HAWGFAN

I wouldn't imagine you'd gain a lot of extra depth, but a foot or so wouldn't surprise me. Taking a little off the end should balance that out. Again, just take baby steps and test after every change. Hopefully you have access to a place that's fairly deep and clear. A swimming pool might even be best.

I wasn't familiar with the monster shad, so I had to check out some pictures. You should be able to narrow the bill down to tighten up the action. Shortening it could help as well. I'd probably start with shaving the sides. Just go slow and test as you go. A sharpie line around the perimeter will help you gauge how much material you've removed. Rubbing alcohol should remove any of the mark left behind after you're finished. As you tighten up the action, the bait will probably also dive a bit deeper. I'm not sure if that is an issue or not.

If by "BLO", you mean Boiled Linseed Oil, I suspect there are lots of options out there that you'd be happier with. A slow cure epoxy can be used for your seal and top coat. Envirotex Lite is thinner, and will require two coats for the top coat step. I like Devcon 2 ton. Bob Smith is also recommended, but I have no experience with it. You can use 5 minute epoxies in your assembly, but make sure it's under the seal and paint. It will yellow fairly quickly. If you need something very runny, a Urethane (Dick Nite MCU or concrete sealer), water based no mix epoxy, or even a thin super glue will dry more consistently for you. My experience with oil finishes is that they yellow, and can be slow to fully cure. If you must use an oil, use Tru Oil by Birchwood Casey. It is a highly refined linseed oil. It dries reliably in 24 hours, but will also yellow.

I'm from the south, and admittedly NOT the authority on spoons. I do know this. You need to consider your application. Some trolling spoons are thin and light. If that's your intended use, I would imagine they'd be fine. If you're wanting to use them for jigging/flutter spoons, they may be a bit light. I bought some of a similar size and shape, but they weighed .75oz. Just something to think about. These could be great for either use. It would be nice if you could buy a smaller quantity to test. Hopefully the vendor has enough experience with their products to give you good advice.

lureparts.com I believe. They seem to have a fairly large selection and competitive prices.

I've painted a couple. I used transparent paints and let the chrome show through. I was doing gizzard shad patterns. You could use an opaque base coat to cover up the shine if you wanted to only see the paint.

I've been using the "home" version, both in syringe and bottled packaging. I've had excellent results, and where I fish is very brutal on bait finishes. I believe that Devcon just updated the packaging. If your baits cured properly, you'll be pleased with the results.

I use alligator clips. They can hold baits on the hook hanger or lip. Use a piece of wire coat hanger or other stiff wire for a flexible arm. Then just drill holes in a piece of wood for the base. It's the same basic principle as the helping hands, but you can tweak the design to best fit your needs.

I use 3 parts transparent leaf green with 1 to 2 parts transparent brown

If you mount the meter on a pole and run service feeders to the structure, wiring cost will start to become a factor with 100A vs 200A service as well. I don't think AC would be an issue on loading. In my guesstimation, I allowed for 30A of heat. You'd be able to hang meat in there with that much cooling.

IBHUFFY1, 200 amp service? Not that it would probably cost tons more, but I can't imagine how you'd ever need that much power in such a small area. A 100 amp panel should have plenty of capacity. Consider your needs before you spend more money for 10X the capacity you'll usually use. You should be able to run your exhaust fan, two space heaters, a heat gun, lighting, air compressor, and a drill or saw simultaneously at around 75 amps or less. Again, it's all about someone's needs. If you have multiple people working with high amp equipment, you may need the 200 amp service. You might also appreciate the extra panel space for running multiple dedicated circuits to stationary equipment, especially if they require 220V. It's just something for anyone planning a project like this to consider.

USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Box (small). There are cheaper methods, but it's fast and easy. You can get a stash of them beforehand, and pay as you use them. You can print the label and pay for the shipping online (you get a bit of a discount for paying online), then just put the package in your mailbox. It's super convenient. I'm willing to pay a bit more for that convenience, and my customers don't seem to mind. Delivery usually only takes a couple days, and you get tracking.

5 and 6mm will work for most of the plastic bass lures with recessed eye sockets. Some vendors even recommend the proper size. For my hand carved baits, I use 7 or 8mm. The baits I carve tend to be on the larger side though. The sources I buy my 3D eyes from use the metric designations.

My 12X12 is plenty big enough for making baits. The problem is when you use it for storage and/or other tasks. Build as big as you can afford, but it'll still end up being too small one day.

I have been experimenting with making deeper diving balsa baits. I have a few configurations that I'm pleased with that reliably reach 8 to 12 feet. My latest attempt will probably approach 15 feet, and still has a decent amount of action. I'm not sure if I'll ever try to go much deeper. I prefer my baits to maintain a fair amount of buoyancy. They are much easier to get free of snags, and are more lively when they deflect off of cover. To gain much more depth, I'll have to sacrifice that characteristic. If I'm going to build a bait that begins to act more like a plastic one, I'll just buy factory baits, but that's just me. Deep cranking isn't exactly my deal, so it's not like I have invested in a huge collection of these type baits. I will say that is has been an interesting process to make deeper diving balsa baits. If anyone has never tried it, you should. I'm with CarverGLX, in that balsa isn't necessarily the best choice for getting the most depth. I'm not sure if durability is my greatest concern, but other materials would probably be easier to ballast.

I've made a couple, and they work well. I bore a hole with a drill, then split with a saw. I used school glue to attach my sandpaper. You can remove it with warm water to replace the paper.

I know there are different thread epoxies. I tried the one I use on some crankbaits, and wasn't pleased. The flexibility that makes for a good rod finish isn't very abrasion resistant. If you deal with many rocks, I'd avoid the rod/thread epoxies. Swimbaits aren't going to be grinding into the bottom, so that might be a better application. Two coats of Etex works for me, but I prefer one thick coat of D2T. I can't speak for Solarez or any of the urethane finishes.

A Strike King Series 5 (not the XD) will get you 12', so that's a good place to start. This is where cranks start to pull fairly hard. I'm with some of the other guys on reels. When the load starts to become significant, I break out the round bodies. I have a Quantum Iron and an Abu 4600C3 that are in the 6:1 range. When I need even slower for DD22's and XD's, I like my old Abu 5000.

Like BobP, I do my best to avoid cranking with a spinning reel. After a long day, wrist fatigue will add up. However, I do use a spinning setup for most 1/4 oz and for anything below that. I like a 7', medium power, preferably in a moderate fast action. The deeper flex can allow your bait more freedom to work properly, let the fish take the bait deeper, and is nice for absorbing hard runs and head shakes. My reels are 20 and 30 size Quantums. The larger frames tend to have a wider spool, that can aid in line management and greater capacity. They may also have a more powerful drag. My reels make the occasional trip to the coast for redfish, and the stout drag and larger line capacity are nice. I'm not throwing these baits in water that's especially clear. I'm also not concerned with max depth, so I like 12lb line. I've used mono, fluoro, and braid (with and without a clear leader) and all have their selling points. The spinning rig can be nice with light baits in the wind. I also use them in smaller streams where casting angles are sometimes tricky. The spinning gear is more forgiving in these situations.

I used a twisted wire. It lays flat against the bottom of the bill, and continues into the body of the bait.

My exact thoughts. Most builders realize what happens as soon as the bait gets wet, but sometimes it's easier to go along with a customer's request. Maybe they have more confidence in a matte bait and catch more fish on it, regardless if the finish actually has anything to do with it.

Virgin acetone is basically new, not recovered. It is thought to be purer and to do a better job in dissolving the propionate (generally referred to as "prop"). Look for it identified this way in the paint thinners/strippers at your favorite hardware store. Avoid blended solvents. The solo cup deal is a whole other can of worms, so I'll try to be brief. The only plastic used in cups that you'll likely be able to dissolve is polystyrene. Many want clear, but most clear cups are made of PET or others. Clear polystyrene cups are out there, however less common, so learn your recycle codes and take the time to look. Coincidentally, polystyrene is a "6". Here's the issue I've found. Many polystyrenes, especially those used in plastic silverware, are too brittle. Apparently, if your bait gets too hot or cold, it will split. I've avoided it all together. This can be a concern with prop as well. This is not the place to cut corners. Buy from a reputable supplier, with pellets of a known Shore Hardness of around 80, such as the one I suggested. If I recall, he is from the Kingsport, TN area, home of Eastman Chemical Co. (by whom I was formerly employed), and makers of Tennite plastic, their registered trade name for prop. I'm guessing this dude has a lot of experience with plastics, or has access to those that do. OK, so much for being brief.

I top coat with epoxy. It can be rubbed to a matte finish. I've done it with a fine sanding sponge. I'm sure there are rubbing compounds that could be used. Gunstock finishers often use a product called rottenstone, that I believe is very fine pumice. This subject comes up around here from time to time. I've not really heard of anyone finding a really great matte finish. I believe you'll be better off using a top coat that you have had success with and then removing the shine.

The "plastic pellets" you're referring to are propionate. I've heard that that is what Rapala uses, but I can't confirm that for certain. There is a guy that sells them on eBay. He markets it to bait makers, and he's easy to find. Buy the small amount first. It'll last for dozens of baits, and will be more than plenty to let you experiment with. I like it as a sealer on my balsa baits, but I don't recommend it as a top coat. Some use it for a top coat, but I'm not satisfied with the durability, or my results to use it that way. I dissolve it with virgin Acetone, and it works fine. Some use denatured alcohol, but I've never tried it. Tall, narrow jars, such as olives come in are good containers. You get good depth with less volume that way. You'll just have to experiment with your mix to get the thickness you want. I prefer it fairly thick, about like warm honey, simply because it builds much faster. As a rough guess, I'd say start with 1.5" of pellets in 5" of total level. It can take weeks to totally dissolve, but you can start using it in a couple days. Some sink the lure in it for the first coat, and leave the bait submerged for up to two hours. The thought is to let the plastic penetrate and harden the wood. I've tried it, but it didn't work for me. I suspect my mixture is to thick. For the first coat I dip for a minute or two. Just long enough that the bubbles stop appearing on the surface of the balsa. It doesn't level like epoxy. If you need to hide any surface imperfections, it's more of a build, sand, repeat type of deal. IMO, it's worth trying. I like the no mix ease of it. You can usually do your next coat in 10 minutes or so. You'll hear about "blushing", a cloudy appearance when dry that seems to be related to humidity. As a sealer, it's not a problem to me. A thicker mix seems to be less prone to this, in my experience. There are probably more things I could add, but that's the basics of what I do.

I use Createx paints, and rubbing alcohol does a good job of cleaning my mesh. After a few cleanings, I find my mesh gets too soft and doesn't hold the shape of the pattern very well. At this point I chunk it. I've had the same thing happen that you describe, and it's frustrating. Some colors that I use for scales, especially Createx opaque black, just don't seem to dry very well, and are more prone to this happening. Also, make sure that the base color is very dry. This can add to the issue.