uncustered Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 After trolling here for a couple of months, I must admit I'm intimidated to post my first creations. I used a balsa blank that was close to the shape I wanted and the hand shaped the lure. On the craw, I used sanding sealer first, painted then coated. Building that I really learned the challenges of centering the weight and hook eyes. On the second, I shaped after dipping in the sandable sealer, then coated with rod epoxy, then I did my drilling etc. What a huge difference in working the holes. I really recommend this as it made the balsa much more stable for drilling. I'll use Devon 2t for the final coat. They weigh around .35 oz. Can't wait for the thaw to test them! Whatchayall think? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 That is an interesting tip about an epoxy coat before drilling, to stabilize the wood - I like it. I always drill the square block; easier to align, tearouts don't matter and if I screw up, I haven't wasted an hour shaping. I don't screw up drilling, it just takes the pressure off Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llokkii Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Looks pretty darn good to me! Great job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Looks pretty darn good to me! Great job X2!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
token12 Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 After trolling here for a couple of months, I must admit I'm intimidated to post my first creations. I used a balsa blank that was close to the shape I wanted and the hand shaped the lure. On the craw, I used sanding sealer first, painted then coated. Building that I really learned the challenges of centering the weight and hook eyes. On the second, I shaped after dipping in the sandable sealer, then coated with rod epoxy, then I did my drilling etc. What a huge difference in working the holes. I really recommend this as it made the balsa much more stable for drilling. I'll use Devon 2t for the final coat. They weigh around .35 oz. Can't wait for the thaw to test them! Whatchayall think?IMG_20150305_200821132.jpg That looks awsome. I like the style of the body. As designers, we are our worst critics, but when we get critiques from other designers, we soak it up to better our work. Just a little something I learned in college and continue to use it every day. Anyhow, nice job and style on the body. The paint job looks friggin' sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I am of the same opinion as the others, nice job! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jigginpig Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 That bait looks great to me! I like to use through wire construction on balsa so the idea of painting and sealing a bait, then cutting it in half sounds like no fun... I am playing around with a laminate body consisting of PVC core with balsa sides. That would let me use screw eyes with more confidence, and could open up the possibility of utilizing your method. All and all I think PVC is a superior material in a number of regards, I just hate the way it smells. Wood is so nice to work with, but PVC holds up so much better. It comes down to aesthetics almost as much as more "practical" concerns. SS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoonpluggergino Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 I have been building quite a few balsa twitch baits lately and I found out it's easier to shape and round off the bait cut the lip slot than seal the bait. I was installing my wire under the belie all the way up and back. full circle, I usually cut a very thin slot about 1/4 inches deep and the wire and hook hangar fits in the slot, than I use epoxy to secure the wire. The problem doing this way is because I seal the bait in Propionate and the first time it's for three hours, but the acetone that is in the propionate mix attacks the epoxy, its okay for a short period of time or just dip and hang. Now I soak the bait in propionate first, than I cut the slot, install the wire and epoxy and do another 6 dips and everything works just fine also drilling the hole for the ballast while I am doing the wire at the same time works just fine , note the lead actually fits where the two ends of the wire meet at a specific location under the belie, that locks the wire in place because the two ends are interlocked through the lead, the hole in the pre shaped lead is about 1/16 from the bottom of the lead once I pour the epoxy everything is solid and nothing moves around and because the epoxy is self leveling there is very little sanding to do on the belie of the bait Gino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambuss1 Posted March 26, 2015 Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 I just started playing around with building balsa cranks, normally I paint the plastic blanks you can by. I do have one question, how do be consistent with the bill location and the angle? Do you build some sort of a jig to put the bodies into? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
token12 Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 (edited) I just started playing around with building balsa cranks, normally I paint the plastic blanks you can by. I do have one question, how do be consistent with the bill location and the angle? Do you build some sort of a jig to put the bodies into? Try this: Paul Adams has great videos. This one should be right up your alley. Creating a jig is the best way to be consistent with lip angle. You can download his template he has for the jig and print it out. What angle are you trying to achieve? Edited March 27, 2015 by token12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
