motomania

I've been dipping baits in ac1315 for a few weeks now. Curing them in a hotbox/oven really seems to help the curing process. - My oven is just a plastic milk crate lined with foil; and a piece of foil running halfway down the front.(kinda like a foil curtain) and a 50 watt ceramic heat emitter for reptiles; helps maintain about 110 in my makeshift oven. Making the foil 'curtain'/front door of the oven easily increases temps.(careful, hotter temps swell/split baits) Threaded rods running the width of the box work great to hang baits in. - I had a couple baits that initially wrinkled the createx I used on them. Then I recalled what was mentioned in this thread about dipping them quick. So I dip my baits in the ac1315; only quick enough to coat the bait; quickly yank it from the dip; then take a hair dryer on low, just to quickly blow off the excess ac1315; leaving a super thin coat of sealer behind. Then I hang them in my makeshift 'oven' to cure. - It seems that first, super quick dip and hair dryer blast of hot or cold air; knocks the excess ac1315 off the paint; so the sealer doesn't have a chance to left/wrinkle the paint underneath. I use this method on the first couple coats; then dip them and leave a slightly thicker glaze on the bait, the last couple coatings. - And yes, you can paint over the ac1315 then redip without issue. - I think I like the ac1315 better than the GST. I'm having a heckuva time getting the GST to fully cure, no matter what I try.:-(

I haven't been messing with making tackle for quite some time; family obligations got in the way. - But, I hope to get back to it shortly; and this thread and the hopes of a simpler topcoat has me excited. - I read the whole thread, and thanks to everyone for the wealth of info........I didn't see this mentioned previously; but for the guys using rattle can base coat; try a lacquer based product. - I like to use a spray can base coat if I can. And since GST was lacquer based; I figured a lacquer based spray paint should be a good option. As I imagine; 2 lacquer based products should play well together? - And indeed they do. Walmart and Home Depot carry white, black and clear lacquer spray paint. (I can't think of the name brand at the moment) But they work great as a base coat. Dips wonderfully in gst without a single wrinkle or adverse effect. - The dry time for me and the GST has me a bit impatient; so I'm gonna give the ole ac1315 a try too.

Our Hobby Lobby had the Alumiliate Casting kits, so I picked up one of those (with a 40% off coupon too! ) and I'm gonna stop by the hobby shop tonight and grab some (a bottle?) microballoons. - I guess the trick will be to get the correct amount of microballoons mixed in, for the buoyancy/density I'm after. Hopefully tonight/this weekend I can mess with it. (fingers crossed)

- Holy Moly Dave! That is EXACTLY what I'm after! You're the best, thanks a million!

- Ooops, didn't see your reply there Dave. - I'm looking for something that would be a similar density to PVC millwork. Basswood was a bit too dense. I hadn't tried balsa though. And I stumbled on the ole PVC millwork stuff, and it was jjjjussst right!

Mixed viscosity: 100 cps (Almost water thin) Color: Off White Work life: 3 minutes@70F Demold time: 7 - 10 Minutes@70F Hardness: 75 Shore D (Very hard) Flexural Strength 2700psi Tensile Strength 2800psi Dielectric Strength >400 volts per .001" Specific Gravity 1.05 Specific Volume 26.5 cubic inches per pound - This may be more helpful, with specific gravity listed. Me thinks that means it is NOT buoyant? - But, power mixing may introduce air bubbles? And, if they suspend, that could aid buoyancy? (Some big IF's here)

- Thanks Dave, that's exactly what I was after. I was thinking some type of resin; but the expanding foam idea is a good thought too! - I found some casting resin that is affordable, looks easy to work with, and it states will harden to a similar consistency as PVC. Here's some info they gave too, but it's a foreign language to me ; any idea if this stuff would be buoyant? - Shore Hardness: 75D Tensile Strength: 2700psi Flexural Strength: 2700psi Mix Ratio: 1:1 by volume Color: Off -white Work Life: 3 minutes Demold Time: 7-10 minutes

Just doing some thinking (scary, I know) and was curious if there is some type of material/epoxy out there that can be poured into a mold, and when dries, is durable, paintable and buoyant? - I've carved a few swimbaits/wakebaits out of basswood and PVC. A few turned out great, others; pretty crappy. I actually tried to make a couple identical to each other; but they don't seem to float or perform the same as each other. - My thoughts were to make a mold of the ones that swam perfectly, and try to make a few very close duplicates. BUT.................here's the catch...................I would like the material to be able to be poured into a mold (before curing of course), be buoyant, and durable enough to attach hardware when finished. Does anyone know of any such magic material out there? - (I love working wih PVC millwork, so that kind of consistency of a products' end result would be ideal) - I'm just making these baits for myself, so when they're finished, if they're a little rough around the edges; that's fine with me. - If anyone even has any thoughts or ideas; feel free to comment! - Thanks in Advance! Douglas

- Oh yah Dave, you were reading my mind! That redfin bite is a blast. I thought about making a skinnier one and putting a feathered treble on the tail for just that reason. (and it'll ensure those pesky short strikers will come aboard with me!)

UPDATE: - Got her dialed in. Thanks a million for all the tips. I tried a bit of everything, and things slowly improved with each tip someone offered! - I started out by adding some weight to the hooks. Every once in a while, I'd get some wobble, although not consistently; but I saw some improvement. Added a bit more weight, and that zapped the progress. I went back to the first amount of weight used. (which I love the added weight, extra distance on a cast!) - Next thing I did was using double sided tape, I cut out the largest lip possible from plano box dividers. This started giving me a little more consistent action at different speeds. Even better,............... more progress. - Before tearing into the bait and cutting it up or drilling into yet; I took a long hard look at the other wakebaits I have (And Johns' rat pic! ), to look for a common feature I was missing. It seemed they all had MUCH narrower bills at the top, where the bill meets the bait. So I dremeled down the corners at the bait, so it was more triangular. (I think this was mentioned by others too) This yielded even MORE results........almost where I'd like it. - The last thing I did was moved the line tie/tow eye right up to the bill. When I tested it, I literally said, "Holy Crap!" It started to swim/wobble something crazy.............crazy good! - So I trimmed down the overall height of the bill to see how little I could get by with, but still have decent action. - I've got it where I'm thrilled with it, as I plan on making a few more and experiment a bit with them. So I'll leave this one where it is. It's got a nice wobble which really gets the floating tail zig-zaggin'. - I'll try and get some pix of the final chnges for reference. In case someone searches in the future. (as I searched myself before posting, but couldn't quite find what I was after) - Thanks again everyone!

- Great info JR, hopefully this weekend I'll get to tinker with it a bit more.

- Hey Dave, i didn't realize you were over here too? (From OAF) - No weight in the body currently. Everyones got great ideas I'll tap into in the next few days. I was just afraid I may have a new door stop on my hands; sounds like there's hope yet. And, I don't mind boogering the bait up a bit to get it dialed in, it is my first crack at it, so I should've waited to paint it. I think cabin fever got me. And the moment where I said to myself, "Hey.....this is starting to look like something!" Then I go a bit antsy to add detail. (DOH!)

Thanks for the replys guys! - Dave, you think it should actually ride 'lower' in the water? And does the weight need to be equally distributed? I was hoping it would wake, and was thinking maybe the nose needs to be up outta the water. (thinking I could add a bit more weight to the rear of the 1st section) - Nice rat bait there John! Yah, I have a floating worm on the tail held in with a Hitchhiker. Definitely some lessons learned along the way. Now when you guys test baits in water before painting, do you at least seal them first to avoid any water from causing issues to the bare wood? Or are they not in contact with the water long enough for it to be an issue? Keep the info coming guys, I greatly appreciate it!

Oops! Here's a front pic showing the bill.......if that helps. - And here's a pic of what the Nezumma Rat looks like. It was supposed to be in the orginal post where the 'calfishing' thing is. But it did not upload correctly. Sorry, I have no affiliation with calfishing. Not trying to advertise for them or anything. (DOH!)

This is one of those projects that I just started on a whim, with not much planning, and it may have caught up with me. Hopefully I just don't have a fancy bobber. - I was fiddling around with some Basswood, and was going to make a Nezumma Rat kinda bait. Never working with wood, I may have met my match. I used stainless hardware, the 2nd section has plenty of play in it, and it has a lexan bill. (excuse the epoxy on the bill) The bait weighs about 1 and 3/4 ounces. So I could add a little weight if needed. - My dilemma is that the bait is buoyant enough, but after putting the bill on, it floats level in the water, but the waterline is just above the line tie/below the eyes. And on the retrieve, it only occasionally wobbles, at varying speeds. But, not consistently. I was hoping for a nice left/right wake on a slow retrive that would wiggle the tail. - Here's some pix of it, if anyone sees any obvious flaws in the design, please speak up; I'm new at the wood bait thing.

-I agree, it looks very cool. I hope to give it a whirl this weekend myself. - (also, for anyone wondering about the 'contraption' (or maybe it was just me), I picked one up at Harbor Freight for $3. Hopefully it'll get a workout this weekend. )

-\ Yah, I googled 'em, and quite a few came up. Good call on the electronics store. I'll definitely be stopping by one! - Back on topic! Thanks for posting this too Dan. I was wondering how to paint those cool scales I've seen around. - (And that's what they're listed under on Harbor Freights site too, just found 'em! )

- I thought I saw something like that there before, but searching their site; I'm coming up empty. - Would it be called anything else? (we have a Harbor Freight 10 minutes from my house, so that would be nice if they carried something like that)

Gret looking scales Dan! I'm gonna have to give that a shot! - A bit off topic, but on the 'lure painting tutorial part3' about painting fish eyes, look at about the 50 second-1 minute mark. That metal contraption with the clips on it to hold the baits is pretty nice. Not sure if that's mostly homemade, but could anyone point me in the direction to find something similar? - I'm not real happy with what I've got now to hold my baits.

Nice price for that combo whittler! That top feed airbrush is definitely the way to go starting out. I only use a few drops of color for each bait, so just dripping in a bit at time, is the way to go. - With a little patience, and trial-and-error; you'll be addicted. - I bought a spiral bound notebook to practice shooting color, drawing lines and shapes on before I got painting baits. I had never even touched an airbrush before, and have NO artisitic ability. - Read everything you can about airbrushing, and also checkout some of the videos on youtube; you'll learn a lot. Before you know it, you'll impress yourself!

I actually just use the cheap Ya'll-Mart super glue. And have no problems with clearing using D2T and DN. I only use a drop of super glue big enough that when the eye is pressed on, it will only cover about half the surface area on the back of the eye (about the size of the tip of a toothpick). All that to say, a VERY tiny drop. But it'll hold it fine to clear, and it never shows.

- Thanks for all the info guys; looks like I've got a few other things to try!

- Thanks for the reply's Bob and rotor, I do appreciate it! - But, here's another question. Does just the clear Createx over the base coats protect the base colors when scale masking? - The reason I brought up the Deft under the DN, is that I like to spray a base color or 2, then spray scales over the base colors. But, the problem I've had, is that when clamping the scale masking to the bait, (even if I spray some clear Createx over the base colors) the scale masking or the different style clips I've tried to hold the masking with, can scratch the base color. - So my thoughts were to dip the bait in the Deft after the base coats, let it dry; then clip on the scale masking for scale work.

I certainly agree on matching up all the parts; as I think my problem might be making more sense. - I had a chance to call Badger and they were very helpful. I can't help but think, that the medium needle package I bought, may not actually have had a medium needle in the pack; it actually looks quite a bit larger than the Fine. I'm gonna swing by the hobby shop tomorrow, bring my airbrush, Fine and New needle; and compare. - Tha packages are not really sealed, and someone could've bought the pack and swapped out a large needle for the medium; only to return. I hope to know more about this tomorrow evening. (fingers crossed)

Thanks Bob, - I have a Medium and Fine Head Assembly (tip) and needle. But, the Medium needle won't fit in the Needle Chuck in the back or the tube shank. Which leads me to believe I would need those parts also to use the Medium Needle? Unless I just use the Fine needle in the Medium Head Assembly? - The Fine needle seals at the tip like it does with the Fine Head Assembly, but I'm just not sure how the results will be yet. - And the parts list/websites don't show different sized Needle Chucks/tube shanks? - Maybe it is just a matter of experimentation. I did shoot Badger an e-mail on this too though; so we'll see.