stripercrazy Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 thinking of building a balsawood pikie and I've never used balsawood before...going to be used bluefishing, looking to get some killer teeth marks:) in it...I'm wondering if it will get waterloged, is it hard to seal? doe's it suck up water, I found a good price for blocks, before I order some I'm wondering how bad it will waterlog after the teeth break thru the sealer...thanks ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 I think balsa is more likely to get chewed completely to pieces and destroyed, than just getting waterlogged. However, it will get pretty waterlogged if it gets chomped-on real good. Since you'll be working your bluefish baits fast anyway, buoyancy is perhaps less of an issue. Consider making them out of something hard, like oak, to give 'em something to really chomp on. You'll still get killer teeth marks for sure, but more mileage for your efforts. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clamboni Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 Stripercrazy, you're in NJ right? If you want to give it a shot, I can hook you up with some sealer that works real well. Balsa is a pain to seal with it, but the benefit is that it soaks almost all the way through the wood and you won't have to worry about blues eating through it. It'll get beat up because balsa is balsa, but it should end up sealed well enough that no water should get in. I know how rough they can be........everyone's worried about muskies chewing up baits but blues have much stronger jaws and teeth made for cutting, not holding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 Balsa suppliers sell soft balsa thinking that's what most hobbiests want for RC planes, etc. But if you ask, they may be able to provide "hard balsa" that will be more dense but also more durable. Whatever you get, do everything you can to toughen it up including generous undercoating and through wire construction to reinforce the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palmetto Balsa Posted December 21, 2007 Report Share Posted December 21, 2007 I've been waiting for one of you guys to try/test this out. PM sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripercrazy Posted December 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 clamboli, I'm from rhode island:) we use val oil 50/50 mix with mineral spirits to seal, I'm going to try epoxy sealing a body too...the val oil don't penatrate too deep, ceder never splits when I use this sealer mix, but maple and popular have given me problems in the past also broomsticks:lol: split sometimes:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripercrazy Posted December 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 thanks for the imput everyone the balsa site I seen is nationalbalsa they have a website and there from ma. looked like a great price and shipping was like 9 bucks for like 10-18 inches of 2x2 stock...bob, they do have construction balsa 4-7pounds strenth:yay: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clamboni Posted December 22, 2007 Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 Good luck with it. The sealer I was talking about is the propionate stuff that swede sells on ebay. it really penetrates, you just need to give it more time with balsa because the grain raises so much. I've also sealed with epoxy with similar results. When I did that, I thinned with acetone and brushed on. You can use either 5 min or 2t.....it works pretty well and as long as there's acetone in it it won't cure in whatever you mix it in but it'll cure in slightly longer than normal time once it's on the bait and the acetone evaporates. Good because you son't have to mix up liek 5 different batches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripercrazy Posted December 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2007 thanks, I'm learning alot from you guys and the site:) balsa go to 19 pounds:) I'm glad I asked first:) I'm going to get the heavyest balsa I can find:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apb Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 Ed, I think you'll find that balsa is a little too light and bouyant for a pikie. I did a few swimmers out of basswood a few years back and it was too hard to tame them. Tail slapping back and forth like a pencil. Balsa is even lighter. Stick with AYC or may be WC for pikies. I have not used balsa for plugs cause it just seems way too light for the kind of stuff we do. May be a popper loaded with lots of lead and thrown from the boat. Either way, I believe those blues will chew threw balsa in no time. Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripercrazy Posted December 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 chew threw balsa in no time it would be cool to see if they can bite one in half except for the wire:) thanks andrew, got some ayc comming.....I'm loseing it the stripers and blues are gone and it don't look good for icefishing, no ice yet really and the weathers warming:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
