Wire for Hook hangers

[vafishing]

I have been painting my own baits for several years and now want to try and make some of my own crankbaits.  Trying to figure out what type of wire to use for the hook and hangers.  Type and size.  Try the search on here but not having luck.  

 

Jeff

 

[mark poulson]

What are you going to use to build your crankbaits?

[Travis]

For bass lures; 19 gauge soft temper stainless steel  from the local hardware or order from McMaster Carr (0.041   302/304 stainless down to .032 or so for smaller baits).   

 

[vafishing]

I am going to try both PVC board and Balsa.  Starting with Balsa.

[bigblue2]

30 minutes ago, vafishing said:

I am going to try both PVC board and Balsa.  Starting with Balsa.

 

32 minutes ago, vafishing said:

I am going to try both PVC board and Balsa.  Starting with Balsa.

hey jeff try using mig/mag welding wire #.030 diameter I comes in 2-pound rolls you can get one for around $10.00 on ebay you can make hook hangers and eyelets real easy.

[mark poulson]

For PVC I use the weighted hook hangers from LurePartsOnline.  

For balsa I use .072 sst screw eyes.  I drill a pilot hole,  put some runny super glue down into the hole to strengthen the wood around it, run the screw eye in and then out again to cut threads into the wood, coat the screw eye with super glue, and run it back in.  I haven't had any failures from cranks I've made using that technique, but I use med. balsa.

If you want to use a through wire, I would use D2T epoxy to seat the wire and bond the two lure halves.

[bigblue2]

22 minutes ago, mark poulson said:

For PVC I use the weighted hook hangers from LurePartsOnline.  

For balsa I use .072 sst screw eyes.  I drill a pilot hole,  put some runny super glue down into the hole to strengthen the wood around it, run the screw eye in and then out again to cut threads into the wood, coat the screw eye with super glue, and run it back in.  I haven't had any failures from cranks I've made using that technique, but I use med. balsa.

If you want to use a through wire, I would use D2T epoxy to seat the wire and bond the two lure halves.

just take the .030 wire and form the eye wrap until you make the right size loops with looping pliers drill 1/8" hole fill in with super glue adhesive 

[vafishing]

Thanks everyone, good info.  

[eastman03]

I had trouble in Canada here finding a store that would carry it, I ordered some .051" safety lock wire from Malin.  Expensive (had to ship it), and it was to  soft for my liking (should have got hard drawn instead of soft, but it would work just fine for most lures).  I just came across Stainless Steel Tig welding rod! Cheap, straight as an arrow.  Lots of different sizes and strong.  I bought some .062 for my big lures. If you are making smaller lures, there are all sorts of sizes.

Edited January 29, 2019 by eastman03

[woodieb8]

tig 0.62 can be bent easily in the hagens wire benders also. we use it in our wooden muskie lures..

[datguy.dev]

I use galvanized steel wire (mono) that can be found at any hardware store by the spool. The only real decision there is the maximum weight capacity. The lower the gauge the more weight capacity. But the lower you go the harder it is to work with and larger holes are needed. You only need like a 24 gauge wire if your targeting 15 lbs Bass with a weight capacity of 18 lbs. If you get a 15lb bass you're a god!

[BobP]

I use .041” soft temper stainless steel wire on all bass baits.  It’s also named safety wire.  Order it from McMaster-Carr online.  Plenty strong, easy to bend and form accurately and it allows fishermen to tune a bait with the line tie in the nose without cracking its finish and compromising its waterproofness.

[mark poulson]

20 hours ago, CNC Molds N Stuff said:

Of course it might be a while before I need any...

Dude, clearly you've got it wired!  Hahaha

[BJBarron]

I use stainless and brass cotter pins from MC Master and Carr.