j27

Thanks, I should have worded my question a little better. I was wanting to know how much brushing time per session after you pour some out and how many baits ( 2 to 3 inches) can be done before it gets unusable. I just got some DN and solarez this week. I tapped the can and poured some in the bottom of a soda can and I barely got through the second bait. Is this normal? ( I can normaly get 5 or so with e-tex.)If so, then I need to pour less out. If not, the only other possible explanation is that I didn't clean the bottom of the can good enough. I did use that cup for solarez just before I poured DN and thought I cleaned it well enough. It's possible there was some kind of reaction, maybe? I also didn't like the finish on a bait I did with solarez so I cured it well ( about an hour or so in the sun ) then tried DN on top of the cured solarezed bait, that was catastrophic. Will not try that again. Thanks for your help! John

How much time are you guys getting once you pour DN before it starts to get tacky or how many lures can you brush?

I've use d2t and etex on my PVC baits with excellent results.

I think it's not the same thing. I read a post of someone else that was having problems with it. If you have one where you live try an Ace Hardware , that's where I buy mine!

Great! I have some DN on the way with a can of bloxygen hoping to just dip and store without problems.i had been putting off getting DN until I learned of this method. I didnt know that it was still an issue with the use of bloxygen. I live in S. C. and we have our share of humidity. Is it possible that this post is just a problem with application /technique of using the bloxygen or did I just waste more money? I guess it back to brushing epoxy.

I use d2t to seal mine before painting. I use createx as well and then top coat. No problem.

Jblaze and jwfflipper - this bait is my version of the old GULP plugs. Gulp was made by Jim Harter starting in the 60's. I just tweaked it a bit to my liking. Thanks guys, I'm not using any of the 5 min stuff anymore. Another great piece of advise with the rob bond paste. Never used any of the rod building stuff. It was a concern I had with cutting the lip slot larger and having the epoxy dribble out. The paste sounds like the way to go. I'm going to start look for some, I'm assuming any rod building supplier will have it or is there a particular brand I need to look for? But for now I will have to use D2T, I have friends waiting on this batch I have going now. Thanks to all, John

Here is a picture the guy sent of my bait.

Thanks for all the input guys. Yes i do use through-wire construction with 1/16th lexan. I have used the pinning method but thought it was overkill and was trying to cut out a step, thats what I get for being lazy. I will try changing it up a bit on this next batch, after reading this I'm thinking I may have cut the lip slot a bit to tight. I liked cut them just enough to touch but no so much that you had to press the lip in. Apparently thats not enough epoxy film. I'm also interested in this slot BobP. That sounds better than drilling holes. Would like to know how your cutting those. Are you using a cut off wheel on a dremel tool? Also, are you cutting all the way through the lip or just enough to make a groove to hold epoxy? Thanks TU, John

I'm having a problem with some of my lips coming out of my baits. I make basa flat sided cranks and I'm using lexan lips that I make myself. I use d2t epoxy and sometimes the 5 min epoxy. I'm also drilling two small holes in the lip thinking that it will make a stronger bond to the balsa. I place a good bit of epoxy in the lip slot and also press some in the holes on the lip as well before putting together and wiping away the excess. The baits are about 1 to 1 1/2 years old and have caught many fish. Its only happened to 3 baits so far. Is there something else I can do to help this or is this normal for balsa cranks at that age? Was thinking maybe drill larger diameter holes. Any help with this would be very much appreciated!

Hey Chief, just wondering , but you said in the first post that no swivel or clip was used. Did you ever try swimming it with one. I had that same problem with my first few cranks. I used clips to test them and they ran great and then gave them to a friend. After his first fishing trip he brought them back to me. He said they were running all over the place. I just couldn't believe it, I took them back to the lake to see what was going on. They ran great for me. Got him on the phone right away to investigate and found that he wasn't using a clip. So, I wanted to see this for myself so I took the clip off and tied on direct. The difference was amazing. I was using the clip to change baits faster to test. It was a great eye opener. I have changed the design since then and don't have that problem as much now. I'm curious to know if the swivel or an oval spit ring will help yours. Keep it in the house!!!! John

I make color charts. I took a white board and played around with each color that I wanted to see what I come up with. I made notes beside the ones that I liked. It will teach you alot. I know this is time consuming but you only have to do it one time unless you buy a new color. Its well worth the time and it was fun to do as well. Also to make it look neat, I used tape to make squares on the board.Then you can hang this up and use it for reference.

Looking forward to the results Saltshaker! Thanks for taking one for the team

Thanks Mark, this info helps a bunch, by the way , great job on the Azek crankbaits, that might be my next project. Thanks again, j

Just would like to know what method you guys use to glue/epoxy 3d eyes on balsa crankbaits. I've been painting eyes on and they're just fine but I just wanted to try something different. I have some cranks already painted and ready for topcoating. Do I need to glue the eyes on before or after the top coat? I'm sure that both methods can be used, I just wanted to know what was most common. It seems to me that if you topcoat over the top of them, it would take away some of the 3d look, therefore I was going to go ahead and top coat and then epoxy them on but I wanted to ask first. Also, should I drill an eye socket before glueing them in? Any input would be helpfull on this topic.

If your trying to mix a redish brown, you can use the complimentary color on your color wheel. The complimentary color is straight across the wheel. In this case, the compliment of red is green. You can also use this on any color that you want to dull down, it neutalizes it giving you a brownish color. Just go straight across the color wheel. This does not work in every case, but most of the time it will. I am a wildlife artist and use this method to get more realistic colors found in nature. Not that crankbaits have to be realist colors, but if that is what your after then this works. Also try a green dulled down with just a touch of red. Hope this helps in some way. Good Luck!!!

Clear type milk jug works good for making stencils.

Bob - Perfect , Thanks!!! J

The polyurethane that I tryed never got hard enough, too soft after curing. Good for floors, bad for lures.When I tryed to fish with them the colors got cloudy and the hooks kept sticking in the bait. And thats after they dryed for 2 weeks. There is lots and lots of info on this on TU. I just wished I found TU before I started making cranks, It would have saved me about $30.

Thanks for the Info, I've got a couple of scape blanks that I can do the test on. I'm going to try to compare epoxy and some none mixing types of glues. J.

Great BobP, was looking for that kind of info and couldn't find it in the older forums. Thanks for sharing. I'm going to have to order my ss wire, Ace or anyone else don't have that. Was thinking of ordering the ss wire from Jann's netcraft. They don't specify if its hard or soft tempered. Where do get yours? Ben- Thanks for the input, I did try the super glue for sealing . I liked the results better with the prop. If I just wanted to make one bait I may use it again but I like to do 5 to 10 cranks at a time. What I would like to change is the glue I use to connect the two halves together. I use 5 min epoxy but want something that I don't have to mix without losing the strength that the 5 min epoxy has.