Raised scales

[mark poulson]

Maybe this is old hat to you guys, but I found a way to make 3d scales.

I put a base coat of opaque white on the bottom and lower part of the lure. I coated the upper part and back with silver.

I dried it overnight, so there was no danger it would be pulled off during the scaling process.

I put the lure against a foam sheet that I'd taped to a piece of plywood.

I used some stiff cheesecloth fabric I got from a fabric store, and hung a piece from the top of the foam. If I'd had a more flexible fabric I would have used it.

I stretched the scale fabric over one side, making sure it touched the lure everywhere I wanted scales. I used the kind of pins with the plastic tops that hold notes to bulletin boards to pull the fabric tight.

I sprayed multiple layers of sparkle white over the fabric, drying between coats, but building enough paint to fill the little spaces in the fabric completely.

After I dried the final coat, I carefully peeled the fabric off. The sparkle white had built up to the point where it actually made a raised pattern.

I know this isn't earth shaking, but it was new to me. Before, any time this happened, I would curse and try to hide it, but this time I used it to give the lure an actual raised scale surface.

I think the key is a truly dry base coat, and removing the scale fabric while the scale paint is still flexible.

A fun "discovery" for me.

[Snax]

Sounds really cool! Can you post some photos for us???

[mark poulson]

I'll try. I'm no photographer, so I am making no promises!

Thank goodness for digital cameras!

[bahlzar]

when you apply a clearcoat wont it sorta take the raised scale effect away ?

[Snax]

It shouldn't as it's the light and shadow that give the effect. A real fish is covered in slime but you can see the raised scales.

[mark poulson]

You can still see the scale effect after the clear coat, but it does smooth the surface of the lure.

I was hoping the raised scales under the clear would give more reflective angles for the light to bounce off of under water, and the water passes through the clear coat, so I don't think the effect is lost.

I'm trying to figure out how to photograph one so the pattern will show. Give me time. I'm not very good with a camera.

[mark poulson]

I can't figure out how to post a photo here, so I've put one in the gallery titled "7 inch trout scales".

The scale pattern is clearly visible, and more pronounced than in previous photos.

It's not clear how much they stand away from the body, but the difference between the sections that are raised and those that aren't is dramatic.

[clamboni]

Just follow the instructions on how to paint a scale pattern........just make sure the mesh won't move and lay the scales on heavier. I found this by accident also, trying to use pearl colors on top for scale patterns, the coat can get thick pretty quickly.

The big drawback is that the paint has to be really dry. This can cause it to peel and chip when removing the mesh.

[mark poulson]

I found that drying each section with a hair dryer for thirty seconds to a minute, so it's dry, but still flexible, seemed to give me the most consistent results. And peeling the mesh off slowly and smoothly, from one end to the other, was really important.

[Lure--Prof]

Tackleunderground Home - Luremakers Photo Gallery - Male Bluegill Dressed for Summer, & 3 Flatsides

As bluegill scales can be very prominent, I decided to give this bluegill pattern some distinct scales by using multiple paint coats over scale netting. You're correct Mark about drying the paint just enough and then carefully removing the scale netting.

Dean

[mark poulson]

Dean,

The Dick Nite's really lets the scale build up show.

Nice job.

[Lure--Prof]

Thanks Mark!

I normally do smaller scales, but wanted them large on the bluegill, and yes, that's another advantage of Dicknite's, showing detail like that.

I also do the same thing with some really, really small netting, and it comes out really nice--I've had people assume that it was a textured plastic lure instead of a home-built balsa.

Dean

[mark poulson]

With your skills, I can see how they'd make that mistake.

[BJ Smith]

Beautiful job Dean!!!

[Lure--Prof]

Thank you Mark and BJ, I really appreciate the kind words, coming from 2 good bait builders as yourselves!!!

Dean