diemai

@ Nemo7 Have you made a search about balsa here on this site ? I remember somewhere someone had given a link to a balsa supplier not too long time ago , but I forgot , where was in here ! And you do not neccessarely need to separate your balsa bait into halves or make it out of two pieces , there is a third way embedding a wire harness into it : Mark centerline as BobP described and lure outline on your still rectangular woodblock , maybe also angle and length of diving lip slot . Now cut out outer lure shape and smoothen to make up for an right angle to the sides . Use a saw to cut a slot from the belly of lure leading from eye to eye position , also cut lip slot . Since the lure is never rounded off at this stage , keeping angles is a lot easier . Now you may work the lure to its final shape , after you would glue in lip and wire harness with two-component glue , after 24 hrs of curing file off the glue remainder flush to the lurebody outline . I also do these slotting operations on a finished lureblank with a "Dremel" cutting disc or round saw blade , but this requires accurate eyeballing , since their are no planes to refer to anymore ! Recently made a small crankbait that way , though not of balsa , but maybe the pics of it under construction could help ? Greetz , diemai

@ borderbasser You are darn right about keeping the accurate relations when mixing epoxy:yes: , at first I also have had problems with it , it just would remain tacky . The epoxy , that I use , has to be mixed 10:4 (resin:hardener) , which is not quite easy to estimate . Many years ago my wife had to go to hospital for surgery , so as I visited her there for the first time , I came across those small medication containers , that many of the patients had left standing at their bedsides , to be littered after use by the medical staff . I asked her to gather them for me , so when she was released after a couple of days , she brought a few dozens of those containers , wich I all cleaned up thoroughly . They come in very handy for the purpose , have a divider scale of 1 millilitre steps , so I can mix my stuff accurately . Off course I have by now used them all up , but on a fleamarket I have found a few hundred of just the same ones for little money , and I have also ordered for similar ones at the local chemists before . Greetz , diemai

Very interesting statements and opinions for an European guy ! Not so many fishing tournaments are held in Europe , in Germany they are even considered illegal , if the fish are only caught out of competative reasons and after even released . Our animal welfare law says , that no animal should be harmed for lower reasons , and catching fish for fun or competition is considered a lower reason by the federal authorities ! Only smaller local fishing club tournaments are still held here with about 6 to 40 members , if I hazard a guess , most likely targeting non-predatory fish , and all the fish MUST be taken home , and if it's only for the cat ! The few bigger tournaments are held more in neighbour countries like the Netherlands , where restrictions are not as stupid and dump as they are in Germany . But big money is not as much involved over here , like you have mentioned it counting for the United States . Read once , that the start fee for a big zander(European walleye) tourney in the Netherlands was maybe around 150

@ A-Mac Had this capilary action happen with my 2 component clear gloss(mentioned a few posts below) as well . When I made my first swimbait , I was aware , that the paint brush bristle fins might somehow hinder the topcoating process , so I glued them in afterwards . Just to assure 100% coverage , even inside the fin grooves and between the bristles , I have applied small amounts of that lacquer to those spots , but even with pointing upward fins , that paint still climbed upward towards the bristles ends . It's quite liquid and not viscous at all , also starts to set rather quick , but still did this ! greetz , diemai

@ matt duarte I guess , that this could turn out quite an interesting thread , for I am certain , that there would be so many different opinions around:yes: ! One should think , that the closest resemblances of real living prey would be the best producers , but I have learnt , that if fish are absolutely unwilling to strike on lures , they would ignore these 100% lookalikes as well:yes: . Often such happened to me in my favourite water , and as soon as I switched to dead minnows(even frozen ones) rigged on a so-called "Drachkovitch"-harness(cast and retrieved just like a plastic shad) , I caught zander (European walleye)again . Many years ago my wife and me have caught a lot of perch on several trips to some of our bigger lakes in the vicinity , fishing close to bottom from a boat over up to approx. 65 feet of water , each one of us fished one lure rod with a jigging spoon and/or small grubs , in addition one rod with a float set-up and night crawlers and little minnows as bait . The vast majority of perch went for the bait , not for the lures:yes: ! Off course lures , that look very close to the real thing , should be more likely to fool a predator than others , but why do they also go for lures , that are painted in bright yellow , pink or purple....etc . , colors , that are hardly to be seen in nature ? Or is it all a myth about certain colors being stated as good producers for certain species:huh: ? There was an article once in a German magazine about "redhead" paint designs , these were said to be very good catchers for perch and pike . There was a statement saying that if , like in this case , a certain lure color or design/model is getting enough promotion either by the media or just fishermen's chat , more and and people would tie it on and thus more fish would be caught on it ! But I've also once heard from a friend , that in the Netherlands(I am sure , elsewhere , too) good catching lure models/colors might get "burned" after one season or two , simply because in the Netherlands they strictly practice CPR , at least for pike , so a kind of "learning effect" of the pike would occur ! Sooner or later they would consider those certain models/colors to be "dangerous"(at least not edible)and totally ignore them . And why is it , that there are some time-proven lure models around , that are not the closest resemblances of live prey , and they still do catch lots of fish , even since up to 100 years:? ! I'm talking 'bout lures like the German "Effzett" and "Heintz" spoons(very similar models are called "Proffessor" or "Doctor" spoon) , the old "Eppinger Daredevle" , the French "Mepps" spinner , also the "Creek Chub Pikie" and the famous "Heddon Spook" , just to name a few ! I believe , that such lures just have the right moves and action just to perfectly trigger the bite reflex or feeding frenzy of their target predators species , therefore they might even outfish modern lures on ocassion, that are perfect resemblances of live prey . At least , when those "odtimers" haven't gotten "burned" before in that particular swim ! Another issue about my lure choice is their features , not so much the colors or maybe even their action . Often fishing from the bank I need to cast my lures as far as possible , so even the best lifelike crank ,-or jerkbait won't suit me too much like the old tarnished spoon does , that I can cast twice as far ! Anyway , just a few thoughts of mine , but we would never know for sure , which lures are best , perfectly detailed resemblances or simple pieces of wood or metal , unless fish would finally learn to talk to us ! greetz , diemai

@ mark poulson Thanks about reminding me , Mark , really had forgotten about the name , but remembered instantly reading your post . @ b1gf1sh1 Sometimes it happens , that the epoxy , that I use , would leave dry spots . It only does that on the first two lures of a batch(most likely I paint 6 to 8 with one epoxy mixture) , provided being mixed well in the right relations , which is 10:4(resin:hardener) . My theory is , that if I haven't stirred up the hardener and resin long enough , or , in other words , haven't waited long enough to brush it on after stirring , this would happen ? Maybe , the mixture has to rest for a little while before applying it ? But if I'd wait these few minutes , I could paint less lures with the mixture , 'cause it starts to set real soon to a viscous consistency . So , to overcome that problem , I would just put on just a little more epoxy and brush it over again those first two lures after a little while , by this time the gloss has set enough not to evolve this kind of "de-mixing" anymore . greets , diemai

@ Dean McClain I have tought so as well , somewhere in a thread here on TU , there was a link about a kinda gas in a spraycan(not too sure about that ?) , that would be placed in the paint storage container to remain between the lacquer and the containers top lid to prevent oxygene(or air humidity) to contact the paint at all , thus extend the lifetime of that stuff . Have never heard about such before , don't even know , whether such is available over here in Germany ? But so far I'm alright with my present method , that I mentioned , so I didn't bother to look further ! thanks anyway , diemai

Years ago a Belgian friend sent me a pack of Etex(many Dutch and Belgian lure builders use it , I suppose , it's also available in local webshops there) , and I have used it up on many lures . I used to brush on two layers of the stuff , don't have a rotating lure dryer , just frequently changed their position from head to tail hanging in my lure rack . At first I was pretty satisfied with it , but lateron , as the first pike or encounters with gravel lake bottoms had pierced the finish , I could partly peel it off in large chips:( ! This did not happen to all of these lures , so I really don't have an idea , what exactly might have caused the problem . If I hazard a guess , it could only be certain ingridients in paints or maybe oily or greasy contents in some of the differents kinda woods , that I have used , that were responsible for this lack of adhesion of the Etex ? Well , anyway , I have used it up long time ago , now I have found a method , that works well for me , though it does not provide the thickest topcoats . I would first brush on two layers of acrylic clear lacquer to protect paint , signature and possible glitter flakes , after I apply two layers of epoxy and finally two layers of a certain 2-component clear gloss , said to be coming from the auto industry. That one results into thinner layers than the epoxy , but cures harder . Both topcoats start to set quite fast , provided to have been mixed well , so I still don't have a rotator , just flip them over again two or three times in my rack during the first 45 min , after it's OK . I get these paints from a German tackle and component shop : HAKUMA ihr Spezialist f

@ matt duarte Some nice looking lures you've made there ! Concerning the bristle tail fins , check this out : http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/hard-baits/13713-swimbait-very-first-attempt-4.html Got that advise about taping the bristles from someone here on TU , wasn't that tricky to do , and I could set in the fins after painting ! good luck:yay: , diemai

Many years ago my wife and (those days) little daughter wanted to paint a batch of my homemade spoons , whilst I was gone to work . As I got back home , I was was quite mad about their "weird" designs , but the next weekend I had to apologize deeply , since I had never caught 4 pike within half an hour on a single lure ever before:yes: ! You are a lucky man to have your wife sharing your hobby and that you are such a perfect complement to one another ! Very nice designs , indeed:yes: ! I guess , that she might also outfish you frequently (mine does it !) ! greetz , diemai

@ 21xdc This is what I was trying to say.......one has to look around ! Good success with your new dowels:yay: ! greetz , diemai

@ kurt I assume , that your location is Essex/England , so many of those topcoating products mentioned here on TU might be hardly available in Europe , I only know about "Envirotex" , since many Dutch and Belgian luremakers are using it . Also know about Finnish builders using clear concrete lacquer to dip their baits in about 6 to 8 times , haven't used it myself , but got some swapped jerkbaits finished that way , and I can tell , that these have a rock-hard surface ! I use simple epoxy and two-component lacquer , that I purchase from a German tackle component supplier . I would advise you , to utilize the SEARCH FUNCTION here on TU , there are a lot of infos on topcoating around here , for suppliers worldwide you may check a list up at Lure Fishing UK , on their startpage click on "links"(yellow lure symbol) , there are a lot of shops listed there . I haven't thoroughly checked British shop links there , but I have seen , that Dutch and one or two German component/lure shops listed carry at least "Envirotex" . Some have sites with English language option ! good luck , diemai

If it's not such a big volume to be filled , I pour mixed two-component glue into the hole , if the weight should not sit snugly , I also pour in glue first , so all space gets covered , virtually glue in the weight . If the exit of the weighthole should be located on a curved portion of the lure , thus the glue would flow out , or the volume is too large , I'd mix some fine woodchips from my lathe into the glue and stir it well . After getting a good mixture , I'd blow the remaining(dry) chips off the mixing bin . I'd utilize the glue's mixing stick to apply my "putty" into the hole , it starts to set a lot faster than the pure glue , at this stage I can sprinkle some very fine wooddust on it to shape and also comprime it with my finger , it won't stick to my skin that way ! Its just like a baker putting flour on his dough to roll it out not sticking to the table ! Both methods take 24 hrs to cure , before I work the glue plugs flush with a "Dremel" router bit and by filing(sanding) . The dried glue tends to smear into the files teeth after a while , I use a steel bristled brush to clean it and retain its sharpness . Greetz , diemai

@ Bert_meert Thanks for that tutorial , just browsed through your website , very nice , little site , I am sure , that it's still gonna get bigger in future:yay: . Being a north German(our old-time northern slang "plattdeutsch" is a bit similar to English and also Dutch), I can understand a good share of that written Dutch language . Also very nice lure ,-and fish pictures to be seen on your site , just fine:yes: ! I almost felt the pain seeing that pic showing the "trebled" finger .......ouuch:eek: ! Bad place for a treble , I only once nailed one into my upper leg , not as severe ! Happened on Sunday evening , all docs closed and didn't want to spend the evening in hospital , so I cut it off at the hookbend and continued fishing ! Back at home I put some ice cubes on the spot and pushed the hook out with my luremaking pliers . Far easier to unhook a fish , I tell you:huh: ! Thanks again , greetz , diemai

@ SoCalGuy7 No big deal , happy that I could give some little assistance , you're welcome ! greetz , diemai

@ SoCalGuy7 Wow , you finally made it , looks like great lure action ! Welldone ! Greetz , diemai