FrogAddict

Welcome to the sweet addiction! It's not cheap but it's a blast!

I've used both Etex and Devcon and I like the working time of Etex. It allows me to relax and do mutiple lures at once. Yes, it takes more time to cure and I know that I can add denatured alcohol to Devcon but Etex is a pretty simple no hassle option for me. The only thing to watch out for is fish eyes. I usually get them when I handle the lure with my hands. It's the oils from my skin that seem to cause the epoxy to not adhere to the surface. The solution is to not touch the lure or use gloves. Either way I recommend a turner. I use a rotisserie motor on mine. Simple and effective. I just use the square metal rod that comes with the kit (see image below). I keep the lure clamped with hemostats and once I have it covered w/ Etex, I tape it to the spit using some masking tape. That way I never have to handle the lure in the process. Before I did this, I'd drop one from time to time and that wasn't good!

Just to butt in here, I have bubbled paint with a hair dryer more often than I care to admit. Just last weekend I had sealed a lure with epoxy and then painted. Next I went to set the paint with the hair dryer and the epoxy bubbled up. It's my fault, in my haste I didn't let the epoxy set up long enough. I'm with you Ben, paint can be heat set. I've had the same experience trying to remove paint from a lure.

I have had bits wander on me and it can be very frustrating. Like others, I drill the holes when the lure still has flat sides. Also, I have started putting the bit right on the mark for the center line and applying a bit of downward pressure before turning on the drill press (I have the piece firmly in the vise at the time). This has eliminated any wandering. This also works with my forstner bits as well.

One thing to keep in mind with that brush, it has a .5 mm needle so it will be forgiving and good for coverage but may leave you wanting for fine details. I still think it's a great brush. I have it and love it but I will be getting the Revolution HP BR with the .3 mm needle soon. I have no experience with that compressor however.

Mark, I use the Cretex brand restorer when my brush starts to get bad. It works like a charm. One note of warning: don't leave in a plastic cup overnight, it will eat right through it.

Please don't buy a cheap airbrush like I did. It's simply wasted money. Buy a good quality airbrush the first time. I almost quit painting I was so frustrated with my cheaper airbrush. It would spatter, get clogged, was horrible on any details and just make painting very frustrating. I bought a good airbrush (Iwata Revolution) and now I enjoy it again. Yes, you need to clean and clean again but the way the better airbrushes are made makes this easier.

I really appreciate you sharing your techniques. I have to say, I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable if I didn't use through wires on my balsa cranks. The reason is, I catch some large Northern's and they can be very hard on crank baits. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to never have to mess with through wires again but I would just be nervous if I didn't use them.

I use hemostats. I clamp the lure on a line tie and keep it clamped while painting and then topcoating. I then use masking tape to tape it to my rotisserie spit.

I get mine from McMasters. It's been a bit since I bought though so I can't remember much.

Bluegill for me. I can't seem to get it right. But I am not good at painting. I have an Iwata Revolution but it has a .5 mm tip and doing details can be difficult.

First off, Mark and Ben give some great advice regarding Etex. I have found that thinner coats are best. I don't see any build up anymore when I apply the top coat if I do 2-3 thin coats. I know Mark uses Solarez or whatever its called but I have all winter to make lures so I'm not in too much of a hurry. I use a small butane torch and swipe it over the lure once it's on the turner a couple of times and that takes care of any bubbles. Just remember to wait a couple minutes after you put it on the turner then swipe it a couple times per side but make sure you just swipe quickly. It's the carbon dioxide or monoxide (I'm no chemist) that pops the bubbles, not the heat. Fish eyes can be eliminated, as Mark said, by cleaning the lure. Even warm soapy water can be effective. Oils from your hands are the enemy for sure. Etex doesn't like sharp edges much so I try to round everything off fairly well and I do make sure I check any radius to make sure the epoxy has covered that area. Etex has a tendency to "move away" from sharp edges and even a tight radius. I keep a 5 gallon bucket filled with water close to my work area to tank test lures. Mark first turned me on to PVC. The reason PVC is so great is that you can tank test it immediately after shaping. I usually pre-drill 3/8 in. holes with a forstner bit and then I fill them with ballast and rubber band or tape them in to tank test. I install all treble hooks but I use some light wire to affix them to the line ties instead of messing with split rings. Once I have the right amount of weight in the right places, I glue the weights in. I use sheet rock mud to fill in the holes. If I have holes I didn't use, I fill them with bits of PVC I have laying around. Finally, I have re-coated Etex after scratching the crude out of the first coat and the lure is still clear and shiny once the second coat is applied. The first time I did it, I didn't believe the scratches would disappear but they did. Hope all this helps!

I continue to have trouble getting cranks to run true but it's mostly because I'm always messing with my designs. If I stay with a traditional body shape and lip configuration and I focus on keeping the body symmetrical, I am usually pretty successful. Oh, and never underestimate how important it is to get the ballast in the right place for the action you want. I recently built a crank and put ballast in front of and behind the line tie and it had the best tight action I've ever built. I then put ballast in front of the line tie only on the next crank and that one had a super wide wobble. The point is, there are so many factors, it's really endless.....thank God! Just my two cents here, keep the lure turner as simple as possible. I run a rotisserie motor and I use the square rotisserie spit. For small lures I use forceps to hold onto the lure and simply tape the forceps to the spit. For larger muskie lures, I made another "spit" out of a wood dowel. I drilled holes in the dowel and ran a heavy gauge wire through the dowel so the lure can suspend several inches from the dowel. If this doesn't make sense, I can take some pictures for you.

Paul Adams uses a bit of paper or plastic to make a small "funnel" to apply his epoxy into small areas. I can't stress enough that you should check out his videos on YouTube.

I like it. Simple and effective. Mine is way more complicated but no better than yours. Do you put the lid on the tub when you're turning?

Don't forget Academy. I've has success with their H2O brand squarebills!

Nice tip, I'll have to try that one!

X2 on alumalite. Makelure.com is a good place to start. They sell the silicone for the molds as well.

If I could buy a quality top water popper blank based on the Duo Realis popper 64, I'd jump at the chance. These sit almost vertical in the water and can be popped and walked with ease. I've tried recreating the action but haven't had any success. Granted, I'm just a hobby builder though. I see tons of crank blanks available in the market but few top water blanks.

Hey Skimpy, good for you! In all seriousness, this lure making stuff is a great way to keep the mind busy. Thanks for teaching him!

Skimpy the Jig dealer.....gave him the first jig for free! I hope he understands how much money he's gonna spend at fishingskirts.com!!

Hmm, Erin called me a while back and I was impressed that an actual person called me to ask something about my order instead of just sending the wrong thing. I love fishing skirts.com. I buy skirts, unpainted jigs, powder paint and many other things from them. I woke up from a nightmare the other night, in it they went out of business and I had no idea what to do. It was horrible. I had to get on the ole computer and make sure they were still on the web. Then I went down to my tackle lair and played with some jigs for awhile. Finally I got back to sleep. I think the sound of my lure turner did the trick.