help fixing a mistake on a crankbait

[CoreyH]

As much as I feel I've learned in the first month or so of making baits, there are moments that I want to slap myself for just being impatient and stupid.  Last night was one of those moments, but at least I think it's fixable.  I was making a crankbait and after cutting out the profile I cut the lip slot.  Problem is, I didn't check to make sure the lip slot was wide enough to accommodate the 1/16" lexan lip.  So, after shaping, putting in the ballast weight, drilling the line tie and hook hanger holes, and creating the lip, I went to put the lip in and it wouldn't fit.  No problem, I thought.  I'll just use the scroll saw again and cut the lip slot a little wider.  What I forgot to consider was that I had shaped the bait and so my additional cutting was not even.  What I wound up with was a correct 1/16" slot on one side, but the other side of the bait the saw cut down farther than I needed, so that one side of the lip has probably a 1/8" slot.  So it's uneven and too much was cut from one side.  Here are the two ideas I had for correcting the problem...

1.  cut the entire lip slot to be 1/8" and just cut another identical lip, glue the two lips together to create a single, 1/8" lip, and insert that.

2.  fill the entire lip slot with baking soda and super glue, sand it down, and try all over again once it has cured.

Any ideas or suggestions on how to fix this issue?

[Hillbilly voodoo]

I am assuming it’s a personal fishing lure I have an option 3

If so shim the lip so it’s level with tooth picks for example. Epoxy in the lip and fill the gap with epoxy or filler. Once it’s all cleaned up with some sand paper and painted only you will know 

 

[CoreyH]

Thanks for the idea.  Simple and yet I probably would not have thought of it.  Yes, it's just a personal lure (I have no desire to make and sell baits...I'm just doing this for fun).   Thanks!

[Hillbilly voodoo]

No problem how did your attempt at a lipless go?

[CoreyH]

Thanks for asking.  I think it went really well.  Only problem is that since I was making my baits out of PVC I had no need for a sealer.  I've got two baits I made from a little piece of basswood (one squarebill and that lipless crank) that are shaped, sanded, and have hardware attached, but I have to seal them yet.  I ran out of normal super glue (I still have some of the gel, but that's obviously  not going to work), so now I'm trying to decide whether I should buy the really runny super glue and use that as a sealer or buy something else.  The lipless looks pretty good to me, but I won't know how well it performs until I get it sealed, painted, and put a top coat on. 

[Hillbilly voodoo]

Hopefully the fish agree with you

myself I would go with a different sealer but go with whatever works while you figure things out

[CoreyH]

What do you use for sealing?  I'm not sure what to use, which is why I haven't gotten anything yet. 

[Hillbilly voodoo]

I build baits mostly for pike and lake trout so they take abuse from teeth. I use multiple layers of envirotex for my top coat  and if sealing wood before pairing I use envirotex thinned with acetone. But this goes on a lure turner to stay level 

A lot of guy like KBS for small lures and you can just dip and hang them

if you bug the guys who do bass baits they probably have some options that will work for you 

 

[CoreyH]

I was looking at doing KBS for a top coat.  If I went with KBS, would I still need to seal the bait?

[Hillbilly voodoo]

I always recommend sealing wood baits because it helps harden the wood and if the wood absorbs water your lure won’t last long. So with wood if you only do the top coat your hardware is more likely to tear out and if you damage your top coat from teeth or rocks or anything else the wood will absorb water

with PVC and resin the top coat is all you need because you are protecting the finish not the lure body 

[CoreyH]

Gotcha!  Honestly I haven't even been top coating my PVC baits since I am painting them with finger nail polish and I just don't think the crude finish is worth spending the money to protect.  I took four crankbaits out to test them yesterday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised that 3 of the 4 really had good action.  They may not look like much, but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised to catch a fish on any of them either.  The 4th bait will go on the wall of shame.  It was a mid/deep diver and it didn't perform well.  It sank slowly instead of floating and it ran way off to the right...I could probably fix the second part with adjusting the line tie, but I don't want a sinking crankbait.  Oh well, lesson learned for next time.

[bigblue2]

4 minutes ago, CoreyH said:

Gotcha!  Honestly I haven't even been top coating my PVC baits since I am painting them with finger nail polish and I just don't think the crude finish is worth spending the money to protect.  I took four crankbaits out to test them yesterday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised that 3 of the 4 really had good action.  They may not look like much, but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised to catch a fish on any of them either.  The 4th bait will go on the wall of shame.  It was a mid/deep diver and it didn't perform well.  It sank slowly instead of floating and it ran way off to the right...I could probably fix the second part with adjusting the line tie, but I don't want a sinking crankbait.  Oh well, lesson learned for next time.

can you post some pictures in the gallery?

[Hillbilly voodoo]

If you don’t care about how long the finish lasts and your still messing around spray them with polyurethane and fish them. They won’t have a very long life span though 

3 out of 4 is not bad for trying out new designs. I still make rejects to this day I am just better at fixing my mistakes or making adjustments for the next attempt. I have half done or need adjustment and abandon prototypes all over my shop and lure room. Some I revisit, some get cannibalized into something else, and others collect dust. Some lure bodies might be something awesome but I just decided I did not like them. If I had to guess I have about 50 or more designs unfinished right now lol

Don’t worry too much about making things look pretty fish eat ugly paint jobs 
 

[CoreyH]

1 hour ago, bigblue2 said:

can you post some pictures in the gallery?

I just looked at the gallery and lets just say that I am not going to be posting any of mine to the gallery anytime soon.  If you have a question or want to see any of the baits I have painted (or attempted to at least), I have no problem texting you pics, but I'm not going to embarrass myself by adding them to the gallery .

[CoreyH]

1 hour ago, Hillbilly voodoo said:

If you don’t care about how long the finish lasts and your still messing around spray them with polyurethane and fish them. They won’t have a very long life span though 

3 out of 4 is not bad for trying out new designs. I still make rejects to this day I am just better at fixing my mistakes or making adjustments for the next attempt. I have half done or need adjustment and abandon prototypes all over my shop and lure room. Some I revisit, some get cannibalized into something else, and others collect dust. Some lure bodies might be something awesome but I just decided I did not like them. If I had to guess I have about 50 or more designs unfinished right now lol

Don’t worry too much about making things look pretty fish eat ugly paint jobs 
 

Right now I'm not overly concerned with how long a bait lasts.  These are my first attempts and I can already tell that I'm getting more efficient and better at shaping, so I'm not going to be too disappointed when the ones I have get lost or destroyed (unless they fall apart with a big fish on them).  I have plenty of PVC for making a whole bunch of baits.  Once I get an airbrush and learn to paint and my baits are "pretty", I think that's when I'll really start to treat them to a decent top coat and be more upset about losing or destroying one.  Funny how the looks of a bait matter more to the fisherman than the fish.

[Vodkaman]

Cutting the lip slot too thin is a mistake that you will only make once. Yes, we all did it.

The important thing is to cut the slot before shaping, another mistake we all made at some time.

Hillbilly is on the ball, wedges work well to correct sloppy slots.

I like thin CA glue (super glue). Yes, it dries fast, but if you use the merest 1/4 drop, if the alignment is not perfect, you can easily break it free. Once the alignment is right, add a couple or drops and the glue gets drawn into the joint with capillary action, making a good solid connection.

5 min epoxy is a good alternative, allowing you a couple of minutes to twist to get things lined up. 30 minute epoxy just takes too long, but experienced builders will swear by it, and will give the best solution.

For me, a smear of thin CA, get it right, then fill in the gaps

Dave

[bigblue2]

2 hours ago, CoreyH said:

I just looked at the gallery and lets just say that I am not going to be posting any of mine to the gallery anytime soon.  If you have a question or want to see any of the baits I have painted (or attempted to at least), I have no problem texting you pics, but I'm not going to embarrass myself by adding them to the gallery .

my name is jeff kosbab  text me 507-441-1297

[Vodkaman]

Bigblue2 - you will not find any of my baits in the gallery either.

I design baits mostly for research for my theories behind aqua motion. I also catch a few fish for fun

This may attract some contempt from the more serious, professional builders - but I simply do not care. I am here for my own amusement. I develop a few ideas and publish. A few members test out my ideas, most do not.

It would be nice to make an impact, but it just is not that important. Do the work and extract as much enjoyment and achievement as you can - it's fun

Dave

[BobP]

Easy fix.  Get an epoxy putty log at your local home center. It has a clay like consistency when mixed.  Fill the whole slot with it, then press in the lip and smooth out the margins, wipe off any squeeze out.  In 2-3 minutes it’s done and dusted.

Edited March 3, 2020 by BobP

[Hillbilly voodoo]

9 minutes ago, BobP said:

Easy fix.  Get an epoxy putty log at your local home center. It has a clay like consistency when mixed.  Fill the whole slot with it, then press in the lip and smooth out the margins, wipe off any squeeze out.  In 2-3 minutes it’s done and dusted.

I like this idea may have to try it my self if I make a crooked slot

[CoreyH]

11 hours ago, BobP said:

Easy fix.  Get an epoxy putty log at your local home center. It has a clay like consistency when mixed.  Fill the whole slot with it, then press in the lip and smooth out the margins, wipe off any squeeze out.  In 2-3 minutes it’s done and dusted.

Thanks BobP, I'm definitely going to give this a shot.  Does the epoxy putty hold as well as regular 5 minute epoxy does?

[BobP]

Putty has a density similar to cedar or basswood so while I doubt it has the 4000 lb strength of Devcon, it’s pretty strong.  I use putty to repair slots I’ve had to cut oversize to remove broken lips and I cut slots in the rear of lips to enhance grip strength.  So far I haven’t had any failures, so that’s really all I can say about strength.  It is a neat fast repair.  Not as ideal as a perfectly cut slot but.....

[CoreyH]

BobP...good to know.  Thanks!

[Chuck Young]

As a filler, you can mix micro balloons with epoxy. It sands well.