luke1 Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Hello everyone, I have been a member for a few weeks and I have a few questions. I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased my balsa and acrylic sheet for the lips. My lure is carved and I am ready to make the lip. I do not have an electric saw so I am cutting it by hand. I noticed tonight that it is very hard to get both sides symmetrical. Are there any tips to get both sides symmetric? I also did not construct a wire through body. I cut holes in my body and placed dowel rods in the holes. I am hopping it will hold the screw eyes securely. This is a great hobby and I am just looking for some tips to achieve a great looking crank baits. Luke1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Acrylic will crack really easy. Use polycarbate (a common name brand is Lexan). I trace the out line of a lip on the polycarbate sheet then use sharp tin snips to cut just outside the lines, then I use a sanding drum on my dremel to sand it down to inside the lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke1 Posted June 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 (edited) What thickness of Lexan would be the best to use for lures? I am noticing Lowes and Home Depot sell Lexan 10 in x 8 in x .093 in thick. Will this work for lures? Edited June 12, 2015 by luke1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 I'm not sure what the size is, cause I have used the part with the size written on it, but it's roughly 1/8". I got it from a Lowe's store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 If you draw your lip shape on a piece of paper, cut it out, fold in half lengthwise, and trim so both halves are the same, you can use it as a template. Trace that onto some blue painter's masking tape, remark the centerline from the fold onto the tape, and apply the tape to your lip stock. Trim and sand to the tape. Once I'm ready to install the lip, I actually leave the part that isn't going to be embedded in the lure body on the lip, to use to align the lip before my epoxy sets. Having a centerline makes keeping the lip centered in the bait much easier. And everyone here is right. Use Lexan, because acrylic is too brittle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Luke 1 these fellows are right, acrylic will bust very easily. I would hate to see you do all that work only to have your bib crack and ruin your lure. Poly-carbonate or circuit board is the way to go for lips. As far as keeping it symmetrical, Mark's suggestion is a good one. Another way to make a symmetrical lip template is to use the paint program on your computer to draw 1/2 of a lip then using the select tool copy it, flip it and paste it to the other side of the original that you drew. This gives you a perfectly symmetrical lip with a true center line. If you are happy with the way it looks, use the select tool to copy and paste several times. Print it, cut one out glue it ( I use the stick school glue) to a piece of whatever lip stock you use cut it out and sand to the lines with a dremel drum sander. Here are a few examples of some lips that I drew using the paint program. It took me a little while to figure out how to do this but once you learn what the different buttons on the program do, it is pretty easy and you can name and save the file and use it again and again. Hope this helps. John A link to how some of the other guys do things. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/19352-crankbait-lip-making/ I get my poly-carbonate here and have been very happy with their service. http://www.onlinemetals.com/index.cfm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 (edited) Oops, forgot to say, I drew the graph first then saved it before printing and measuring the size of the squares so I would know how many squares the bib had to cover to make the size lip that I needed. Edited June 25, 2015 by JBlaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Luke1, For bass size crankbaits I generally use Lexan that is approx. 1/16th " thick...Nathan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Acrylic will work well enough in warm water. However, when it gets cold and runs into a rock it will crack. Polycarbonate is the way to go. Nathan has it right. 1/6 th inch. or .060 for the thickness. Circuit board will work but I personally don't like the looks of it. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke1 Posted June 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 Sorry it has taken me so long to reply. My computer crashed and I had no way to post. I recently completed two balsa wood baits. The one I used a colorado blade and the other was a topwater lure. I went to Lowe's and purchased a piece of Lexan in a 8 x 10 Sheet. I tried hand sawing it and it was extremely difficult to do. I am thinking of purchasing a jig saw to do that. Thanks for the responses. Luke1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonister Posted July 3, 2015 Report Share Posted July 3, 2015 I just read this thread and it helped me soooooo much! this got me interested and so i checked and i have been using acrylic the whole time! woops. I will be getting some lexan soon! i was using Plaskolite...... that would explain the cracking on lips, along with anytime they hit a rock they would crack. Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonister Posted July 3, 2015 Report Share Posted July 3, 2015 Jblaze, is the polycarbonate the site you suggested sells, the same as lexan? i just dont want to get more brittle stuff. also, i tried Eplastics for G10 sheets and their shipping is quite expensive, is this common for all online shops or is it just this site? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted July 3, 2015 Report Share Posted July 3, 2015 Lexan is a trade name for polycarbonate, so yes, the stuff that JB mentioned is the same. Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim2199 Posted July 3, 2015 Report Share Posted July 3, 2015 Luke1 I have purchased the Lexan available at Home Depot and Lowe's locally. All they stock locally is .093 thickness. I know you can get it thinner, but this thickness has worked for me on 3 to 8 inch cranks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Jonister , as far as I can tell it is the same stuff. The brand name on the sheets is Bayer Makrolon. I have not had any problems with it. It is crystal clear and easy to work with. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonister Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Ok, i went to home depot and got a peice of lexan to try but i will definatley order online when i get some more, if its the same stuff and is cheaper im all in! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
