Anglinarcher

bass100, my Solarez gelled up when it got cold to. Both can be slowly heated to bring them back to life. Thanks Jdeee for getting the link for Mark. I was at work all day and did not get a chance to respond.

MSDS sheet is now up and working. Hope it helps.

Yea, cost of shipping some of the stuff is terrible. You might see if your local craft store is going to carry it. I get a lot of my Alumilite stuff from Hobby Lobby and use a 40% off coupon at the same time. LOL

Threads start so fast that you cannot help but start double threads at times. Don't worry about it, you did great.

Casting with materials like Alumilite White or AlumiFoam are NOT brittle either. The density of Alumilite White is a little over 1.0 but with microballons it can be made to float pretty easy. Alumifoam is about the density of cedar wood. There are other casting resins out there as well, so if Fiberglass is not for you, there are other options. PS, the Alumifoam is tough stuff.

Jdeee, The product can be applied on anything. But.... I found that while it is glossy, you can still see a layer of haze below the surface from the Solarez. It does not remove the wax layer but it covers it. Soooo, email me with your goal and I will let you know if I have tried it yet. It smells, but not as much as Solarez. My wife would get on me when I opened Solarez in the house, but I could pull the wool over her eyes (nose) with the AlumiUV. Still, I open a window and use a fan even when I spray acrylic paint. My wife has allergies to perfumes, chemical odors, etc., and runs for her inhaler at the first hint so that fact that I can get away with this if I keep a window open and the door closed is pretty lucky for me. I will email Mike about the MSDS and other sizes. You guys can call Mike and talk to him directly. 800 447 9344. You can also email his company at info@alumilite.com One last thing.....I do not dip my lures. I still use a brush with tight bristles and brush it on. I then hang it for a little bit. So..... you do not really need the mid sized can to dip, but .... it would help..

I am glad that things worked out. Two thumbs up.

It is very glossy, very clear, very forgiving of different UV lights, and yes, a bit pricey. Nevertheless, it goes a long ways and is way tougher. I post on another thread just started regarding this stuff, so I won't go into great detail, but I was one of their testers and I prefer this stuff to all other lure clear top coats.

I am on the side of those that feel heat setting is not required, but that drying with a hair dryer or heat gun (mine came from Harbor Freight) is a useful shortcut. I never have problems with my Cretex or other Acrylic paints. Now, Lacquer thinner? Never use it myself. After all, Createx is not a lacquer. I do not add anything not compatible with Acrylic or Latex. I clean with water and a little dish detergent. When I need a "deep cleaning", I use some of the Createx cleaner for air brushes. If I really want to deep clean, I use acetone. None of these have any yellowish or pinkish or any other color.

I was fortunate to be one of the first testers of the product. It took a long time for the owner of Alumilite, Mike Faupal (in the video), and Larry Dahlberg of Hunt for big fish to get it 'just right'. I have Solerez as well, and I never ever use Solerez on lures that I want a gloss and clear top coat on anymore. The AlumiUV that I got to sample does provide a super clear and super glossy and super tough finish. There was no camera trickery involved in the video, it is that good. The reason you saw Mike's breath is that he filmed this in his garage, this month (December) and it is unheated. No, you do not need to be in a cold room to get a thick coat. In fact, the comment he makes in the video about heating the material to thin it down for a thinner coat is one I gave to him. One thing I like about the AlumiUV is that it cures over a larger range of UV or Black light wave frequency then Solerez. One thing I did notice though is that it takes longer in my nail cure then Solerez does. The side effect of this is that I can put the AlumiUV on my lures, partially cure it to get a surface film, then remove excess from lure eyes, joints, etc., then complete the cure. It will cure under the sun very well. Gon2long, it is what I would call the "next generation" in clear UV coats. Jdeee, I think I answered your question, just an unheated garage in December (lives in Wisconsin I believe) where he did the video. When I get my man cave put back together now that I have moved, I can film it in normal temperatures if you want. BobP, yes, it may be more expensive then Solarez, but you know the stuff goes a long way and they do have the 1/4 pound can for just $19. It is not like you need to buy the big can. For the clarity, the strength, and for the ease of use, I do believe that if you try it you will love it. I sure do mine. Disclaimer required? No, I don't work for Mike or his company, but I was sure lucky to get and try the original sample of this stuff. I understand from mike that his production sample is even better then the sample I got. It really is the best stuff I have found for coating lures.

I really like the stuff myself. I bought a large assortment years ago and never really thought about the day it was no longer available. I am just glad I got several colors recently on EBay before it was gone. Rather intense colors is one of the other great things about it....

Have faith. I actually destroyed an S Waver to see how it worked for my first attempts. learned a lot, but ........ have far more to learn.

Hi guys, you have to love that S Waver action. I started using the River2Sea S Waver about 5 or 6 years ago and it catches just about any predator that swims. Still, their color options were limited and worse yet was the fact they were often out of stock. I started making my own version called the Wandering Taildragger a few years ago. I get just as much or more of the sine wave swimming action then the original, plus I have a feather tail and a tail hook that has improved fish hook ups substantially. So, while I have not tried every option yet, I do have some observations I can offer. First, Squirrel is so right about the "little things". Second, Too long of a front section or too short and you get nothing. I have experimented with both options and I have only determined that for a specific depth of lure, and with a specific weighting, there is an optimal ration of front to back lengths. Change any one and all need to change. Third, I do not agree that a limit of 30 degrees to the tail movement is required. I often bounced the original S Waver, and my WTD, off rocks because I fished them near cliffs. Often, if the lure did not hit within inches of the rock cliff, nothing would hit, but if it did, the fish would follow to the edge of the shelf, then hammer the lure. You cannot do that for hours without hitting the rocks, and doing damage to the lures. Sometimes the lure would be damaged to the point that the joint would open to almost 90 degrees and the lure would swim just fine. On the other hand, damage to other parts of the lure would kill it immediately. I wish I could tell you I had all the answers, I don't. But I did not want to let some misconceptions continue that might detour research. I was just starting to document my changes and attempts when I moved from Washington State to Louisiana this year. I had to close down my "lure lab, aka man cave" to make the move. To date, I don't have my stuff up and running again so it might be quite some time before I can provide details. For whatever it is worth, I posted the Wandering Taildragger on YouTube when I entered it in a lure contest a couple of years ago. You can judge the lure for yourself, just don't laugh too much over the paint jobs...... they were primitive. I will tell you this much, if I can do it, you can to. The lure is sensitive to weighting, ratios of front and back sections, depth of lure, and especially the center of gravity. It is not as sensitive to 'slow sinking' as you would think. I have some I have really weighted and as long as I kept the center of gravity right, the fast sinkers swim great. Still, when swimming, they tend to pull to the top 2 to 5 feet of depth. Good luck, and keep it up.

Flex Coat is more commonly used by custom rod makers as a clear coat over rod wraps. It is designed to never yellow (have a rod that I did with it that is over 25 years old and it is still clear and colorless). If properly mixed, it does not feel sticky when cured, but rubbery, well, kind of. It is designed to flex on rods over and over and over, so it has to be. It is clear, absolutely, and colorless. Epoxies, and Devcon is one of the best, are not designed to flex, or stay clear, or even protect paint jobs. The fact that we have found that it works so well is really lucky. Lure making is a funny thing. We take a lot of different materials that were never intended to catch fish and make them work better then the commercial box houses do it. That is a testament to the skill and talent of the guys on this site. But, when it comes to clear coats, the number of threads that discuss the different options indicate we still have not found "THE" best coat. I use DT2 on some lures, I use Solerez on some, and I have some testing material from Alumilite that is UV cure. Given the options, I prefer the Alumilite, but for some reason, they have not put it into production yet. I use Solerez on some that I need a fast cure on but don't need real clear or glossy. I use Dt2 on most lures. I save my Alumilite UV cure for the very best lures. Why don't I use flexcoat? I it expensive. LOL Beside that, I think it scratches easier then the rest if it bounces of rocks or suffers from hook rash problems. Still, give it a try. All of us prefer different things, and clients prefer different things as well.

Oldshunter.

I got some of from EBay. You might want to look into it soon.

First, Salt was and is mostly used to make the plastic heavier, i.e., sink. Second, it does add some flavor, but I don't know about scent. Taste a salted bait and it actually taste good. Other fisherman have done the same. So, how about the salt substitutes? They are probably better at sinking the bait, but they "are not salt". Personally I don't let salt make my mind up but I know a lot of fisherman that do when they fish. Sometimes you need to sell what the buyer wants, so the answer probably should be, I do have a line of baits with salt in them????? Now, what salt? Do a search on the thread and you will find every option possible. I use a coffee grinder and grind up non-iodine salt. I add and mix quick and pour fast and ........ I am not that good at salt. LOL

OK, so how about Lumaflex? Tony, thanks for mentioning it. I has a lot of it and am almost out and I would like more. I just cannot find it. Loved the Hyrosilk as well. Different tools, different uses.

I am quite sure that others will respond, but I will offer my input. First, I find that if the front section is longer the S-Action is reduced, less head action. Second, keeping the center of balance as low as possible is important at reducing roll. Reducing the S-Action also reduces roll. Third, placing the line tie above the center of the bait helps to reduce roll some. Forth, it is like dancing on the edge of a razor blade. Two much of any of the above and you will fall off, but even if all is wright, you might still get sliced and diced. jointed swim baits are tough. If you can post a video of the action, then maybe we can help a little bit more. Still, I suspect that if you increase the front length a little, just a little, and maybe make a brass line tie so you can easily bend it up or down to adjust, you will probably get the action you want. Good luck.

If you come up with a chrome color that works, you will be a ROCK STAR among lure makers. A silver color, not all that reflective, can be made like ipt suggest. Better yet is if you use a Silicone mold, you can dust the mold with a pearl cosmetic powder then pour with a black, giving a fair silver, but ...... Please, find a good chrome options for us. It has proven elusive even in the hard bait world for the custom maker.

I feel sooooo old now. Most of the technology behind those lures came out during my life time. OUCH. In all seriousness, I wish I had collected like you did. Great post, fond memories.

Oh yes, they do indeed sell clear Zara Spooks. In fact, they are one of my favorite top water baits. Just don't buy so many that I cannot get my supply for fishing - OK. LOL, thanks

Video loaded for me and I liked it. Cleaner then mine was, but ........ You must do it again some time.

Maybe, but I suspect the increase in vibration would be marginal if any. Vibration on a shaft is a function of arm length, wire thickness, and blade style. The actual wire length is increased, but the effective arm length is not. So, does it matter? I think I would do a side by side test of my own before I discounted it, but ....... in my mind, it is something to sell to the fisherman, not the fish.

It really is not that hard to do yourself. If I was not going to be moving soon, loosing my man cave for a while, I would do it. Check out Alumilite.com and search for their PLATT 55. You can also do it with their Silicone Mold Puttys. They have a series of videos that show you how to do it, and you can also check out makelure.com and their video section to see specific methods for making molds. Once you look into those, get back to me if you have questions. Unfortunately, I don't know how long, or if, I will be able to set my shop up again to the point I can help out. Sorry.