Chuck Young

I would love to have those tools, and a lathe too! I cut the profile with a coping saw then sand at 90d deg. It doesn't matter how you get there, but this 90 degree thing is vital. I use a table saw. with an attachment that turns it into a disc sander. a 1" belt sander circa 1935 (newer than the table saw). Lip slot is cut in a jig with a few hack saw blades glued together (its in homebrew tools). For gill. mouth and socket details I use the three cardboard cut out method (seal with super glue). To through wire balsa blanks I use a hacksaw blade glued between two pieces of wood to match the thickness of the balsa. Where there is a will there is a way. You can achieve good results with just a few basic tools. The attachment shows what 3 pieces of cardboard do to add face/ gill details. Those who can't carve can still cut and paste!

I have ordered some lures from China. The code on these blanks match W lure. You can get these through ebay or directly from W Lure. They themselves get their lures from several sources. Some of their stuff is very good. If you plan on selling them, you will have to keep some in stock. There are 36 that I really like and keep in stock. They change their inventory all the time for the sake of changing inventory, but you can still find some old stock on ebay. They are consistent in weight. A few come through with bad seams or with loose hangers. Most can be fixed. Shipping takes a while (20 -25 days) - they will tell you on ebay how long it takes. It has never taken longer for me to get them than what they say. I always get what I order. They are packaged well and are not banged up. But my preference is to buy from Predator, Dinger, Dakota Lakes tackle. The craftsmanship is better and you can get them sooner. There are a few other suppliers that come highly recommended. The LC ko 2.5, 1.5, 1, and .5 are far superior to W lure. They might even be better than the origional. They have the WT channel and choice of rattles.I shop these sources first.

Thanks for the link Travis. I just identified one 16" dia tree in my front yard as a basswood tree. It too close to the house and wires to drop. But a few limbs are going to be converted to lures!

This looks awfully close. http://www.ebay.com/itm/wLure-10-Blank-Minnow-Fishing-Lure-Bodies-2-1-4-Inch-Unpainted-Lure-UPC548P10-/191793977333?hash=item2ca7cfd7f5:g:ZSQAAOSwLzdWTHaT

How big are the fish in your pond? I'm always looking for another hot spot.

I have another thread going for paulonia sources. But here is one link. Search google and if you find better, please post there. http://www.paulowniaseed.com/Ordering/Lumber-Orders

Balsa is a lot more than $10 per board ft. A 1/2" X 12" X 24" piece of paulownia wood (1 board ft or $10 worth) will make 144 4" long rapala style minnows. Less than 10 cents in wood cost. It's the labor that costs.

For one thing, the lucky craft 2.5 knockoffs from Shelt's and W lure do not have the weight transfer channel. They cast with the grace, accuracy, and elegance of a 450 lb linebacker in a unitard and ballet slippers. This is a real difference that you can see in an unpainted blank. However your customers will not be able to see it once you paint the baits. There are other sources that sell a much higher quality blank with the wt channel. Some suppliers offer these blanks with several different rattle systems.Their weights are spot on. I venture to say that their knockoffs are as good or in some cases better than the origionals. I take that as a sign of quality in the rest of their blanks as well - good or bad. The higher quality suppliers are the places that get my business. That being said, not all blanks are available from these suppliers. W lure (and others) sells / sold some excellent blanks. If you do business with a supplier who perhaps cuts corners, you have a responsibility to test each and every one you sell to make sure it passes muster.

A pressure regulator and filter are invaluable. The pressure guage on it will tell you the pressure at the brush. Make a log of what pressures work for which jobs. https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=air+regulator+filter&tbm=shop&spd=13132288915443150459 I didn't want the bulk of a holding tank in my limited studio space. So I put a 25 ft length of polyurethane hose before my airbrush hose. It is usually blue and is available in lumber yards. It is made of a rubbery material. Before it was installed, my airbrush would pulse with the compressor at low pressure. Now it gives a nice steady flow even at the lowest pressure I run (3-5 psi). I was surprised at how well it worked. If your compressor runs non-stop or even periodically, even when you are not spraying, then you have a pressure leak. If it runs constantly when you are spraying then all is well. Enjoy your new airbrush, and post pics of your progress as a painter.

If you play the sound in reverse, do the fish run away? Or doees it just say smoke marjuana? If it is the latter, my daughters boyfreind will probably come running. Or maybe stone fish.

When I first heard of this wood, I thought it was exotic and unavailable based on the name. Ben (Rayburnguy) posted that it grows in the United States. Come to find out, it has some great characteristics. It has the best strength to weight ratio of any wood. No knots, slightly more dense than balsa, and cheaper to boot. Now if I can just find some. I see some surfboard supply sources around $10 per board foot. Where do you get yours, and what do you pay?

After this research, and after reading posts from Rayburnguy (thanks Ben), I am looking to acquire some paulownia. Although of eastern origin, it grows in the United States. It grows fast and has excellent strength to weight ratio with no knots. Some have dubbed it the wood of the future. I have started a new thread to determine a good source.

What a great link! Thanks NRG!

Invest in some Createx airbrush restorer. I couldn't begin to count the number of times I had a clog that all but stopped the flow of paint.Blowing back the paint, a rinse with water, and the restorer cleared it right out. Then it was on with the paint job.

here is a table of wood densities compiled from several sources. Solid Density (103 kg/m3) (lb/ft3)*) Balsa 0.09 6 6 Balsa 0.16 10 10 Balsa 0.22 14 14 Paulownia 0.29 18 18 Balsa 0.3 19 19 Bamboo 0.3 - 0.4 19 - 25 19 Basswood 0.3 - 0.6 20 - 37 20 Pine, white 0.35 - 0.5 22 - 31 22 Poplar 0.35 - 0.5 22 - 31 22 Cedar, western red 0.38 23 23 Pine, yellow 0.42 23 - 37 23 Butternut 0.38 24 24 Obeche 0.39 24 24 Sycamore 0.4 - 0.6 24 - 37 24 Willow 0.4 - 0.6 24 - 37 24 Cottonwood 0.41 25 25 Spruce 0.4 - 0.7 25 - 44 25 Alder 0.4 - 0.7 26 - 42 26 Aspen 0.42 26 26 Gaboon 0.43 27 27 Spruce, Norway 0.43 27 27 Redwood, American 0.45 28 28 Spruce, Canadian 0.45 28 28 Spruce, Sitka 0.45 28 28 Spruce, western white 0.45 28 28 Chestnut, sweet 0.56 30 30 Pine, radiata 0.48 30 30 Walnut, Claro 0.49 30 30 Whitewood, European 0.47 30 30 Hemlock, western 0.5 31 31 Larch 0.5 - 0.55 31 - 35 31 Mahogany, African 0.5 - 0.85 31 - 53 31 Agba 0.51 32 32 Beech 0.7 - 0.9 32 - 56 32 Cypress 0.51 32 32 Pine, Corsican 0.51 32 32 Pine, Scots 0.51 32 32 Redwood, European 0.51 32 32 Ash, black 0.54 33 33 Douglas Fir 0.53 33 33 Oregon Pine 0.53 33 33 Elm, English 0.55 - 0.6 34 - 37 34 Elm, American 0.57 35 35 Elm, Dutch 0.56 35 35 Gum, Red 0.54 35 35 Juniper 0.55 35 35 Lime, European 0.56 35 35 Magnolia 0.57 35 35 Parana Pine 0.56 35 35 Walnut, European 0.57 35 35 Cedar of Lebanon 0.58 36 36 Gum, Black 0.59 36 36 Philippine Red Luan 0.59 36 36 Hickory 0.83 37 - 58 37 Oak 0.6 - 0.9 37 - 56 37 Hackberry 0.62 38 38 Maple 0.6 - 0.75 39 - 47 38 Pear 0.6 - 0.7 38 - 45 38 Walnut, Amer Black 0.63 38 38 Tanguile 0.64 39 39 Mahogany, Cuban 0.66 40 40 Myrtle 0.66 40 40 Plane, European 0.64 40 40 Sapele 0.64 40 40 Walnut 0.65 - 0.7 40 - 43 40 Apple 0.65 - 0.85 41 - 52 41 Ash, white 0.65 - 0.85 40 - 53 41 Iroko 0.66 41 41 Locust 0.65 - 0.7 42 - 44 41 Mahogany, Honduras 0.65 41 41 Plum 0.65 - 0.8 41 - 49 41 Ramin 0.67 41 41 Teak, Indian 0.65 - 0.9 41 - 55 41 Utile 0.66 41 41 Birch, British 0.67 42 42 Birch, European 0.67 42 42 Yew 0.67 42 42 Cherry, European 0.63 43- 56 43 Elm, Wych 0.69 43 43 Afrormosia 0.71 44 44 Ash, European 0.71 44 44 Meranti, dark red 0.71 44 44 Madrone 0.74 45 45 Oak, American Red 0.74 45 45 Oak, English Brown 0.74 45 45 Teak, Burma 0.74 45 45 Keruing 0.74 46 46 Dogwood 0.75 47 47 Holly 0.75 47 47 Oak, American White 0.77 47 47 Pecan 0.77 47 47 Zebrawood 0.79 48 48 Elm, Rock 0.82 50 50 Gum, Blue 0.82 50 50 Rosewood, Bolivian 0.82 50 50 Pine, pitch 0.67 52 - 53 52 Mahogany, Spanish 0.85 53 53 Persimmon 0.9 55 55 Rosewood, East Indian 0.9 55 55 Logwood 0.9 57 57 Box 0.95 - 1.2 59 - 72 59 Satinwood 0.95 59 59 Teak, African 0.98 61 61 Water gum 1 62 62 Greenheart 1.04 64 64 Ebony 1.1 - 1.3 69 - 83 69 Lignum Vitae 1.17 - 1.33 73 - 83 73

My goal with this is to have a true white fluorescent foundation for patterns like the purple tiger ( flo purple top and stripes on flo white base). But I'm with Gliders - the Flo base calls for some experimenting!

Fabric softener is a bad idea. It contains wax and will; make the fabric repel paint, epoxy, topcoat, etc. I'm with wit buzzfly. sand it in between coats. Let it fully cure. Use fresh sandpaper. It will turn dull, but that will disappear with the next coat.

If you do this, then I suggest shaping the harder wood first, then glue on the balsa and shape it to the hardwood. This is another RC modelers technique.

Not a problem. Everybody loves Alvin and the Chipmonks, Fish should too. But seriously, it is so much easier to add weight than to add buoyancy. If none of your baits float, and you want them to, then perhaps start with a less dense wood. Placement of ballast is an important tool in lure design. If your wood is just barely achieving the buoyancy you want, then you lose all flexibility. I started with birch simply because I had it available. It allowed a little flexibility because of the thickness of my designs. If a smaller lure is needed, a less dense wood will be required.

The Wicked glow base says it can be mixed with any color to make it uv reactive. Although the manufacturer has said not to mix Wicked and Createx airbrush colors.

I have a bottom feed airbrush (Badger 150). The fist thing I do is remove the paint source and blow the paint out of the brush ( cover the tip and spray. A nifty trick for such brushes is to keep one bottle of water. Rather than back-flushing, raise your pressure and just touch the tip of your feed tube to the brush while spraying. Use just quick touches - stop as soon as water comes out then remove. Repeat 5-10 times. This takes no time at all and removes every trace of paint from your gun. This is a great first step to cleaning your airbrush. Some cleaners will clot the paint in the brush if mixed directly with paint. Pledge and water mix has never worked for me as a reducer. If you premix the whole bottle with this mix, it will curdle your paint over time. Createx has a great reducer designed to be compatible with their paint. reducers are best applied just before painting. There is a home brew reducer that some use. I mixed some up myself, but have been so pleased with the performance of the manufactured product I still have not used it.

The bathroom fan is a great choice as you can vent the fumes outside via dryer vent. No more super glue or laquer fume worries! Consider buying some daylight bulbs though. Colors under a soft white light look very different in daylight. Home Depot has some LED daylight bulbs (screw up type).

I found 2 products that will meet my needs! Wicked uv glow base, and Wicked uv white. They are not available through my usual art suppliers. Here is a link if anyone is interested. http://www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com/crwiuvglwhw2.html

At this point I am not looking for glow in dark paint - maybe later for ice fishing jigs. Sounds like glonation is the way to go. Thanks for that. I am looking for airbrush acrylic fluorescent white to incorporate into my paint patterns. If it available in auto airbrush, the particles must be small enough to pass through an airbrush. It is possible. Is it available?