Matt Moreau

Ya Skeets you know what they say...opinions are like ....uhh nevermind! In all honesty I agree with you. Friendly banter is good and that is what this place is about. There were some comments early that I didn't agree with and this thread to me kinda took a side track. that's all I was referring to. Carry on!

Cool looking bait.... Don't tell her I told you about the nail polish!!! For a bait that size and the coverage you need I would get a few bottles. You will need a bunch of coats and then a good clear on top. I haven't played with nail polish that much but I have seen and read others using it here. It would be the lesser of the options listed but the quickest and easiest. By far the best method for toothy critters is the one I numbered out. Good luck and post some pics in the gallery when done!

You get what you put into it man! If you want it to be easy just get some fingernail polish and go to town. If you want something nice its never going to be easy and if it was easy it wouldn't be considered nice. Just remember that patience is the key too all that exists young padawan! Ok enough Dr Phil.....I think I sniffed too many paint fumes last night! That is a multi layer paint scheme and I am guessing took at least a week to do waiting for each layer to cure. I have done a few for friends. I would say that the maker put a few layers (2 maybe 3) of epoxy mixed with large glitter on the bait and turned it. Then he probably used a tool to re carve define the gills and features that he wanted to be prominent. Then he put foil over the gill area and another epoxy layer over the bait Then he painted the bait and you guessed it another epoxy layer. Its not HARD it just takes time and patience. A quick easier way is to get rattle can clear and spray a tack coat...wait for it to get tacky and sprinkle on glitter....Repeat this until desired effect is achieved ....re define gill area....foil....paint and final clear. you will not get the multi dimensional effect like the one above and it doesn't come out nearly as nice but im guessing patience isn't a strong suit so it may be the way to go.

Lol I don't know why im even commenting on what's turned into a pissing match.... I feel that color is important but in a lesser degree than other key factors. Some days it can be a deciding factor no doubt. But I have caught fish on sealed wood baits that are un painted and resin baits straight from the mold. In fact I have not painted my prototype baits for the last few years. I fish em naked and they are usually my go to baits even when I have painted the predecessor baits that have come after the first prototype. My buddies all make fun of me for not painting them and at first accused me of being lazy....Most now ask for unpainted versions!!! Hughesy I just wanted to say.........you da man!!!

You cant mold it yourself from RTV and pour it with resin? If you want to get really intricate you can go as far as molding 2 separate halves and glue them together just like the big guys do. I saw a tutorial on youtube years ago were the guy took a name brand plastic lure carefully cut in half at the seam and then molded it. he then had a 2 piece rtv mold of each side and cast them then glued together.... Ill look for the vid if your interested.

Another source not mentioned very often is makeup stores....I have used coastal scents a few times. You want mica powder its the same thing as pearl powder essentially. I have put the stuff in automotive clear and it doesn't melt or anything so its GTG! http://www.coastalscents.com/make-your-own/mica-powder.html?p=1

Depends how large want your glitter. If you like big chunky glitter flakes then I cant help. But yes you are correct....You can use a soft paintbrush and "paint" dry pearl powder or small glitter powder in your rtv mold then cast your bait same as always. The bigger the particle size the worse the outcome...Pearl powders work the best because they are usually very fine like .008 and stick to the rtv very good. I have thought about trying spray adhesive and putting a thin coat on the walls then shaking the large chunky flake around to coat it....once you pour the resign it should pull all the glitter and be good to go but I just don't know if it would be sticky or anything. Larry D. has some vids on using powders in his molds try the link above you should find them or go to his site.

Hey Mark, I was hoping you could do me a favor. I put a worm on a bait that reacted in the past to worms yesterday morning and today it was fine. No reaction at all. I think that the heat may be the key here. I know u guys aren't having the best weather right now but if u get a sunny day can you lay one outside to see what happens? Let it sit in the sun for some time with a worm on it?

Thanks Guys! I will look for that gelflex at hobby lobby. Im thinking flex 30 is too soft maybe the flex 70 might work though!?!?!

Thanks Mark but I'm looking for something I can duplicate in a mold pretty easy. I may try urethane or like the flex 70...I need something firm. Thanks for the replies and ideas!

I hate you Mark....errr well....uhhh ok I don't hate you my wallet does!!! In all honesty thanks for testing that and everything else you do! If you don't mind me asking where did you order it from? Any trouble shipping to CA? Cheers, Matt

Sup guys! I am trying to figure out what i can use for a tail material on my hard swimbaits. I want something that is harder than plastisol but still soft enough where it will collapse in a fishes mouth. I have experimented with using hardner in plastisol but i can't get the stiffness i wanted. I like what River2Sea uses on its baits like the S-waver and looking for something like on the roman made swim baits. If you have any ideas or suggestions please let me know! Cheers, Matt

Sup guys! I am going to post this here and hard baits to see if anyone has ideas... I am trying to figure out what i can use for a tail material on my hard swimbaits. I want something that is harder than plastisol but still soft enough where it will collapse in a fishes mouth. I have experimented with using hardner in plastisol but i can't get the stiffness i wanted. maybe i need more but if i use too much it clumps all up and isn't workable. I like what River2Sea uses on its baits like the S-waver and looking for something like on the roman made swim baits. If you have any ideas or suggestions please let me know! Cheers, Matt

Has anyone tried to see if this stuff reacts to plastic/rubber? I read through the posts but didn't see anything on this. I know the other concrete sealers I have tried do react to plastic worms and such so i can't really use them as a top coat.

Ya it would be nice to know where like Mike Shaw (MS Slammers) or Jeremy at Black dog get their glass eyes. I would love to use em but just too cheap to drop $3+ dollars for a set of eyes for a swimbait.

Just be careful...Wicked line uses small amounts of solvents and different binders so its more harmful to breathe. That's why it atomizes better and flows better its more like regular paint. Wear good breathing equipment and don't spray indoors!

My condolences to Coley's family and friends. I read many of his posts when first starting out on this site and he is a big part of my tackle making growth. He will be missed!

Bob, I dont mean to hijack this thread, but do the other MCU's have a better shelf life? Thats the one reason I stopped using DN!

Sup Guys, Just thought I would start a fun post. Last night I was thinking about what my favorite pattern to paint is and why...Is it the challenge of the pattern or maybe because that particular pattern catches fish? Or is it some other weird reason? I dont think Pics are needed for this thread we do not want to clog the forum up. If you want to participate just let us know what you like to paint and why. You dont have to give up any secret patterns or anything like that. I am just curious what others get out of this hobby. I know some of the more challenging jobs are rewarding in the end but to be honest those dont seem to get much water time for me. I think in the back of my mind I am apprehensive to throw them. If a particular bait just comes out and smaks me in the face its soo nice it usually gets hung on the wall and i proceed to make another to fish. LOL I know i am weird! This is usually a gill or cracker pattern that has a lot of steps to paint. For me I think my favorites are crawdad patterns because they are fairly simple and they flat out catch fish. I have made all different color craws and they seem to be the first ones I pull out of the box.

Ya really your imagination is the limit. Mine is nothing special but gets the job done for Cranks or Large Swimbaits. I cant remember the last time i used it though. LOL I hardley ever use epoxy now a days!

There are you tube videos on how to make a 2 piece mold. That is how i learned and i suggest you watch them. Make your Master with all the hardware installed and how you want it Take the 2 sections apart Buy some modeling clay that doesnt harden unless you bake it Make a base of clay a little bigger and longer than the bait Make a base that is thicker than half the thickness of your bait sink half your bait in the clay...usually orientated left/right side not top/bottom If you are using screw eyes put clay in the middle of the holes so the RTV will form around them Make sure your Pin/s are in the bait and elongated so you will have a slot to place the pin in the mold going forward Put some varying indentations around the bait in the clay this will allow you to allign the mold in the perfect orientation each time Encase clay and bait with some type of wall/barrier so the RTV will not run all over the place Spray with mold release if you want (I try not to you will see why later) Pour RTV and allow to set 24hrs Place your mold RTV side down and Clya side up on a surface so you can remove the clay Be very careful you remove the clay without releasing the bait from the RTV If you do then the detail in that smot may be lost as RTV on the second pour could intrude I use clay tools or even a knife to carefully scrape it away Once all the clay is removedyou should have your bait and half RTV mold Place the RTV Sidedown and Encase the mold securely around the previous mold You HAVE to spray with mold release at this point or the RTV will bond and you will never get it apart Pour RTV and let cure You should now be able to pull the elongated pin/s out and seperate the two halves

I also use Hemostat Forceps for crankbaits and smaller lures. You can attach to line ties, hook hangers or the bill. I then hang then by the loops on the hemostats on drying racks. For Swimbaits I use small Vice Grips from lowes. They are like $2.99 each and they hold even the large 10+ inch baits securely. I can rotate and manuever the baits without concern when painting and clearing. I attach a piece of wire to the end where the screw is to losen and tighten the jaws and make a loop at the end so i can also hang on the drying rack. Lots of good ideas just find what works for you!

HAHA Ditto! hehehe sorry Mark I had too! If you are in a boat you can get to them almost always cant you? Err well for me I can only make shollow divers down to 4 or 5 feet that hunt so i guess if you have a deep diver then it may be a different story. I mainly fish the CA Delta so I rarely fish the heavy cover deep and i can get to most mine by sacrificing the boat and nosing into the crud! The ones that I lose are usually burried in the rip rap and shred my line before i can find them. To each their own though!

Just don't get your hopes up Mike. They would not ship to CA because of restrictions here. May be the same for you but IDK for sure. I was told by another TU member to check Masonry stores andI was able to find the low VOC version of it. Works good but reacts to plastic worms(in my case swim bait tails) so for me its a no go. Just my 2c to ponder. I still may play around with it and try a poly urethane layer over the top.