Aussie baits Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Hi folks, Just wanting your opinions on the diferrence in performance and finshes on steel plated vs brass plated blades. I see many of the large lure compenenent companies are offering nickel plated steel blades in their premium lines but apart from being lighter do these blades perform as well as the traditional brass stamped models? Any information would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 G'day , mate , ............I must say , that I really hate these so-called "economic" blades of plated steel ! It may be just a phobia of mine , ....but shortly after the "Iron Curtain" fell in Europe , by 1990 , I've bought some Russian made spoons from Polish fleamarket vendors , .....was only little experienced back than . After having fished these a few times and put them back into my stowaway box , I only found a brown and rusty mess next time that I've opened that box , .........all other lures in the vicinity were stained brown as well ! I haven't figured out before , that someone could even think of making spoons out of a rust affected material ! Maybe , there are better qualities of plating around than on these old Russian lures , ......I can't tell .......but I guess , that constantly fishing waters having rocky or mussel-covered bottoms would sooner or later pierce and damage any chrome or nickel finish on a steel spoon and then cause the above mentioned mess in your tacklebox . Spoon ,-or spinnerblades must be made out of brass or stainless steel , period , .......at least for me ! Just my , .........greetz , diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think you're talking about the economy steel blades vs. brass blades. The steel blades are ok if blated or painted but it has to be done with a lacquer coating because a slight chip in paint or plating will end up as a rusted piece of metal. I buy brass blades that are nickel plated but not steel, so if you want nickel plated blades make sure they are stamped from brass and not steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffond Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 I was actually wondering why people don't just make there own spinner blades out of like galvanized sheet metal like you would use for duct work in houses then paint and clear coat them? The new style galvanizing is almost like a mirror shine... I was actually going to attempt this one of these days when I can get some scrap sheet metal from a friend of mine that does HVAC stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdsaw Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 I got some colorado blades from Barlow's http://www.barlowsta...h-P665C105.aspx One time in the saltwater, and they were rusting From now on, brass only for my use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psv Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 I was actually wondering why people don't just make there own spinner blades out of like galvanized sheet metal like you would use for duct work in houses then paint and clear coat them? The new style galvanizing is almost like a mirror shine... I was actually going to attempt this one of these days when I can get some scrap sheet metal from a friend of mine that does HVAC stuff... Been there, done that. I even made my own clevises. Pain on the ... I just want to concentrate my attention to the other aspects of lures making then loose valuable time making blades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 (edited) Even brass blades tarnish and corrode where the top coat has been nicked. Edited March 27, 2012 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 I was actually wondering why people don't just make there own spinner blades out of like galvanized sheet metal like you would use for duct work in houses then paint and clear coat them? The new style galvanizing is almost like a mirror shine... I was actually going to attempt this one of these days when I can get some scrap sheet metal from a friend of mine that does HVAC stuff... When cutting blades out of galvanized sheet the edges where it was cut will be bare metal. Any failures of the top coat and it will start to rust. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffond Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 After you paint it why not just dip it a couple of times in some enamel clear coat like for cars or something of the sort? I was more or less thinking of the big blades not the little ones as they are expensive around here to buy and I had some thoughts on making them... That and I wanted to see if I could make a big version of a prescott blade as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 @ RayburnGuy You're darn right , Ben , ...to me ordinary steel sheets are no option at all , no matter whether previously galvanized or not , ........my materials are stainless steel , copper and brass sheet , ........once polished , stainless steel remains shiny forever . @ mark poulson ..................on the other hand I also like tarnished spoon , -and spinnerblades , ...........I believe that they are more attractive in clear water or bright sunshine conditions , ..........but most commercial blades hold their nickel, -or chrome plating very well in my opinion , anyway . If I want my homemade copper and brass spoons to remain shiny , I'd apply so-called hologram scale foil or aluminium tape onto the freshly polished and clean surface , .....put over a few layers of epoxy topcoat , ....done ! I most likely do this on the outer side of the blade only , leaving the inner side untreated , ...this way I achieve some kinda "blinking" or flashing effect , as the spoon wobbles along with one side shiny polished and the reverse side dull tarnished . Tarnished blades can easily be polished again with a metal polish detergent used for table silver , copper cooking pots and brass flower pots , .....etc, ....etc..., .......but naturally this only lasts for a while . @ Griffond I put up some vids on blade making in the tutorial section recently , .........dunno whether you've already come across ? greetz , Dieter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ING Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 IMHO if you'll take some care about yours tackles after fishing (especially after salt water) and rinse it by fresh water and wipe out, blades will serve for long time without tarnishing or corrosion. W40 also could help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 IMHO if you'll take some care about yours tackles after fishing (especially after salt water) and rinse it by fresh water and wipe out, blades will serve for long time without tarnishing or corrosion. W40 also could help. When coming back home I always take all my stowaway boxes out of my tacklebag and put them down open to dry , anyway ! But do you think , that the smell of W40 is attractive to fish ? greetz , diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 (edited) Dieter, WD40 is actually considered a very effective catfish attractant here in SoCal, since it's major ingredient is fish oil. I've seen shore anglers spray their catfish baits with it, and catch big cats! I think it's illegal, though, because it has other stuff in it that is considered a pollutant. But I'm not sure about that part. If I have a blade that's corroded, I clean off the corrosion however I can, repolish it if I can, and coat it again with clear nail polish. It's cheap, quick, and holds up really well. Edited March 28, 2012 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 @ mark poulson Probably I've mixed it up , Mark , ........over here we have a WD40 lubricant in spraycans , are you referring to that one as well ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40 Just saw it , it's US made , .....must be the same stuff that I had in mind , ......but has slightly different contents over here . But read the text properly , ....the containing fish oil is stated a legend there . Heard of many purposes of such oils , ....but never about using it as scent for fishing , no matter what species ! But on the other hand I recall to have read somewhere , that genuine turpentine(not the commonly available artificial one)can be used as scent as well , ...it was for local zander , if my memory serves me right ? I'm also utilizing clear nail polish , always carry a bottle along , ...but rather more to fix floats and bobbers , when their topcoat should get damaged . greetz , Dieter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ING Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 When coming back home I always take all my stowaway boxes out of my tacklebag and put them down open to dry , anyway ! But do you think , that the smell of W40 is attractive to fish ? greetz , diemai Just open drying is not enough for preventing of corrosion or tarnishing. They are continuing during the drying. Especially after salt water fishing. It will be better to rinze and wipe out blades, hooks etc. There is opinion that W40 could only improve biting. Check some discussion about that matter on the Internet. Regards, ING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 @ ING Thanks for the hint about that WD40 stuff , ........I fish in freshwater exclusively , ....so I guess , that my rust problems would be quite a bit less , ......I've often read , that saltwater is always more aggressive in terms of corrosion , though . greetz , diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 Dieter, If you're fishing for catfish, try it. I don't know exactly what's in it, but I've seen it work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LimpNoodle Posted March 30, 2012 Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 There is no fish oil in WD-40. http://www.wd40.com/files/pdf/msds-wd494716385.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted March 30, 2012 Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 Wd-40 works for catfishing. I heard it was an urban legend that they use fish oils in it. But it does work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffond Posted March 30, 2012 Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 weirdest fish story ever about a weird scent there was a guy fishing for Walleyes on Nest Lake in the Spicer Minnesota area and he caught tons of fish (which is weird) using preperation h cream smoothered on his live baits... very odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 Wd-40 works for catfishing. I heard it was an urban legend that they use fish oils in it. But it does work! My buddy told me today it works on plastic worms for bass, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
