The Natural

Boy that blows! However...I've already sealed a couple of baits using it, and I plan to clear them with dic nite's. I'll sure post up my results. Using all these different paints, primers, sealants, and clear coats it's no shocker that some of the carrier agents are reacting with one another. Hopefully my formula will work.

I purchased mine at my local home depot. I think you will like it Mark...it's very easy to use and dries very fast. I just pour some in a cup, and dip my bait in. I'll repeat this several times, letting it sit for only about a minute or two. It is as thin as paint thinner, and absorbs into the balsa fast, leaving behind a thin thin seal.

Good lord guys...you are going to scare him with all this Vortex shredding terminology!

I'm not sure what everyone is using, and actually it seems as if everyone has a different sealant they use. I found a product that works very well and is very simple to use. It is Minwax Wood Hardener. It is as thin as water, and you can pour some in a cup and just dip your bait in it a few times. Here is a link with product description.... makezine.com: Minwax High Performance Wood Hardener

I looked around my local Wally World and Home Depot...didn't see anything (granted I can't find anything at home depot). I'm heading to Lowes tomorrow to see if I can nip this in the butt.

So you bought a rotisserie chicken cooker and ripped out the motor? I guess assembling the drying wheel isn't that bad once you have all the necessary parts, but a 4-10rpm motor isn't something they sell at your local wal-mart. I'm sure I could find one with some effort and phone calls, but I consider that a PITA.

Being pretty new as well...constructing a drying wheel is harder than making the bait itself. Finding a motor that turns that slow and then constructing a wooden wheel is a PITA.

The new pre-mixed 2 and 4oz bottles are the way to go; ready to spray immediately.

Here are some pics. I'm not sure if Gene does it exactly this way, but I just took the idea and ran with it. I just went to my local Home Depot and purchased a bunch of packs of cotter pins. I'm using the 3/4" long pins... Here are some Tru-Tungsten bullet weights (ballasts) ready to be inserted and epoxied into the belly. Here is the cotter pin for the tail section with the end bent into a barb. I drill a small hole, one smaller than the pin, and shove it in with pliers. You can't pull it out...an then I shoot epoxy down into the hole.

Thanks fellas. The clearcoat adds amazing clarity to your paint, and apparently I should have waited until I cleared it before I posted a pic...I think it looks better (same bait along with another one).

Being new to the game...I'm here to tell you Gene's idea is where it's at. I found using cotter pins was significantly easier than doing steel wire coiled over on itself (not even doing a through frame). Still much easier. I just finished several baits that are ready for paint, and I used a cotter pin through a tru-tungsten bullet weight for the belly ballast/hanger, and a cotter pin for the tail hanger as well. As Gene said, if you take a pair of pliers and bend the tip of the pin into a barb; it will dig in to the balsa if you try to pull it out. There is no way it's going anywhere. It made what I thought was going to be the more difficult part of the bait construction into a very simple procedure. Thank's Gene

Well, I can't lend you any airbrushing tips other than to buy a good airbrush (everybody will say this ). I think buying 'right' the first time can relate to a lot of things. I'd recommend going to ebay. I purchased my airbrush and compressor there for quite a good deal. I went with a new Iwata HP-C ($85) and a 1/5hp compressor from spc global ($119). I have to say...I'm really impressed with this compressor. It's a nice unit. It is very quiet, has the auto feature, comes with a moisture tap and air pressure regulator and even an air hose. It will maintain 40+ psi, but I'm working with about 30. Here is the compressor... http://cgi.#########/NEW-Quiet-1-5-hp-AIRBRUSH-TANK-COMPRESSOR-FREE-AIR-HOSE_W0QQitemZ200234468655QQihZ010QQcategoryZ134557QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Well...I have some pretty severe tremors even though I am only 30 (it is hereditary, and runs in my family). I don't know if these guys freehand their stripes, but I wasn't about to try; I just used good ol' masking tape . Mark- I am using windex to thin my hobby paints. There isn't any way these thick paints would spray without it. I did pick up the tip on using windex by reading some past posts. Works well, but I am getting some serious tip clogging with these cheap paints! I have to say though...quite a few of them are spraying very well through my HP-C. Hobby Lobby only carries a few colors of createx, and like 1000 colors of the hobby paints. I bought some 'olive' colored hobby paint that shot very well after being thinned, and made a pretty darn good rootbeer pattern. Thanks for the reply's...I've definitely screwed up a few baits since .

Very nice...I'm sure glad I'm not a swimbait guy; that's waaaay to much work for me!

Actually...I was thinking about going with the Chavez edition, and adding purple fur and a chain steering wheel. Of course 'Chavez' will be written on the back in old english styled letters (the Europeans are going "huh?"). You just have to live here in the southern U.S. to know what I'm talkin' about

My compressor just arrived (finally), and I dove right in. I doodled on a piece of paper to get a feel for how the thing worked, and then messed around with the paint to see what consistency shot the best. The paint I'm using isn't that great...it's .87 cent 'Folk Art' paint I bought at hobby lobby (I don't want to spend a bunch of money yet). Anyway...first one down...should be all downhill from here on out hopefully... FYI...the red dot on the lip isn't from this repaint; I fill in the hole that comes in the cb50's lip and seal it with a dot of red lipstick. Also...the dark spots are from where the cb50 is put together. I can't really prime this bait...I wanted to stick to the light 'ghost-like' appearance.

Cool...just to clarify that definitely isn't something I came up with. I knew Ed Chambers does this, and was just wondering who else did as well. Maybe he is the only one? Maybe he invented the technique...the dude is old and has probably been making cranks a long while.

Hmmm...that's very true. I should have posted up what I drew on the balsa chunk and initially cut out versus what my baits look like now . Not even close! I just watched tv and hacked/sanded away until I liked what it looked like. I seem to think that is how I'm going to end up with a super-special bait. One I have no idea on how to make again

I know it's OT, but I'm so with you on the XTools...How did those make it past the product testing phase?! They sucked so bad I wouldn't even give mine away...I threw them in the trash. Anyway...back on topic, I honestly plan to use tips and info I gather on here in addition to some ideas I have about assembling baits. Some are going to work, some aren't, but that's just the way I like to do things. I've got some loose clippings of balsa left over from cutting out my crankbait shapes, and I'm going to experiment with some different seal ideas. I'll post back up later....

Yes...that is why I mentioned the dowel rods in my original post (just nobody commented on it). Ed Chambers has always done it this way, and he builds some of the finest baits around. I wonder why more people don't do it this way. I heard someone say that they didn't want to 'weigh the bait down with any wooden dowel pieces'. I can't imagine two small slivers of wooden dowel rod the size of pencil erasers would weigh more than a stainless steel frame (less I'd think). Anyhow...that's the way I plan on doing it; I've got plenty of WEC's that have been to hell and back, and they are holding up like champs. Anyway...I've heard the comment about cutting my lip slots before I get to sanding like crazy, but it was too late for this batch. Wish me luck

I think I'm ready to take the next step with these...I'm burnt on carving any more today I guess. Do I seal them after or before I put the lip slot in? Here is what I have at this point...

I really like the way the Lucky Craft square bills extend out from the sides of the nose....I mean they don't taper towards the nose if you can picture what I mean. So I guess I had a lip like the BDS 3 has on it in mind for the larger bait...or a BDS 2 lip. The smaller shad baits need a lip like my Zoom Hicky's have. That's the bait I had in mind when I made the 3 smaller ones. It's one of my favorite WEC's and I'm catching a lot of fish on it.

I did a couple more with the dremel tool on my lunch hour. I had sawdust shooting everywhere, and now of course those wonderful sawdust boogers. Things went a little quicker this time. I could churn one out about every 15mins (of course they aren't quite perfect yet). I'm heading to lowes or home depot after work, and plan on grabbing some screw eyes, steel wire, dowel rods, and sandpaper. Oh...and a saw (even though the dremel is working ok). I will probably churn out another 10 baits or so when I get home before I start doing hardware.

Thanks for the tips. The Balsa is actually a little stronger than I thought...I figured it had the strength of Styrofoam. I had cut almost through the board I had and figured I just break off the piece I was cutting out, but couldn't! It isn't any more trouble to cut with the grain...I was just sharing. So when I get this thing done I have to cut it in half?! Crap. I didn't think Ed Chambers did...maybe I'm wrong. I'm a perfectionist, but at the same time I will tend to go the easiest way until I learn I can't

I was buying some airbrush paint at Hobby Lobby (just bought an airbrush), and while I was there I thought "Hey...I wonder if they have any balsa?". I found some 2ft long 1" thick boards, and bought one. I took it home and realized I didn't really have anything to cut out a crankbait with (this was a spur of the moment decision). I don't own any saws or anything, so I dug out my dremel tool and put on a little cutting wheel. After doodling a shape on the board, I cut it out. I found a couple of strips of sandpaper under my sink, and just watched tv and sanded until it started looking like a crankbait. I haven't read any tutorials or anything, but I know basically what they consist of. I know some have a wire frame inside, and some don't. I'm not sure I want to screw with that. What about the dowel rod deal that WEC cranks use? I mean I can't just screw the hook hangers into the balsa...I'm sure they will pull out. Anyway...here is my bait; it is still rough and not done...I just don't have any sanpaper finer than 150. It's probably 5/8" thick at the moment, and I want to thin it up. The only hard part is getting the sides to match. Out of 45min of sanding, 30 of it was holding it up in the light...do a little sanding...hold it up again...sand some more. I thought I was never going to get the sides identical. Constructive criticism is welcome...