saltshaker

Yeah, I'm fixin' to redo 'em this weekend.

I glued a popsicle stick to the back so I could position it....not thinking that I would not be able to reverse the stencil.

If I could paint like you....I would have no worries.

I traced 'em through the clear plastic and cut out a couple. Should I leave them open at the top or bottom (they're drawn both ways), or, should I cut them out of the center of the plastic leaving excess all the way around? GEEZ, this doesn't hardly make sense to me.

My buddy (who is an artist) drew out some craw patterns on typin' paper, cut 'em out and sent them to me. Well, it's gonna be tough to use these as stencils considering it's on typin' paper. What is the best way for me to transfer this to the product (probably mylar) to make the actual stencil? I'll post a pic if my jabberin' is unclear.

Only "95"? The entire thing would have disentegrated here. It's probably the balsa. I leave plastic blanks on the dash of my truck all the time. Even got one hangin' from my rear view mirror. Sometimes they get so hot you can barely touch 'em, but, no other problem.

From personal experience, I think Sonny's got it. Before I even found TU, I dabbled around with spraying baits with rattle cans and, not knowing any better, I used Helmsman for a topcoat. I found that it'll turn stark white into the purtiest bone color you've ever seen in just a few weeks.

Maybe I'm just too anal when it comes to hiding the foil lines. I've tried several different foils (even the Brite-Bak that Bob mentioned) and the lightest-weight I've found is from a bag of Elmer's Chee-Weez. This stuff is so thin you can almost see through it and, yet, I still cannot hide the edges without using epoxy. Usually one coat does it if I am careful to burnish the edges and any wrinkles that may occur. I have some MegaBass Vision 110 blanks that are "slow floaters". With 2 coats of Etex and #6 hooks, the bait will suspend like nobody's business. Two coats of Bob Smith, however, on the same lure was a bit too much. So, I gather that Etex is lighter than Bob Smith. Again, I am probably waaaay too anal, but, it sure does make for a nicer job.

Hound, by using a three-digit numbering system...I'm assuming you are leaving yourself room for more? It's always gratifying to catch a fish on your own bait...no matter how big.

FolkArt is listed as "craft" paint. That would say to me that it is not designed for an airbrush.

I bought the stuff they use to laminate a photo and such. Got it at the local print shop. Some other guys on here use other stuff and know better than me. Might wanna try a TU 'search'.

Thanks for that tip. I'll try that next time.

Yeah, really! And June just started.

I waited until last night (temp 81 degrees) to mix up another batch of etex. I coated 5 cranks and had no problems with it setting prematurely. There is no doubt in my mind that heat affects the process as much, if not more, than cold.

I mixed up a batch of Devcon yesterday afternoon to coat a couple of Super Spooks. I got halfway done with the first one and it starting setting. I used alcohol to wipe it off best I could and tossed it aside. Then, I mixed up a batch of Etex to do the other one. I barely (and I mean barely) got finished before it started jelling. All I can figure is that it's so hot in my shop. So, last night about 11:00 I mixed another batch of Devcon to do the lure that I already started. It did just fine. I'm now storing my stuff in A/C. Note: The temp reached 98 here yesterday.

No worries, buddy. I stay off track most of the time.