TightLinez

What do you guys do to help prevent hairs and other little annoyances sticking to your bait as you're painting? If you miss one and let the paint set up, what is the best way to get it out without too much harm to the paint? I usually don't see them until I heatset and they don't come off very easily

Vented?

Thanks guys. What I'm painting is actually Xbox 360 controllers. You'd be amazed at how busy I stay with orders. I don't really mind brushing the Etex on, the issue is finding a way to turn the controller while it cures. It is in 2 pieces and I can just barely grab onto a small piece of plastic with a vise grip or exacto knife handle. My lure turner is the basic two discs with hooks all around them, and rubberbands/paper clips that suspend the lure between the discs. Due to the shape and lack of things to hook onto, that method doesn't work with the controller halves. Last night I had to spin the controller by hand for 2hrs, and that won't work for me! Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you, Jordan

I am looking for a spray clear, but I really don't want to deal with the hassle of DN. Obviously aerosol spray never works, and I've had good results with Etex in the past when brushing it. Has anyone been able to thin it with denatured alcohol or something and spray it through a paint gun? This isn't actually for baits, and the item I'm painting won't work with my lure turner. If not, I may have to bite the bullet and get some auto clear... Thank you!

Thanks guys. Another question- are you doing anything before clearing it like heat setting or spraying a clear over it? I noticed some wrinkling on one of my lures so I sprayed some Krylon clear on another and it seemed to prevent the wrinkling. Is there a better way with this stuff?

Been using this stuff for a couple weeks and love it. Has anyone had problems with that last drip? If I do a bait that doesn't come to a point at the end, that last little drip won't.......drip! This will be a big problem if I start doing more baits without hook hangers on the end like swimbait sections. Any suggestions????

Listen to Mark on this one. I've tried them all and nothing is easier than the Target Coatings, and it looks GREAT. (I think it's on sale right now too). Thanks again to Mark and the others who brought this stuff to my attention. Jordan

Can't wait to see it. I've got a 5"- 3pc. swimbait that swims VERY well (Mattlures Hardgill), so I know it's definitely possible.

Thanks John. I remember the 90* thing and it made me think about all the other swimbaits I had. After looking at the swimming actions of them, the 90* is something I'm definitely shooting for. I'll keep an eye out for a band saw and I'll be sure to thin that nose down a bit!

Started my FIRST swimbait today (actually my first any-bait). It's going to be a 4" bluegill imitation. I know it's kind of small for my first one, but I drew everything out and it all looks good. I've got all the measurements for making a 4pc. and a 3pc. one, but I haven't decided which one I'm going to do....... OK both. Now, if I could just get my hands on a scroll saw, a spindle sander, a miter saw..... Thanks again for all the help guys. I've got CA Delta's tut printed out and John's video handy. I'm sure I'll look at them a million times during the process! You like my little bluegill drawing there? I was getting a little tired at 3am and decided to doodle for a little bit.

Nice man. In order to pay for school, I stripe (paint) parking lots. We mix all the paint- oil and latex, in an enclosed trailer. On top of that we have to add toluene to thin the oil paint out. You wanna talk about loopy!

Will do man. Thanks for all the help. Guys like you, CA Delta, John Hopkins, and other people make the process a lot easier for the newbies. We can learn from your mistakes instead of ours...... but I'll still make a bunch the first time around.

Thanks Dave! What if I just made it a 3 piece bait though? Have you made many 2 joint baits, if so, do they still have a good swimming motion? The saltwater thing is a great idea . I'm going to go do it now........

As if you haven't helped me enough already! I've watched your video 3 times and you did a great job. If anyone was thinking about getting into swimbaits, GET JOHN"S VIDEO. How big do you make the head section compared to the other sections? Let's say I made a 5"- 4pc. bait. Should the head be 2" and the other sections be 1"? By the way, I don't know if I missed it, but did you mention how to cut the slots for the fins and how deep? Thank you!

So I've almost got all the supplies to start my first swimbait. I've got my PVC trim board (crap is expensive! ), eye screws, pins, epoxy, yadda yadda yadda...... For my line tie, hook hangers, and hinges, can I just drill a pilot hole, put some epoxy in it, and screw the eye screw in, or will they pull out? Where do you guys get the rolls of pencil lead or whatever else you use for the ballast? What ratio do you guys use for your segments? I know the head is generally larger, but are the other sections the same size as each other? What should I use for my pins? I've got some small steel brad nails that are the perfect size. Also, my eye screws are zinc- are they too weak or will they rust? If you guys could help me out I'd REALLY appreciate it!!!!