ArdentAngler Posted August 15, 2013 Report Share Posted August 15, 2013 Where do you guys get your wire for crankbaits? Sorry if this has been beaten to death, I went to Lowe's and asked them and they just laughed at me..."why go through the effort of making lures when you can just buy them" is the response I received. There were a few different wires that might work, but I fear most of these would rust after a couple times on the water. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdL Posted August 15, 2013 Report Share Posted August 15, 2013 (edited) Welding supply shop and ask for Stainless Steel wire. See what diameters they offer. Depending on size of your bait you may want different sizes. Edited August 15, 2013 by EdL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted August 16, 2013 Report Share Posted August 16, 2013 I order the soft temper stainless from McMaster-Carr. Ben 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted August 16, 2013 Report Share Posted August 16, 2013 Luremaking suppliers do offer SSt wire in different versions and specs , ...but as as said before , checking out welding gear suppliers really is somewhat cheaper . Here in Germany there are two styles of SSt welding wire available , first the coiled one suited for gas-shielded welding , which come in diametres of 0,6 or 0,8 mm on spools weighting 0,5 or 1,0 kilograms . Since it is permanently spooled down to be fed through a kinda welding gun , it is very soft and bends easily , ...I would only recommend the 0,8mm for very tiny lures of max. 2" length . Second type of SSt welding wire comes in rods of one metre length , sold by weight or amount of pieces , ...this is used for welding with a flame and is available in diametres of 1,0 mm to 3,00 mm , naturally I only use the 1,0mm and sometimes the 1,5mm dia. for lures , ...3,0mm makes up for fine fish smoking hooks ! Naturally comes in different alloys , too ,...... possibly check out for ist features in terms of how hard it would be to bend . Since shops for welding gear are rare over here and often sell larger quantities of material only , I also check local Ebay , ...and often I'm successful there ! Good luck , Dieter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted August 16, 2013 Report Share Posted August 16, 2013 we use stainless tig wire 0.62 diameter. we have a bender customized to bend the wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdentAngler Posted August 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2013 wow never guessed so many use welding wire, I half expected everyone to say some "X" brand from jannsnetcraft but that would be too easy...and costly. Definitely going to check out my local smog shop thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted August 16, 2013 Report Share Posted August 16, 2013 I buy the ss .041 wire from harbor freight. But lowes has wire that I think will work just fine. Jr Jopkins uses it on his swim baits for what that's worth. It comes in a yellow package, and is located in the hardware section. It's right next to the green wire they use to tie up flowers. I believe 19 gauge is probably the best for small crank. I buy the ss .041 wire from harbor freight. But lowes has wire that I think will work just fine. Jr Jopkins uses it on his swim baits for what that's worth. It comes in a yellow package, and is located in the hardware section. It's right next to the green wire they use to tie up flowers. I believe 19 gauge is probably the best for small cranks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdentAngler Posted September 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 Been looking for 0.9 mm stainless steel or galvanized tie wire and can't seem to find it. Any tips on where to find it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffond Posted September 12, 2013 Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 depending on the size of lure you are making... welding wire works good, I ordered some stainless steal wire off amazon that came in a tube for dirt cheap, musky lures I found the smaller bike spokes work great just take a bit more effort to bend and you can usually get them for free at the dump or the bent ones from the bike shops since they just pitch them... and there stainless as well. I have heard of some people using 14 gauge copper wire from house wiring on smaller stuff since its pretty stiff as is and won't rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffond Posted September 12, 2013 Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 The other place I forgot about is Fastenal can get wire for you if you have one near you... you'll get it cheaper if you know a contractor with an account there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted September 12, 2013 Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 I also like soft temper stainless steel wire for bass baits. .041" diameter for most, .031" for very small baits. Try to bend hard temper stainless wire by hand lately? It ain't fun and it's hard to do accurately. The other soft temper wires that are traditionally used are brass and copper. Both are softer than ss but ss is soft enough to easily bend and twist by hand and both brass and copper will eventually corrode. I get mine from McMaster-Carr online, about $7 for a 1/4lb spool. You can also order polycarbonate (aka Lexan) or circuit board, plus other goodies from McMaster-Carr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdentAngler Posted September 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 @Griffond: I thought about copper...made a few spoons years ago didn't take long for them to fade or green. Copper wire would look pretty slick on a lure though! Is there a link to that tube stuff you got?? do they have wire for 2" - 3" lures? Bobp@ My next question was going to be where can I find 1.2mm or 1.5mm Lexan...McMaster-Carr have to check there. $7 a spool for .031 wire? sounds like a good price! I have some 2mm from lowes pain in the but to cut using hand tools, also too big for my baits. Cany you cut it with snips without cracking or breaking? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffond Posted September 12, 2013 Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 Here is a link to amazon the stuff I bought in the past is no longer available because I used to get it polished this is not and depending on size can work well if you want high strength spring steel http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Unpolished-Precision-Tolerance-Diameter/dp/B00CNLXNW6/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1379020563&sr=8-10&keywords=stainless+steel+wire+.040 I used it for making spinner frames and stuff like that made a few bucktails as well but haven't dressed them yet... again if your making smaller stuff go with the welding wire its alot cheaper... if you start getting into musky, striper, ocean size baits then you probably want to look at spring stainless that comes in wire/rod for welding or making custom springs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 Yes, McMaster-Carr carries 1' x 1' polycarbonate sheets in a variety of thicknesses. I use the 1/32", which is the typical thickness for bass baits. I cut it with Wiss metal snips, about $12 at home centers. Metal snips will not crack it - it's tough. Polycarbonate comes with adhesive backing on the front and back. Trace your template on the front and cut it about a mm outside your template line. Then strip off the rear backing and use a Dremel fine sanding drum to take the lip down to the exact template line. Strip off the front adhesive and use a Dremel wool polishing drum on the edges to make them clear. For me, this is the easiest, fastest, and most accurate way to cut lips by hand. If you one lip design many times, it is worth it to make a router template and cut them that way. There's a tutorial here on TU somewhere describing that method. Symmetry and exactness are critical to good lips. After struggling with manual attempts to do this for a couple of years, I found a freeware CAD program named Powerdraw. It lets me draw exact shapes to scale and get the line tie hole on lips which have them exactly centered. When finished drawing in the software, the program will print out the lip in the exact size you designed on any standard ink jet printer (a big advantage). Trace the lip onto a piece of clear plastic, cut it out and you have a lip template which you can use and then save for future use. And you also have the lip saved in software should you need it or want to trade designs with anyone who uses the same software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdentAngler Posted September 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 Ok what is a good thickness for small bait below 3"? I been using mm and it seems that Lexan is not measured in mm and this may be where I'm getting confused and having trouble. The 1/32 is for bass baits you said, and the wiss snips are they straight snips or? Haven't used them in a while, from what I remember there where three kinds left, right, and straight. I will look into powerdraw, been asking a buddy for a copy of his cad software...seems this is a better way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted September 21, 2013 Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 AA in in one of these threads posted this past week I stated I used 1/32" Lexan. That was a mistake on my part. The 1/32" I use is the Micarta board. I went back and checked to be sure and the Lexan I use is 1/16". Sorry for any confusion folks. Bob told me about the Power Draw and besides being a free download it's relatively easy to learn. For drawing lips anyway as that's all I've used it for. You have a choice of working in fractions of an inch or millimeters. If you decide to download and try it just holler if I can be of any help. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted September 21, 2013 Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 Hey, I was just following Ben's mistake I use 1/32" circuit board but 1/16" polycarbonate. I use the straight cut Wiss snips - yellow handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted September 21, 2013 Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 Hey, I was just following Ben's mistake I use 1/32" circuit board but 1/16" polycarbonate. I use the straight cut Wiss snips - yellow handle. Better watch that Bob. No telling where you'll end up following me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdentAngler Posted September 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2013 Thanks for clearing that up, now I know what to order. Guess I'll grab the yellow handle snips next time I'm out. thanks again for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbxr400 Posted November 24, 2013 Report Share Posted November 24, 2013 Tractor Supply sells a roll of SS wire for $2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluewaterspecial Posted November 24, 2013 Report Share Posted November 24, 2013 I get 19 guage ss wire at the local hardware store....Ace Hardware. I read a mention of galvanized...don't use galvanized, it will rust/dissolve away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdentAngler Posted November 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2013 Thanks for tips. Unfortunately no tractor supply near us and even the local hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot have little to offer due to the area. Supply and demand I guess? I was told to get galvanized guess I'll steer clear of it thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted November 24, 2013 Report Share Posted November 24, 2013 Thanks for tips. Unfortunately no tractor supply near us and even the local hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot have little to offer due to the area. Supply and demand I guess? I was told to get galvanized guess I'll steer clear of it thanks! Galvanized steel wire is crap , you won't enjoy your lures for a longer period of time ,.......might try Ebay(keywords: stainless welding wire , lure making wire) or also lure component mailorder shops . Greetz , Dieter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 Harbor freight has .041 ss wire! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jr Branham Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 I agree with nedyarb, I just saw it at the store last week. 7.99 for the spool, .041 stainless wire, use the 25% off coupon and its 6.00 bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
