SlowFISH

+1

That is cool.... I had been toying with making a pneumatic clamp - but this is probably more useful as I can use it for other things as well. Thanks for sharing! FYI - there is even a Harbor Freight version of this thing for 129 - granted 3/4 of the stuff you buy from there you regret 2 uses later - but might be worth a look considering with a 20% coupon your now talking about $105. J.

IIRC some Abu Garcia's use a "fiber" type board in the cast control knobs as well - reddish brown in color. Look at the Revo series reels (Premier/STX/etc) Gen 1s. J.

You can also buy "Soft Jaws" - I have a set that are a soft plastic with magnets in them.... so you can put them in place over the steel jaws and quickly remove if you really need to crank down on something. J. Cheap on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Yost-UP360-Universal-Prism-Style/dp/B01EVQH42U/ref=pd_sbs_469_t_2/145-6823576-1110565?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01EVQH42U&pd_rd_r=82440357-91fc-46f3-9a72-69b8f02623e8&pd_rd_w=HCsSN&pd_rd_wg=836hN&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=GESA0MB3A2SF04868N93&psc=1&refRID=GESA0MB3A2SF04868N93

If the second coat of epoxy is going on nicely - it sort of points out that there is an incompatibility of the last coat you're spraying and the epoxy. It doesn't matter how you apply the epoxy, finger, brush, pour it on.... if those two surfaces doesn't like each other it will always fish eye/ripple. I'd recommend trying to spray an acrylic clear coat over the entire bait. Let it dry for a good 24 hours - then epoxy. Don't touch the surface before epoxy and don't even wipe it down with anything... blow air across it if you feel the need to clean it. That has helped me..... I still get spots here and there... but it's drastically improved the finish. J.

I get same issue at times when building rods and laying down the label/stickers.... oils and contamination is the issue. After ALOT of trial and error.. more error... and research.... Marks response above is you're best bet.... spray a clearcoat (could even be krylon from a can if that's compatible with your paint) - let it dry then epoxy - use a clean brush to apply. That has been working for me. Do NOT wipe down with alcohol or a paper towel to "get stuff off".... I found alcohol can cause issues as well as the glues in paper towels. J.

I don't like to coat the bills... so... it's time consuming but i wet sand them down with a really fine grit (1000-2000 - higher the better) then use a plastic polish (Novis) to polish them up nice and clear by hand. I then mask them when coating the rest of the lure. I wouldn't do this for production as it's time consuming... I usually watch football in my basement as I polish the lips.... but for the 10-20 blanks I paint each year it works well and keeps me from having to dip the lips - increasing their thickness. J.

Appreciate you responses Dave.... the cliff notes help! J.

Might wanna take a look at Jacobs.... they are at least pneumatic powered.... cost a lot lest that a big auto machine... not sure about shipping to Australia. http://stores.jacobsbaits.com/injection-machines/

Little more info on the bait I dissected... B1 is the large ballast and fixed in placement - it weighed 2.1 Grams B2 is a "rattling" ballast - able to move back and forth laterally across the bait - .095 grams B3 was a very small ballast weight... did not remove it - but couldn't be more than - .1 -. 2 grams at most. The bait is 86mm long - measuring tail (not hanger) to end of lip - the lip is approx 27mm in length.

Hey Guys - Starting to lineup my winter projects!!! So on top of new softbaits, kayak mods and everything else in life - I felt the needed to take a crack at the "hunting" crank bait. While I like to think I have a very technically sound understand of engineering principals... half of Dave's posts started to go over my head!! LOL!!! Being a more visual person.... I put together a small diagram based on a crankbait that I cut in half. Figured I'd start with something that's know to work perfectly - then see what I can do to screw it up!! Just looking for a little feedback regarding if I've read the posts/assumptions correctly and if I'm heading in the proper direction. I would like to utilize a deep diving bill... which from what I read could be more of a challenge - I may back off that a bit and angle it down a little - but if at all possible I'd like to make this bait dive down a solid 8 feet. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. My plan is to CAD up this bait and run the halves in ABS through a 3D printer. Thinking about screwing the halves together at first which will allow me to open/move the ballast around as necessary.... might even make the lips attach in a manner I can just remove/replace as well instead of trimming so I can be more precise in knowing how much I've taken off, etc. Plus I can just run a bunch in the machine and know exactly what is different on each. Any feedback would be great and when I get further along through the fall/winter I'll post up my progress. Thanks! J.

You could even use metal... I have a bunch of Arborgast Mud Bugs with huge steel lips that are thin (guessing no thicker than .02").... Those baits really thump when you get them moving.... and cut through weeds nicely! J.

+1 = warm/heat that mold up - that should help and I'd do that first before touching anything. Maybe also shoot you plastic a little hotter as well. If you need to open up the vents - I'd suggest clamping mold shut - then using a reasonable size drill bit to drill down the current vent hole BUT - do not go into the cavity - stop to about 1/8" - 1/4" from the cavity. You can then use a file to open the vent little by little till it works. MUCH easier to file open 1/8" - 1/4" of material away than the whole long vent. I'd make the last vent on tail the largest. Between heating and opening up the vent - you'll fix that mold. J.

Now that's funny! You think it ships free with prime? J.

This is the one I have.... some of the ads call it vintage (LOL)... it's the VL model... old but works. It's a little bit more than the cheap chinese made ones... but not near the cost of a Iwata. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Paasche-VL-Airbrush-Set-in-Original-Box-No-16071/264467608310?epid=2164372332&hash=item3d937f72f6:g:etwAAOSwNx5df6iy https://www.ebay.com/itm/PAASCHE-AIRBRUSH-SET-VL-FOR-CRAFTSMEN-HOBBYISTS-PASTRY-ARTIST-CERAMICISTS/303283783814?hash=item469d1f4886:g:g3kAAOSwB8xdXtdo

I have both an Iwata Eclipse and and old Paasche (I think I got it for X-Mas in 1990). I found the Iwata to work really well doing fine details and feathering out light areas - but would need the paint to be just right (not to thick/not too thin) as it has a smaller tip diameter. My old Paasche I have the .5mm tip and I can put almost anything through it provided it isn't thick like glue! If you'r just doing very basic shading on a bait (base coat on sides / a top-back coat / a belly coat-color) and using stencils for small/fine details like striping/eyes - a basic airbrush with a bigger diameter tip will work for most of what you need - and provided you clean it when done - should work maintenance free. If your trying to very light/fine details and such - the smaller tip brush will work better like found on Iwata and other brands - but you'll have to be more precise with your paint viscosity and pressures, etc. You'll also need to be more diligent about cleaning and be careful with the needle/tip as drop it once the floor can/will ruin it (I speak from experience). For the majority of what I do - the old Paasche with a big tip works great... I even have my 8 year old use it to paint his pinewood derby car.... it's that friendly. J.

I've been using Stainless Steel cups - small ones similar to the condiments but a little bigger. Stainless keeps epoxy cool (longer time to apply) and after use - wipe once with paper towel to get majority of epoxy out - then a few drops of acetone and wipe again clean. I bought 5 figuring I'd ruin them quick - still using first one - no issues if you clean it before it hardens. J. https://www.mcmaster.com/1811t43

+1 - I do the same... great tip.

Where was this suggestion when I was beating my head like crazy!!! LOL!! Nice tip - makes alot of sense! J.

I've made quite a few swimbait molds with tails like that - getting the air out of the tails is a major PITA. Granted - they look great and work great - but are hit and miss on bubbles right where you're getting it. I found that the closer the angle of the tail edge (the edge your getting the bubbles on) is to 90 degrees from the mold split - the more trapped bubbles you'll get. Pretty sure it has to do with air getting trapped further up in the tail - and then not being pushed out fully before the cavity fills below it and seals off. That mold looks like the tail is pretty close to 90 degrees and is deep/wide... so I think you might have challenges with it no matter what you try. If you can't get them out with process (as others have mentioned above) - maybe add a few small vents in the tail and see if that helps the air push out. On a few of the mold I've made - I carved HUGE vents - almost more like appendages - to let the air/plastic migrate out of the tail - and then just trim them off. But I only make stuff on an hobby (personal level) so don't care about that extra work. J.

Same here - I keep all old stuff / used stuff / etc in a plastic bag and melt it down when I'm testing out a new mold to aviod wasting new plastic - this way if I waste it or whatever who cares. It is comical though no matter how may colors you mix you always get brown in the end! J.

I see your time listed - but if your not checking temp each time you stir - you should be. That will help you judge time/power. J.

I think the "expiration" on alot of these curable resins is based on tow factors - 1 - how well it performs - which I could see some drop off over time - but for many many many things isn't a big deal and the second - suppliers wanting to sell product. I needed to reinforce something and wanted to use fiberglass to back the repair... found two quarts of epoxy resin in my shed which had to be atleast 4-5 years old - if not more... last time I can remember making something with it I lived in another house which was 4 years ago!!! It worked just fine... granted I probably wouldn't have used it for a structural application where you could hurt someone - but for what I needed it worked fine.... J.

Where can i purchase this and is there a TU discount? LOL!!

Bryan - Your 100% correct 350 in the middle only isn't cooked enough.... BUT - your clearly missing my point..... if you're heating in a micro you CAN'T stir while it's heating... so you can easily see 20-30 degrees hotter in the center than the top/side when you first remove it... so by understanding how hot the center is when you first remove the cup you can judge how long you can keep it in the micro without scorching the center. Meaning once I start to see 340-350 on the center - I cook it less and less (time wise) after removing and stirring... IF you use IR or stir first and measure you can easily over cook that center point by alot - even though you might only be 320 (after stirring). WIth dark colors you probably don't notice... with clear/light stuff you'll see it brown in the center (when over cooked) then tint the whole cup (brownish) instantly once stirred - and you might still not be at 350 yet (whole cup temp). Again - not saying IR doesn't work.... I use IR on my presto pots with stirrers if I 'm cooking a big batch - but with micros and smaller batches (1 cup) I found the digital thermos worked better for me.... J.