ArdentAngler

I meant to write a more in depth process including the sanding or scuffing of each coat to promote paint adhesion...just have a lot on my plate at the moment. I'm concerned with chemical reactions from the paint/primer not from Devcon 2 ton which is neutral. As for my sealer, Minwax Spar Urethane, it seemed a pragmatic approach due to its ability to flex and expand. From all my reading it seems next to impossible to find a good procedure for sealing and clear coating lures. All the products mentioned on TU have pros and cons, besides those its more of a health and safety issue to be taken in account as well. One of the cons is being brittle, seems to be ubiquitous on all the site forums. Perhaps I should ask a couple of the guys on here for a trade off, send them a couple lures to keep for themselves in return for some being sealed with something like GST? Since its not available to me this seems like a reasonable venture.. Its funny, after reading a bit the Krylon has a bad rep for having a wide spray nozzle. Guess that's why many choose Rustoleum as a go to. Does anyone know of a primer filler acrylic lacquer that I can dip my lures in that's decent and reasonably priced? So for the scale netting, if I used a plastic stencil like a scrubber this would evade having it be absorbed, right? Everyone makes it look easy, direct spray on top of the lure 18" away, light sprays, touch and go. Ok, so heat it a couple seconds after spraying with a hair dryer and fastidiously remove the netting and it SHOULD be fine. The only thing that concerns me is bubbling, though it shouldn't be a problem with a light fanning from the hair dryer. I'm sure that there is some stuff that needs to be addressed but at the moment I am at a loss? Thanks for the input, won't be long till my process gets sorted out with all this great advice!

Hi, Just wanted to run this by you guys and get some solid criticism before going ahead only to have an oopsie, followed by bad words. My intention was to seal my wooden baits (Pine- Red Cedar) with Minwax Spar Urethane. Follow up with a thinned primer (suggestions needed) and allow adequate time to dry. Then paint my baits with either Krylon or Rustoleum. Finally finish with Devcon 2 ton epoxy letting it cure for a couple days. So the question is: Do you think this is a sound procedure for sealing & top coating? How long do you leave your scale templates on after painting? I hear mixed things such as allow it to dry as to not ruin the finish or too long and it will stick to the lures. Thanks!

I'm thinking its from a gift bag, there is someone on here who spoke of removing the material from the bag and using an adhesive to place it on the lure. My best guess

Wally World sells them as well in the craft section, bought a bunch for fly tying.

I have been searching for quite a number of years to find a replacement. Generally stick with what I know and in this case these pliers are perfect for many applications especially removing small hooks. Guessing the Snap On would be a great buy hopefully worth the quality of the name? As said before I don't care for the rubber or vinyl grips, but beggars cannot be choosers and they are exactly what I was looking for. Its funny you mentioned the tool store, I brought these in several and the responses were that they were a plain old pair of needle nose pliers...made me look like a dummy for even asking! I know they are needle nose but what kind? Then they try and sell me what they have which wouldn't last 6 months with the cheap finish put on them.

Well hey those snap on will work! Thank you. I didn't know what they were called, tried searching for " straight nose pliers" all were 11". I stay far away from the dummy grip handles like the Menards for Rapala pliers. I prefer the felt grip even though they tend to slide off all the time. Thanks again bud!

All they have is large one's like 11" I'm trying to find these in the same size which is a real pain...I tried snap on as well.

Ok, touching base again to refine my process and ensure I get it right on my first try! Is one coat of straight Minwax Spar Urethane not thinned enough? With one coat would this limit or eliminate yellowing completely? So my process is: Carve lure, possibly bib and hook hangers installed. Then one dip in the spar urethane. Allow adequate time to dry, then either dip or spray on my primer. Once that's dry follow up by painting my pattern and adding a clear coat, devcon 2 ton and it should be finished? If there is another alternative or an easier way let me know!

Thank you again for the sound feedback, guess I shouldn't stress it too much? I am trying to ensure that everything is suited to building and that the only errors will come from me, not the hardware. If its possible, reducing the amount of variables should give me a true running bait and less time banging my head against the wall in frustration. I'm trying to get my process down pat which is easier said than done, right? Basically learn from others mistakes and tailor their process of making lures to suit me.

Hi, I was hoping to track down another pair of pliers, not sure the brand name they were given to me many years ago. These were the best pair I have ever owned , they suited my needs perfectly. Uunfortunately they have worn out from many years of good use. They are 6 1/2" with blue felt grips, Any ideas? Also looking to find a pair of " Laker pliers" these were stainless steel and the logo was a worm with a baseball cap. I believe walmart sold them? These are similar to the Rapala pliers except they have no rubber grips and a smaller profile, not as wide in the jaws.

My intention was to do mainly twisted hook hangers and if thru wire harness is needed I would make a jig using nails on a wooden surface. I like the idea of copper, maybe for one off display lures, but its not utilitarian hook hanger material. Thanks again for all the replies!

Are there any cons to coiled wire vs. straight? Just worried I may grab the wrong one and have it ruin a finished bait...that would be a huge bummer. Since wire is one of the most crucial part it cannot be overlooked.

Any recommendation on brand for ss wire you guys use? I'm looking to narrow my options down and stick with some tried and true stuff. Specifically looking for 0.9mm diameter, I would love to make a couple baits using some brass wire as well. The only thing with brass is it may pose problems with tuning if it gets hung up on something or just heavy use in general.

So basically using the traditional scale over lure is my best bet! Sounds like a hassle using the hoop method. How long do you wait before taking the netting off after painting?

I am using cedar, pine, and poplar for my baits. Eventually when these are mastered and give me the results I desire, then I will move on and do a few balsa lures. My thoughts were to carve out a cavity and let this act as a rattle/ballast. The theory on weighted lures and action is a paradox. On one hand no ballast means a lively and or possibly unstable bait resulting in "rolling". Whereas a ballast creates stability by creating a pivot point inside the lure, though this can make the lure sluggish in terms of action if too much is added. These are typical what ifs, and it still has to contend with proper tuning. In other words the action fish like, not the user. As I have read numerous times a great action like hunting doesn't guarantee that the fish dig it. On top of that things like epoxy, paint, and drilled cavities make the lure less buoyant....it gives me a headache thinking about all these variables!

Mea culpa, Round split shot no. 4 and 5 is what I meant. I couldn't find a chart that tell what oz. they are

So a round number #4 or #5 is good for your typical 2" crank?

What is the difference between using netting material over the lure vs. scale netting hoop? Just curious on the pros and cons between the two.

Thanks Bobp I'm doing some small glider style baits and the added weight could make or break the bait. I have a dozen different methods to make the same lure, won't know what recipe is best till I try them all, hahaha. Before I experiment it seems prudent to know the ins and outs so that time and materials aren't wasted. So a few more questions: The minwax Helmsman seems to be an efficient method for all my bait needs as its simple to use, cheap, and low on fumes. Now I need to find a topcoat to match? I read it can be used as a topcoat but perhaps something else can be used as the yellowing worries me. Perhaps I missed this but does sealing with superglue add any weight considering it soaks into the wood rather than sit on the surface? Also worried the superglue seeps in too much. One of my lures utilizes a thin profile with rattles tucked inside grooves this could be a problem, don't want it to imbue in the wood and glue my rattles!

Simple, brilliant marketing scheme...average Joe wants the next new thing to make him catch more fish and Rapala promises that with some fancy ads and voila! Another sucker is born. Been there done that a thousand times. Also Cabela's and other stores get a perquisite for carrying a certain amount of product in a well placed display. The stores are too greedy to see that it never pays off, thus they are stuck with hordes of unmovable product only to be later reduced drastically. Lure economics, you always lose haha.

Hahaha, you have a good point about the scatter rap. I read some reviews off ebay and a few other sites and guys were saying the waddle bat and some others wouldn't perform anything like the video stated it would. Guess you need to take everything with a grain of salt. Heard some great things about these waddle buggy lures, with pictures results too!

Does anyone have the color chart showing all the patterns? I did a google search and found some but they are so mall you cannot read anything. Also that 196 Prizm Flash Crayfish can go for $800!!!? Its not made of gold or some other valuable material is it?

Ok, what about weighting baits? Could be another minwax product, but I read somewhere it adds a bit of weight? this can be great for lures without ballasts. Planning on doing some ballast free cranks to optimize the maximum action.

Huh? Well mea culpa, I missed the more ovate shape on the bottom. At first glance it really reminded me of the Racket Shad. Good eye cougar!

Yeah the racket shad was Rebel version to the rattling rapala yet there were two versions.; One had a lip and the other didn't. These were available in 1972 Bibs are bills