JRammit

The lips you have differ by 5/16"-7/16".. Thats like 5-7 miles in terms of crankbait tuning... Ive found sometimes shaving off the thickness of a fingernail to have a significant difference in performance I use lexan, looks "cleaner" than circuit board imo... Just Google "lexan sheet", several suppliers, think i pay $4-$6 for a 12"x12"x1/16" sheet For shaping, Bob P has it.... My templates are made from card stock, i trace onto blue painters tape (thanks Mark P), cut out and tape to the lexan (protective film removed).. Cut lexan w snips or band saw, then grind down to the tape edge w sanding drum

You got a lot going on here... 3 different lips at 2 different angles..... Someone really smart once told me, only change one variable at a time... Other wise youll never know which change made it better or worse If you're buying your lips pre-made, id suggest making your own.. Gives you more flexibility with your designs Line tie location and lip length go hand in hand.. If youre line tie is on the nose of the bait, the only adjustment you have is lip length...... What you would do is, start with a lip too long and trim it back in tiny incriments until you get what you want Ballast will help with stability, but if the tow point (line tie) and lip length dont get along, you and the lure wont either

The only issue is, it bonds to EVERYTHING!... Including a fly that landed on a jerk bait i just finished the other day

Pictures would definitely help.. Along with a more specific description of what is happening with the lure(s) This part is the most fun (imo) but also the most frustrating... Its a trial and error process, but you can save yourself some error by getting your angles and measurements from a store bought crankbait to begin with

Good to know... Thinking of trying it as a wood sealer

Microballoons in epoxy???... Genius!!!

I have the cheap apple barrel paints.. I got pretty close to GP by mixing brown oxide with moss green

I always wondered why they don't just mix heat stabilizer in the plastic before selling.... Kinda like buying your kid a toy, batteries not included

Mark, does the glue give you any problem with bubbles? I tried this the other day, but i mixed the glue into the water before adding the plaster.... Mixed until it looked like a bubble bath, then decided to throw it away Im guessing you mix the plaster 1st, THEN add the glue

I used dryer sheets for a while... They helped hold the mold together if i got small cracks... But the sheets couldnt support bigger cracks Now i just make my molds thicker... Plaster is cheap, more is stronger.... Each mold half is > 1" thick... Only had one break since, and that was because i tried to build an injector into the plaster But remember, 2x thicker = 2x dry time

I missread.. I thought u had the master stuck in the mold.... You just need the primer out...... Maybe a heat gun??

If u have a piece with enough "meat" to it, drill a pilot hole and thread a screw into it... That'll give u something to grab and allow to pull straight out If not, and u have an air compressor, try to get some air underneath it... That should loosen it up

Ha! Havnt seen those since i was a kid! Proof you can sell ANYTHING with the right marketing strategy

Looks like some sort of invisible bait... Never seen such a thing Or did u just forget the picture?

Ok, got er dun! Heres my frogs http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/gallery/image/15863-hollow-frog/

X3 for Home Depot..... But idk if im getting Azek or not? I just grab a piece and buy it I did get a bad piece once, with hollow spots all down the middle... But all the others have been fine

Id even venture to guess a pic in the TU gallery would apply..... Its hosted and dated by a third party.. And witnessed by hundreds of members I have one of my ongoing projects in there... Before i started it, i googled several key words (like you probably did) trying to find if it had been done before... I found nothing, but now when i do the same searches, i come up...... So i figure, if anyone else had the same idea now, they would do the same searches and see i beat them to it Just a thought

Don't let it discourage you.. If u have a dream, pursue it!... I plan to, someday But remember, business is just a game of numbers... Small investment = small return... Basically the only way to make money is if you already have money to begin with I have a family depending on me, so i cant afford any form of risk... But if you set realistic goals, i believe the dream can become reality For me... I dont ever expect to quit my job... But, if i could afford to work 4 or 5 days a week instead of 6 or 7.. Have a hobby that pays for itself and more time to spend on it...... That would be a dream come true!

I took a peek down that path with one of my designs.. What i found, just wasn't worth the trouble I think the biggest problem is protecting your patent.... Youd think once you pay for the patent, you're safe... But not really If it's not worded right to begin with, anyone can find a loop hole... And if someone out right took your idea and ran with it, youd still have to have the resources to go after them If you have the funds to pay an attorney to guide you thru it, id say go for it..... If not, then skip the patent and go for it anyway Just my $.02

Good point... But, the irony If we were so concerned with time, i think we'd just buy all our lures from Cabelas like every one else On countless occasions ive invested weeks/months of my precious little time off work trying to design and make that new lure no one else has, only to end up with a wall full of failures..... But the handful of times it did work out made it all worth it in the end! Im sure we all have our own reasons for choosing this hobby... To those who do it just because they have time to kill, i envy you!

Mine is hollow, using a "carve to fit" insert.. Only had time to shoot 1 so far, it easily floats a 3/0 hook, sure 4/0 would be no problem either.. Ill try a 5/0 just for bragging rights Itll b in the gallery when i get time to shoot more

Got me curious, so i looked and found this Is this the same frog? Cause it don't float Ive been working on a floating frog for over a month now.. Think i finally got it Durring my struggles, i tried using microballoons... They work, frog floated, but man was it ugly! Problem #1 was the color... I added double the ammount, close enough to live with Problem #2, made the plastic softer, kinda "spongy" even... I could live with that too Problem #3, kinda anticipated this one.. 90% of the mb's floated up to the top of the bait... Made one whole side look foamy like tap beer.... That's when i decided to try something else Not sure about cork, but id assume it would do the same thing.... Air seems to work fine though