JRammit Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 I always make a "throw away" bait for testing before i make the final product.... I found a handy way to hold my weights in place and have them easy to remove Tape is a good start, to get a good idea where the weight needs to be without drilling holes... But to be more accurate, the weight does need to be drilled in By drilling my hole(s) so the weight fits in loosely, i can pack vaseline over the hole to hold weight(s) in place... A firm "tap tap" on the bench and theyre out If i dont get it right the first time, there will be more holes... The vaseline also makes a good filler for the empty holes..... I looked it up, and vaseline (petroleum jelly) has an SG of around .82, heavier than the lure material but still lighter than water.. So i dont believe the added weight affects the tests much Ive only been testing resin baits lately, but i believe the vaseline would also work for sealing test holes in a wood bait as well I wouldn't try this on a final lure, for fear of affecting the finish.... But for prototyping, it works quite well! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted December 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 I guess it should also be mentioned this depends on the size of your ballast... Im sure there is a limit to how much weight the vaseline can hold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 How do you seal the vaseline into the test holes before painting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted December 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 I just do this on prototypes... Ill make 2 identical bodies and put one aside... The other i will drill holes all the way down the belly at 1/8" or 1/4" intervals (depending on the size of the holes)... Then ill pack all the holes with vaseline and p0p the weights in and out at my leisure until i find which holes make good homes Then ill snap a photo with the weights in place.. Ez reference since measured the holes before hand Last step is skipping all these steps on the other, unmolested body 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted December 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Btw, ive even been able to swim the test piece in my test tank with the weights held in by the vaseline 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted December 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 I found an untapped suply of lead in my ammo drawer... #5 small game pellets were used for this project..... But just for "finding out" purposes, i drilled into an old scrap blank and placed a 00 buck shot pellet inside... The vaseline holds it in place firmly, and it came out easily with a few hard taps on the bench 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 (edited) Neat idea but I would be concerned with the leftover petroleum jelly after you remove the ballast lead, as far as epoxying in a final ballast, and also contaminating the lure's surface with a petroleum based product which can cause fisheyes on an epoxy topcoat or bubbling on a solvent based topcoat. No problem if the lure is truly a test lure that will never be finished - but if you got it to work perfectly, wouldn't you want to finish it? If it were me, I'd probably just uset a piece of tape to hold in the ballast for testing. Edited December 8, 2015 by BobP 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 but if you got it to work perfectly, wouldn't you want to finish it? The idea (for me) is to get consistent results.... One perfect lure in my tackle box doesnt do alot of good If i can get the prototype running perfect, then i should be able to hang it on the wall and make several others like it to fish with Im still chasing that rainbow.. But feels like im getting closer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 One perfect lure in my tackle box doesnt do alot of good Perfect lure to catch fish hanging on a wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Perfect lure to catch fish hanging on a wall. Yea.. Its like a kicker in a football game.... It does it's job, then it goes and sits on the bench Im the only one that does it that way??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 My prototypes never get fished. They are built for a specific purpose, to obtain certain information. Holes will be moved, filled, re-drilled. Sometimes as many as a dozen or more prototypes will be built in order to find the best solution. Once the prototype has served its purpose and the information noted, it usually goes in the bin. The information goes back into the CAD model and updates the templates. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW Lures Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Hey JR, I put a small hole in the weights that are now dedicated for testing and use a screw to remove them if I want or need to. I put a light sealer over them and the bait. This way I can pull them out if I want to change the weight. I believe that the ballast needs to be close as possible, to being in place to be accurate. Vaseline is a interesting idea. Nice! Dale 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 It was a quick solution to fix a mistake.... I was doing float tests, drilling holes so my tiny weights could be squeezed in with plyers, then dug out with the tip of an exacto knife... But i grabbed the wrong drill bit and made one of the holes too big Looked around the bench, and the vaseline was still sitting out from a recent plaster mold i made..... So i globbed some over the weight and it held.... Held so well, that i drilled the rest of the holes out too Obviously we all have our own ways... I just began molding hard my hard baits.... This had advantages and dissadventages to it.... I can cast my test pieces and hack away at them like a mad scientist, knowing once i get it right i can duplicate it over and over again..... But, when i get a body aspect wrong (like a crooked lip slot) its back to square one 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW Lures Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 I agree JR, we all have our own ways. But when testing I'm going to use your trick and mine to change ballast on the test site (river, lake etc.). I will carry with me a hand drill and bits I need. Now, I will take a little container of Vaseline . Great way to keep testing in a location away from my shop. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted December 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Hey Dale... I tried casting the blank that i put the buck shot pellet in... I did lose the pellet, but i was casting in the yard not into water I have a test tank beside my house that i run all my lures through, if i lose the weight i can just grab it off the bottom.. But i havnt lost one in there yet As for testing on the lake, im not 100% sure the vaseline will hold your weight in place with the impact of the lure hitting the water..... Worth a shot if you have plenty of replacement weights on hand.... Let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 And here I thought vaseline was for doorknobs, to keep the kids out. ) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW Lures Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 Lol Mark!!! @JR A tooth pick and a very lil bit of super glue should do the trick. The glue picked up by the tooth pick will break away with hardly no effort as long as it is at the surface. I use round rod of lead for ballast this includes belly hangers. Doing this will save trips back and forth in testing. While chatting about testing, I do three types. First one is a weight test (float/or not), swim (in small area, tub or pool) and then actual river, lake, pond etc......Woops..forgot one more, "does it catch a fish". Lol the most important one. Cheers, Dale 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
