Lure wraps?

[jamie @ customfish]

How are printed lure wraps made? (such as a Rapala in their "walleye" finish).

I have the technology to print them, but I don't know what material is normally used and how the application process is done.

Thanks!!

[ldzoller]

I do not know what the big manufacturers use, however, I have been experimenting with waterslide decal paper you can use in your inkjet printer. I purchased mine online. I think I paind about $16 for 10 8"x10" sheets, including shipping. I found a bluegill pattern I liked and used Adobe Photoshop to print both sides. You must seal the paper with a acrylic clear coat first, then dip in water and the image slides right off. I placed it on the bait, it wrinkles some and needs to be worked in order to curve it. I still got some creases. After it dried I used Devcon 2-Ton to clear coat the lure, sanded down the high spots, and clear coated 2 more times. I will try to post a pic as soon as I can. I really liked the results, but it was a fair amount of work.

[jamie @ customfish]

Thanks! We at customfish use a 4cp UV large format printer. I've used pressure sensitive vinyl so far and clear coated with a spray just to see if I could do it. I'm looking forward to doing it the way it's supposed to be done. Thanks for the tip!

Here's what I got so far: http://www.customfish.com/2008_02_01_archive.html#5955420791480748982

[Swede]

Rapala uses a method called tamponprinting=stampprinting

So does Salmo & Ugly duckling & many more

[Polecat]

I use tissue wrapping paper that comes with dress shirts and for wrapping packages. Iron the paper with a non steam iron. Use craft adhesive to attach to a regular 8 X 11 sheet. Trim to exact fit and print the image off of your inkjet. Trim to the bait size. Apply to the bait and Devcon over it. The image will remain after the tissue paper becomes clear. I got the idea off of this website about two years ago. Thx to the original author.

[MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF]

Testor's has some model car decals you can print on and cut out... i do logo's with them.. they might just work if you want to mess around with them.

The Rookie

[borderbasser]

One word of caution when making your own waterslides. The ink you normaly use in your printer doesn't have any UV inhibitors in it. In other words they will fade from sun exposure so you'll want to keep them put up in dark place when not in use. I know this from trying to do the same thing for rod decals on the custom rods I build.

TJ

[philB]

Hi

Take a look at http://www.lurebuilding.nl/indexeng.html. Find on that site in the menu 'Techniques' and click it. Then go to 'Finishing'. When onto that page click on the bottom link to 'Realistic jerkbaits by Emiel Van Dijk'. There is an excellent piece by Emiel on the production of photorealistic finishes. He kindly allowed me to use his original photos of the roach pattern so I could recreate his excellent results. As yet I have not managed to do so but am getting close.

Sorry I can't paste a direct link for you but the site will not allow me to do so as the address does not come up in the address bar .

philB

[jamie @ customfish]

I'll be using our press in our shop for all the printing. UV inks. What I'm wondering about is the die-line so that it wraps the entire lure, curves and all.

[fatfingers]

I just want to mention that Husky was the one who provided this site with the process of photo finished baits. Husky is great guy and has contributed a lot to a lot of lure builders on a lot of sites.

[rofish]

I just hope that Husky could be proud by the work of one of his pupils:

[jamie @ customfish]

Oh man those are nice!!

[bdomina]

I dig the wrapping "foil" you used. I was wondering if that had been attempted before

[hazmail]

Phil - good link, there's heaps of info here. pete

[redg8r]

In all fairness & taking nothing away from all the great help Husky has given, Gene "Lincoya" was who first introduced the printable waterslide decals here. Husky brewed his own by printing onto tissue paper instead. Anyway just credit where it's due.

I'd look into heat shrink wraps too, maybe theres a thinner mil available than the ones my kids use to shrink around their easter eggs.

I also seen a printed film used by realtree & other camo companies that suspend in water, its what they use to camo hunting gear.

Good luck with whatever you do.

[hazmail]

There used to be (and probably still is) a film used on overhead projectors, which you could copy color onto, from a word doc etc. This may be handy, although a bit thick, I'm sure you could get it in thinner sheets, it may be the same stuff redg8r is talking about. pete

[Husky]

In all fairness & taking nothing away from all the great help Husky has given, Gene "Lincoya" was who first introduced the printable waterslide decals here. Husky brewed his own by printing onto tissue paper instead. Anyway just credit where it's due.

I'd look into heat shrink wraps too, maybe theres a thinner mil available than the ones my kids use to shrink around their easter eggs.

I also seen a printed film used by realtree & other camo companies that suspend in water, its what they use to camo hunting gear.

Good luck with whatever you do.

Yes, Lincoya was the one who steered many of us to photo finishing.

I started printing on tissue and placing it over foil because I couldn't print on the foil directly and felt that decals were too thick for my liking. I wanted the shine of the foil to bleed through the image.

Here's the Tutorial I put together.

Photo Finishing Foil and Faux Finishes

The following Tutorial is for those of us who want to create very realistic finishes with a minimum of hassle. This is not to say it is the only or best way to achieve that goal, but I found it to be a very viable alternative to decals, and much less costly. Truth be told, I also find it easier to do. In addition, the supplies are more readily available. With very little practice, anyone can get wonderful results. I developed this technique after realizing that it is not practical to print on foil. Doing so, is a tribute to Murphy’s Law. There was smearing (And Swearing), tearing and an overall unsatisfactory result. Still, I wanted to get a shinny metallic finish under the Image of a baitfish. After much experimentation, I struck upon the Tissue/Foil process, which allowed me to get the results I wanted. I’m sure those of you who give it a try will also be as pleased as I was.

I’d also like to say that you can place the Tissue image onto a painted finish. The underlying color will show through the Tissue

Here is a rendition of a Menhaden over yellow paint.

The Tissue allows for a very user friendly method of applying a Photo Finish, especially over foil. Here’s hoping you find it a useful tool.

Mike P (Husky)

Supplies; Foil or Foil Tape, Adhesive, White Gift Tissue and a scanned image to print.

1. Affix the wrapping tissue to a sheet of standard paper with a glue stick so it can be printed on with an inkjet or laser printer. Glue the edges of the standard paper then lay and cut the tissue, once affixed. A razor works great for this purpose.

2. Print the Fish Image you want onto the Tissue Paper. I use MS PUB to Size and reverse the image. I’m sure that there are many other programs that will work as well or better. I get many of my images by searching Google Images. If you can, it would be better to take photos of the baitfish to get better quality renditions and even more realistic images.

3. Glue the printed images onto Foil or Foil Tape with spray adhesive. (Use the Brighter side on the Foil) Spray the foil and carefully place the tissue, avoiding wrinkles.

4. While you’re waiting for the glue to dry, seal your plug if you haven’t already done that. I use the Plasticoat process, but and good sealing method will do. Plasticoat is just hard plastic cups or plastic utensils dissolved in Virgin Lacquer thinner.

5. After the glue has dried, cut out the Image and the foil. I like to use Foil tape when practical, but it is much thicker than standard foil and only comes in Silver. It is stronger and more durable though so you’ll have to see what suits your needs best. Smaller plugs will be effected by its’ weight.

6. Spray the back of the Foiled Images with adhesive (Foil tape has its’ own) and glue them on your lure. It helps to align the Images before gluing them on so you can get them positioned correctly. "Measure twice, cut once". (This means if you need glasses, wear them for this step. I still make that mistake at times. ) Work them in GENTLY, from the centers out. Use your finger tips to do this work so not to damage the thin tissue. With a little practice, this process becomes very simple. Once the Images are totally in place, burnish them on with a round smooth object to get all the remaining wrinkles out. Again, go gentle as not to tear the Tissue. A Sharpie works great for this. Here’s a “Foamie Herring” getting the treatment.

7. Let the Adhesive dry, totally. (Foil tape needs no waiting period) Once dry, coat the lure with Etex or Devcon. I prefer Etex as it is thinner and I have a half gallon of it. If you use Devcon, it would help to thin it a bit, but isn’t absolutely necessary. The moisture in the FIRST topcoat will make the Tissue transparent allowing the foil or painted finish to come through. Whatever is printed on the image will remain, giving a very realistic effect.

8. When the first coat is cured, Paint the back and belly. You people using air brushes can get a very nice transition. When the paint is dried, give the lure another Top coat. After that sets, I add my lips. This plug was done with Rattle Cans.

Here are some results of this endeavor;

http://www.stripersonline.com/surfta...light=weakfish

[Spike-A-Pike]

Husky.

Thank you for helping me get this restored in the Member Submitted Tutorials. I have been asking redg8r for the pictures for this tutorial for some time. I'll get this loaded as soon as possible.

[jflures]

can you paint the belly with this technique?

[jflures]

Sorry Ishould have read a little more.

[Lincoya]

Thanks Redg8r for the credit but the photo finish in my original post used a picture printed on plain printer paper. Someone else (I'm sorry but I don't remember who) started using the decal.

Gene

[Husky]

Thanks Redg8r for the credit but the photo finish in my original post used a picture printed on plain printer paper. Someone else (I'm sorry but I don't remember who) started using the decal.

Gene

It's just part of the natural progression and sharing of ideas found on this board. For the most part, the people here are the most generous and helpful you'll find, anywhere.

We all owe a special thanks to Redg8r for providing us with such a great "Meeting Place."

Mike P

[jflures]

Just wanted to say that I tried the technique last night and it worked great. Just wondering if anyone had tried making a one piece decal? What I mean is one that would cover the top and sides, so you don't have the seams on top.

[redg8r]

Just wanted to say that I tried the technique last night and it worked great. Just wondering if anyone had tried making a one piece decal? What I mean is one that would cover the top and sides, so you don't have the seams on top.

It would most likely cause alot of wrinkles.

Most guys will paint a dark back & light belly to blend in & hide the seams.

[Swede]

After you have applied foil/tissue let it cure fully then apply 1 layer of clear .Sand down the seams til its smooth.Clear again

til you are satisfied with depth&coverage of the bait