adding bb's

[yellow gambler]

I have been reading this site fro a while now. Most of you guys have forgot more than I know about lures. I just paint lures. I have not got into making them yet. I am wanting to add some bb's to a dd22. The problem I am having is sealng up the hole after I add the bb's. Please help.

[BobP]

I've done it 2 ways. the easiest is buy an epoxy putty stick and use that to plug the hole. It should be OK if the hole is about the size of a BB. Paint it with something waterproof just to be sure it can't leak. A more labor intensive way: cut a disk from an aluminum soda can (regular scissors work fine) a bit larger than the hole, bend it to match the surface and then superglue it on the bait. Sand and refinish the area after it has dried so the repair is invisible.

[ebby]

you can epoxy a dowel into the hole then cut it of sand down and seal again- there was a tutorial somewhere called poor mans pointer that used this and is seems to work good for me

[yellow gambler]

Thanks for the help. I have tried epoxy and I ended up with bb's glued into the bait. I fished with a guy one time that had some dd22 with the bills bent straight and bb's added into the body. I am trying to make some like them. They would get a lot deeper than a stock dd22.

[zzjonze]

I drilled out old rattle in a couple of DD-22's and a Fat Free Shad , added BB's then I used body putty for car body work to fill the hole let harden.

Sanded and repainted.

ZZ

[Wayupnorth36]

Try inserting brass or aluminum tubing and crimping the ends. Then just put some plumber's epoxy putty or wood filler putty over the ends, dry, sand and seal.

[clemmy]

You could always rest the bait on it's back half to keep the bb's away from the hole while it dries.

Bob- if you want to use the soda (beer?) can method, wouldn't a hole punch work? Actually, you could use a sharpie to color it red or black and call it a "kill spot" lol...

Clemmy

[BobP]

Clemmy, yes you could but I just hate handling stuff that small. I like the patch to have about 1/8" overlap around the hole to ensure enough glue surface so I don't go crazy trying to superglue the patch on the bait Pop cans are surprising easy to cut, bend, glue and sand. The repair can be impossible to detect if done on the back of the bait under dark paint.

[Downriver Tackle]

Bondo.

[b1gf1sh1]

the dowel is best IMO. the trick with this method to keep the bb's out of the epoxy is to let your epoxy set up thick enough not to run before you apply it. and turn the bait upside down. bondo is good but if you use that i recommend a filler with fiberglass. like dura-glass or the like. or just chop up some fiber glass sheet, not mesh, and add it to regular bondo for reinforcment. or hot glue works too. guess it's a matter of spending time to find your best one. good luck.

[diemai]

I have once swapped a "Swimwhizz" style plastic lure , that has been filled with BB's by someone .

That guy obviously simply used a fitting brass wood screw(roundhead) , cut off most of the shank and epoxied it into the small hole , where he had inserted the BB's before .

greetz , diemai

[kelly]

I support bob on the pop can makes a good Tink. I have used a sheet of pop can on a bait using one peace in the middle and two on the sides trying to make the nosiest rattle bait made. Holding about 30 BBS. It was loud enough to hear on the bank. but sunk way to fast. Fun and loud but not usable when your hits are on the stop(falls right to the bottom).

[mark poulson]

The carpenter in me worries that any sealing method that projects down into the body of the lure will eventually get knocked loose by the same bb's you insert. But I've only added bb's to soft frogs.

Has anyone had that experience?

[Mags]

I cut the braid with a pair off wire cutters almost at the head. I want the head to cover the hole and the stub of the braid just to keep it in place until the SG sets up. If it projects into the body it doesn't go far, but you may have a point.

I've just used epoxy to seal the hole, but the trouble is the air escaping from the bait causes a bubble and you have to repeat the process three or four times before you get it sealed. You also end up with some epoxy in the cavity of the bait. No big deal if you want a silent bait.

Steve

Edited December 27, 2008 by Mags

[rofish]

Here is my way of adding bb's.

When the lure is square, I drill all the necessary holes for wire eyes and lead, also the lip slot and, in this case the hole for the rattle. Best thing to use is a drill press, but with a little exercise I can drill the hole for the rattle with a hand cord drill. The hole for the rattle is placed towards the tail:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/rofish_2006/rofish_2006-4/bb-howto001.jpg

Then I shape the blank, and I introduce in the hole for the rattle a small piece of brass tube which fits tight in the hole. If the thickness of the wood I use is 14 mm, the length of the metal tube will be 8 mm, so as to leave 3 mm on each side of the lure.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/rofish_2006/rofish_2006-4/bb-howto002.jpg

I make a dowel from the same type of wood as the lure, sanding flat one end, and also sanding the end in a conical shape. The end of the dowel will be good for me when the dowel goes into the hole for 3 mm, and cannot go further, because its conical shape. Then I superglue a piece of thin metal sheet at the end of the dowel (which is sanded, for a better grip of the glue:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/rofish_2006/rofish_2006-4/bb-howto003.jpg

Using regular scissors, I cut off the excess sheet, then I use a file to finish the work:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/rofish_2006/rofish_2006-4/bb-howto004.jpg

Then I put some superglue all around the end of the dowel, making sure that the glue does not reach the surface of the metal sheet, then I press the dowel into the hole.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/rofish_2006/rofish_2006-4/bb-howto005.jpg

After a while, I take my fretsaw, which I own from the time I was a child, and cut off the dowel, making several cuts from the outside to the center of the dowel:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/rofish_2006/rofish_2006-4/bb-howto006.jpg

Then I introduce a BB in the brass tube, and I repeat the operation at the other end of the hole. I make sure than the dowel is in an upper position against the bb, so as the bb will stay at the other end of the hole, in case some superglue would reach the brass tube:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/rofish_2006/rofish_2006-4/bb-howto007.jpg

Then I sand:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k5/rofish_2006/rofish_2006-4/bb-howto008.jpg

Usually, I also use some epoxy putty over the dowel for a better smoothing of the surface.

If you use a very hard wood, the metal tube is not really necessary. But here I used a soft and light wood.

That's all, falks.