Jdeee

Thanks Guys I'll give Luremaking a try since the items don't have to cross the border it should be faster.

Waking up the next morning. Why is there a lure epoxied to my face?????

1000 pieces

I use Etex as my topcoats over the Solarez, no problems so far. Anyone have any problems with Solarez as a sealer.

Anyone know of any BULK suppliers for size 6 to 10 SS split rings 150lbs strength and or brand name trebles size 3/0 and 2/0 3x ? Thanks

Try your local shop that sells welding supplies. They have coils and rods in bundles and sometimes you can even buy separate rods so you can try out different diameters. I use .062 approx 16 gauge wire. It can be really hard to bend I suggest a good pair of round nose pliers and a small bolt cutter to easily cut the wire. If a musky bends this stuff I want to meet em !!!!!

If it's a Hobie Kayak just find a local dealer and they will take it back

Here is what I came up with, thanks Barry for helping get the old brain going.

The clamp trick works great 10 lures in 5 minutes. Still needs a bit of sanding but just got rid of 95% of the material that would have turned into dust. Happy camper

Thanks guys Mark I really wish I had the space to set up a proper dust system that would empty outdoors but my neighbours would shoot me and the city would bury what was left! Inside my small 1 car garage I do much of my cutting sanding work and I use another small room for painting/ epoxy stuff. Bob I tried to send you a PM, think your mailbox is full? I do own a 5' x 9' CNC from a previous business but again my present house is not the place to set it up. Barry you have given me a good idea by leaving extra wood to keep the side flush against the bandsaw table. Instead of leaving extra wood I think I will just try using a squeeze clamp to hold the lure upright so I can cut the front sides then reverse it and cut the tail sides off.

I don't mind the hand work, I am trying to cut down on the fine dust from sanding off larger areas of wood on larger baits and speed up this part of the process with a some sort of consistent accuracy. Since the baits are odd shapes at this point it is very hard to get equal sides without sanding. I am just wondering if anyone has created a solution to this with either a jig or template for a router or a saw or another solution that is out of the box? Bob I would love to get a 5 axis CNC to shape them up to final sanding with eye and weight holes programmed right in ! One can only dream Maybe one of those funky duplicators sealed in a box with dust extraction is the only solution and next step

Thanks John I have tried using my belt sander but if I am doing a lot of lures in one shot it gets old fast and the accuracy for me gets compromised, no patience, and then I start to wear down my finger tips. I should have mentioned that I am looking for more of a solution for small production runs. The wood I use is either poplar or red cedar

Does anyone have any tricks for cutting tapers on a lure after the original shape has been cut? Let me explain You cut out a shape on a bandsaw lets say a standard minnow lying on its side , after you turn it and sit it on its belly. Now is there a way to cut out the shape from this angle rounding the head and cutting a taper towards the tail. I made a stand up jig for my tablesaw but I don't find it accurate enough Anyone have any tricks for doing this?

That's it, can't sue you for nothing

Normally what happens when another company uses a patented idea they can pay a royalty to the patent owner and licence the idea or sometimes they get caught and are forced to pay a royalty for each one they have already sold. But like Ben said you can always investigate further or bring the lawyer out on the boat and threaten him with a swim LOL Why do sharks never attack lawyers? Professional courtesy !!!!

Ben Just copy and paste the number in google and it will bring up the patent It was issued in 2001 so it will be a while before it expires. I think it is 25 years now but I could be wrong it might be only 15 From what I know of patents they are usually worded to cover as much ground as possible and going up against one is almost impossible to win and extremely expensive. Obviously if you make a few baits for yourself and not sell them it's not a problem.

Sorry Wayne I think you are out of luck. Patent number US 6609326 B2 Rapala owns the patent. I don't think you what to mess with those deep pockets

I have a few airbrushes and the one I think is the best bang for the buck is the Harder Steenbeck Ultra Airbrush. It comes with a .2 mm needle and does a great job on detail work or general spraying. Very comfortable in the hand and feels like quality that only $200.00 plus airbrushed have. Check out the reviews I haven't seen one that isn't positive and Chicago airbrush supply has them on sale at an amazing price. The only drawback is that you need to thin the thicker paints because of the smaller needle, but that extends the paint out further so it's not a compliant. They also have .4 and .6 mm needles if you like to paint with sludge

Predator Hunter Can you show us some pictures and explain how you do this?

Looks like black/silver crackle paint with transparent blue over the top. Crackle paint is available at large hardware stores, just ask someone in the paint dept.

Mark Yup that is what I used, cut up GE bathtub caulking 100% silicon. Just make sure the cover coating has that you brush on has skinned over really well or the caulking will sink thru and cause voids. I haven't tried this but I bet you could just add it to your framed mold straight from the chalking gun in beads as long as you are careful to not trap air, at the same time adding liquid casting silicon to the mix. I meant to try this using that method but it has been awhile since I did a mold. It would probably be even better than the same cut pieces. I find that the molds are more ridged by adding the caulking which is a good thing

Fordtech5 I send you a PM. The best way to make a mold with silicon is to start with plaster of Paris and push the bait in halfway in to the parting line that you want and let dry. The next step is to mix a smaller amount of silicon and brush it onto master not too thick and make sure that there are no bubbles, you can hit it with a bit of heat from a hair dryer or heat gun to make sure that all the bubbles pop, not too much or you will cook the silicon. Let it dry for awhile and then mix up more to finish off that side. You can add small cut up pieces of silicon to the mix to add some bulk and save some $$$$ by using less mold making silicon, just make sure that it is clean and not oily or it won't stick to the fresh liquid silicon. Let it cure for a day and then you are ready to start the second half of the mold. Chip out the plaster of Paris trying not to remove the master from the cured silicon side. Clean it to make sure no P of P remains and then apply the mold release everywhere. Then repeat the same steps as before to create the second half. You should not have any bubbles in your mold after this. You can replace the Plaster of Paris with modelling clay which I find makes nicer parting lines but you have to make sure that the clay is sulfer free or you will have a whole new set of problems

What are the problems you are having with the mold and what materials are you using?

Vodkaman I had to look that up in urban dictionary Here is the definition LOL Mersey Trout A brown object floating in the River Mersey - Liverpool (a Poo) I saw a massive Mersey Trout today - with Sweetcorn eyes!

I just use my toilet! Great action on the lures. Every once in a while you even snag a Finless Brown. Sorry guys the long winter is getting to me