EdL

Talk about way back when. When my grandfather passed away I got his 1951 chevy two door black sedan. He bought it with all the accessaries (back then it was a heater and a vacuum tube radio). If you wanted air conditioning you rolled down the windows. He had the original sales receipt in the glove compartment. He bought it for a whopping $1875. Back then that was a lot of money. Now that just barely covers the paint and top coats I'm into :>)

Are you guys talking about Auto Clear Coats or Amazing Clear Cast resin? Gotta love TLAs or FLAs. My guess is Amazing Clear Cast since your discussion on measuring involves cups and syringes. Might help new guys and some of us "mature" (I refuse to be called an "old _art") to know just what product your discussing. Trying to sort out all the finishes and topcoat brands and products in the brands is almost as challenging as trying to pick out color schemes.

That interesting as I tried to look for whats available in concrete sealers locally. I'd rather pick out a new color of socks. There are so many types of sealers and their specification are so similar but different to make me want to just stay with Devcon 2 ton epoxy. It's also easy to chase 'rabbits' when postings don't call out exactly what product is being discussed. Even Devcon has more than 2 types of epoxy. Oh well, if somebody can figure out what works for them power to them. Meanwhile the chase for the grail continues.

For the line thru thread here is the link: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/22155-swimbait-inserts/?&p=165268&hl=longhorn&fromsearch=1 If this isn't what you're looking for try this: Go to the TU main page that show all the sub forum. Then in the search box enter: longhorn. click on the search icon and then you should get a list of all the thread that longhorn posted or was mentioned. At least you remembered the name of the guy who shared his technique. And yeah I have learned to save the links or if its one I want print the page out as a pdf file for my reference library. I also keep a backup copy of all my files and links on a separate disk in case the computer or hard disc crashes.

Did you check out KBS site for info on application? I read they call for first coat to be thinned 10% to seal when applied to wood. They list ideal temp range 50-82 deg F and moderate to dry conditions. This stuff looks like another possible clear coat but may be a bit tricky to apply.

My Paache VL came with 3 sizes of nozzle/needle combinations. Like Ben and Mark says try the peals with different nozzle/needle sizes (don't mix and match needles and nozzles -just paired sizes) varying the pressures on a practice piece of cardboard or hardboard till you get the brush to spray like you want it. I also do what Ben suggests and clean between color coats even though it may not always be necessary. No use getting near the end of paint job and have the last spray sputter on it.

Interesting that the young man hasn't post a response since the first page of this thread. Bet he went on to other things (hopefully planning on what to get to get started on his business). I think most young folks move on pretty quick after hearing old timers go on about what they know or experienced. If he's ambitious he will likely move on.

Richard, What do you spray with before clear coating?

Welding supply shop and ask for Stainless Steel wire. See what diameters they offer. Depending on size of your bait you may want different sizes.

Besides legal matters to owning a business there will be the other stuff like sales marketing people skills. So while making lures and fishing them is the fun part try to learn all you can in school. Pay attention to math, science and if offered electives like public speaking, finance, and anything that will help you learn skills that will make you a preference over someone else. Like some of what the professional fisherman say - it's more than catching fish. Even if you find out that making lures does not turn out to be where you end up, you could work in the industry and having a well rounded background will provide dividends. Maybe you could start out working in the industry, develop connections, have some money saved and then start your own business.

I would think if you let each coat fully cure between dips then a light sanding or scuffing would be required to promote better bonding. SInce the product is solvent based multiple dips (re-coats) with some dry time between. I only wish I could soak my lures by fishing them for 50 straight hours each. I doing good to get in an 8 hour fishing day.

Good idea. Most of my lures are plastic but do have a couple of old wooden topwater ones (carrot tops) from back in the day. I'll check with the wife to see if she has some of that nail polish or get me some.

Mark- Thanks for the explanation. On plastic baits I don't see the problem. On wooden baits like balsa if the coatings get chipped or damaged where water can penetrate then I would check my baits while using them for damage and quite using it until I can get the bait home for a repair job. (Unless it's getting bit and I reach the limit). I checked HD and Lowes web sites and they offer SIMILIAR products. Some are water based and some are solvent based. Once the coating is fully cured I don't know which would perform better. Would likely depend on surface prep, base coat, etc. Here is where application technique, patience and experience will determine how well it would work for the person using the coating. It will be fun experimenting with this product to see if it works for me.

OK I look at the specifications and it says water repellant not water proof. Also noted the statement to not use where hydrostatic pressure is possible. I read hydrostatic as water pressure. SO-O-O how well will the coat stand up to being submerged in water for a while? TIme will tell

I like the feature - Ease of Use. No two parts to mix or special lights. Gonna have to find me some of this stuff to try. No menards where I live. No top coat is indestructible so its a matter of degrees of toughness. Ease of use makes it possible to repair more often if needed. Its solvent based not water based so lacquer thinner is needed for clean up not soap and water. I have to use this to clean up epoxy spills so no big deal. Thanks for sharing what you found.

The wine is ALL gone. That is a problem. Guess you need to get some more cause the poppers will get swallowed and need to be replaced. Now I've got to save the corks and start whittling too.

Also check out Taxidermy supply sources. This art/craft also uses airbrushes and may have colors you seek.

I googled "soft plastics key lime pie recipe" and got this link: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/topic/11479-key-lime-pie/ looks like this forum back in Jan 29, 2008. Make some up and show us.

Here's an idea- Glue the cutoff and pieces on top of one another to make a nice yard art piece. That way you can recall how you have progressed in lure making as you pull into the driveway. Another use of the "assembly" is to add a weight to the bottom and use it as a fish attractor- but only if it officially allowed on the water's you fish. For me our city re-cycles so I put the remains in the recycle bin.

There are a number of good airbrushes out there. My way of thinking is to pick one that you feel like staying with and using a lot. Next thing you know you get 'the feel' of it and enjoying painting lures or what ever. Every now and then the question comes up "what's the best? and there are many rationales for what is "best" - price, ease of use, airbrush and its parts availability, how much air it uses, what size needles/nozzles there are for the AB, how easy it to clean out and put back together, what kind of paint you plan to use, and never mind what colors. It's easier to pick out a new pickup truck than what airbrush to get. You don't have to spend mega bucks for an airbrush but get one you can afford and use it.

I paint with a H-S Ultra and I like the smooth operation of the valve and it throws out a good stream of paint. Got a good deal on it from a local airbrush shop as a starter brush. I just looked at the Infinity 2 in 1 brush on line at the HS site and it looks like a great brush with features that makes it a strong replacement for when the one I have gets cratered by dropping it on floor. H-S are well made german airbrushes and I would put in the class as Iwata. The only concern I would have is parts as this line of airbrush is not one of the 'common' brands out there.

In addition to what has been advised. Anothe thing is to practice, practice and then some more practice. All with a bit of patience too. Learning to airbrush is something like learning to ride a bicycle. A little rough at first but then you get the hang of it.

Definitely worth the health risk reduction by going with water based paints. If you've mastered petroleum based painting with an airbrush then it seems to me learning to adjust to water based paints, thinning, air pressure adjustments, should be relatively easy for you than than it would be as a beginner painter. I would suggest looking at Createx products (created and auto-air water based). They have colors in opaque and transparent so you can turn out some cool stuff. Not the cheapest but it is good paint and a lot of guys use it. Also use the Search box on this forum (and on the internet for lure painting). Lots of info to absorb.

Like RayburnGuy says most epoxies are mixed by volume of equal parts resin and hardener. The resin has a property called density as well as the hardener. Density is defined in science as unit mass per unit volume. For our purposes mass is close to weight. (no doubt there will be a scientist who will call me out on this). So if you can figure out the weight of resin of say a full bottle of resin and the weight of a full bottle of hardener you can then use weight. Just use the ratio of the weights like Nedyarb. One thing to keep in mind is that if you switch brands of epoxy best check the weights of full bottles of the resin/hardeners your using. There may be differences. I don't use weight as its just easy enough to mix by volume and if I spill some of the stuff (its part of MY work process though not required by others) on a scale then I'm going to have to clean up my scale too. Also if you want to mix batches by weight then you need to have a reasonably accurate scale. By accurate it just needs to have enough resolution (how many digits or marks) so you can compare the two (resin and hardener). I tell young kids to pay attention in science class as it really does have some information you can use after all.

go up to the top of this forum page and enter "John Hopkins DVD" in the search box. You find your answer in one of the listings. The search function on this is a great source of all kinds of information. I have found out answers to questions I hadn't thought of yet. AND you don't have to wait for somebody to answer.