mark poulson Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 You can speed up the drying process by hitting it with a hair dryer several times during the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milia B Posted February 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Now that's one "tool" I have allready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Balsa is an extremely easy wood to use... sometimes too easy. Basswood seemed to test my scroll saw but balsa worked ok. I eventually got a bandsaw since my swimbaits are aspen (which put the last nail in the coffin on the scroll saw). Sears has a craftsman bandsaw model thats a 100 bucks (which is cheaper than most scroll saws). I have menard's similar style bandsaw which works well too. They are smaller but do a great job on cutting lures. I changed my original blade to one that was narrower to allow more detailed movement. This is just a heads up that if you do make the switch, you don't have to spend 300 bucks on a big bandsaw. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milia B Posted February 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Thanks A-Mac, I'm look into that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsully18 Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Milia, I would suggest that you seal your blanks with something like D2T thinned with either denatured alcohol, or acetone to the point that you can easily paint the solution onto the blank. Let this dry overnight and then add the hook hangers, line tie, trebles, and any other hardware. At this point put blank back into water and see how it floats. Then start adding weight to the treble hooks to get it to float exactly like you want it. This can be done in several ways. Wrap lead wire (used for flytying) to shank of hooks, tie a piece of mono to hooks and then add weight to the mono, or my prefered way, use worm weights and add them to hooks by just sticking a hook into hole in weight. I usually start with 1/16th weights and work up from there if needed. If your bait will have a bill you will want it stuck in the slot during this process. You will find that sealing your blank first will save you a lot of time and headaches. One more thing, after bait is set up and ready for painting, test it to make sure it runs right. No sense wasting paint on a bait that will roll too much and will have to be drilled for more ballast. Just my . David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milia B Posted February 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Thanks, this is the kind of information that without you guys help I would never figure out on my own. I will put all the knowledge that's passed onto me to good use. This thought came to me today, it's bad enough when you lose a store bought lure but how bad is it when you lose a lure that you've worked hours on ? Milia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 @ Milia B It is definately worse losing a homemade lure rather than a commercial one , at least to me ! But the absolutely worst case is losing a homemade , that you have spent hours of work on AND that has proven to be an excellent producer ! good luck:yay: , diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsully18 Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Thanks, this is the kind of information that without you guys help I would never figure out on my own. I will put all the knowledge that's passed onto me to good use. This thought came to me today, it's bad enough when you lose a store bought lure but how bad is it when you lose a lure that you've worked hours on ? Milia That's what they make lure retrievers (sp?) for. But if you do loose it you can go home and replace it, perhaps with a better model. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milia B Posted February 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 OK here's where I stand. I sanded my "Lil Crawlady" (that's right I've named her) And she's just too cute. I used 80 then 220 then 400 grit paper. I guess I'll do a little reading to see where I go from here. Thanks again for the help and suggestions .... They are allways welcome.....Milia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 If you plan to build crankbaits as a hobby and not a business, sticking with your scroll saw is fine - it's slower than a band saw but gets the job done. On balsa and other soft woods, it will cut with plenty of speed. On thick hardwoods, it can be slow. If you don't mind slow, what the heck? In the future, get a band saw if the scroll saw becomes tiresome. If I have one piece of advice it's this: symmetry is what makes baits look good, run straight and catch fish. It takes lots of skill to carve a symmetrical bait, so cheat wherever you can! Measure everything you can and mark up the bait with lines that guide you how to taper the bait and round over the square edges. Use a compass to mark a center line all around the bait from head to tail so you can center the ballast and hardware. If you have a laser level handy, mark a center dot on the tip of the lip and use the laser to align the lip with the center line you have drawn (idea courtesy of Hazmail). In other words, do everything to avoid "freehanding" and "eyeballing". A finished crankbait has complex curves which are very hard to eyeball when you're looking at wood grain at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 This is just how I go about it. What ever I sand on one side of the lure, I do the exact same to the other side before moving on. For example, I always sand the the backs of my lures first. I'll take heavy sandpaper 150 grit and do two -four swipes down one side of my lure to get a flat planed surface. Next, I do the exact same to the other half of the back (keeping in mind how many swipes it took to sand the other side). After that, you should have a lure with two symetrical sides. Then, pull out some sandpaper that is a little finer grit and round the edges. Its much easier to keep a bait symetrical by doing this because you don't have to remember every step. You know that if your sanded angles are off, then the lure will not round out symetrical either. Hope this provides some guidance! Forgive my Paint work on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milia B Posted February 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 I'll tell you what, this lure building is a blast ! I am having so much fun. The first lure is about half done and I'm all ready planing the next one ! I can see why you guys are "hooked". Milia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 @ Milia B I'd 100% second to that:yes: , so many different and new things to try , still even after 15 years of tinkering ! Guess , that you are already hopelessly hooked like so many others in here;) ! keep on carvin' , diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 (edited) It is very addictive Milia.........you will probably find yourself thinking about lures nearly every hour of the day like the rest of us here. You will eventually find what works best for you when it comes to lure building. Everyone has their own approach to doing things and all of them work. If you are using balsa then sand paper is fine. Hold the lure out in front of you and look at it straight on, then straight away, then from the bottom, and from the top. I find this works best during the day when the light is good. You will be able see the slightest differences from one side to the next, make sure everything is even. If you are using harder woods, I like to use a file. Files don't seem to be too popular on this site but I use them alot for shaping, get a file that has a coarse and fine side to it and you can get a lure to close shape very quickly then go to the sand paper. As dumb as it sounds, shaping the wood with the file is probably my favorite part of the entire process, it is just so simple, so primitive.You can buy a wood file for about 10 dollars at virtually any hardware store. The other thing I use, and this is a secret so don't tell anyone, is fingernail files, the emery board type and the plastic ones with sandpaper on one side of them.............they work great and they last a long time. Also, don't worry about getting the lure "super smooth", it is not necessary, just get it smoothed out, the sealer and primer you use will fill in most of the imperfections. I primarily use a 150 grit sandpaper and find it more than adequate. Jed V. Edited February 14, 2009 by RiverMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Everything said by Riverman, especially Also, don't worry about getting the lure "super smooth", it is not necessary Absolutely. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 you aren't hooked quite yet Milia... JUST WAIT 'TIL YOU LAND A FISH ON THAT LURE! Then it's on! You'll soon learn half the fun is building crazy inventions to help you build lures. lure turners, lure makers, paint stencils, the list goes on and on! Pete is probably one of the most inovative people on this site when it comes to lure gizmos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milia B Posted February 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Oh heck yeah! I'm on the learning curve baby! It took 4 hours and 3 bent or broken scroll saw blades to rough out my first lure. Just now I did my second one in under 30 minutes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Soon you will do one in 5 minutes. Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milia B Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Did I mess up ?? I wanted to water proof my lures for testing. I couldnt find any D2T like you guys talk about so i dot some Gorilla Glue & mixed it with alcahol to thin it out and painted the wood with it.. it looks like I stained or varnished the wood ...Is what i did OK ..?? Did I screw it up ??? any opinions ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Gorilla glue is waterproof. As long as you paint over it, it won't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 I never thought about using Gorilla Glue as a wood sealer. Makes sense. That's a clever idea. Thanks for the tip. I already use it to laminate wood for thicker blanks for gliders and swimbaits. If you moisten the wood before you apply the glue, it will soak in more deeply. When I use Gorilla Glue in residential construction, that's how I make sure to get a good bond. Glue on one face, moisten the other, and then clamp, firm but not super tight. Otherwise, you'll have a starved glue joint that won't hold. You should be able to clean the brown off you fingers with acetone, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milia B Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Well how about that! I guessed right ! Like the old saying goes "even a blind dog finds a bone once in a while" I should have noted in my first post that I used the waterproof Gorilla glue that dries white mixed about 50/50 with alcahol. It didn't dry white, it has more of a cleAr look to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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