markinorf

Love that PVC. I only use balsa for topwater. That method Mark P. mentioned works very well, too. Ive done pull tests on that one with a pipe wrapped with small cable. All that happened was I bent the hand twisted eye, and nearly pulled the table over. Same for PVC. The dowels are great for my cupped faced walkers because it re-enforces the tip of the nose and the tail against damage. Also, my lure hangers have the same screws that end up in the final assy'. I use a 5/16 dowel in the tail so I can post ballast with 3/16dia lead sleeves that I pour from a homemade aluminum mold that has a .09 pin going thru the center, so having a good pilot hole in the clean drilling poplar is the easiest method for me.

I have read some posts from the surf plug hurlers that wire form is overkill. That's when I started looking at the TU archives for alternatives. Especially for balsa. I have leaned back on some big stripers using heavy braid, and wasn't disappointed. I hate bending wire , too. Besides that, the freedom to post ballast a plug is nearly unlimited, since there is almost no place you cant place additional weight. I post ballast all my topwater lures after the first coat of Devcon, prior to the final paint job and 2nd coat of clear. Easy... Moores lures. You can get any screw eye made. Great guy and super service. Mom and Pop supplier.

Yo, Ive had great success with 1/4 dia. poplar dowels that are equal to-or even slightly shorter that the screws. So, if I want to install a 3/4 or 1in long by .073dia. eye in a bait, I'll drill for a 3/4in long dowel. It doesn't have to be perfect since the epoxied dowel is so sturdy. I learned about this somewhere in the archives, and aint looked back since. I even weighed the the difference between a given section of . 04'' wire that would be placed between the belly and nose against a 5/8in by .063 dia screw and plug, and it was nearly equal (lighter). Im referring here to a topwater plug since I want to keep the nose weight very low by going with a smaller screw for the nose. Some guys just drill a hole to accept a hand twisted eye and epoxy that in place. Im sure I'll hear the failure stories for chiming in.... The size of lures you mentioned should be good to go with 1/4 dowels and .063 by 3/4 screws

Im with RayburnGuy. I don't sweat the sanding too long. Go rite away with D2T, then scuff, paint, and D2T.

I don't know or really care why Bone is so productive. I hate this color! Its Butt-Ugly (like me). Every time I paint one, I have to keep reminding myself that despite the hassle of mixing up the paint to get the rite tint; it flat out works. It beats any other scheme (where I fish). I guess that's why its stayed around for so long...?? There must be a hundred recipes for Bone on this site.

Bone. Bone. Bone. If you can easily watch the bait during the retrieve, your presentation is more lifelike. A stark white or Bone walker will get hammered on any day lite conditions when you impart that perfect random cadence that causes reflex strikes. IMHO. Youre gonna have trouble watching a black walker. Just my 2 cents...I use black at nite, but I have to concentrate, and listen up a lot more to know that its not fouled or is working correctly. (Lots of wind and traffic noise where we fish) Good huntin.

AH, The "3 axis Carolina milling machines".

Thanx Ben. Gonna try that. "Sounds" like a good shortcut to counterbores and endcaps.

Im hesitant about buying balsa online. The hobby RC guys are as picky as they get about quality, and my local store gets the best anywhere, for that reason. I don't even look at the price when I go to the shop... I really like super glue as the first sealer. I stay upwind of that process.

Yeah Ive done that with the same plastic as the part is cast from. Works just fine. Longer working time for sure.