A-Mac

thanks! Yeah, that looks like the way to go. I need to make sure I'm covering the correct spectrum. I see they had a 3W on there too.

Ordered myself a "salon edge" uv light, one of the few lure making investments that my girlfriend supported! I'd like to find a focusing uv flashlight too. I borrowed a UV blacklight flashlight from my ornithology professor the other day, and it worked pretty well. He uses when looking at different colors in bird feathers (because birds (like grackles) have more colors than just the black we see). This did not have a focusing beam and I had to hold it pretty close to the resin. However, the one on the solarez website has the intensifying beam, which looks like it could come in handy too. I haven't talked myself into paying $40 bucks for one yet. Has anyone found a more affordable brand they like (with a focusing beam)?

thanks!

1/16th sounds pretty thick for vacuum forming. Are you using it for stencils? It would require a lot of heat. Plus, I'm not sure how well lexan takes to being melted either. But then again, you never know unless you try.

The soap "scrunchy" bath things are good for scale patterns too. Very flexible, can be stretched to cover awkward contour, isn't abrasive against previous paint coats, oh, and you get about 10m for $1. For clamps, I've been using the small metal rubber coated spring clamps you see at home depot. They are cheap, very strong, and the rubber coatings help to prevent scratching paint. The small size lets you put several 3-4 on the bait to have a tighter fit to the lures contours.

I still glue in the screw. I just clamp a split shot onto twisted wire for my ballast, drill a small pilot hole (for the threads to go in, which I glue) and a larger hole for the weight. But from what I can tell, that UV stuff is pretty stout and should still add more strength than what I was using before, which was just wood filler. I've tried pulling the ballast weight out with just wood filler (bait encapsulated with propionate pellets) and had to destroy the lure to get it out. If I was going after a larger toothier critter, I would still be doing through-wire.

For Balsa: bandsaw Oscillating Sanding roll sandpaper drill press For PVC bandsaw oscillating sanding roll sandpaper drill press hobby knife (for gill details) I got away from the dremel a little bit (though it is still an essential tool!) for carving just because it eats a little to fast for most of my applications

I'm using one of the small "husky" brand shop vacs from home depot. It works fine. I hit it with a heat gun in spots requiring a little more detail, but this only take a minute and I don't think added HP would provide added benefit. My surface area is ~12" by 12"

Thanks. I've been looking into these too, especially for my mold lures.

you can make a 3D look by putting clear coats in between paint layers.

Something else I found beneficial to Solarez. I used it instead of wood filler to fill the ballast hole, I dripped Solarez into it until level with the surrounding area. I placed in the sun for 10min, then used Solorez to cover the entire lure. It covered the surfaces perfectly and showed no evidence that a ballast hole was ever drilled. I'm starting to really like this stuff. I haven't had an entire lure cover as smooth as I would like yet, but I think a proper UV light would work better too.

Yeah, I believe you are right. I accidently left the light on and it did cure a spot drop on the floor after ~45 minutes. The sun worked in about 10-12, but I am probably going to get a different light.

I got mine in today to play with. I tried a reptile basking light (50w) from Petsmart, but it never cured. The bulb said it emits UVA. I haven't had a chance to try it in sunlight yet. To make sure I'm doing this right, the website says either UV light or MEKP catalyst. However, the container says to add 1% MEKP for the UV cure??? So are you guys adding MEKP then?

That is impressive for sure. Of course, it is Vodkaman we are talking about! I've been using a drill gun, and mounting the tag ends in the chuck and wrapping around a nail. The problem with this is that a tag end will sometimes come out of the chuck when twisting.

Yeah, that is what I've been afraid of. The diameter is perfect with 19g wire, but it is my absolute least favorite part of lure making. I figured someone on here may have found some good eye screws. It would be really nice if they were a truly closed loop too, vs curled.

Thanks. Ooo, they have an eye screw drill bit... that looks like an impulse buy.

I've been mixing the mbs into each part of resin separately first. I then pour each one into a large 20ml syringe with a 14g needle. I cover the tip of the needle with my thumb ( I cut off the sharp portion first) and put the plunger in. *Notice I have not mixed the two parts yet. After the plunger is in, I shake the syringe for a few seconds (it doesn't take much) and shoot out a small bit that doesn't get mixed in the needle. I then inject into the mold slowly. After injecting, I'll normally rotate the mold some to try and work out any airbubles that might be trapped. FYI, clean the medical syringe first with DA or acetone to remove the (silicon?) layer. I use syringes for mixing paints too, and you must rinse them otherwise you will get fish eyes after spraying on the lure.

I've been making my own eye screws out of 19gauge stainless for a very long time. However, I would like to find a stainless eye screw of comparable size. I hate buying stuff over the internet without getting as much info as possible. So my questions to you guys are as follows: What eye screw dimensions (especially inside/outside diameters of eyes) and lengths do you prefer on your cranks (cranks comparable to the size of most bass fishing lures, squarebills, bandits, etc.)? What sources do you use? Best prices? Thanks guys!

I think someone quoted an e-mail earlier that it could be microwaved to thin it. sounds like a great idea for a fumy substance doesn't it!

There are enough intelligent folks on here. I bet someone figures out the recipe for making it glossier... cough... cough... VODKAMAN... cough cough.

Sorry, saturating the post now... That's what happens when you are deprived of TU for a couple months! I would imagine that any "plant" bulb (from home depot) should work too since they should have UV (and be a little cheaper)

nevermind. 0.5oz for $3.25, I'll stick with wood filler.

The Solarez "weenie" paste looks promising too! I'm thinking about getting some to use on filling ballast holes (in resin lures).

I haven't quite figured it out yet either. No doubt, the method used in the tutorial will work, but I ran into issues keeping the weight perfectly centered. And the only way to tell is to test the lure once its cast in. I also tried this with just eye screw hardware too, which worked a little better since it's not as important for the screw to be perfectly straight. Either way, it just seems easier to drill and patch because you know exactly where the ballast ends up. One thing is for sure, casting the hardware in is definitely stronger than gluing. You have to destroy a lure to get an eye screw (twisted wire) out. I'm also using an rtv mold. I'm sure it would be much easier with an aluminum mold that is actually designed to hold the hardware in place. The problem with the rtv is that it is very flexible and it's hard to make sure everything stays lined up when you put the pieces together, even with a split mold. Sorry to not help more. Good luck.