RickJames

Thanks again everyone, I like the half off at Hobby Lobby Rookie- Thanks..loI I was actually just crunching the #'s and I do think that will be the route I will be taking. Its alot of money but at half the price you cant beat it. Also I live near Alumilite Factory so regular ground shipping is next day for me which makes it nice because Im impatient. haha. A little off topic but Im new to the molds/casting thing and was curious how you know when the mold is no longer good anymore? 40-50 casts then it starts to crumble/crack? Thanks again, Rick

Thanks for the suggestions I will look into it and I like the vaccuum Idea too! I will definitely give that a try. Thanks again, RIck

Hey guys, Just was looking for some opinions on the best RTV for the money? Ive been using Alumilite and really like it but it seems pricy to me. Its not mad when your making smaller lures but when you make a 10" musky lure and need 4lbs of rtv at $29 a lbs. it gets a little expensive for me. The nice thing about the Alumilite is you dont need a vaccuum , which i do not have anyways. Thanks for any suggestions, Rick

Lots of GREAT ideas fellas, I appreciate everyone of them!! I have not had the time to get in the garage in the past few days, but when I do, I will try to make something. Thanks! Rick

Thanks Dave for spending the time combining that together. I will give that a try before I spend any more money trying to make a different jig, considering I have all the supplies you list. I'll keep everyone posted on the results. Thanks again, Rick

Thanks guys for the tips. I do remember reading a post from VodkaMan on his bondo jig he made, Ill have to dig that one up again. If I do come up with something worth sharing I will let everyone know here on the site. I had a feeling a custom jig was going to have to be made to accomplish this. Everyone's suggestions helps., Thanks again, Rick @BobP-- How do you use a piece of bendable plastic to mark the slot? Ive tried using thick paper to bend around the nose of the bait to pencil in a line for the slot. Seems to work ok. Thanks

Hey guys, Im usually just a lurker on the site and usually find all the answers to my questions in the search engine. lol. But....Im stumped... Ive been making a few solid resin crankbaits but Im having trouble cutting the slot square to the lure. I use my bandsaw and "eyeball" the slot but it takes ALOT of time for me and patience. Its not easy trying to cut a square slot on a rounded body. I know its ALOT easier cutting the slot on a table saw when the Wood is still a blank but thats not the case in my situation. I didnt want to add a slot to my mold since I enjoy playing around with different angles of the slot and placements. Im sure somebody, thats alot smarter than me, has thought of a solution to this problem. If anyone has any suggestions it would be much appreciated while I still have hair left on my head. lol Thanks all, Rick

omg! lmao. I wish I had more time to write a reply but Im heading out the door for work. That is tooo funny!!!!!! I aslo have coffee on my computer screen too now. lol

Lookin good!!

Measure exact,mix well (atleast 2 minutes)and apply with a brush. Turn on a drying wheel for 8 or so hours. Use the search engine and youll find TONS of info. This topic has because discussed countless times! good luck! Rick

Well alot of the questions you asked seem to come down to personal preference.IMO. I like to make my lures with .062 thru wire and 100lb+ swivels for the belly. If you making jerkbaits I would use .092 screw eyes they will hold up just fine. I epoxy them into the bait to add strength.

Looks great! NIce work!!!

Great advice Mark, Thank you! -Rick

Sweet! I'll take look, thank you!

Hey guys- Been thinking of adding another airbrush to my collection. I have an Iwata CR at the moment. Im thinking of getting an airbrush that can hold more paint that wont get wasted if I dont use it all. (like the ones the createx bottles plug right into). I have to keep filling up the my airbrush when Im painting multiple baits at one time. Ive been painting around 20 musky lures all at once. Does anyone have a favorite that they use? Thanks for any suggestions! ps. Still havent figured out the dang ETEX problem Im having neither...Not sure what Im going to do about that yet.

Thanks guys for all the replys. I just finished adding a duplicator to my lathe. So when I spin some more lures out I will give you a heads up on the results. Im thinking (hoping) I just had a bad batch of etex. I did recoat the oily lures with the new stuff but ended up with the same results. So Im hoping its only because of the old etex. Its weird..the lures almost seem wet, like they sweat, even a day later.. lol I dunno. I wish I could show you guys. In the meen time I also bought 5 large D2T. lol Thanks again, Rick

Thank you fir your reply, Please excuse my ignorance:?. So your saying that the mix is not TRULY a 50/50 mix at a small amount by weight? Since the resin and the hardener are measured at two different weights.So obviously the one weighs more than the other, but have the same volume, Correct? Thank you much,

No offense takin! I appreciate the reply. Now that you said that, you have me thinking. Within 10 min it setup way to much to even try and spread it. Ive read TONS of posts on Etex on this site. I will usually search for my question before I ask it. More than one person alloIws there Etex to sit for 10 or so minutes before applying. Theres no way I could do that. I have a feelin its the medicine cups too. Should 24 hrs be plenty enough time for the etex to set enough to handle the lure? Ive let my last lures sit for 2 days without touching them. As soon as it do, it fogs the clear coat and the "shine" is gone. leaving a oily slippery feeling on the lure and me hands.lol..jeez

No you cannot dry it that way. Heat makes the Etex VERY watery and it will just drip off of your lure. A drying wheel is a must.Good Luck!

Hey guys, Well Ive never received a reply from Etex. So I purchaesd a new batch from a different store about an HOUR drive away from the previous one. I mixed/applied everything VERY carefully and I got the.....SAME RESULTS!... So Im thinking its something Im doing on my end. Im going to start changing things one by one. Process of elimination. I mixed the etex on some tin foil today and not my usual medicine cups. Maybe the medicine cups have some type of oily film on them from the manufacturer? Im keeping my fingers crossed that this is the problem. Besides that, im clueless..........How annoying.....

Thanks Paul. I did read your post somewhere else after i posted my question. My apologies. I did mix a batch up today stirring for 5min and letting it stand for around 10 min. Its seems that the finish is going to turn out ok. The only problem I had was the etex was setting up WAY to fast and it was like applying cement. I hit it with my heat gun and it loosened up enough to aply an even finish. Also, thanks for the picture, thats EXACTLY was my baits look like. Rick ps. nice lookin lures too bud:yay: