exx1976

A table saw also consumes more floor space than I'm willing to part with at the present moment, even for a hobby-grade unit. I definitely see their utility, however with the fence on my bandsaw and the right speed/feed, I'm able to make some pretty square cuts. Cuts that I'm happy enough with, anyway. Since I really don't have much of a "flat edge" on any of my baits, if the nose or tail flats get cut a bit crooked, it's not that big a deal. About 1.5 seconds on the belt sander and it's as perfect as I need it to be at this stage.

Absolutely!!! But since this is, at the present moment, only a hobby, I'm really trying to minimize expenses. If this turns into something that I end up being quite good at, I'm well aware the market (and appetite of musky fishermen) for custom lures, and I could more easily justify equipment purchases if this were a "for profit" endeavor - even if it were only a small profit. Since lure making is, at the present moment, the extent of my woodworking (all the tools I bought were for the sole purpose of making lures), I do not want to spend more than is absolutely necessary to produce the desired results. Also, I find your remarks about using the jointer to get to thickness curious. My understanding is that the tools were the opposite? A jointer creates one perfectly flat side (used to remove twists, bows, or cups), and a planer is then used to bring the wood down to the desired thickness, while maintaining a parallel surface to the side that was run over the jointer. I'll admit to owning, nor having used, neither tool. All my knowledge on both of them has been gathered from reading about them and watching YouTube videos such as "woodshop 101", et al.

Thank you for the reply! Unfortunately, perhaps I was a bit unclear in my initial question. What I am wondering is more *when* in the process one performs the Archimedes test, and if it is sufficient to perform it on only a single example of a bait that is made the same shape and from the same wood each time? If this is the case, then it's relatively easy to create a "sacrificial example" for the purposes of gathering this data. However, if guys are doing this every time, how are you accomplishing it without compromising the bait? It just seems to me that, logistically speaking, it is difficult to work into the process because you don't want to get the bait wet until it's sealed, but once it's sealed, adjustment of the ballast becomes MUCH more of a challenge. Hopefully that clarifies my request.

I'm new at this. Currently, my shop consists of a belt sander, a drill press, a band saw, and a router table. I've been buying wood from the local big box store. In the store, I use the edge of one board to check other boards for straightness to avoid buying anything with an obvious bow in it. Is eyeballing this wood "good enough", or should I consider adding a jointer to my shop? I'm already considering adding a planer. For my first few, I've just been using the band saw to resaw the boards to the thickness I want, and then using the belt sander to get them nice and flat on the resawed side, but it's not "perfect". I'm willing to spend the $300 for a benchtop planer, but it occurs to me that a planer may not be as useful by itself as it would be paired with a jointer. So, I ask: How important is all this? Am I overthinking it? I'm not making 24" long baits. Currently I'm making 7", but plan to do some 10-14" baits in the future. Excited to hear thoughts from more experienced builders. Thanks!!

Scientifically, I understand the entire process. Archimedes, the works. (every time I hear the name Archimedes, I think of this scene:) https://youtu.be/B8h5Owjxomg Anyhow... What I'm wondering is less the *science* of it, since that's easy enough (for me) to understand, and more about the practicality of the application. For example, I don't believe my baits to be watertight until after the topcoat of epoxy has been added - at which point it's FAR too late to be adjusting ballast. So, at what step are you guys making this determination? Or are you determining it once per type of wood you're using, and then just adding that much ballast to every bait of that type made from that same type of wood? Interested to hear how this process is being done by others.

Yes, after replying to that post yesterday evening, I had this nagging little voice in my head about the gloves, so I went and checked - no powder. So powder was not accidentally getting from the inside of the gloves onto the outside of an adjacent glove while still in the box. Ruled that out when the box said "powder-free". You do bring up an interesting point, though. I wonder if I was not putting it on thick enough? I have since changed the way I'm holding the baits on the drying rig. In that pic, the baits were attached to the drying rig first, then I applied the epoxy while they were on there. That was a bear to do, and if I applied it too thick, it would begin to run funny. Last night, I applied the final coat of eTex to them, but prior to doing so, I dismantled those alligator clip arms, and then used spring clamps to hold the lures directly onto the shaft by the lip. Because of that change, I was able to hold the lure by the lip and apply the etex that way, then clip it to the turner. It was not only much easier to apply the epoxy, but I also was able to apply it thicker. When it would want to start to run a bit, I'd just rotate the lure in my hand and continue application. I'm not sure I'll stay with eTex or not. I've heard from another builder, a local guy, that he also prefers the Alumilite. Being that I'm still just getting started, the two I chose to experiment with were D2T and eTex, since they are the most popular mentions on this site. I haven't been measuring with syringes, I'm just using the ml indicators on the sides of the cups. 10ml total seems to be about the correct amount for coating 3 of my baits. I'm almost to the end of the 4oz bottles I started with, but I did already order and receive a couple 16 oz bottles. If I continue having issues with it, I'll likely order up some Alumilite to try next. I will come back and update this post to let you guys know how I get on. In the mean time, if anyone else reading has any other ideas for me, I'm all ears!!

I've read a number of your posts - I very much like your scientific approach!!! I'm mixing the epoxy in disposable plastic cups that are graduated in ml, like the type you'd find on the top of a bottle of NyQuil. I'm mixing it with disposable plastic sticks that look like sucker sticks. I'm applying it with disposable plastic brushes that are used by rod builders ($25/100). The compressor is fitted with not one, but two moisture traps. I always spray my hand first to make sure it's truly dry and empty. The gloves are single-use disposable latex that I got on Amazon. I found this post particularly interesting - https://www.crosslinktech.com/articles/fish-eyes-in-epoxy-or-polyurethane-coating.html as it talks about the actual reason that fisheyes occur, rather than the things that can cause them. That's what led me to the conclusion that it was likely the paint, since they seem to be happening mostly on the back of the bait, which was finished with a thick (many layers) coating of pearl black and is very slick (you can tell just by looking at it).

That is EXACTLY what I was looking for, thank you!! I'm curing them in my unfinished, but very DRY, basement. Humidity is low, especially now that it's the dead of winter. In summer the house is air conditioned, so humidity is also quite low. It is a bit chilly in there, so I have them under a 100 watt shop lamp to provide heat. I like the idea of using a heat gun instead of the airbrush, I will definitely switch to using that method. I've been setting the paint (all of it, not just metallics and pearls) using a heat gun before moving on to the next color, so I know those are fully dried. I have 5 lures waiting for epoxy now. Friday I'll hit up the local place and pick up some rustoleum 2x and shoot them and report back on how that worked. Thank you so much for the assist!! Tight lines, exx

I just looked up that product, and it appears to be a primer. Not sure how that's going to help me? My issue is with epoxy adhering to the paint, not paint adhering to primer. Or do they make a clear topcoat as well? I don't know anything about that product, just plugged "Gesso" into google, and it all talks about using it on canvas prior to painting. Could you link to the exact product you're referring to?

Hi! I've learned a LOT just by reading this forum (as well as many other sources, and watching youtube videos, among other things), so thank you guys for posting. This place is an incredible wealth of knowledge! Been reading for about 2 months. Decided to start making my own musky lures, and I seem to have an issue I'm not sure how to solve. Before I go ruining the 5 baits I've got sitting here waiting, I figured perhaps the time had come to sign up for an account and ask you guys. The lures I have are completed, save for epoxy. Thing is, the epoxy I'm using, eTex, doesn't seem to want to bond very well to some of the colors I'm using (Createx - but issues are with the pearls and metallics). I'm getting fisheyes in the three lures I've already epoxied, and I'm not sure what to do about them. To fix the fisheye in the existing ones, I'm going to just use small amounts of epoxy and let the lures cure to fill in those holes. But before I go epoxying the remaining 5 (all painted the same), I thought I'd ask you guys how to prevent/fix this. A few things: After the lures have been sealed with sanding sealer, they are never again touched with bare hands. I work in latex for all the painting/priming/hook hangers/etc. The lures are blown off with compressed air from my airbrush prior to epoxy to ensure there's no surface contamination/dust. My epoxy drying rig is a 2x2x3' box covered in 4mil plastic sheet, so there's nothing landing on them or settling on them during curing. I am not thinning the epoxy at all, and I mix it according to the instructions on the box. I'm not having any issues with it clouding or curing to hardness, just the fisheyes. I'm mixing it and then letting it sit for a few minutes (2-3?) before application. I've tried letting it sit 10 minutes, but by the time I get to the third bait, it's already so sticky that it's very difficult to work with. I am not interested in switching to D2T, I tried it, and the working time is just too short for me, as an amateur. I'm not that fast at all this yet. Perhaps as I improve, but for now, I need the longer working time of eTex. Some thoughts I had: Shoot them with a clearcoat (probably rattle can), and then epoxy while that's still just a bit tacky so the epoxy has something better to adhere to (the aforementioned pearls and metallics dry to a very slick finish), or, shoot them with clear, let it fully cure, then scuff it with like a scotchbrite pad or similar prior to epoxy. The problem with #1 is I don't know if the trapped solvent will be an issue from not letting it cure. The problem with #2 is I don't know if that would create a "cloudy" look to them, which I want to avoid. I spent a LOT of time painting these, and I want to be sure the paint job shows the amount of effort I put into it. Thanks in advance for all your help!