Uncle Jay

All I use is E Tex. The only problem I ever had was small dust particles landing on the lures when they are turning because it takes a while to dry. Years ago I started putting newspaper on the floor under the rotisserie and wetting it with a spray bottle before I do the mixing. problem solved. I brush it on very thin and normally do 2 coats. Great product as far as I'm concerned.

I was just wondering if any of you are selling your lures on line. I am thinking about doing just that. Like a lot of people, I have been carving my own lures since I was a kid and I still enjoy it very much. The methods that I use have changed but the love for the hobby is still there. I don't want to try to do it for a living, but I would like to try to sell some on ebay. If anyone could point me in the right direction as far as what to read up on, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you, Jay

Another thing you could try is mixing some sawdust into a small amount of paint and dabbing it on with a stiff bristle brush. If you dab it on with a slight head to tail motion, you may be able to achieve what you are looking for. Let it air dry. If you use a heat gun or hair dryer, you will blow the sawdust-paint mixture right off your lure. If you are going to finish it with a coat of epoxy, I suggest spraying it with a good clear coat first to hold it all together. Good luck to you. This was not my idea. I read it one of my many lure building books years ago. If I can remember what book it was in, or If I see it when I look thru them once in while, I will let you know so you can get a copy.

It sounds like you are turning your hobby into a job. I'm sure you already have a job, right? If friends like what you are doing and want a lure here and there, that's great. It is a good feeling to get a pic sent to your phone with the caption, " I caught this with the lure you made me! Thanks!!" But if you start doing repaints and custom work by request for other people and their buddies you are going to take all the fun out of it and start to shy away from lure making. My advice to you would be to make what YOU want to make. Don't turn it into a job. After all, this was supposed to be a fun hobby.

paper street plastics on ebay sells all kinds of foils

That looks like a good one but, you don't know anything about it and neither does the seller. Also, look at the shipping cost. 60 bucks! I have been using a compressor I bought on ebay for $99.99 and free shipping. It is a Master compressor with an air gauge, moisture trap and an attached air tank. I have been using it now for more than a year and I have zero complaints about it. Before that I was using a testors compressor that was loud and did not have an air tank. It was ok for general spraying but for detail work, my gun would clog quite often and the pulsation would cause my airbrush to "spit" on my work. Not Cool! I don't get the spitting with the attached air tank. I get a nice even flow. I am by no means a pro. But I am happy with the equipment I now use. I hope this helps you. Good Luck and be careful! This is a very addicting pastime!

HAHA!! Good one Mark!!!

You could always start with a carving knife and a piece of balsa, bass or cedar. Pick a lure design you like to use and carve one yourself. www.lurepartsonline.com has all the belly weights, lips, screw eyes and everything else you will need to make your own. Good Luck!

Ok. It seems I have opened a can of worms here. I am not running a business. I just wanted to sell some of my lures to pay for my materials that I buy when I make them. This is just a hobby...pastime...something to do in my spare time...because I enjoy it...or whatever! I really don't need a reason to want to carve fishing lures. If the IRS is going to tax me 10% for selling a few lures here and there, I just won't sell them. I already have a fulltime job. I don't make lures to make extra money as a source of income for food or household bills and I already pay my fair share of taxes. If the day ever comes that I decide to make lures and sell them as a business, then I will register with IRS form 637 and use form 720 to pay the taxes quarterly. Until then, I will just make more room in my shop for lure bins.

Thank you to all who have responded to my original post. I knew I could count on you guys to point me in the right direction. I have to say that I am not looking to start a lure making business as my only source of income. I just want to sell some here and there to cover part of my costs. Its not like I have a cnc machine and I am banging out hundreds of poppers and plugs everyday. Yes, that would be a business and if that was my only source of income that would be great and I wouldn't mind paying the taxes. That would just be a cost of doing business. That part I get. What I don't get is why I can't legally sell 15 or 20 lures a year without worrying about the IRS knocking at my door. There should be some limit or something for people that make lures as a hobby or just for fun like a lot of us do. I can't be the only one who feels this way. Its not fair to the guys that build lures in their free time and want to sell some of them to justify the costs involved with building them in the first place. So with that being said, I am going to continue to carve my lures with the same passion I have always had for this craft. They can't tax me for that...yet.

Lol!! Oh I still plan on having fun. You're right, life is too short. Thanks guys. Fish on!!

Thank you uncustered. I have been on the IRS site and I found the 637 and the 720. 10% wow! we really are not free anymore are we. Kind of depressing.

Thank you for your response. I am guessing that what I need to apply for is a 637. I am going to look into that.

I keep hearing about this federal sportfishing tax. Some people say you need to charge and pay it in order to sell lures on line as a business. However, ebay says you can sell up to $20,000.00 worth of items before they will send you a 1099 form. Can anyone give me more info on this? Everything I find on line is either to hard to understand or not very informative. All I want to do is open an ebay store as a hobby. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you, Jay