Foilin' 'edges'

[finlander]

How do you pros get rid on the edges of the foil, when they are sticking up and you can see and feel them in the Exex???? Last bait I wrapped the whole body, with the seams meeting at the top. They are sealed with a layer of Etex. Still a rough area on top. Do I sand till smooth??? I want to use the scale pattern I made on the sides. And I want to give this to our musky club to aution as a fund raiser. Do you spray mount the foil down? I would love to just foil the sides. Hopin' you can help. Thanks, Bruce.

[BobP]

Thinner foil = less obtrusive edges. A lot of guys coat the bait with Devcon Two Ton epoxy, which is thicker than Etex and levels out well over foil edges. You should burnish all the edges of the foil before you coat it, of course, to make it lay flat. I like adhesive Venture Brite-bak foil because it's relatively thin, durable, has a good adhesive backing and so is quick and easy to use.

[Lure--Prof]

I'm not clear on why your edges are sticking up. Like Bob said, Briteback tape is easy to use and has good adhesive, and I've never had a problem with edges sticking up; nor have I had a problem with any of the foils with which I've added 3M's Super 77 spray adhesive to the less shiny side.

I'd trim any foil that was standing proud flush, and then add another coat of epoxy. It is standard procedure to then paint over the seam that should be straight down the back, to hide the seam. Rapala has been doing just that, even before their lures began crossing the ocean from Finland to America, and they're still doing their foils that way...why mess with a good thing?

Dean

Edited January 27, 2010 by Lure--Prof

[fatfingers]

How do you pros get rid on the edges of the foil, when they are sticking up and you can see and feel them in the Exex???? Last bait I wrapped the whole body, with the seams meeting at the top. They are sealed with a layer of Etex. Still a rough area on top. Do I sand till smooth??? I want to use the scale pattern I made on the sides. And I want to give this to our musky club to aution as a fund raiser. Do you spray mount the foil down? I would love to just foil the sides. Hopin' you can help. Thanks, Bruce.

I've made many baits using the method you described, in which you wrap the foil over the back and the belly and then trim it off and, yes, it is very common to have it protrude slightly after you clear it no matter what type of foil you choose.

To remedy the problem try this....

First burnish it down as best you can prior to clearing it. I use the handle of an Xacto knife and push down along the seam to flatten them as much as possible first.

If after you apply a coat of clear the edges still protrude a bit, just add another coat of envirotex and they usually disappear completely. This extra coat of epoxy prior to painting will not hurt musky baits at all as far as the action goes since musky baits have much more mass than bass baits.

Here's a few I did a few years back with the same method you described. Note also that just a bit of paint over the seams will cover that line left where the two seams meet on the back and the belly:

This one shows that even with rounded surfaces, which cause the foil to wrinkle a bit and bunch up here and there, you can burnish and cover the protruding area with multiple coats of epoxy prior to painting:

-Vince

fatfingers baits

[benton B]

Just apply another coat of e-tex and paint.

[motomania]

I'm no pro, and have only foiled a few baits using dollar store foil. But, when I have seams at the top and bottom (before putting color on), I'll run a thin bead of Devcon on top of the seam, thick enough to cover any high spots of the foil. When that's dry, I come back and spray some color over the first strip of Devcon (covering the seams). Then as a last step, Devcon the whole bait. That shot of color on the first strip of Devcon, visually hides the seam very well once the 2nd coat is applied.

-

Although, I would think if you're using Etex, you could sand/grind down any irregular spots on the strip of Devcon to make it nice and smooth; before hitting it with the Etex?

[finlander]

[Thanks to everyone! Vince, I was going to pm you if i didn't hear from you, thanks. The body style is like a Jake/Grandma. Thought about keeping the foil short of the top and belly too. Gottta go try some now.

[craig beverley]

how are the net scales done? do you press the foil over a piece of mesh to add texture?

[A-Mac]

how are the net scales done? do you press the foil over a piece of mesh to add texture?

My favorite scale pattern (for small cranks) comes from a Taiwanese ratchet's handle. I've had it since I was in 6th grade and it has never even been used for its proper function; however, I bet its current use will last longer then its intended use. Lots of tools have nice diamond patterns on them. Also, another thing to look at would be wood bur bits.

[finlander]

I have in the past glued netting to the body and then put the foil on top of that. Now I just emboss the foil on whatever fabric I want to use to produce the pattern. FF has some incredible baits. I just need to keep persisting till I achieve those results.

[fatfingers]

Thanks, finlander.

I usually glue the foil to the bait and then apply "furnace foil" over the bait...then push the foil down into the netting, being very careful to not scratch the foil with a fingernail, which is easy to do. That is kind of my standard foiling method, but there are a lot of ways you can vary the process to achieve different results.

[fivefishwish]

fatfingers,

Awesome baits! id really like to know how you got that marble looking back on the short crank. it looks great!