imagine_studios Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Here's a cheap and easy way to make 3D fish eyes for larger lures (I make Muskie lures, so they work out nicely). I got a box of 300 thumbtacks from the dollar store. I had some Mod Podge Gloss craft decoupage already around the house, but I think I picked up 32 oz of that at the craft store for $12.00 (32oz will last just about forever if this is all you use it for). I had some black vinyl stickers available (the leftover stickers I used to put the # on the side of my boat). I stuck the thumb tacks into a piece of foam. Used a standard paper hole punch to punch out a bunch of holes that turned out to be just about the right size. Since these were vinyl stickers, I only had to peel and stick them to the center of the thumb tacks. I've not tried it yet, but I bet you could do the same thing with black paper and a little glue. I then used a craft paint brush and dipped it into the Mod Podge and dabbed a little on each of the thumb tacks (I ended up using a paint brush made of something resembling hair, the cheap ones you get with the plastic bristles kept wanting to leave bubbles in the Mod Podge). The Mod Podge is white, but it dries crystal clear. I didn't want the finish to crack because I put too much on at a time, so each eye has three coats of Mod Podge with quite a bit of dry time between coatings (I just wait until it turns completely clear, then I know it's dry enough for another coat). The third coat of Mod Podge I put on pretty heavily, it was almost ready to drip off the brush before I touched it to the eye. I swirled the paint brush around a little on this last coat so the Mod Podge was reaching all the edges and bubbled up nicely for that 3D effect using the surface tension of the liquid (make sure all of your tacks are very level in the foam or some of your eyes might be lopsided since the Mod Podge is pretty thin). This final coat took 2 days before it was clear. The Mod Podge is some type of hardening rubber, I believe, so I plan to stick these in my bait and then top coat the entire lure with concrete sealer to give the eyes a bit of a harder finish. I've not tried this last part yet, so I'm not sure if the Mod Podge will react or not. If it does, I'll just put the eyes on after the lure finish coat. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21xdc Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Very Nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Good Job, those look great. Thanks for sharing. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoonpluggergino Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Did you paint the outer edge of the eye or are the thump tacks gold in color Thanks for sharing Gino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine_studios Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 They were gold thumb tacks. They had silver as well, so I might try a few of those too. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bass Man Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Nicely Done!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Great job they look awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine_studios Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Thanks. If anyone else tries it, let us know if you find a better way of doing things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Great job they look awesome X2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 They look great !..Thanks for sharing...Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine_studios Posted February 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 I figured it was time to return the favor since I found something that worked pretty nicely. You guys have been so helpful I can't even tell you. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikePaintsBaits Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Excellent Job ....... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine_studios Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 ***Update*** If you make these, DO NOT throw them into a container where they can touch each other for storage. Over time they will stick to one another and get flat spots on them, best to leave them punched into the foam board until needed. Once they're coated with GST International top coat, they do fine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 ***Update*** If you make these, DO NOT throw them into a container where they can touch each other for storage. Over time they will stick to one another and get flat spots on them, best to leave them punched into the foam board until needed. Once they're coated with GST International top coat, they do fine. Excellent feedback. Many would have just kept quiet, so well done. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine_studios Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Thanks, I just found the giant ball of chaos last night and felt like I needed to share. They look good, until you store them the wrong way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
