Last Cast Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Alright, so I gave myself a challenge about a month ago to hand carve a lure from a block of wood and catch a fish on it. I initially wanted to accomplish my goal and move on to the next challenge, whatever it may be, but after finding this site and seeing just how much knowledge is available, I think I have found a new hobby in conjunction with fishing. First of all let me just say THANK YOU to all of you guys who share your experience on here. I wouldn't have known where to begin without all of the tips. As for the lure: I decided to go with a top-water popper to give a little extra excitement to the payoff if, and when, it happens. I went online to Jannsnetcraft and ordered some basswood blocks, screw eyes, split rings, and treble hooks for around $16 (including shipping). I used a store-bought lure to trace out my body design and transferred that to the block of basswood. Then, I went the old-school method of using a trusty ol' pocket knife to carve out my body and sanded it down. After reading through a few posts, I decided to use super-glue to seal the wood and this worked just fine. Here is a pre-sealing pic. Then, came the real work...... the painting. I didn't have an airbrush available so I decided to use some Testors model paint that was lying around. This worked ok, although it was pretty messy and I haven't read too many good things about using it on this forum. The painting process itself was pretty cool/challenging and I really can't believe some of the work that is on this forum. You guys are friggin amazing. I printed out a stencil to add a little detail to the sides and went with a basic frog color scheme. My detail technique needs a little work. lol. One regret I have is my crappy topcoat that I used. I got a little too antsy (typical rookie mistake) and just bought Krylex Outdoor Clear Coat spray (try not to laugh too hard). It gave the lure a decent glossy finish, but I can tell it will not be durable and probably not anywhere close to waterproof. I am going to need to put a better topcoat on the lure before putting her into action so my question is this: Can I put a 'good' topcoat on top of my crappy topcoat or do I need to try to sand it off and risk ruining my 'masterpiece' paint job. I know D2T or E-tex is preferred by most on here, but I saw another member suggest using Hard As Nails Clear also. My goal for this lure is to catch a fish and throw it in a display box in my office as a bit of a trophy. Any suggestions are very much appreciated and thanks again for all of the shared knowledge. Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firechief Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Looks great from here I too am a neophyte builder and I have found there is no shortage of knowledge here. It wont be too long that I will have my first baits painted. Im in the middle of testing right now but it wont be too long. Maybe by Christmas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyo1954 Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Looks fine Last Cast! You're definitely ahead of the curve. Might want to test putting hard as nails over some of the krylex on scrap wood to see what happens. Love to tie that one on a line myself. Looks like a fish catcher to me . : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 I used fingernail polish to seal, paint, and topcoat my first lure. I caught a fish on it and then retired it, but the polish didn't hold up to well. I have another one cleared with lacquer that has caught 4 or five fish, the clear and paint has taken a beating and now needs a new clear coat. Now I use Ameritech (something like that) 2 ton thirty min epoxy found at O'riely's for about 7 buck a tube. Sorry for the rambling but thought that I would share some of my experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Cast Posted May 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 Thanks for the feedback guys. Jon, do you have to use a drying wheel with the Ameritech epoxy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluetickhound Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 I'm new to TU also and (Harty har HAR!!!) promised to have pics of my first lure up shortly.... As it is, my efforts are meeting with little success right now so congrats to you on finishing a lure!! I'm starting to see that I have a good ways to go before I'm ready to be posting pictures of anything!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 Thanks for the feedback guys. Jon, do you have to use a drying wheel with the Ameritech epoxy? I don't use a wheel, but I have to spin the bait by hand until the epoxy is tacked enough that it won't sag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
