Outlaw4

Lures are tools. Good tools lead to efficiency. Efficiency leads to better results. Having the right tool at the right time is priceless. Sometimes, that's a crank bait.

try to solve a problem. example...i like X bait but the hooks always tangle, or whatever. i like creeper baits but they generally need to be fished slow so i am working on one i can fish faster.

just curious as i didnt see mentioned, but i see there are fairly defined lines on the baits, were they possibly taped where it left some adhesive residue? i have had that happen in other painting situations before

if you guys really want to move material fast...and accurately...look up a Nitto Kohki belt sander (handheld). This is a professional grade finger sander but there are many cheaper options. If you are into fabrication of anything this is a great home / professional shop tool.

i cant say for sure on Rapala...but is suspect it has something to do with their body (belly) taper. This is something pretty consistent on all of their baits, that you do not see on everything. there is no doubt when you look at SOME of the big brand baits there is a lot of R&D $$ in them.

you should also maybe look also at the 406. I personally have not used but i think its designed application might suit lure building better than 404. I use 404 as i have alot of it from other marine projects. There are a couple others in the 400 line id like to try when i get a chance. Keep up the pursuit of perfection. I do the same in my lures. At this time I only make for myself and a few friends but was also driven by a desire for high quality i was not able to buy.

Use epoxy filler. It thickens up specifically to do what you are hoping for and is really strong. Very common in the marine industry. If you look at like the West system 400 line (i use 404) there are multiple densities. There are also many other manufacturers that do the same thing.

I thought about this or how to do this and as for lip accuracy i think its good. I was hoping to spin test in the tank to find the bottom before i cut the lip slots, not sure how that would go with the square ends on. However the lip placement is priority to the roll test i think for a crank bait. This is worth a test for sure. I did watch a video of a guy ripping a a flat on a round bait, then cutting the lip slot on table saw. he had round ends left on from the lathe and if i was good with the small flat that'd work pretty good. Another option i had floated in my head was to make "jig" ends that were square, with a hole in the middle so that i would screw on on each end of the round body, then could cut on band or table saw after a spin test.

One way you can mark the center lines perfectly accurate, or as accurate as your tools is to use a height gauge scribe. Before laser cutters this is how we laid stuff out in metal fab. You need a good level surface and the gauge. One other thing i tried was laminating two sides, this also gives you a nice center line. Trouble i found there was that the laminating epoxy i was using was more difficult to drill into than the wood so it was also difficult to stay on line. Now i kind of like to roll with laminated thru wire. IF...you had all the other processes down, you'd just have to add the wire bending and gluing stage but those are very productionable steps

Anyone have a slick way to cut lip slots into a round bait accurately? Wanting to make some 6" trolling plugs, i turned some nice cedar blanks but stuck a bit on how to get the lips in nice and straight now with the round tapered bodies.

10-4 thanks. Its odd as for me it follows Owner hooks. Same for me with buzzbaits...i did a few of those this weekend and had fits with the Owner hooks and no issue with VMC's both 5/0's. I'll have to get some more and try a few things. I thought about the demolding thing and actually left some in the mold over night and those were loose as well, and i ladle poured those i was kind of surprised they were loose.

Pouring some jigs with Owner Hooks, having an issue with the lead not wanting to bond to the hook. Thoughts? Using a Lee PPIV, dial on 8. Pure lead. On a few of the ones that were loose i tourched off the lead and repoured and then they were fine. Is there something with the coating on hooks maybe?

Have a guy wanting some shiny gold jigs. is there any powder coats that get a "chromed" look to them? Or other good ways to get?

Found some videos and looks like Smooth On Mold max 60 would work well but is a little tough to find and shipping from a few places that had it was as much as the product. It is kind of designed for tin / pewter hobbies by the looks of it Alumalite has amazing mold putty which they actually have a video of pouring lead into so maybe that is the way to go for a simple mold, but would defiantly be limited to a top pour probably.

What is the easiest material to make a prototype lead mold? I am wanting to build a somewhat flat planing style buzzbait head that is heavy enough to run through reeds well, but also will plane and stay up somewhat easily. Their are a couple of produciton ones that do this ok but want to make a few mods for myself. I was thinking of maybe making a master out of clay and molding with RTV? Is there an RTV that works decent with lead? Thinking maybe just an open pour type mold might work.

Put the weight closer to the hook, like an egg sinker or such. On baits like the Blue Fox musky buck we used to use rubber core sinkers added to the shaft for casting distance and being able to speed reel them. I make alot of inlines and can attach a picture later, but if you google musky bucktail you will see.

Thanks!! Found a solution

Anyone know of a good mold for a jerk minnow? Similar to Kalins jerkminnow / jr. Personal use only so lower # of cavities would be ok.

i know this was originally an old post, but does anyone have a current supplier of "larger" buzzblades? I found some 2.1" at Barlows is about the biggest i can find.

I ordered some waspi predator 8/0 hooks but have not got them yet. Fly fisherman use them for pike / musky flies. They look very much like a spinnerbait hook, but have not yet seen in person

what do you make the mold out of?

Ok thanks to all that have posted, and those who have posted on some of the older posts on this mold. I was able to get this working pretty well last night. I re-smoked the molds just to make sure. Then turned the pot up from 7 to 9. I was able to be really close to 100% on the pours i tried last night. All the pours i did were with the wires & hooks i melted the bad pours off of, so not sure if that helped or not. Could definitely see the lead temp took just a second longer to solidify in the sprue so that maybe was the deal, just not hot enough. Another thing i did for using some custom wire bends was modify a groove into the mold where the buzz arm sits and this really helped hold the wire form in place. The Do-It forms sit in the opening so there is nothing to clamp them. Then i just trimmed the arms to whatever length i wanted them. I'll try and get a picture of it, but it take 30 sec with a file. I'll have to try the red silicone on the hook slot, that is the only pain is keeping that straight, warranted a couple of cusses lol. I tried messing with some tape with mixed results since the mold is so warm.

Using pure lead, Lee Production pot, i did smoke the molds and preheat them on the pot so they are too hot to touch. I read some other forum notes regarding this one being tricky to fill and I'm not having that so much as bonding to the hooks / forms. I'll try to take some pictures of the Owner hook deal. I don't know if its due to the stainless or just something in my process.

Recently purchased a Do It keel buzzbait mold. Having a few issues, and wondering if others have seen or have solutions for? 1. Difficult to keep the hook in line with the keel direction before pouring. Hook does not stay tight enough when mold is closed. 2. Lead not bonding to the hook and form allowing the hook to wiggle 3. Been trying to use some Owner hooks, but the mold will not fill in around the hook shaft in one spot around down near the collar. Its odd as the VMC hooks dont seem to have the same issue. 4. On the ones that have turned out, in the water they tend not to run straight and pull to the left on retrieve. I'm not disgruntled with them yet, but am getting frustrated a tad