Muskiebro Posted June 14, 2018 Report Share Posted June 14, 2018 (edited) I would like to try to make a muskie balsa crankbait 10"-12" long. Searching here it sounds like super glue is the way I'm going to go because it sounds like it might toughen the balsa the best (l don't know). I was searching Google for wood hardner and came across polycryl. I searched here for polycryl (yes under activity) and found nothing. I guess wood Turners and Carver's use it for soft wood. The company's website says it dries clear and have found no finish it is not compatible with. Has anyone tried this stuff before or know anything about it? I was actually thinking about doing some wood hardner testing. If I do a test are there any wood hardner products I should maybe test besides super glue vs polycryl? I'd hate to waste my time and money so should I not even be caring or worried about this???? Edited June 14, 2018 by Muskiebro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 14, 2018 Report Share Posted June 14, 2018 My experience with Minwax Wood Hardener was as I was trying to find a way to make wooden baits more waterproof, not for strengthening, but here's what I learned. The wood hardener penetrates deeply into the wood, reinforcing the cell walls, because it was designed to help make rotten wood strong enough to paint again. I found that when I soaked a wooden bait in the hardener for an hour, it would penetrate so deeply that it took a week for it to stop giving off solvent fumes. This made it a big delay in the painting process. If I were making a big balsa bait, I would worry that a penetrating sealer would take away the biggest plus from using balsa, it's buoyancy. The more sealer that's absorbed, the heavier the bait will become. If you're looking to strengthen the balsa enough to make a 10" musky bait, I worry that you will have to do so much strengthening that you'll lose the buoyancy and lively action that is balsa's distinguishing feature. I would suggest that you explore other woods, like poplar, or even go to a PVC decking material, which is buoyant, but still strong. I stopped building lures from wood, and switched exclusively to PVC, except for small balsa cranks which I harden with super glue on it's surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Young Posted June 14, 2018 Report Share Posted June 14, 2018 I know little about Musky lures, and nothing about musky fishing. Although if someone wants to educate me, I have a few road trips left in me! That being said, most musky baits I see are made of much stronger wood. Mark is definitely right about the weight needed to strengthen balsa to withstand a large toothy predator. Additionally, to achieve the right buoyancy (if you are making a diving bait) you have to add a lot of weight. That would also counteract the properties of balsa. A stronger more dense wood might be recommended. I am sure more experience members have some recommendations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted June 14, 2018 Report Share Posted June 14, 2018 Why don't you just try Cedar or Maple. Wayne 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gliders Posted June 14, 2018 Report Share Posted June 14, 2018 I make big pike cranks from western red cedar which seems ideal, you could use epoxy coats over balsa to create a tough shell. You could also seal with epoxy. ...glider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddl Posted June 15, 2018 Report Share Posted June 15, 2018 (edited) try to do like biggame,they are using balsa but even with that technic it's far to be the most durable lure. you have to go true wire and once the treble out of the mouth get tangled with the net it can literally broke your lure in half. the best balsa is growing at finland ,sweden the one we can get here have to get a special treatment ,at least for musky. it's a kind of thick flexible white thing between wood and paint.maybe someone know what it could be ? Edited June 15, 2018 by ddl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muskiebro Posted June 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2018 I wanted to do balsa for it's better action but I guess it makes sense I would lose the qualities of the wood for a larger bait, I'll stick with cedar. Thanks for the reasoning everyone and putting me on the right track. Mark I'm really considering pvc after reading about some of your posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 15, 2018 Report Share Posted June 15, 2018 Two identical baits, one cedar and one balsa, both weighted to float the same, they will both weigh the same. The reason for using balsa; is that you can group the weights around the CoG and therefore achieve a wider action. If you spread the weights along the whole length of the balsa bait then you might as well use cedar. A 12" bait could weigh as much as 10ozs and require a ballast of 6ozs to achieve a 10% float. This will require a lot of holes, each hole weakening the bait. Plus you will probably need a through wire system for the hooks. Definitely a good argument for cedar. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 17, 2018 Report Share Posted June 17, 2018 On 6/14/2018 at 6:13 PM, Muskiebro said: I wanted to do balsa for it's better action but I guess it makes sense I would lose the qualities of the wood for a larger bait, I'll stick with cedar. Thanks for the reasoning everyone and putting me on the right track. Mark I'm really considering pvc after reading about some of your posts. There's a stick at the top of the Hard Baits Forum about PVC. It's not everything, but it's a good overview. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...