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danthefisherman

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Everything posted by danthefisherman

  1. danthefisherman
    Thanks for all your hard work, happy building!
  2. danthefisherman
    I’m going bananas over that bait!
  3. danthefisherman
    When in doubt, follow the instructions on the can. That said, I don’t remember what’s on the can and rarely read it I recoat as soon as the prior coat doesn’t look wet in the sun (maybe 5 minutes?). Then I will wait at least 24hrs before exposing the bait to water.
  4. danthefisherman
    I use the spray KBS can all the time for personal baits. You need a good number of coats to achieve the same durability as an auto clear, but it does the job and will retain your detail work. Only downside is I have had it react to some plastics…not as often as with rustoleum clears, but it will turn soft if brought into contact with the wrong stuff. Also the KBS stinks pretty bad until it fully cures and you fish or air it out enough.
  5. danthefisherman
    Yes, a sharp knife will do it. Trout and crappie dots are a huge pain to try cutting but larger patterns like perch stripes, crawdad shell, etc are perfectly doable.
  6. danthefisherman
    I like using stainless steel finishing nails which are probably overkill but at least I don’t have to be afraid of failures. The only problem is they are heavy and a pain to cut (I snip them inside an old sock so that I don’t shoot my eye out haha). Otherwise I’ve heard of guys using weld rod or something equivalent.
  7. danthefisherman
    I will often use scissors to cut my own pattern stencils out of lamination sheets. Not the most clean or user friendly but gets the job done in a pinch. My brother owns a laser engraver for leather work, so I picked up some mylar sheet to try laser cutting. I’m hoping this will allow me to make trout dot stencils customized and sized specifically for my baits.
  8. danthefisherman
    @hazmail thanks for the input and nice setup! Sounds like I have a bit more researching that I need to do, but until then I already have a cheap box fan and MERV8 furnace filters on the way. I’m going to make a mock up cardboard spray hood to help catch overspray and direct it into the filter, and if I like it then I can remake another out of more robust material. I do want to eventually have a ducting system to exhaust everything outside, but anything is an improvement to what I have now (basically nothing). I use Createx airbrush paint which I think is water based and hopefully less of an explosion risk than solvent/oil based paints.
  9. danthefisherman
    Hi TU, Trying to take steps to make the shop safer health-wise and am in the market for a paint booth filter for a 20"x20" box fan. I'm trying to determine what MERV rating will maximize flow & filtration with minimal cost. Obviously the finer the filter the higher the cost, but I'm not sure if a MERV 4 fiberglass filter will suffice for painting baits. Furthermore, my box fan may not be strong enough to pump enough air through a MERV 12 regardless (?). Maybe a MERV 8 is a good in-between option? Any recommendations would be much appreciated as this is all new to me. TIA! Linked below is an example of what I'm looking to make to catch air brush overspray. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vJk5BM8xUo
  10. danthefisherman
    Hi TU, As my hard baits are getting more and more refined, it’s almost a shame to glue on cheap factory eyes at the very end of a build. I’ve been searching for realistic eyes that will compliment my baits better, but it’s difficult to find exactly what I’m looking for…so in true builder fashion: why not try to make them myself? I’ve done a bit of research and think that I’m going to try printing on waterslide decal paper, affixing to vinyl backing, and putting epoxy on top after punching the eyes out. I was wondering if anyone has tried this and run into issues (such as delamination of layers) that I should be aware of. Any other tips or tricks or better methods for making these would be greatly appreciated. Also if you have examples of your work I’d love to see it. Thanks guys! Dan
  11. danthefisherman
    Lure contest.jpg
    Beautiful bait!
  12. danthefisherman
    2022-04-24 20-09-25.png
    Love those wings!
  13. danthefisherman
    20220419_171438.jpg
    Interesting design with the lip incorporated into the head. Is it carved out of wood?
  14. danthefisherman
    Tracer Trout
    Thanks brother! It’s been a wild ride getting to where I am now with this bait, but I’ve had fun with it and learned a lot as well!
  15. danthefisherman
    Tracer Trout
    Thanks! I am hardly on Solar’s level, but I do my best to build baits that I can be proud of My basswood isn’t a good enough grade to carve every scale with a utility knife I think (I’ve tried and had lots of wood chipping), hence I use a wood chisel. The problem with the chisel is it’s not very sharp so the wood at the surface likes to crack and flake instead of cut. You have to gradually work it in so as to not damage the finish too much but it’s doable with much patience and concentration.
  16. danthefisherman
    Tracer Trout
    Thanks gentlemen!
  17. danthefisherman
    Tracer Trout
    This 8.75" trout glide has been a long time in the making, but I'm finally getting it to where I want it to be after years of testing and weeding through iterations that I wasn't 100% satisfied with. I actually started working on this particular model about a year and a half ago and only now have enough time on the water with it to feel comfortable pushing it into the final phases of prototyping. The master was carved completely by hand out of a block of basswood using only a utility knife, wood chisel, and sandpaper. I made a two-piece silicone mold of the bait so that I could pour duplicates out of resin. The tail was also carved out of wood and molded with silicone. The casting material is a flexible urethane with black glitter to replicate the trout dots on the body. The bait in the photograph is the first fishable prototype out of my new mold. It was painted with an airbrush and clear coated with KBS Diamond Clear. I did a semi sloppy job with the hand-tied Owner ST-36 feather trebles. Not sure how they will effect the swim, but they add a nice touch. Overall I am very pleased with how this bait came out. I'd love to fish the paint off this thing but will be donating it this week to support the Swimbaits for Autism fundraiser event hosted by Swimbait Culture. Check it out and thanks for looking! Dan
  18. danthefisherman

    Topminnow

    danthefisherman commented on Big Epp's gallery image in Best Homemade Hardbait

    Topminnow
    Thanks brother! Yeah I’ve been wanting to try brush tails…love the look of em!
  19. danthefisherman
    AEF61F91-6D02-4444-826E-EF4BFE134517.jpeg
    Pretty bait!
  20. danthefisherman

    Topminnow

    danthefisherman commented on Big Epp's gallery image in Best Homemade Hardbait

    Topminnow
    I like that fin idea…also seen you on SU and can’t wait to see what sweet swimbaits you come up with
  21. danthefisherman
    Screen Shot 2022-03-31 at 11.45.38 AM.png
    Wayyy better than what I was making at 15 haha…nicely done!
  22. danthefisherman
    6516887C-1621-4168-B069-58ED4A546BC8.jpeg
    Very cool. My local pond has a good population of bullhead catfish in it…would be interesting to see if a big bass would go after something like this.
  23. danthefisherman
    B81428C4-5A3E-40AF-90D2-293CD2916ED0.jpeg
    Beautiful
  24. danthefisherman
    33AE4AE1-A828-484F-987C-E36D63B44E71.jpeg
    These baits get bit!
  25. danthefisherman
    The 'Licker'
    That looks like something from my worst nightmares haha…very unique and must’ve been a fun challenge to build.
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