bluetickhound

And THAT, dear friends, is something you cannot put a price on.... The feeling I had when I caught my first bass (small as it was...) on a lure I had made from scratch is indescribable...

Apparently.... I spent the better part of three hours on the net trying to source somebody....ANYBODY!!! who sold these lips in the US.... I have tried (and failed miserably) to compound bend lexan. I tried to make one of Pete's (hazmail) devices for doing it a d cannot seem to get the feel for when the lexan is starting to soften and when it is actually already melted.... I also tried the spoon trick.... No luck.... Fortunately, one of the local big box sporting good stores in my area had some scatter raps in stock so I bought a few in assorted sizes to try out... They work great but the retrieve speed is somewhat tricky... Too slow, no hunt... Too fast and they flop around in a sort of spirally fashion, almost like they are line fouled... That being said, I really like 'em so far.

Agreed. There are so many options out there that are far superior to automotive clears that I ruled them out almost immediately into my luremaking obsession....

One tool that I was introduced to here at TU that has done more to advance my craftmanship than any other (except maybe my airbrush...) has been my Murphy knife. Like many others here, I jumped in the deep end first and went right to carving my own out of balsa... The Murphy knife affords me great control and I can get a lure ready to be sanded into final shape very quickly now, maybe 10-15 minutes max... If you decide to start making your own, be sure to get one. Let me find a link to the store and I'll edit this post shortly.... Here's the link. You may be able to get these knives elsewhere, but if you like to do business with people who really appreciate your choosing them then give these folks a call! http://www.woodcarvers.com/murphyknives.htm

It's actually how I stumbled onto Amazing Clear Cast (or, ACC to the regulars here...) at Hobby Lobby... A far superior product to most any other I've tried yet. I haven't used Bob Smith or Solarez yet, however....I love me some DN S81 but the storage issues keep me from using it... Since I got onto dipping my lures, the "tap the can method" won't really work for me...

Not that there's anything wrong with that!!!

I have numerous things I have accumulated in the past year or so that either didn't work very well or didn't work as well as other things.... I learned (much to my wife's chagrin....) that throwing stuff away is bad.... I can usually find SOME use out of just about anything...

I got some when I first stated buillding and the catylst hardered in the bottle.... Returned it and the other two sets on the shelf had also hardened in the bottles.... Got a total refund. I'd stay away from this stuff...

Ok.... Scratch this product.... A call to the company revealed that the coating will yellow over time... Not UV stabilized.... Too bad, because this stuff is absolutely tough as a $2 steak....

Lo and behold.... That very truck washed up on my dock just a few minutes ago.... The product is called Key Polymers Floor Restore... Here's a link: http://www.keypolymer.com/transportation-products/original/ The problem is that it is cost prohibitive.... Since it's aimed at the trucking industry the smallest quantity you can buy (for a 48' trailer) is about 400 clams.... The good side is that it would last a lifetime, unless you build in massive quantity.... It is a two part epoxy, no VOC's, 8 hour cure time and dries clear and waterproof. I may try to call the company directly to see if they sell a sample size to test.... I'll let y'all know the results shortly....

Thanks, Ben! I guess I'm like many here... No matter how good something works, i can't resist the temptation to try some thing else just to see if I like it better.... That's how I wound up trying (and loving) ACC... It's funny.... I run a fairly large warehouse and one of the trucking companies that show up to either deliver or ship stuff off for us has a trailer the has the floor coated in (what I believe is) an epoxy resin that is absolutely rock hard... The driver is trying to find out for me what the product name is but he told me a forklift dragged an engine block (the wooden cradle holding it had broken and the block was laying on the floor) off of it recently and left nary a scratch in the finish.... As soon as I find out what this stuff is (and if I can even get my meathooks on any of it) it will be duly tested and results shared here....

I hear folks mention it from time to time here... How does it compare with Solarez, which I also have not used? I guess a more fair question would be: how does it compare to D2T but I'm sure the search function will turn up a very lively debate on that subject!!

Have you checked with Barlow's or Lurecrafters?

Don't know if this fits the bill but here 'tis anyway... http://www.lurecraft.com/catalog.cfm/materials~~and~~tools/lure~hardeware/glass-rattles/flanged-glass-rattles:2383

Ben Is this the exact stuff you are using? http://stores.aeromicro.net/-strse-2680/Bob-Smith-Epoxy-SLOW-dsh-CURE/Detail.bok

IIRC Solarfall uses it to give his lures some detail and texture.... I'm pretty sure he did a video about using it....

I have been using Bloxygen and the skin is hard but doesn't adhere to the mason jar so I can get an X-Acto knife between the jar and the meniscus of the DN to get it out. I'll use a popsicle stick stirrer to see how "clumpy" the DN is and see if I feel safe to dip this lure....if it's good to go I'll trash the remainder after this one is done but the lure has turned out such that I want just a very thin, yet durable topcoat to finish it, which lets out the ACC and the D2T....

I had pretty much given up on my DN.... I have a mason jar that has some in it that I know has skinned over about a half inch thick. Is the DN underneath any good or should I just trash the jar? I have a lure I'm considering dipping but it has turned out reaaly nicely and I'd hate to screw it up at the end of the game... Like others have said, I love the finish i get with DN, but because of the hassles associated with it I have moved towards my tried and true ACC and to a lesser extent, D2T....

You guys are about to convince to spend (yet) more money.... Hey Quickdraw.... Not trying to be a wiseacre but do you have to wait for a sunny day when you do coatings or will practically any daylight do?

I have a ton of old House Of Kolor pearl powder sitting around the garage from my days as a motorcycle painter... I never even thought to try and mix some if it into a topcoat.... Hmmmmm......

That's a great idea, Gene. .22 casings dont have the webbing that centerfire casings do so they should naturally be louder. I had been flaring one case to fit the other myself but with the aforementioned mixed results... I'll try the .22's next time. Thanks for the heads up!!

Any time I tried to do multiple coats of http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/topic/25003-dick-nite-crinkle-finish/?fromsearch=1

The 'ole "bottom of a soda can" trick makes all the difference for me when using D2T... A drop or two of DA helps the flowout and also seems to assist in the coat levelling out... All that being said, once I started dipping baits to finish I have (for the most part anyway...) moved away from brushing on topcoats...

Amazing clear cast.

Like others here, i love the finish DN gives but I don't build in sufficient quantity to justify using it any more... I have tried many of the products metioned here (with the notable exception of solarez) and have pretty much settled on either D2T or more often, ACC.... The ACC really has worked out well for me as I prefer to dip lures (hence my initial attraction to DN!!) and the ACC can be used with far less waste than the DN. My ACC topped lures have proven to be durable and extemely glossy (some folks don't care for gloss finish... I personally love it...) and I haven't had any issues with yellowing whatsoever in the year or so that I have been using it.