SW Lures

If you are doing large amounts of baits I would suggest bottle brushes like most do. Woodie is one for example, or do assembly type work. I have three, one at .50, .30 and one that will do .33 / .21. I seem at best with three and honestly like just using two but these are bowl type, not bottles.

I've used regular and frog tape. I really dont have much trouble unless I want to be tight to the body. I like idea Woodie and well see what it will do. Thanks

If you make a wooden profile and split it in half with a fine blade, like on a 1/4" band saw blade wouldn't it match? I just thought about the cavity having to be molded or carved out in some fashion. I'm thinking about it. It seems that that would be the answer to microballon issues. I don't know if is worth the effort for the rewards. Weighting the belly could balance the bait. I real don't know because I haven't done any resin work, but sometimes I can brain storm when I can find the brain cells to corporate with each other.

As Bob has stated these are not the same. Reducer is to thin down paint and give it a different shade or with another color under, a different look. Cleaner; I use a very little amount of dish detergent (it has glycerin in it) in a small tub of water for back flushing and spray out during cleaning. I also use a small needle nose bottle with the same in it to run through as a clean mixture. In another bottle I have cleanser in it. At the end of a session I pour some cleaner in and spray a little, then let it set. After a few I pull the needle, clean it and let it set. Spray out the bowl and wipe the AB down. I dip the needle in glycerin and wip it lightly down. In the triger mechcanism I put a very small amount of machine oil there, some times I'll break this down and do a detail cleaning. You probably notice I mentioned glycerin several times. I was told about it here. It leaves a film over the part and lubes it. I also heard about it from Ken Schoutfeld (spelling, sorry Ken?) President of Badger AB's. My AB never seize up and works well on the go once I run some cleaner thru it when I start up. I use very little cleaner. I haven't totally cleaned my AB in a very long time and it still works great. I have several different brands and noo problems. Another thing always make sure your internal components are dry before leaving. Dale

Lol.....Jonister. You needed a recorder. From a layman's side of this. If I don't lose, damage or a fish damages a bait for about two seasons that bait has done well and me too. I have baits older than that with these types of paint on them and to my eye these baits look similar to when I made them. If you feel like I do DDL about the life of a bait....don't worry about it. The only paint that I get frustrated about is metallic's. I'm just now messing with them a lot.

I wonder how it would work with paddle tail baits? The delivery is different from worm fish mostly. I use a lot of small 2" shad shape and scheme, also tigers. Good to know may give it a go Mark.

X2...Gone2long about water.

That was interesting AA. I read an article wrote by Doc Vinall (marine biologist/fishing fanatic) about colors and the spectrum that fish can see at different depths in water. I agree with these articles, the best a layman can do. Soo, I have experimented over the years and some times by accident found that the suggestions were true for the most part. I would use this when someone would ask me to paint a lure for them. I will ask what is the depth you are fishing and where? They would say for example that they would be fishing at 15' lets say. The area that they were fishing in, was mainly stained. So I painted a bait that would give them the best shoot of a strike. When coming by or meeting me where we were going to fish, they were like....what is that? They would say (just about every time) I want these colors. I would explain that these colors are lost in the depth of the water (lack of light). I would get them what they wanted if at the house. If out on the boat I would use the one I was giving to them. When I start catching fish you will see them to start paying more and more attention to what was happening. After about half a day or so they will start hinting that they may be interested in that paint scheme. Go figure

I understand why people use Pledge DDL but know this, that product is a acrylic product. Make sure you get your brush clean. I agree with Musky about home brews. With everything Musky has stated about, heat, humidity, amount of baits being painted, mixing variables I went to redusers. No matter what get a good one drop bottle for use of the thinner, comes in handy. You don't want no more than what is needed. You will understand the more you paint.

I have never used resins but have been interested for some time. While reading about microballons I have always wondered why not leave a cavity in the bait like AA is describing. Maybe doing the bait in halves, similar to plastic body's. Or in some type of cavity like drilling and then plugging. I do this in some wooden baits to create rattle chambers. The cavity creates buoyancy even with the bb's. I also use wood to plug the chamber to give some balance in the lift. Some use bondo and other man made products (density is different) but I put back what I take out, except for the chamber of course. Some times throwing around ideas creates a solution.

Nat, you never know until you try. I applaud people who looks for other paths. If nothing else please let me know how it turns out. Dale

I was working pine several years ago and I agree with the smell of pine. It just doesn't have the action that I like. The grains are a pain in the rear. Basswood, balsa has hardly no grains. The white poplar that I use has very little grains. I just can't get pine consistent with moisture, desitnsity etc. I do agree tho about pine.

Most likely DDL. I don't use a oil compressor for that reason. I believe if the oil seals are in good shape you will not have a problem. Once the seals start breaking down you will begin having problems. I will not take that chance. I guess I can say this when I have a dedicated room for a loud compressor. With catchers/filters you would be ok I guess. I have them on my system, because of my setup. I have found that oil filters catch very small debris. I use the filter as a drip/solid debries catcher. I have a large system. Another thing about a compressor and multiple airbushes. Unless there is more than one person using the compressor, you are not going to use but one brush at a time. Unless you are an outstanding ambidextrous person. My Grands are the exception to the rule for me.

No DDL, I use reducers recommended by the paint manufacture. If you drill any hole in your wood blanks that is a point that has the greatest chance of the break down of your wood, paint. These hangers are also the point of the most stress that will move and cause issue. In my opinion treat these areas as being the most important, I make sure the holes are filled out above the wood with epoxy. Then I seal the wood, As Glider stated gray is not better then white, just like black is not better than grey or white is better than black. Think of the base coates as a tool to achieve a overall job. That is the point that I was trying to make. Its what I want the final finish to look like. I'll use any color to get what I'm after. JMO

It will give the scheme a different shade. I paint with thinned down paint a lot or inks. If I'm not trying to go opaque then gray would give a little darker look than white. If I'm doing a silver or "chrome" I may use a black. I paint in light layers and build off the last, OR not.....because I may like that shade I have achieved. I do a lot of forage fish.....alewife, shad, etc so I use black or gray as base color. Heck I have been working with gold and copper foil lately with a light primer coat. The gold that I have been spraying, I use thinned purple and aqua blue on the shoulders and back with a touch of opal glitter. Why thinned, it is to fade into the lower color and for a certain color. There is so many different combinations. Thats why some of these people have loads of paint colors. Your imagination is your friend. Hope this helps

I use .30 TIG SS welding rods. Not bad to shape, sooo I just stayed with it. It's tough enough for salt water but ok to use in small baits (4" +/-). I use smaller SS hangers bought from a vender. Something I learnt from Mark is to predrill all holes and eyes sockets before shaping a blank. You may have to touch up the holes but you will not have a blow out on a thin lure. This is done when you know all the locations and sizes, Smallmouthaholic has touched on this. As far as what color for a primer coat depends on where I'm going with the paint scheme.

Dinger would know...! Dinger what do you think about soft abasive scouring with dish detergent (very small amount), with a alcohol prep cleaning at the end on regular blanks? We do this for fusing plastic pipes and what I have been doing. I'm looking to get some of your holographic baits, wondering if it would hurt them. Thanks

One thing I didnt see in these suggestions. If it has, please excuse. Get a quality thermometer for your oven. Not all ovens are accurate, matter of fact very few. I have been doing quite a few heads/spinners for some time now. Not as much as some that are giving you suggestions here. I preheat the heads as all do to get the initial paint adhesion. As soon as I get a rack of about 150 I put them in a perheated oven at 350-375° for the final cure. I've never had flake off even with multiple color layers. If I am getting fancy I will clear coat over them, especially when using eyes. Good Luck!

Glade it came out ok for ya. I am having issues myself with a totally different business but is in the bait realm. I have been waiting for nearly a month and have communicated with the owner three times about the order. I have decided to give it to the end of this weekend. My order was made on Aug. th 14th I believe. The company is a well known in the bait making circles. MORE TO COME, I'm going to call them out, I hate doing it.

I made a tree for about 40, but its only about 3' tall. I made it from 1 1/4" dowel for the trunk and 1/4" dowel for the branches whish is off set around the trunk. SS wire for the hangers drilled into the end of the 1/4" dowels. Couple of these trees you can have enough for about an 100 or more at 5-6'. Takes up hardly no room and can moved around as needed. I'm making another with drip pans made of light wight plywood 1/4" thick for each layer of baits. All was made from scrap wood. Points is, you can do things like this and not break the bank. Thats the whole point, is to do things with out cutting into profits. Keep your overhead down which keeps you prices down, which makes more customers. Just my

What wrote before I lost it was. I'm like BobP probably lacquers. With these you have the risk of flammable and health issue. Heck some manufactures could even have an special brew.. Manufactures of course are not going to let that out. Manufacturers put a heck of a lot of money to protect the employees from these issue....well at least in the USA. I have to ask you do you want a lower glass/wet look? If so, maybe someone here can help you with this besides me. I use Rustoleum Crystal Clear rattle cans to get away from that deep glass look. About 5 coates usually does it. I've used D2T, Diamond and perfer Diamond now for the glass look. You know you can get a matte type clears. Like Travis stated we use about everthing that you don't like. Soooo..we have not a lot for you. Travis, your first sentence says it all. Keep asking questions, but search first and we'll help you in the right direction if we can. Dale

I look at it this way. Yes there is a search feature and yes we can use it. If we do this than a interesting question may not get asked. New ideas get quieted and we dont learn, yes I believe that all of us should and can always learn. If y'all would not have answered my questions I may not have stayed here and gone back to just painting plastic blanks. If I'm just reading and came up with a question and get back to the forum I may not ask or remember to ask. I know what some of you are saying because I feel like that sometimes, but I thought about this and went with the question(s). WE should never make someone feel unwanted here at TU. I think we should have a post at the tops of the forums that reminds new people to use the search and how to use it (pinned). WE should always be polite to someone looking for knowledge. Refer to the pin post and request after the person searches and still has a question please return and ask. Some are not computer savy and I'm one of them. It's not what you were trying to say, it's how y'all come across. I hate this type of communication, because your true thoughts can be interpreted wrong, but it's the best we got. Don't be here so long that you get rude! Jbrandon 47, I dont have time right now (work) to answer your question and I know my opinion on this is not in most. This evening I will reply to your question. I was going to yesterday but my pad went out (battery). Shame on y'all, Dale

I have but the over spray is wasteful like Raven stated. I also have thought about using it for clear coat. Still the over spray was pretty bad. The mini HVLP guns come with very large needles. Mine has a 1.2 I believe, it's a Mac. You may be able to go a wee bit smaller, but you will still have about a 8-12" diameter spray. If you get closer you are going to drown your blanks even with controls turned down. IMO, go with a siphon feed brush with a .50 needle. You can do a lot of them with the mini's, but waste eats up your profit. You better get moving, 1500 blanks is a lot! Good luck

I'll add two things. A resperator needs to be sealed around your skin for optimum effect once you get the right filters. Haz has some great info and I'll add one thing. Keep your duct for the exhaust the right size and as straight as possible. Do it right and the booth will last you a long time and protect you the best way possible. Simplistic and correct will do it. With soft baits and painting we are talking about two different work types so the respirator can be used on both or a paint booth for paint. Your choice. Good luck

Yes sir Salty, you are exactly right about the strength of glues. I was surprised at its strength.