excaliber551

Mark, What is the difference between the 2:1 and 1:1 anti UV coatings? I see the 2:1 states it's brushable for vertical surfaces. Is the 1:1 thick build not suitable for brushing on lures?

I bought a used Rigid oscillating belt sander a couple months ago and it does an incredible job of shaping Balsa and harder wood like Poplar. I'd buy another one without hesitation.

Vodkaman, I just got back from testing it in the pond. The twisting is from the tail not being correctly secured which allows it to twist a bit. You are right the tail section was twisting. I didn't know why until you explained it and after I watched the video in slow motion several times. The tail doesn't twist unless I really jerk on it. I think the new connection will fix that. It swam a bit differently in the pond. It was much smoother and the action seemed to be more fluid and less jerky at slower retrieves. When I pulled it hard it had the same action as it did in the tub. I tried to add additional weight to the rear hook but you're right, it really killed the action. It swam with the head downhill a bit due to the weight so I tried less weight and that seemed to fix that. I need some different size weights so I can experiment some more. This weekend I'll have more time to tinker with weighting it.

Thanks Mark. That's what I thought by looking at them. I made a few last night and they look like they will do the trick.

Very nice. I like the way it moves and so do the fish. That's what really matters. Very nice paint job and finish.

I made the tail the same size of the photo I used as a reference. I wanted the tail to really kick from side to side. Once I redesign the tail connection and it holds the tail in place better I'll be able to tell for sure what is causing the tail to twist. I just melted some really soft worms and the actual plastic I use will be much stiffer. You could be right. The tail might be too big. It might need to be downsized and lighter. I'm already working on remaking the masters and I'll make one just a bit smaller.

Thanks for the kind words guys. I still have a ways to go before I get this lure exactly like I want it. rofish, Pay no attention to the man behind the screen. Next time it will be in the pond. I'll post a follow up video when I get the lure the way I want just prior to paint.

Here's a picture.

Here's an update. I finally have this lure assembled, poured my tail and I took it to the tub for a swim with no hardware on it. I was surprised how buoyant this lure is. I had to play around with weight but I think I found what it wants. I need to rework my master for my tails and come up with a better way to attach the tail to the body. It wants to twist a bit as it's swimming. I'm going to mess around some more with the weights and then build another. What kind of weights are you guys using to put into the bodies? Are they readily available or are you making your own? Here's a quick little video of it in the tub. Let me know what you guys think so far.

Thanks for the tip on bending the screw eyes up. I already have an issue with too much epoxy buildup in the holes so I am going to have to use the dremel and clean them out a bit. That issue right already has me rethinking my connection method. I really like the ease of using the pins for the joint so I'm going to have to see what it takes to alter the design a bit. I'm just trying to get my prototypes made with Balsa since it's so much easier to shape. I will be going to some other material that will enable me to produce baits from a mold eventually. At least that's the plan. I'd rather spend my time doing the assembly and painting. I'm going to fish a few of these and see if they hold up. I'm going to drill and epoxy in hand twisted screw eyes and a line tie along with the joint hardware. We'll see if they hold up or not. I don't plan on using these for Big bass. I don't live in So. Cal any more but I do miss the bass fishing. I like to fish big worms myself. Eventually I'm hoping these will be tough enough to target some nice bass. I'll be targeting Big Trout with them.

There is a small bit of up and down play. I'm not sure how to limit the up and down play with out a crimp of some kind and a stop but I'm so new to this I haven't a clue how to do it. I saw the beads but they would have to be really small to fit in the hole but have a larger diameter hole for the nail. I hope it's not a factor. "Jointed deep diving balsa suspender for your first lure!" Yeah I know. I'm sure I'm biting off more than I can chew for a first attempt. After looking at all your nice lures here I thought I'd jump right into the deep end instead of wading in. I'm sealing it right now and later I'll be installing the screw eyes and pins. Thanks for all the nice comments. I'll report in once I get it in the water.

Here's my first attempt at a jointed lure. Actually it's my first attempt at making a lure of any kind. It's 6-1/4 inches. I used the screw eye pin joint technique to assemble it and to see how things fit. I drilled out the channels where the screw eyes fit into the pin body with a dremel and make a wide side to side hole. The lure has a nice seductive wiggle but the tail section wants to bind up on occasion regardless of the distance between the joints. I cut the joints out to about 1/8" from being through and drilled all my holes for pins and screw eyes before shaping. After shaping I had allot of trouble trying to cut the joints out cleanly so I went and bought a coping saw to finish the cuts. I think the coping saw will be easier to finish the cuts. The bandsaw had a mind of it's own when I tried to finish cutting the joints. I've learned allot so far as what to do and what not to do. I was wondering how to seal the inside holes with the Devcon 2 ton/Den. Alcohol before I try to swim the bait. I was thinking about using a Q-tip and applying the epoxy that way so I can make sure to remove the excess. I'm just trying to figure out how long I want the bill to be. I cut one but it seems a bit long. I want this to dive to around 6-10 feet and have an almost neutral bouyancy. Any ideas you might have on any aspect of this lure would be greatly appreciated.