Matt M Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Does anybody know why certain circut board lips are on back order? Janns Netcraft are expecting to be out until December and LPO was unsure when they are getting more. They have both been out for months. Can anyone suggest a different source besides making my own? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benton B Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 all the on-line retailers get their bills from the same source. I will make a guess and say the source cannot keep up with demand or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrankyMike Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 About 3 years ago, maybe more, maybe less, there was a post about a guy who was making custom lips. I believe it was CB Custom Lips. At that time I sent him an email with a drawing but never heard back. I tried the same thing just recently. No response. Does anyone know if he's still in business? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonister Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 I was just about to ask about circuit board lips but here it is! So does anyone know where you can buy the circuit board material, and is it even cut able, or does it shatter or crack? If not i would also like to know a good place to get some to try out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan1 Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 I dont have a source for circuit board material, but if you're interested in trying polycarbonate instead try onlinemetals.com. I bought .06 inch thick (which is about 1/16th inch if my math's right...) clear polycarbonate sheets cut into 1 sq ft pieces from them in January. They were 2 bucks a sheet plus another small cut fee. The sheets have a thin, peel able plastic wrap on both sides. Outside of lips, also take a look at their 'carbon steel balls grade 1000'----been using them for ballast weights rather than lead. Really cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonister Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 i have plenty of Poly carbonate, but thanks for the link, i might check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Mcmaster car (I believe that's how you spell it) has the circuit board material in sheets. The sheet I have is the g-10 I think. I'm not around the shop to look but Bob p is the one who told me what to get so may e pm him before purchasing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrankyMike Posted April 5, 2015 Report Share Posted April 5, 2015 When you're looking for "circuit board" material, you are after what is called "G10 FR4". That is the real name for the glass epoxy board that we use for lips. Personally, I like the .032 thickness. This stuff is a little stronger than the plastic lip material (by that, I mean that it is more resistive to cracking and tends to flex a little when it strikes an object such as a limb or even a rock.) I make my own lips, by hand - lots of careful sanding - out of G10 FR4, .032". It sands very easily. That's a plus, and a minus. If you're not really careful you can accidentally change the shape of the lip. But, I am always looking for someone who'll make the lips for me. I can't use the lips from Jann's and other places because my dimensions are different from what they sell. So, I'm still looking for a custom maker. I made an aluminum pattern for my lip, and, using a bench-mounted scroll saw, I rough-cut a stack of about 10 lips at a tim. I then sand them to almost-final shape using a small belt sander. Next, I hand-sand the lips to final shape using sanding sticks (or fingernail files). It takes some time, but the results are good, and since I can't find anyone to make them for me, I'm stuck making them myself. I buy my material from a company in California called ePlastics. They are at www.eplastics.com. They have a search box at the top right of their home page. Just search for G10 FR4. You want the sheets. They have it listed by sheet size and thickness. For example, a 12" X 12" .032" sheet is $3.24, plus shipping. If you are careful, you could get over 100 lips from that one sheet. Again, just be very careful with your sanding. And, I've found that the .062" is much to thick for most smaller balsa baits (bass-sized). For larger wooden baits, like those for Pike or Musky, the .062" is fine. Still, I need to find someone with the ability to CNC the lips for me so I can save some time!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt M Posted April 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 Apparently Janns Netcraft was confused they originally told me that they would be out of stock of the square bill circut board lips until december. I just checked the site and they are showing in stock. I ordered some. i will let you know if they delay shipment. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncustered Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 I talked to LPO yesterday and they admitted that there are procurement problems with the circuit board lips. He also told me that they were looking for a new source and may start making their own.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Guys, I honestly don't understand buying pre-made lips because I use so many shapes and sizes that just aren't for sale anywhere. I would feel really constrained in designing crankbaits if I had to use store bought stuff all the time. Get a few sheets of 1/16" polycarbonate and 1/32" G-10 and you have the raw material for hundreds of lips, which you can whip up yourself in short order. A free CAD program like Powerdraw and any ink jet printer to draw your lip template. A pair of metal snips and a Dremel sanding drum to shape them. Voila, as many lips as you need, any shape/size you want, anytime you need them, and it's a fairly simple and quick process. eplastics.com looks like a very good source for white (aka "natural") G-10 sheets. It's often hard to find sources for "white" G-10 since it comes in a wide array of colors and most sellers/users don't pay attention to that. McMaster-Carr also sells G-10 and other specs of circuit board under the generic name "garolite". The G-10 I got from them awhile back was a butt ugly dull greenish yellow. Their G-11 garolite is a pleasant looking light green, but sold at a slightly higher price. If I wanted some G-10 right now, I'd go with eplastics.com as CrankyMike suggests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkNY Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Ordered some .032 and .060 G-10 from ePlastics the other day. Piece of cake. Thanks for the link. Looking forward to playing around with that stuff. Mark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Am I missing something or is black and "natural" the only two colors they offer at eplastics? Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkNY Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 I ordered natural. What color do you want? Ive seen some with a greenish tint.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrankyMike Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 The G10 FR4 from ePlastics varies in color from batch to batch. The "natural" can be almost colorless, to a very slight green tint, to a very slight yellow tint. I've been buying the material from them for at least 10 years, and probably longer, but the color of the "natural" has never been an issue. If you stack a few sheets together and hold them up to a light they will show the color fairly well. However, if you hold a single sheet up to a light, the color will hardly be noticeable. It's never been a problem... Yeah, "natural" and "black" are pretty much standard from ePlastics. There are some manufacturers who make other colors but there is no true "transparent". This stuff is heat and pressure-built glass/resin. The glass fibers give it some color, but the resin is usually the colorant. When you work with the material you will see the glass fibers. As an aside, if you are allergic to fiberglass, you probably want to avoid G10 FR4. Don't breathe the dust, and wear something you don't mind getting really dirty. The dust produced when sanding this stuff will cause itching, and I'm sure it's not great for your lungs. I'd just suggest that you use common sense when working with it. Also, when machining the material, you might want to use medium to slow speeds on sanders or Dremel tools. That way you don't throw the dust all over the place. And, don't sand or machine it inside your house. Take it outside your living area. (Either machine it in the garage, or you'll find yourself sleeping in the garage!) Now I have go figure out what happened when I sawed the lip slots in my last 6 baits. Four of them run great and the other two look like they're in some type of death spiral!!! All six were cut at the same time (stacked bodies) and after looking REALLY closely, two of the slots are skewed... I've only been building baits for 40 years, and I still manage to screw them up. Lee Sisson I am not! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 Most mass produced baits I've seen with circuit board lips are a translucent white. Not completely transparent, but not opaque either. I've bought a couple sheets from McMaster-Carr that were not at all what I was hoping for. One was an opaque white and the other was a yellowish, pukey green. I'm just tired of spending money on stuff I'm not sure of. Ben 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt M Posted April 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 The ones I get are off white greenish color. BobP, I buy premade lips because making lips that are symmetrical is a skill I have not mastered yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLT785 Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 Know anyone that has a CNC router. It makes quick work out of making lips. I have use of one, hope to build my own this summer. The lips always turn out the same no matter how many you cut or out of any material you use (lexan or circuit board for me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 The ones I get are off white greenish color. BobP, I buy premade lips because making lips that are symmetrical is a skill I have not mastered yet. Hey Matt, Bob was the one that suggested the Power Draw program to me and I have used it exclusively for drawing lips since downloading it. It's really simple to draw lip shapes with and they then print out on a 1 to 1 ratio. When you get a lip you like it can be saved on your computer and then pulled up anytime you need more lips of that style. I use the low tack spray to affix the printed template to the Lexan and then it's just a matter of cutting along the lines. If you can build a crankbait, and you obviously can, then you can definitely handle drawing and cutting your own lips. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonline Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 It's not that difficult to lay up your own board using epoxy, fibreglass, carbon fibre, kevlar or other fabrics. You can make it to your own thickness and strength that way as well as using pigments to make different coloured bibs. I've laid up laminates for other projects, but never for bibs. Personally, I use a jigsaw with a laminate blade then touch up with a dremel, file, sander etc. afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 Didn't I read here that circut board can be cut with Wiss tin snips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 I don't like cutting lips either. I started designing a router safety jig for cutting multiple lips from a sheet. When I get a workshop going again, I will definitely be returning to that project. It was dual purpose, for cutting body profiles also. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 Mark - Wiss snips (straight cut, yellow handle) are what I use. It's faster than a band or scroll saw for single lips. Making the lip perfectly symmetrical is the critical thing. That's why I use a CAD program to draw and print out the shape. Then I transfer it to plastic or a piece of G-10 for a permanent template. You can try the old "paper doll" trick to cut them out freehand but that is not exact enough for me. From past builds, I have a box with about 50 lip templates in it. Nowadays, I usually can find the lip template I want to use from that library without going back to the computer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkNY Posted April 18, 2015 Report Share Posted April 18, 2015 Got my order of circuit board sheets from ePlastics last week. I ordered .032 and .060. .032 seems a little light but may be just right for smaller stuff. Nice stuff. Just made my first lip with .060 and found it easy to work with.....Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
