jamie

I use etex on those baits with no problem

Thanks for the help guys, I was thinking my be rtv for the mold

Notice on this bait the wire set low in the bait and the belly of the the bait runs straight to the nose with no upward slop like yours. I believe my statement above is the answer. The wire is too heavy and is too high in th back due to the upward taper of the nose.

The problem when you start making small baits is all problems are magnified. Did you add any ballest weights to these baits if so where?Nose also looks to be higher up than the rapala. Just guessing off hand wire looks heavy and too high( right above center balance). The weight of the wire high in such a small bait might be some of the problem. Notice the blue bait line tie sets lower in the bait. Lip angle may be a hair too steep also on the tigers. This all a guess, I dont make such small cranks, but like I said all problems are magnified when you down size.

Thanks guys,

Diemai makes a nice remake of the rush tango on the lathe. Im still tying to perfect this myself but he has a video on it swimming on here somewhere and a post on the specs.You can also make gliders on the lathe also, I have a few cant remember the name of the bait though.You can also make pullbaits on the lathe.

Thinking of starting to make my own eyes. I have the idea of molding but what is the best material used for the clear?looking for bubble free and nonyellowing. I know this subject has been talked before but im looking for some more options for a clean, clear eye. thanks guys Jamie

P pike, sharing ideas is what TU is all about. I dont do this for the money its more a way to deal with stress. This rack is a one of the many ways that I take the work out of having fun.

P Pike I use etex and cant hang my baits at all. Thin coats is the key word like you said but I couldnt use coat hangers the way my dryer is made like you did.. I might have 30 baits on the dryer or might have one and I need a quick way of getting the baits on the dryer.All my bait turn nose over tail and the baits have to be in constant rotation till the etex cures enough to turn the dryer off.It just takes a couple seconds to get the bait on the dryer and speed is a factor for me. Just posting a pic because of a request.

Sorry I think I finally figured it out. Hopefully this will show a pic of how I hang a swimbait for clearing. The bait is suspended in between the rack and all joints are stretched out. I paint and clear all of my baits in these racks ( cranks , gliders swimbaits) and they attach directly to the dryer itself. I never have to handle the bait and avoid contamination from oils in your skin.Each bait will have its own rack.You can find the metal to make these racks in your local hardware store in the metal works. You cut to length and bend the two ends up. Each rack is bolted and wing nutted to the dryer. Sorry it took me three tries to post , but there it is.

[quote name='jamie'

sorry tried to insert pic , with no success . A friend emailed me and was wondering how I clear my swimbaits and I was going to post a pic but I need to find my 7 year old and let him show me how. I guess this is why im a truck driver and not a computer programmer. Sorry for the post, Jamie

Happy B-day

Try staging different steps with several different baits. Sometimes I will have cranks, gliders and inline spinners going at the same time. I work on different baits during down times.

Thanks Dean, I dont like to throw paint away either. The new paint outshines the createx hands down but I thought I could find some use for the old paint.

There is a noticeable difference in the angle of the two baits lips ,but yours would probably work if you move the line tie back. You are not getting the correct water resistance on the lip to get it to pitch left and right causeing it to swim.Putting the line tie a little further back will get the lip to catch some water and tip forward and then you will get some resistance.

Dave the scale is on a clear backing, its a type of holographic scale tape.

Thanks guys that the info I needed.Ive been switching to auto air, but i was trying to use what stock of createx that I had left. thanks again guys

I know you can buy this paint ( bought lots of it) but how to mix it? There are some colors that I mix that I would like to make into transparent that you cant buy.The question is can you make transparent paint and are there limitations to making it , like can you use pearls or not? Im useing waterbase paint( createx ) thanks for any info. Jamie

I would start with the line tie placement looks a little to close to the end of the bib. try moving it back torwards the nose of the bait.

I will be honest, I think all the baits in the gallery are great. Every lure in there has its own style and I still go through the gallery from time to time and I look at all of them. And Dave you really need to check the gallery out and check out the talent here. I really enjoy the pike baits from across the big pond.( The big pond AKA, the Atlantic ocean)

you could always put a spacer between the two halves and shoot down into th e stencil. the spacer would pull the stencil out from the body and give you a softer edge.