hazmail Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Thanks AA how big is that tank?? Also just realized I have gone way out of the bounds of your original post "Benchtop Test Tank's"--sorry, I get carried away sometimes . Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Pete - I think the thread works very well. I quote the very first sentence of the opening post, "I have been searching for a small test tank design so that I can check the action of my baits prior to going out to the lake etc." Nuff said Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 (edited) AAAAAAHHHA- dave I just re-read a few and saw "Benchtop", some of the stuff I have been 'evangelizing' about would fill half a workshop (OR 'Mens Shed') Pete Edited March 27, 2013 by hazmail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Pete - Point taken. I have an idea that I have surpressed due to real estate. I hope this thread picks up pace again. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 AAAAAAHHHA- dave I just re-read a few and saw "Benchtop", some of the stuff I have been 'evangelizing' about would fill half a workshop (OR 'Mens Shed') Pete Pete, keep on "evangelizing" I/we love your ideas. Someone may have half a workshop, Mens Shed or Man Cave to spare. John Pete - Point taken. I have an idea that I have surpressed due to real estate. I hope this thread picks up pace again. Dave Dave, I'm with you. I also hope thread picks up the pace again. I have another idea, just haven't had the time to give it a whirl yet. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Thanks AA how big is that tank?? Also just realized I have gone way out of the bounds of your original post "Benchtop Test Tank's"--sorry, I get carried away sometimes . Pete Worry not, but to give credit where credit is due, it was atlasstone that started this thread, and a fine thread he created. My mind still thinks the general solution is a version of his fine design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 I just wish to apologize for so many post. I may be an engineer, but my love is fishing. Like Dave says in his signature, "We spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours, making thousands of lures, just 'cos we lost a few in the rocks." I make lures because my fish seem to see commercial lures all the time; if I can make something different, it is like fishing in a fish hatchery until they have seen my lures for some time. I guess that is what happens when we endorse Catch and Release. I was testing lure action at a local fishing dock last week and had an offer for $100 for one of the lures I was testing. Can you believe I would not sell it? If I did, my pro type would be gone. LOL To this date, I have only sold two lures; OK, my daughter sold two of my lures. She asked me for two and she sold them on her web site -- she won't get anymore from me. PS, I think the guy was drunk, no one pays that much money for a lure just because it caught 3 fish in 4 cast when no one else was catching fish. It may very well have just been luck, plain old luck. I too have some ideas, and want to start drawing something up, but to do it I still need to answer the question of how slow the water needs to move to make the lures work. For me, that means I need to get on the water with a stop watch. Just can't seem to do this right now. I am still trying. In the mean time, I post ideas that others have used when I see them. The latest idea I saw at a sports show I was involved in over the last week. Pete, the tank was about 2/3 meter in diameter, about that depth. The only issue I saw was that the tank was made from many flat pieces of glass assembled with silicone into a circular shape. As you saw the lure, it was distorted as the view moved from one plane of glass to the next. It was pretty good at showing how the lure worked, but maybe not for studding the action. A geared motor was installed at the top, mounted to a flat plate. The plate had several wires attached to it. Each wire had a 90 degree bend in it so the wire would extend into the water. At the end of each wire was a swivel attachment for attaching lures. I hope this clears some things up. John, can't wait to see what you have developing in your mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlasstone Posted March 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 http://s1151.photobucket.com/user/aka-anglinarcher/media/Circulartank.mp4.html I thought I would post a round tank with a motor and wire assembly used by Macks Lures in Washington State, USA. I can't get it to work on cranks, etc., but for spinners and curly tails, ......... Just showing it to you. What were the issues you ran into with this design for cranks? It seems like it should work if you change the design of the bar pulling the lure. Perhaps a "hangman" type set up (sorry, I can't hink of another way to describe what I am thinking for the wire). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 Ref AA's post No132 - move the lure instead of the water. That would solve all the laminar flow problems and the motor would be considerably cheaper too. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 What were the issues you ran into with this design for cranks? It seems like it should work if you change the design of the bar pulling the lure. Perhaps a "hangman" type set up (sorry, I can't hink of another way to describe what I am thinking for the wire). Actually, the way they had the lures hook up would work just fine. My problem was discovered in my bath tub and also when figure 8 fishing for Muskie. Because my baits hunt a bit, like I actually want them to, when they hunt to the outside of a turn they wash out and head for the surface. If your crankbaits and swimbaits are more stable, the round path might be perfect. But, so you don't waste a lot of money, try a tight turn in your bath tub and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 (edited) Pete - Point taken. I have an idea that I have surpressed due to real estate. I hope this thread picks up pace again. Dave Been sourcing motors/ wheels and material to make a tank, just got a donation of a sheet of laminated glass for a side, sort of coming togeather but might take a while. I think it will be along 'Atlastone's' great rounded corner idea, but unfortunatly may have to be a backyard model, not 'Benchtop' -Also have gone away from the 'Pool Pump" Pete Edited March 30, 2013 by hazmail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Been sourcing motors/ wheels and material to make a tank, just got a donation of a sheet of laminated glass for a side, sort of coming togeather but might take a while. I think it will be along 'Atlastone's' great rounded corner idea, but unfortunatly may have to be a backyard model, not 'Benchtop' -Also have gone away from the 'Pool Pump" Pete Great, glad to see you got your thinking cap on. my idea is also along the lines of Atlastone's idea but is a bench top model. Just need to find time to get on it. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish1 Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Many career changes ago I was involved with a couple tackle companies where I attended sporting show events to sell and promote lures and depending on the lure design, topwater or diver, we were able to effectively demonstrate the action in test tanks. The design was simple enough to be transported and set up at shows, demonstrate several lures at once, and appealing enough to gather attention from public, simply put it was a better seller than I ever was. The biggest difference between what I'm seeing here is that we didn't move the water but moved the lures instead, let me try to remember the set up and explain. The first design was for below surface lures, basic fish tank 30 to 35 gal with a plywood top, mounted to the top was an electric motor with various speed setting that drove a fanbelt between two wheels mounted inside the tank on either end, on the fanbelt there were at least 5 bike rim spokes pointed downward into the water and a short piece of mono and a clip/ swivel to attach a lure. The second was for top water lures, same variable speed motor but mounted from the bottom in the middle of a circular tank made from plexiglass around 4 ft across, motor in the middle with metal spokes to attach lures like a lure merry go round. We ran these things with one electrical outlet (motor and a light) for days without problems, kept the water clean with a simple fish tank filter and a common fish tank clearing chemical, packed them up and traveled to the next show. I hope I've made sense and wish I had a picture to show but I don't so if you have a question just let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 kingfish 1, I think you have locked in your mind what we need, but I am not sure I understand completely. Is there a way you can sketch this up and post the sketches? Excellent, this thread atlasstone started just keeps giving! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 (edited) Many career changes ago I was involved with a couple tackle companies where I attended sporting show events to sell and promote lures and depending on the lure design, topwater or diver, we were able to effectively demonstrate the action in test tanks. The design was simple enough to be transported and set up at shows, demonstrate several lures at once, and appealing enough to gather attention from public, simply put it was a better seller than I ever was. The biggest difference between what I'm seeing here is that we didn't move the water but moved the lures instead, let me try to remember the set up and explain. The first design was for below surface lures, basic fish tank 30 to 35 gal with a plywood top, mounted to the top was an electric motor with various speed setting that drove a fanbelt between two wheels mounted inside the tank on either end, on the fanbelt there were at least 5 bike rim spokes pointed downward into the water and a short piece of mono and a clip/ swivel to attach a lure. The second was for top water lures, same variable speed motor but mounted from the bottom in the middle of a circular tank made from plexiglass around 4 ft across, motor in the middle with metal spokes to attach lures like a lure merry go round. We ran these things with one electrical outlet (motor and a light) for days without problems, kept the water clean with a simple fish tank filter and a common fish tank clearing chemical, packed them up and traveled to the next show. I hope I've made sense and wish I had a picture to show but I don't so if you have a question just let me know. I like what you are saying. and I think I understand the concept. Would this be similar to what you are talking about. Thanks for sharing. John Edited March 31, 2013 by JBlaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 Spokes would be attached to the flat outside of the V-Belt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 Great info Kingfish, thanks for shareing, some more lateral thinking here. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish1 Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 JBlaze's diagram is close as I could ever do. When we attached the spokes we drilled a tiny pilot hole through the fan belt and pushed the spoke through with the large end restricting the spoke from going all the way through, the fit needs to be tight or the spoke will not stay vertical enough to keep the lure below surface at high speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted April 4, 2013 Report Share Posted April 4, 2013 Has anyone got a chance to try the newest concept yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
