soky72

I actually haven't tried yet but I probably will still go with new ones since the baits are being completely restored.

Bingo! Thanks Mudbug!!!

Can anyone tell me if replacement line ties can be bought similar to the ones used on hot-n-tot cranks? I'm restoring some old magnums for a friend and the bills are polishing up like mirror's except around the line ties so I'd like to to take them out.

Sure do, Cave Run Lake and Green River Lake are excellent Muskie fisheries as are several smaller lakes and rivers. Tennessee has great Muskie lake as well with Melton Hill. I actually have my first 5 "grandma" style blanks hanging after dipping them in spar urethane and mineral spirits. These will be my first attempt at lure building hence all the questions.

Fishon I muskie fish on Green And Barren River in south central Ky. Mark if I use Etex after I let the lures cure out would that be sufficient protection. When I say soak I'm thinking more like 5 minutes so the concoction can get into the drill holes and lip slot. Maybe closer to a dip than soak.

Guys first things first, I just want to say what an awesome forum this is. I've been reading this one and few others off and on for 2-3 years but am only now trying to make a few baits. My question has to do with sealing my wood blanks. Ive read it all, BLO, Urethanes, super glue, epoxy, etc.... and I really think I want to try and do something that will involve soaking the blank for a little while in a thin medium to really get into the wood. Maybe a spar urethane (Minwax satin or semi gloss) thinned with mineral spirits 60/40. My question among many is the next step. Could I get away with dipping the blank in something like Killz primer or should I go ahead and put a coat of etex on the blank before painting? I'm already seeing there are multiple ways of getting the job done depending on how much time you want to spend. I'm not going to be mass producing any lures and am mainly worried about making them as bullet proof as possible against those toothy critters. OH and while Im at it how long do you normally wait between coats on the etex? Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.