Hurley

For me, drilling in balsa, reverse has been the best way. And I just drill it by hand. The problem with using a standard drill in wood is that drill have a positive rake that wants to grab. You can alter a drill bit by straitening out the cutting edge. Take a grinder, or even a dremmel, and grind the cutting edge so the rake is straight with the shank of the drill.

I have never had any issues in using D2T up until that point. Although the baits turned out great I was still pretty disappointed. I came to the conclusion that I had a syringe go bad before I finished it. It was opened for 2-3 weeks and I figured something was up. I never really put much thought into the damp air. It could be possible.

Thanks for your tips. They align with my own trial and errors. I am seeing that with foil I need to use three coats of d2t instead of two. Although, It does look like I need to work on my d2t application because I am getting a milky hue in areas.

I just finished two baits that I foiled. Thanks to all the tips they turned out pretty good. I had two issues. The first one is that my d2t over the foil had some haze to it. I am assuming it is because I applied it to thick because I have never noticed this issue before. The second issue is my paint. It did not "stick" to the bait as good as I am used to because I did not rough up the finish before paint. Normally I rough it up and do a base coat. I am sure this will get better with practice.

Did you get a lot of wrinkles?

I have some adhesive foil tape bit I didnt use it because it's pretty thick. I might give this a shot before I give up. I am applying the foil after my baits are sealed with d2t. With such a hard base I did not have success applying the scales after. You guys are just confirming what I was hoping a simple trick will solve.

The thin generic tinfoil.

Looks like we are both having issues. Lol. I used the 3M spray adhesive and it seemed to work great. I have issues with the foil on the contours.

Yes, that makes sense. The problem is the baits I make are fairly rounded. Definetly not flat sided. I have several hours on youtube and nothing has solved my issue. I did not get good results searching this site. Thats why I asked.

I am struggling to apply foil on my baits. I also cant find solid info on this topic. I tried to cut out, scale, then apply. I could not get it to round the top and bottom to my liking. And trying to get it tight to the bait without smoothing the scale effect was very tough. Maybe its because my baits are pretty wide. But i figured there has got to be a better way. I am looking for any input.

I use the 304 wire from McMaster Carr .032 thick.

I used inventor to design my bait. Although I am only using this as a template at the moment. I am in the process of trying to figure out a simple fixturing process to machine these from blanks. As of now I am leaning towards a two operation process, one for each side. Then I would manually remove the ends. I have seen a few duplicating machines on youtube that have the fixturing down pretty good. I have put this project on hold as I debate on just switching my materials from wood to foam.

Yup, band saw and sander. Then finish by hand. I was originally sealing with d2t. What is low vis super glue? This is a step I should also be doing. I can then make and paint in one day. Then I just need to decide the final coat.

Yeah, they tried to charge me for shipping a couple of days ago. If I'm reading the menards website correctly. I can get a 1" x 4" x 8' for around 15 bucks. I'm going to check it out in a day or two.

Yeah, they tried to charge me for shipping a couple of days ago. If I'm reading the menards website correctly. I can get a 1" x 4" x 8' for around 15 bucks. I'm going to check it out in a day or two.

So I go to menards and buy?... PVC deckboards? Strips? Any links or dimentions of material used? I know what your talking about but I am sure there is a few products to choose from? I searched PVC with no results. Thanks for the info.

I see I need to do some searches for PVC. Is this the latest and greatest? I like using balsa because of its ease of use. Does PVC have the same caractoristics?

Thanks for the responce. Now I will be able to sleep tonight! LOL Oops, I dont think I was supposed to post that picture in this forum. Darn rookies anyway! Am I safe to keep making cranks this way? Is it just personall preference on what type of glue/epoxy to use on the inside?

I have made a dozen baits and have yet to try them in soft water. Feb. in Michigan is not ideal. I have been lurking around here for a few months and I figure its been long enough for me to start being involved in this forum. So here is my issue. I have been using gorilla epoxy to glue in my ballasts, my own twisted hook eyes, and my bills. I seal with d2t before paint, paint, then use D2T again as a final coat. I was informed today that gorilla 5 min epoxy is only water resistant and not water proof. Now I am second guessing if the baits I made will hold up. My theory, at first and now, is that the goal of D2T is to seal the bait along with giving is a solid outer shell. If water was to get inside the bait the water would make the balsa weak long before the epoxy fails. Thoughts? Does anyone else use this method? Whats everyone's thought on my baits holding up under use? As of now, I mixed up a quarter size piece of epoxy and I am planning on testing it in a water filled cup to see how long it lasts next week.