Chuck Young

Sticky tape works great on flatter lures. For curvier baits I use hd household aluminum foil. Try wrapping the foil in scale netting, thule, or some mesh fabric. A hexagonal fine mesh give a finish like a hammered spoon. Put the foil over that and use craft foam to imbed the pattern while it is on the lure. Remember that the more you handle the foil, the duller it gets, I always use 30 min epoxy to apply it to the lure. Any other adhesive has bubbled up when heat setting paint or even slid underneath on finished lures. Oh, if your breath crinkles aluminum foil, consider a breath mint.

The reason the rebels have the scrapes in the same place is that those little ridges focus the abrasion into a little area. With little to no topcoat protection, the shine quickly wears off. 20 years? I have had them wear off in a few weeks! Personally, unless it is for a customer, I don't mind a few imperfections. Chips of missing paint do not show much at all under a paint job. Scratches show more, but I don't sweat them either. I have caught plenty of bait sized fish - even adult fish - with scrapes, bites, etc. IMO these could even be a trigger signifying weakened prey. Occasionally I put a bite mark or bleeding gills on a bait. When I repaint these I finish with D2T. The ridges do not stick out after that. On that note, I recently found a skinny minnow of unknown origin. I cleaned off thick layers of paint and was left with a chrome blank with about 50% of the scale detail still covered with chips of metalic gold. It looked like crap, but I painted it in a shad pattern anyway. In the end I really liked the extra depth and roughness that it imparted to the lure.

I was waiting to see that piece of ash turn into a blues musician.

Very funny. And I love the profile pic.

The paint on some older lures, particularly wooden ones, are pretty thick. But most of those are smooth. Do you have a picture?

Page 5 10052. Thru wired 180 mm shallow diver. 1-1/2 oz. Page 4 10103. Heavy duty 210 mm (180 body) medium diver. 1-1/4 oz This is the only source I know of. I have used both of these and like them. Assemble lip on 10103 with care. Made in China. http://www.cdlures.20m.com/cranks5.html Salty's sells wooden kits for saltwater. http://www.saltybugger.com/

To repeat that result try putting all the hardware on and cutting a length of solder. Hang it on a hook and trim until you get the right buoyancy (allow a little extra buoyancy for epoxy). Weigh the solder. Use the link to determine the diameter and depth of hole (allow a little extra depth for epoxy). Fill it with lead. http://www.bostoncenterless.com/resources-metal-weight-calculator.htm

If you want a simple boat building project, check out the plans for this 10 ft wood and canvas kayak. It is great for hike in ponds. With the strap on trailer (made from an old folding lawn chair and wheels - my design) I tote mine 2/3 - 3/4 miles up a mountain trail. The dual rod holder / net holder (my own design) holds two ten foot crappie rods. When trolling I cover 21 ft of water. It is held on by velcro and 2 2" C clamps. The rope attached to the bow and stern holds my anchor rope. I can quickly shift the anchor to the front, the back, or somewhere in between. For better tracking, I added a fin in the rear. It doesn't like wakes, and some of the boaters up here are idiots, so I made a cover for it that is also held on by velcro. But my preference is to take it where power boats cannot go. It is plenty stable. As for durability - this is my kayak after 12 years of heavy use. The design allows for the kayak to be folded lengthwise and hung on a wall with the seat and spreaders inside. http://www.ida.net/users/tetonsl/kayak/

My dad was one the best wooden boat builders around in the 60's to 70's. till he was disabled with cancer. But his construction was wooden frame. Many of his boats are still in service off the Connecticut, Mass, NH, and Maine shores. After working 60+ hours a week he had no interest in teaching me the craft. His fairings were done with wood dust (free and available). I want to try an 8ft sailing dingy using stitch and glue. It is a nice, lightweight method of construction. If maintained correctly, it should last many years. I am thinking of chopped glass with some coarse webbing running through the seams on the inside.

I wouldn't even try to remove the old paint. Just give it thin coats, starting with opaque white. There is plenty of texture to those rebel lures. You can actually paint texture onto the smooth ones. 1)Spray a base coat (silver, black, blue) 2) Apply scale mask - TIGHT. 3) Build thin coats of silver or gold. Even two or three light coats is enough. 4) remove scale netting. If the mesh doesn't want to come off, use a pinky (pencil eraser) until it frees up. You can see this effect on one of my hand carved balsa lures.

There is room in this world for floating lip-less lures. One of my faves to use around weed mats and lily pads is a floating lip-less that dives 3 ft. I think the trick on a floater diver is a broader, flatter head. Weight forward doesn't hurt either. It has to get down somehow.

Whatever you decide to start with, You will likely end up spending much more on paint than you ever expected.

I didn't know that. Stitch and glue?

It won't level for you. It is too thick. But it sands great.

Great job! A win win win.

I agree with mark. Also consider if it is waterproof. If you have some on hand, test it. If you don't, use a proven product.

This is a really hard objective you are attempting. Most of my patterns use 10 colors or more. Some patterns (like pumpkinseed) use 25 or more. Some of those colors are custom blended from 3 - 10 colors. The Createx colors I consider indispensable are O(paque) white Pearl white, metallic silver, T(ransparent) black, T Dk brown. T forest green, T canary yellow, wicked gold, pearl gold . From there I would suggest you choose a pattern or two you want to paint and purchase what you need for those patterns. If you really want to paint lures, you are probably looking at a $100 dollar investment in paint alone . Somewhere I have suggested a $100 starter list which would cover about 85% of patterns, Search forums if you want to find it.

Old school for model airplane builders. It makes the epoxy lighter and sandable. It is used on fillets around wing seats. It work on lures also. One thing to keep in mind when using it: the resin cures muck quicker. I think it is because of increased heat caused by friction against the spheres.

I hear you. As a Native American I try to pass on all I can. My father was not proud of his heritage. I understand why. He was disinherited because of it. Deprograming was still being carried out and genocide was a recent memory. He did not pass on much. But what I learn I pass on to progeny. When I take from the land, I return something. I waste little. Hides of animals become snowshoes or buckskin. Scraps of the trees become lures. Fish and animals are taken with an awareness of the effect on the environment. Use of land does not mean ownership. We all have the responsibility to use it properly. Family and extended family are our real heritage - so teach them well. Crafting things is part of the heritage we pass on - whether we be the last of a dying breed, or lure makers.

The plastic holders on the end of small cigars make great and durable popper bodies. I don't smoke, so I pick mine up on the local golf course. For some reason, they accumulate on the tees. Just run a hook (dressed if you like) through it and use epoxy it. Or you can through wire ir with a free swinging dressed hook for added attraction. Use craft foam to stuff it and epoxy thickened with micro-balloons to seal it fore and aft. The popper body has a semi soft feel to it. By cutting the head at different angles you can make them dive or skitter. A small lip can also be added. The tail also can be trimmed to a slope, cut short, or left as is. Mask off the feathers and paint however you want. Enjoy! PS I learned through experience that the hook on the pink one is a little to small. Still a lot of fun though!

Check the cookbook. the last post has several createx blends - one of them is green pumpkin.

I make lure holders out of narrow popsicle sticks glued to medium binder clamps.a strip of adhesive foam is attached to the inside of clamp. These hold the lure by the lip. I also use alligator clips with paint brush handles inserted for lipless or swimbaits. A piece of swim noodle cut in half is glued to the top of my spray booth. Cut slots in foam and insert lure holders. After you apply a color, insert it into the foam and go on to the next. As your business grows, add another piece of foam.

Great posts guys! Mark, I really like the palm sander vibrator.

Or just wait for the add to pop up in the upper left corner of the TU home page.