littleriver

I fish with nothing but live bait myself. Wonder if it's legal to fish with three goldfish on trebles rigged on an "A" rig in TN. I'll get back with you on that one.

Any chance of a pic?

I have thought about making one. Just seems like over kill for a handful of bait at a time. Then again, if one kept some wood blocks in the thing it could sand one at a time.

Thanks Ben for the description. It leaves no room for doubt on tapping. I was wondering myself if the can was left upside down or not. Now I know. All I need now is some DN. Thanks Vic

Jay , You carve and sand till both sides look the same. Simple as that. Vic

Bob is right about the sanding sealer being waxy. I have done a few nudies using this and everywhere the bait is dinged one can see the separation of layers. I know some commercial builders who make large lots of flat sided balsa baits use the sanding sealer. Often making hundreds of baits at a time. They use a concrete mixer to sand the lures smooth. Just the tumbling action of the lures rubbing each other sands them smooth. Remove lures and dust. Put the lures back in mixed with some deft sanding sealer and let them tumble some with the sealer this time. I have never done this but have been told this works pretty well.

Thanks Nugene This lighter material will be useful on my smaller baits. Ben Thanks for looking. I was not having any luck either till today. Vic

Juice, I had many baits bubble while using sanding sealer"deft" and heat. Not sure if it just was not dry enough before painting or what exactly. Sounds like your doing something right with it so far. But one local builder told me he never applied the stuff except when the humidity was below a certain level . He had several baits bubble while his customers where fishing them on a hot boat. Seems the humidity is at it's lowest point in the mornings after the dew has fallen. Least likely to trap any moisture at this time of day. littleriver

It could be your line tie point need to be adjusted. The water passing over the lip is what makes the bait wiggle. If the tie point is off center, then the bait will turn and travel off center. It does this because their is more pressure on one side of the bill than the other because your line tie is off center. Depending on which way the lure is turning will determine the direction one will need to bend the line tie. This is often referred to as "tuning". Most handmade crankbaits require some level of tuning. Littleriver

I think it is something that comes with practice. That is why carving every bait is a good practice. I look at my baits from many angles several times through the process. Sometimes it is easier to feel subtle differences with your hands than see them. I believe it is something one must like to do. Honestly, my favorite part of the build. Little by little Littleriver