bassassassin85 Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 I was wondering if anyone had any input on a lip thickness with lexan on a balsa wood flat sided crank bait, and advice would be good, i saw on site 1/8 inch but to me that seemed pretty thick. thanks jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 I buy mine at lowes. It is 1/8" and I think it's too thick. But I'm cheap and won't pay an online store for shipping. So I use 1/8" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 It's 1/16" for me. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdL Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 If you want to try thinner bill material how about considering circuit board material. Search here or internet for G-10 Material. I found a model airplane site that shows how to make your own G-10 material. http://www.mnbigbirds.com/FIberglass%20Lay-up.htm Granger and McMasters also carry thinner material. But this won't get you clear bills. There will be fiberglass cloth in it for strength in the circuit board material. If you want thinner lxan you could cut out a rough shape bill then sand down to thinner thickness. Its more work and you'd probably want to get finer sandpaper to get the bill somewhat clear. Also I remember a post where scratches could be removed by coating bill with a thin coat of resin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassassassin85 Posted January 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 thanks for the tip and i think im going to go with the 1/16 since its not going to be a deep diver any ways but i will also look into the g10 thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 I use 1/16" for everything, deep or shallow. I also like the G-10 circuit board when I can find it in white color because you can go even thinner - 1/32" is fine for anything and it's stiffer than 1/16" polycarbonate. What you choose is critical to the balance and performance of your crankbaits. It usually takes multiple prototypes of a crankbait to get everything working right. It's not important which thickness you begin with but I like to stick with whatever thickness I am using so I can control the performance of later versions of a crankbait. If you change more than one thing in a series of prototypes, you can never be sure which change caused the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassassassin85 Posted January 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 i ordered some of the circuit board bills off of lure parts.com today with some eye lags or screws. all i have right now is a drawing made of this crankbait im going to make my dad has all the wood tools i need to get it done so it will all be an experiment when i start. I am just trying to get as much information as possible so when the build starts it can be half way smooth rather than a bunch of breaks trying to accomplish one bait. next ill have to research on sealing the bait or not before paint and how to finish the holes drilled for the eye wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 (edited) As far as sealing goes it's my opinion that sealing is a necessity when building baits out of wood. Once the blank is shaped and sanded to it's final dimensions I add all the hardware. Line ties, hook hangers, ballast, etc. Then I seal with 30 minute epoxy. This insures the seal is tight around all the holes you've drilled into the lure. The bait is then placed on a lure turner until the epoxy is hard. The amount of time will vary according to the ambient temperature, but will usually be set up enough in about 45 minutes that you can stop the lure turner. This doesn't mean it's ready to paint. It still needs additional time for the epoxy to cure. I mix my epoxy in those little plastic medicine cups like the ones you get at the hospital. I leave the cup on my workbench and when the left over epoxy is hard enough that you can't leave a fingerprint in it when touched I feel comfortable that I can begin painting. After painting just top coat with the clear coat of your choice. The reason we seal wooden lures is to prevent catastrophic failure as well as give us a smooth surface to paint on. If the top coat is compromised and the lure hasn't been sealed then the wood will swell and you've lost everything. A properly sealed lure on the other hand can be repaired. You may have to sand it down, repaint it and top coat it again, but you won't have lost the whole lure. hope this helps, Ben Edited January 5, 2013 by RayburnGuy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassguy Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 I use the 1/8" because I build big baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seagull Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 We use 1/16" or 1.2 mm thick lexan or aliminiun for bibs here in Australia for small lures and up to 1/8" for or heavier lures for chasing Cod.Big lures always get bibs pinned in postition aswell as glueing.Easy place to find lexan is try your local hardware store and use the flat skylight sheets that you would put in your roof for your shed or patio.These are called polycarbonate sheeting same stuff as lexan. Cheerz Seagull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 I wrote an article on the comparison of various lip material's bending properties (July 2011) it involved a lot of research and some very heavy sums. I tried a search but I probably decided not to post it, as I know most of you don't like the techy stuff. The results: 1/16" G10 was 3.5x better than 2mm polycarbonate. I also came across another material that was twice as good as G10, called basalt carbon fibre. I don't know what its availability is, but it could be worth looking into. I use 2mm polycarbonate, purely because it was readily available at the right price. I doubt I will be changing any time soon, judging at the amount that I still have left in my man cave. For small lures it is overkill, BobP's selection of 1/32" G10 would be a good choice for lures smaller than 3". Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 I use 1/16" for 1.5 shallow divers, and 1/8 for 2.5 shallow divers, wake baits, and deep divers, where the line tie is out on the bill. I sand the underside of the leading edge of the 1/8" to make it thinner, so it dives more quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood lures Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 I would just like to note lexan and poly aren't the same thing poly cracks with heat and spiders when cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 Lexan is a trade name for polycarbonate. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
