DingerBaits

There are a lot of things that involve ethics with a business. I don't care that they sell the same product (only the fat poppa) that I do, it's just don't be lazy and take a picture for yourself. Even if it is a drop ship company.

I have never ordered from him. I wrote him a email asking him to change his fat poppa photo on his website. No response. It is a picture I personally took and he took it off my website with out my permission. I don't know how his blanks run, nor does it really matter to me.

Wlure is a manufacturer in China. They have a very large selection of lures in painted and unpainted. But you get what you pay for. Cheaper plastic, some crack when heated while painting. But they are good for honing your skills.

Sharpies hold pretty well under epoxy. I actually use Faber-Castell artist pens to do all my signatures, no bleeding when the epoxy is applied, it is actually India Ink in these pens. I get them at hobby lobby and i do believe michaels carries them also.

Please hurry!!!! Ha ha!!!!

the foam is usually a 2 part mix, which you can figure out the ratio of how much you need per bait by doing some simple algebra. as for the mold, I when ever I make a cast of anything i use the two part silicone. Smooth On makes a great kit for starters. Here is a kit I bought once http://www.smooth-on.com/index.php?cPath=1217 , pretty good minus the 6 hour cure time. I have used it on a few hard baits, but mainly on soft plastics that aren't in production any more.

Check out Do-it molds. They have a bunch of odd sizes.

I use the Bob Smith Industries 30 min on some of my baits that I know are going to take a beating. It is some rock hard stuff. If you get the 30 min, It does not yellow and is slightly thicker. One coat should work fine for you. On some of my larger muskie baits I paint for people I have to use eTex in up to 5 coats (some of my guys are picky). Get some of the BSI and try it out. if you do not like how thick it is you can mix it up then dip a clean brush in some denatured alcohol then stir it in. It will give you a little longer working time, get rid of some bubbles, and make it thinner.

Redneck engineered soda blaster

Faskolor makes a color like that. I use it. It is called Faschange Blue. Basically a pearl with a blue tint with the angle you hold it it. works pretty well.

Mark, steady hands will cure that... Cut back on the caffeine

I had that issue a while back with eTex. Turned out to be a mixture of two things. Temp of my drying area and the age of the epoxy. The epoxy actually started to turn white at the bottom of the bottle. For the temp issue I put a 60w light bulb and a mechanical thermostat in my drying box. Keeps the temp around 80 and haven't had an issue since.

As a supplier of blanks, I can't say anything bad about any of the guys that sell unpainted cranks as I have ordered from just about all of them and have had great experiences. The only suggestion I can give is don't go through wLure. All of their baits are KO's of KO's and the quality isn't there. You really can't go wrong with ordering from any of the guys on here.

Make sure you're curing your lures in a warmer temp too. I use a light bulb on a mechanical thermostat in my wheel box and keep it around 80 degrees when I cure mine. I had some cure problems due to basement temps being around 56 degrees. With the heat it will reduce the cure time significantly.

Ben, I have not run into any issues with temperature up here in Wisconsin with top coats. I have fished mine in 0 degree weather when the water is right around freezing and hasnt played any adverse effects with cracking or chipping. I actually have a boat load of different top coats depending on the bait. For more weight sensitive Etex, MCU, or AC1315. Etex for most of my normal baits, and Devcon for toothy critters, although MCU does hold up well due to it having some give (less chipping)

Most states have free programs (Wisconsin did) for small businesses and people who are thinking about starting them. I would also check on that, helped me out some too.