diemai

@ Vodkaman Congrats and best wishes , Dave ! My grandma(passed more than 20 years ago) always used to say : "Small children , little worries ,.... big children , greater worries" She went through that pain for six times in total . all the best ,......... greetz:yay: , Dieter

@ bassboss First.....welcome at TU ! Indeed an interlocked pair of screw eyes is about the easiest way to hinge the sections of a swimbait , ........it undoubtely works out(provided , that they sit perfectly aligned) , but most people want less gap inbetween the single sections and therefore utilize interlocked wire forms or screw eye/slot hinges , connected by a pin . You can make sturdy crankbait lips out of circuit board , clear polycarbonate(Lexan , Makrolon)or different sheet metals(consider about higher weight) ,.......... do not use plexiglas , as it easily breakes on impact . In a nutshell.........these lips are epoxied into a slot somewhere at the chin of a lurebody , their downward angle roughly presets the diving depth of the bait(amongst a LOT of other issues on crankbait dynamics). There are also kinked metal lips available , that are supposed to be screwed under the chin of the lureblank , these are most likely used on big and buoyant pike and muskie lures . The line tie could be placed directly onto a metal lip ,........ but on a lip of some plastic material it should be part of a wire form leading through the entire lureblank and also have the hookhangers included . Most likely only deep and medium divers have their tow eye on their lips(lip would be longer and point more or less forward) , anyway , ........shallow divers and wake baits have it connected to the body , at about the nose or sligly below ,..... the lips on these baits point more or less downward . I'd suggest to browse through the gallery and threads a bit , just by some close looking you would surely get some anwers and ideas . good luck , diemai

@ mainbutter You might as well cut a slot at the belly of a one piece lureblank to epoxy in a wireform . A "Dremel" with a cutting wheel chucked works just fine for it , ....it works as well with a high bladed handsaw(a high blade provides better guidance for a straight cut) , but is quite finacky to keep the saw at straight course , especially when just commencing the cut . Need to chuck the blank in a vise to do this . Another , ....still more complicated way , is to drill a bore lengthwise centered through the entire blank(in a drill press with machine vise , drill from either side to meet in center of body) to lead a wire shaft through , bores from the belly acommodating the figure 8 hookhangers must hit that center bore , so that a central wire shaft could be poked through the inner eyes of the figure 8 forms . Off course all is epoxied as well during final assembly to seal off . All of these operations should be done BEFORE finally rounding off the blank , when still of rectangular cross-section(only the outline readily shaped) , it is still perfect to chuck it and you also have an angular reference for cutting belly slot , lipslot and/or furnishing pilot holes for eye screws(if no thru-wire requested) . good luck , diemai:yay:

@ mainbutter Basically a carving knife and some different grit sandpaper is enough:huh: ! Alright ,.......for faster and more convinient processing you'd need some kinda woodsaw to pre-cut your blanks from your wood boards or dowels , a scrollsaw works ,.... the pro's go for bandsaws . A "Dremel" Multitool comes in very handy , as it grinds , cuts slots and grooves and drills small holes . I also use my sandpaper file quite often(a plastic file , on which a stripe of sandpaper can be fixed onto , available for RC modell making) ,...... equipped with 40 grit paper coarse sanding softer woods comes like a breeze . But many years ago I had started out with a handsaw , a carpet knife with interchangeable blades and sandpaper as well , used a simple cheap electric drill for furnishing the screw eyes pilot holes , ........and that was it ! But by the time it is most natural to gear up more and more , ..........Rome was't built in one day as well , you see;) ? good luck , diemai:yay:

@ mainbutter Welcome to the addiction;) , ......you've hit the right place to get started ! Basically , almost everything to answer your questions is written up in here , ....somewhere......., only problem is to find it:huh: ! Two things I can think of briefly is the download section of :-:-: Lure Making :-:-: The Official LureMaking.com Website | Tackle Components | Lure Components | Lure Making Information | Lure Making Supplies , download the file "The Canadian Guide To Luremaking" , starting at page 56 there is a brief , basic describtion on carving wooden baits , .....there are also some lure templates to be downloaded somewhere in there . Also utilize the search function here at TU (top right bar) , type in " looks that simple the Finnish way" , ....it would lead you to a thread starting with a two part video on making balsa lures , later there is also a picture sequence displaying the evolution of a wooden swimbait . ..........talkin'bout videos , ........on YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. there are also a couple of videos dealing on homemade lures available , also utilize the search function there typing in some keywords . You should also check the tutorial section in here , you'd surely find something in there as well to figure out more about lurecarving . Being a beginner in lurecarving take one advice from me : Get started simple , .......maybe just a cigar-shaped topwater , a simple "GrandMa" style crankbait or a flat sided sinking glider , ......this way you could file your skills and gain first experiences ,........and ........paramount .......keep on browsing the threads in here ! PS : Also have a look at Lurebuilding 101 , it is a Dutch site , but an English version is available ,.... also some instructions and describtions to be found there ! good luck , diemai:yay:

@ Lili Man Utilize forums search function , type in terms like "making molds" , "mold making" , "aluminium molds" , "lead casting" , "plaster molds" , etc . ! Actually there is also one thread taking place presently about having an aluminium mold made ,...... think it's called "Where is best place to get molds made" , there are posts in there , that refer to one specifc TU member to call in to for making quality aluminium molds . good luck , diemai:yay:

@ madbass Utilise search function , type in "who has the messiest shop" ,..... some pics in there , how it probably should NOT look like:huh: . You could also google terms like "luremaking" , "making fishing lures" , "painting lures" , "my workbench", etc....... , also type these into the search function of www.youtube.com , you might find some images to inspire you in there as well . greetz , diemai:yay:

Nice video , nice pictures , great lure:yes: ! greetz , diemai:yay:

@ bbduc Years ago I've received a pack of Etex from a Belgian friend(not available over here those days) . I have applied it on a couple of dozens of lures over times until it was through . Later I have found it to have come off from only SOME of these lures , not all . Once the finish was pierced by pike's teeth , it started to come off in large chips after a while ,....... I could virtually "skin" those lures . As I don't use a rotator , my finishes are not that thick , anyway ,.... but I am not using Etex no more , but a certain local epoxy brand plus 2K auto clear or modelling dope , ....this stuff just adheres better . Any lure finish would get pierced sooner or later , even commercial wood lures suffer from it , .........I have once seen a magazine picture of a "Super Shad Rap" after approx . 80 pike , .......it looked like a woodpecker's playground ! Thus it is important to find a reliable method to seal off the bare wood against water sepage , so even though the finish gets pierced or even destroyed , water and moisture can't harm the lure that much and it's lifetime extends . But still lucky those targeting "toothless" species like perch , bass , trout , etc. ,.... no such problems;) ! good luck , diemai:yay:

@ sinyo .......we never cease to learn , .......thanks for sharing:worship: , great stuff ! greetz , diemai:yay: