Double D

yeah, I have been eyeing my flex tool too...I was thinking that it might come in handy for this type of work....will let you know how I do with it. I have two sizes of sanding drum, they look like the same grit but one is larger in diameter than the other.....I am assuming that the difference won't really matter unless I am trying to use it on an inside curve, which doesn't seem to me like it would apply for this type of work.

bassguy, I have a variable speed dremel tool....what RPM would you suggest....low or high? Mark, I have one of those kevlar gloves that I wear when carving with my normal carving knife...would that be safe with the exacto also?

bassguy, you say you can get your bait ready to paint in 45 minutes?...apparently you have been working with this stuff for a while.....this is my first attempt and still have a long way to go and a lot to learn....I am not giving up....... just think that at this point in my journey, I like carving basswood better.....it sands a lot easier and doesn't stick to everything like the pvc does....now after I have learned how to manipulate this stuff a little more, I may change my tune....I am using a BUTZ carving knife at this point.....maybe I will try the Exacto....could be more effective than what I am using. What size and shape of a blade are you using?...also I have not used my dremel on it either.....I may find that it goes much quicker that way.....of course if I could spend more time doing it, it might help too.....I work 50 to 60 hrs a week and am pretty beat by the time I get home and usually end up going to bed not long after dinner....most of my leasure time comes on the weekends....but thanks for the pointers, and like I say, I aint giving up on it.

Ok, so I have been trying to carve this Pvc for a few days now, and have to say that it sure aint as easy as carving wood....thinkin I might have to try using the Dremel tool and a "grind" it into shape.....or I was thinking maybe a belt sander or a disc sander or something....I tried doing a search for PVC on here and came back blank....said I couldn't use a "three letter word"...anybody able to steer me in the right direction?....I don't mind searching but came up blank when I used those three letters. any help would be greatly appreciated

I live in a condo, so don't have a garage....I am in the process of building a spray booth complete with an exhaust fan that will (hopefully) draw all those paint particles through a filter. I have heard that the water based paints don't have a bad fume problem so that is what I am planning on using......as far as "machining" the PVC....I only have hand tools and a dremel, but have purchased a couple of masks to have in case I find that I might need them.....as I learn to work with the PVC more, I am sure that I will probably have to adjust my techniques and safety precautions accordingly when and where necessary....thanks for the tips.....

Mark, is the dustmask for when I paint or when I work with the PVC?

Actually, I just got it in the mail a couple of days ago...have no idea what took so long for me to get it, but it doesn't really matter now that I do have it......I cut off a hunk and took the knife to it just to see how it "whittles", and so far, so good....I am in the middle of another project right now (building a paint booth), so as soon as I finish with that, I will really get down to seeing how this stuff performs....so far as I can tell right now, I am liking it....but as with anything, you really don't know what you,re in for until you spend a little time with it...will keep you updated as I progress...thanks.

still waiting for my block...not sure what is taking so long....anyway, being new to this whole realm, I didn't think about the fact that the paint could fill in the minute crevices that may be left on the PVC....I am anxious to get going with this endeavor....almost finished with my "spray booth" (more for my wifes' peace of mind than anything)....when that is done, I can take the next step and get my "gun" kit and starting experimenting....my wife tells me I am like a kid at Christmas time when it comes to anything that relates to bass fishin.....lol

Thank you sir.....I am certainly hoping that Azek material carves as nicely as basswood....if it does, I will definitely be hooked.....pun intended....and if it doesn't, then I guess I will just have to stick to non-segmented baits....or just use em til their useless and carve another one...

Ok, it looks like that worked, although I am not sure that I am supposed to be posting these pics here...if not, please advise accordingly, and I will be more careful in the future....I think my lunker punker K.O. is a bit thicker than the original, so I am wondering how that will affect the walk-the-dog action that it is supposed to have...I sealed it last night, so just waiting for it to completely dry so I can take it out and test it before I apply it's characteristics.... can't wait to get my azek block in the mail....I am really wanting to make the jointed plug that is pictured without having to worry about whether it is waterproof or not....It will be interesting to see how bouyant that stuff is as compared to wood..... Thanks again for all the assistance...

So I found a website that offers it in any 1 foot increments that you want to buy.....1.25 inches thick, 3.5 inches wide....I bought a foot to start out with.....if I think it is something that I might like to further pursue, then I know where to get it....now I am like the proverbial kid on Christmas Eve.....can't wait to get it and try it out....I have attempted to upload some photos of my wood carvings on here but am having no luck....must be doing something wrong along the line....anybody care to share how I can reduce my frustration concerning this problem? thank you in advance.

So, I just got back from a visit to both Lowe's and Home Depot.....Lowes had something somewhat similar I guess, but was not called Azek....came in a couple of shades of brown, but they were like 18 ft long and cost like $35 bucks a piece....I guess when you consider that with 18 ft of this stuff, I could probably make several dozen lures with it....but not knowing anything about the stuff, I don't know that I want that much of it to start out with....they had two thicknesses....1" and 1 1/4 "....1" seems a little thin to me, so I would probably lean toward the thicker of the two, if they had something smaller than 18 ft.....Home Depot had some that were labelled as the desired material and they were 10' in length, white, and much more reasonably priced, but they only had 1" thickness...I took a look online at some photos of the stuff and it appeared to me that the material is limited as to the sizes you can get...but I will keep looking....now if we are talking non-jointed lures, like walk the dog type baits, are they as difficult to seal?..I have one that I am anxious to try out....it is about 7 1/2" long and is somewhat a "KO" of the Lunker Punker...I really like the design of that lure, but not willing to fork out that kind of cash...so I just carved one out of basswood...and from what a couple of friends tell me, it looks pretty sharp....if I could figure out how to upload a pic, I would, but am not having much luck with that....I am somewhat technically challenged with these kinda things at times....so if you know of anyplace that has more of a variety of sizes of this stuff, it would be greatly appreciated....in the meantime, I will keep looking...thanks again.

Thank you very much Mark.....you might just have saved me a lot of frustration and headaches....I have been wondering about how to seal jointed baits too...and was wondering if it was possible....thank you so much for your willingness to share...I only do it as a hobby....I have no desire to disappoint other people.....I used to paint and draw and found that the pictures in my mind were never the same as the ones in my customers....so I gave that up long ago....now I only do it for personal enjoyment and relaxation....when I aint fishin that is.....so now I got this new creative flow going and started wondering if I was getting in over my head......I don't think my wife is gonna be very happy ......lol....AZEK...here I come.

So you don't carve wood....you carve PVC...did you start out carving wood?.....before I discovered these forums, I thought PVC was pipe. Never seen PVC thick enough to be able to carve....? where would one find some of this material to try out? Do you use it because you don't have to worry about your lures getting water-logged, or is it easier to carve than wood? Or is it something that you "graduate" to after paying your dues with wood? I am intrigued.

Hey Mark, I read on another thread where you were talking about the Createx paints and how you use a hair dryer to heat cure the paint so that it is waterproof....a couple of questions....what duration of time does it take to effectively cure the paint? and if the final product is being sealed with some sort of clearcoat, does it really matter if the paint is "waterproofed" or not? I am new to all of this so just trying to get a feel for what I am in for as I progress in this process. Thank you in advance for your time and willingness to share information...

As of right now, they are all topwater...wanna perfect my skills before I start attempting concepts like ballasts and correct angle of lips and such....once I get topwater down, then I can start working my way up the ladder...the only power tool I use is a Dremel Tool....everything else is done by hand.....I picked up a box of scrap basswood from my local Woodcraft store and had a friend cut the bigger pieces down to size for me...I live in a Condo which presents its' own set of problems with having a suitable area to work in....been reading on here about paints and such and have come to the conclusion that I should probably use water-based paints that are much less toxic than other alternatives....that will help with fumes in the place too, which my better half is concerned about.... a lot of useful information on this site....thanks again for all who contribute...as soon as I get to that point I can return the favor and share my endeavors.

But since I use Basswood, are all these steps necessary, and if not, which ones can I eliminate....or would this process work the same for it too?

well that definitely wouldn't work then....don't want anything to mess with the paint....so what about regular primer/sealer, would that work?

What about Thompson's Water Seal?....I see that advertised on TV....or am I thinking of the wrong application....

thank you crankpaint...I'll stop there on my way home today.

I tried balsa but it was too soft...I moved to basswood and really love working with it.....haven't "graduated" to anything else at this point....love working with bass wood....sanding sealer? not real familiar with any of this other than putting the carving knife to wood at this point......never hear of propionate......am eager to take it to the next level....thank you all for your generosity with information...and you say I should test with all hardware attached?...yeah I guess that makes sense....only way to tell the true fishability...thanks again.....

Ok, so once a bait has been carved and it needs to be tested in the water....do I seal the bait so it doesn't absorb water. and if so, what is best to use as a sealer?

thank you gentlemen....much appreciated!

Don't know how I never discovered this site in the past...Great library of information...thanks to whomever started it and for all those who contribute....I have been poking around and have learned a lot in the process. I have been carving lures for a little while now, but have yet to paint any of them....am about to purchase an airbrush system, and already know that I have a lot to learn...I thought that for practice, I could repaint some of my "production" lures that I have, but was wondering what the best way would be to remove the finish that is on them without destroying the orginal shape of the lure?..(I did a search for this topic, but didn't find one that addressed this subject, although my choice of search words might not have been correct.) Thank you in advance for any offerings of information, and am looking forward to being able to contribute as the opportunities arise.