ACarrell

Very cool. That's probably good idea, trying to copy some of the existing Rapala lures. I think I'll download a couple of photos tonight, and try them out tomorrow. Actually, I'm using transparent black. It's just a pattern was too wide. I did several coats of it to get it dark enough.

Thanks goose, I appreciate the encouragement! I have a long way to go though!

Will do !!!!

Thanks Gliders ... Gonna do a bunch more research. My best guess is "practice, practice, practice " though. Just gotta work on this pattern and flow thing ....

Well, after talking about getting an airbrush, it turns out that my girlfriend happen to have one stashed away. It's a badger 100. Anyway, I went out and bought a few Createx paints , and I am experimenting around with it. Right now I mostly just trying to learn how to you use it properly, but I did paint one lure with it.... The best pattern one shown below. I would really appreciate any advice on using this airbrush better, and as you can see there are a few issues that I know of. Seems like I'm getting a bit too much black overspray, so I need to figure out how to tighten up the pattern a little better. Just things like that. Controlling flow, etc. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Interesting.... I had just found out that Suick use cotter a, but wasn't sure how they implemented tgem

Vodkaman - great idea ! No Connectivity- interesting, I may have to look into that

Thanks for the info, fellas !

I've been looking around and it seems like any builders that use them just epoxy them in ... They aren't bending the pin and routing the "L" channel like I did. Perhaps I was making more work for myself than necessary?

They do add weight, but you just account for it with wood and weight choice

Benton - Great info, thanks! It's cool to know that maybe my Idea isn't too far off base! Vodkaman - thanks for the encouragement, I appreciate it!

Yeah, it's easy to do, and for me is better in certain situations ... However, I'm new to making lures (though I've made guitars, furniture, etc for a long time), so maybe I'm just finding possible alternatives for "non-problems" !

Because I wanted to try this .... It's more a "stronger alternative to screw eyes" than a "replacement for thru wire". Quite strong, and good for long baits that are more difficult to drill through if you don't have a lathe

I decided to try an idea I had for using cotter pins as screw eyes. They're super rugged, so they seem to lend themselves to lure making. Plus Home Depot carries an assortment of sizes and lengths in stainless steel for cheap. Anyway, I wanted to make them hold more firmly than just epoxying them in, so I bend the longer tab out at a 90 degree angle in my vice. Then I used a 1/8" spiral cut bit in my drill press and free-handed channels for the pins. Do this for both sides of the lure. Then you just epoxy them in place when you join the halves of the lure. The tabs being at 90 degrees adds protection against the pins pulling out, as they can't slip down the channel. Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words, so ......

Thanks Nathan !

I searched, but didn't find anything. I was wondering if any of you guys have tried Crystalac Crabcoat finish. It's a non-yellowing, UV protected, marine grade coating that looked pretty interesting. From what I can tell, you could just dip it and it dries pretty fast. I'm thinking about trying some, but didn't know if any of you guys had any recommendations regarding this product. Thanks ! http://www.crystalac.info

Will do !

You guys are awesome! These tips (and step by step instructions) are absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with a newbie like me !

Ah, ok ... Thanks !

I like repurposing things, so it was an easy choice ! I also found 3 more of these chair back staves... Though one looks to be too bent to use. The other two look good though .

Good info, thanks guys !!!