you want it. This can be done in several ways. Wrap lead wire (used for flytying) to shank of hooks, tie a piece of mono to hooks and then add weight to the mono, or my prefered way, use worm weights and add them to hooks by just sticking a hook into hole in weight. I usually start with 1/16th weights and work up from there if needed. If your bait will have a bill you will want it stuck in the slot during this process. You will find that sealing your blank first will save you a lot of time and headaches. One more thing, after bait is set up and ready for painting, test it to make sure it runs right. No sense wasting paint on a bait that will roll too much and will have to be drilled for more ballast. Just my . David

rclark12, I like the form of your bait. I would like to suggest that you consider using bicycle spokes for hing pins. These are stainless, and they are straight and maintain their form. David

Milia, I started out with a scroll saw. Didn't take me but about 3 or 4 days to switch to a band saw. When it is set up correctly a band saw is definitely the way to go. The wood does not jump up and down, the cut is smoother, and the job is much easier. If you have one try that. If not perhaps you have someone near you that has one you can use. Think this will make your work easier and much more enjoyable. It even makes balsa work easier. Spike, "taylor your own trousers"? Us good ole, redneck boys here in Kaintucky wear blue jeans, or bib coveralls. What's trousers? David

Mark, you're right, that was a really great game and worthy of a Super Bowl. Ya got me, I did enjoy it. Just wish Arizona had won. Sure wish I had some of those bugs right now. David