A-Mac

thanks & yes rayburnguy, ~3.1g of weight is set posterior to the rear treble hook. I have tried more weight, but it hurt the action considerably and didn't help the original problem.

Hey guys, I figured I would tinker with topwater lures for a change. I've been working on a walk-the-dog type lure. My proto was made out of pvc, which seemed to show that the lure at least had potential. The walk the dog action is very wide and can be worked several times without covering much distance... Now for the problem, this lure is very difficult to get to walk. When the lure actually does start to walk, its unreal (and caught a couple nice fish at lake fork while testing . But getting it started is tricky. The lure will have a tendency to nose down and dig sometimes instead of walk (especially if there is any wind). I'm currently whittlin' another one out of cedar to see if this makes a difference. I get the feeling that having some density to the lure allows for the wide walk the dog action; however, I think it may counter with the potential for the lure to take a dive on occasion. My next step is balsa if the cedar also nose dives. I just don't want to kill the wide action with a lighter density lure. At least this is my assumption based on comparing to the hollow plastic zara spook. Originally I weighted this lure exactly like a zara spook and put the line placement in the exact same spot. The line tie sat just above the water, just like the spook. I have tried several line tie angles almost to a vertical line tie... the lure stayed on the surface better, but action was severely hindered. I'm under the impression that since the lure does walk on occasion that the density of the lure body is the issue... at least that is what I hope. It may just be the design though Oh, and I am using mono for the line. What are your guys opinions? http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/amcalexa/P9040190.jpg http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/amcalexa/tallythwackerfish.jpg Thanks

one thing is for sure. circuit board x gorilla super gluex balsa= 1 because there is no way you are getting that lip back out without going back to a pile of nothing. lexan I used to be able to pop free, but that circuit board really seems to stick to the balsa. the other nice thing, you only have to make one cut with your bandsaw for the correct thickness.

i looked up that sander... its the one for $199 right? i want it...

another issue with having 2 bait halves is that they must go back together... its easy to be just a little off when glueing the 2 halves back together... especially with superglue. You don't have much time to do small adjustments. if the bait is off, sanding the outer edge a little to line it back up isn't a big deal. however, your lip slot is already cut (for the purpose of making it perpendicular to start). it is very difficult to make sure the slot is perfect on a 2 part crank. Though I have switched to mainly a 1 piece wood w/ eyescrews, I do still do the through-wire for when I put rattle chambers in. My best suggestion is to keep cutting the slot first (while the 2 halves are temporarily glued) and just trim it with a razor to square off the lip after putting them back together. Keep in mind, I started this thread, so I am certainly looking for a better way too! Mark, when you insert the lip before paint, is this before or after sealing with propionate solution (or whatever you use).

+1 I use a black sharpie fine point to sign the baits. i also had used a permanent highlighter before to do my chart line on my sexy shad baits... mainly because it looks good and is easier than shootin through a stencil with airbrush. However, I lost that marker in a move. The sharpie highlighter will actually disappear after clearing, even after using createx clear over it... trying to remember what brand I was using.

i wonder what type of wood that is... it carves very very well. also, that foil process is crazy. since i almost always have some sort of glue on me, i see that process becoming a disaster in a hurry. it would be even worse if I was using pure silver like this guy too!

thanks for the info guys. i took another gander at the lures today (cleared them last night)... only with my contacts in. they seem straight! haha, must have been from the NyQuil I took last night i'm curious to try these other methods too though. I think developing a jig would be great. never know what you might like unless you give it a whorl.

very impressive. you think he's been to the tackleunderground site? i'm curious about the price tag.

wasn't sure if it was my glasses or not... i'm having a heck of a time aligning lips on my round baits. bad thing is, they are square bills! this should be easy! So quick question. Do you guys put your lips in before or after painting? For some reason I've always put them in afterwards... I don't remember why, I'm sure there was a purpose. I'm thinking I might try to put it in before painting and align with a center line that is on the wood. Ha, maybe this is why I went to swimbaits!

haven't tried the tin snips. Might have to look into it if nobody pops up with any other ideas. RayburnGuy, I agree with you. The blade you mentioned from Lowes (Bosch) seem to hold up better than any other brand I've played with from the big box stores. http://www.toolcenter.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=LENOXBC anyone used a carbide grit blade like this?

Hey guys, I was wondering what type of bandsaw blades you use. I'm currently using a 1/8" thick blade (think its 16 teeth per inch) and am using it on a small bandsaw. This works fine for balsa lures ; however, these blades dull quickly. Is there a particular brand anyone is really happy with? Also, and most importantly, what type of blade do you use to cut out the micarta, g10, fiberglass, etc. style blades. I tend to just use my dull blades to cut this, because it will eat them in a hurry.

Thanks guys! I'll definitely have to try your tips out when I get the new batch in. Nothing you off more than finishing batch after batch of what were great looking lures and making them look like crap on the last stage.

clear solo cups will dissolve into acetone. HOWEVER, you have to try a few different ones. I had some solo cups that were translucent clear and these worked just as well as propionate pellets. I tried a few other types of cups (all solo brand), reds, crystal clear and they didn't dissolve. The solo cups that did work reminded me of the small plastic cup you would get from a fast food place if you wanted "water" instead of soda... if that helps.

Thanks for the info guys. I do use bloxygen and Extend-it (aero marine nitrogen gas blanket) every time I crack a jar. Bobp do you add more DN to your jar as you go (when it gets too low to dip)? Or do you start with a fresh batch.

a double action will help you learn faster, in my opinion. some paints like high psi, some like low. I will agree with the rookie as that I normally shoot higher, 40-60. i tend to crank it up with createx pearls, not sure how auto pearls would shoot. also, a good quality double action airbrush will paint better than a less expensive one, but this is only after you know how to paint. i had a paschee V series that had siphon feed and it was good for the $. However, I strongly suggest that you get a gravity feed. it just works better for small stuff like0 lures. good luck!

thanks guys. i'll stick with the moisture cure stuff. I guess while i'm on the topic... do you guys ever get tiny bubbles in your DN? I'm not sure if my batch just got old or what, but the last 20+ lures I've done had loads of tiny bubbles that formed on the surface. I have been brushing the DN on, and was use to a few bubbles but this is just ridiculous. I've tried letting the baits dry from an hour to a week, but it doesn't seem to matter. I will also point out that I've moved 3 times in the last year... from Indiana, to Oregon, and now I'm in Texas and I've had the same can the whole way. There was definitely some pressure changes going on while crossing the mountains, my spare gas can would either be shrunk in or bloated depending on elevation. Do you think this would be enough to cause the chemicals to mess up? Anyway, I might try dipping next. I just didn't want to waste any to curing, which was my main worry with dipping. When you guys dip your baits is there a process you use that works best? Thanks a bunch guys. live2fish~fish2live

So I have quart that is only about 1/10 full left. I've been hoarding it since the old DN went out, but was afraid to open it and risk curing the rest of what might have been my most valuable possession at the time. Anyway, I've been readin up on the S81 and the S82 new DN batches. For those of you that use these, do you like the water based? Is the water based as durable as the moisture cure after they are fully cured? How is the finish on the water based? Is the application any different? Does anyone use both? Is there a reason for me to get both? Also, does the new batch of moisture cure work like the old stuff or is there a learner curve to it too? Thanks in advance guys.

yeah, that had me worried too after applying the last coat. however, its going well (as long as my rotisserie motor doesn't burn out!). i ended up using a sandwich plasticware container to mix the last coat, seemed to work well so far. still not so sure about using it on cranks, i would prefer a rigid clear as oppose to a pliable clear. but for a guitar, its probably perfect. it did say on the label that it can be polished too.

yeah, its from lowes... i broke down and bought some to try. it is very similar to etex, but not sure if it is necessarilly better yet. My cranks have came out well. you can put an impression in the clear with your nail, but it will smooth out after a few minutes. however, i just got done painting my buds guitar (to resemble the Metallica "Load" album cover) and I ran into some issues using this product to clear it. The front of the guitar came out well (thankfully thats were most the paint work was), but the back had some pretty major fish eyeing. Considering I painted the back solid black and wore latex gloves the entire time I was very disappointed to see such major fish-eyeing. So I would say this is an ok clear for cranks, but I'd be skeptical about larger area use. A couple things that may have affected the clear on the guitar: humidity (im in indiana) or perhaps mixing the clear in a paper cup. The clear did get warm quick, so maybe the clear that was applied to the guitar was curing quicker on the back. im thinking that next time i use this stuff for a larger surface area that i will mix it in a wide and shallow container to reduce the heat and prevent faster curing. i guess once this thing dries in a few days i'll have to give it another whorl.

Has anyone ever used this? I was in the hunt for e-tex today and saw this product at lowe's. It sounds similar to e-tex by description.

Hey mark, Does the sc9000 have similar issues with storage like that of DN? I recently moved back to Indiana and the humidity is crazy high, so I've been having terrible micro-bubbling using the DN (I think its drying to fast... it seems to be dry to touch in an hour). Plus, just storing DN (even when using bloxygen) seems to not be enough to prevent slow curing. I'm just starting to hunt around for a replacement clear and recall you mentioning the sc9000 a few times.