Glueing Lips IN

[ScottySas]

I have been using JB Kwik weld to glue lips in. It seems to work good but I haven't put the baits to a hard test yet. It also dries really quick. Any suggestions from all you pro builders out their?

[AZ Fisher]

 Not a pro,  I haven't used the JB stuff, have always used D2T.  Devcon 2 ton epoxy,   30 minute not the 5 min. I also drill a couple small holes thru the lip where it slides into the bait so the epoxy can bond thru the lip from both sides, hope this helps

[eastman03]

I do the same as AZ.  I use a west systems epoxy (mostly cured in about 15 min), so I have some working time to do a few lures at once.  Polycarbonate does not like to stick to anything (not exactly sure what your lips are made of), so it is wise to at least scuff up the surface that's going to be glued.  I usually go one step further and drill two holes and screw the lip in with the epoxy.  Probably not necessary, but on a large lipped musky lure that often smashes into rocks, I'll give the lip all the support I can.  I will have them all lined up and test fitted with the screws before applying epoxy, so it makes that stage pretty easy.  Just apply the epoxy and screw them in, wipe off any epoxy that leaked out.    Because it's happened where I think I've aligned the lip with epoxy perfectly without any pins, and by the time it cured, the lip had moved to the side a bit.  lol   Dang it. 

I'm no pro either by any stretch.  Just letting ya know what I often do on my musky lures.  

[Nathan]

Quick tip..if you want to try different sizes or styles of bills in your bait..you can use elmers rubber cement...It is plenty strong to hold for testing..Then when you decide on the Bill the rubber cement peals off clean then us Devcon 2ton or similar to permanently install them..Nathan

[BobP]

I build baits in batches of 6 and I use Rod Bond paste epoxy, the original slow cure variety, to glue in hardware and lips.  It’s strong and waterproof and stays where you put it.  Plus, I can mix up a batch and easily install 6 lips before it begins to harden.  For lips, I push the paste into the slot with a thin wire until its filled with epoxy, then push in a dry lip.  The excess squeezes out of the slot at the rear of the lip and is easy to wipe clean.  Do not butter the lip before insertion as that causes a mess on the front of the lip.  The slow cure time (6 hrs to begin, 24 hrs to finish) allows a lot of time to tweak lip positions, which I’m finicky enough to appreciate.  I cut two slots in the rear of all lips before insertion to form  “key” and improve strength.

[LHL]

Like most I use Devcon 2 ton epoxy and scuff the lips with 80 grit sandpaper. I had to remove one of the lips because it slipped out of position (whoops). I ended up using a hammer to pop it out but instead of the lip coming out cleanly the entire nose of the bait broke off. The epoxy joint ends up being stronger than the wood itself in my case. 

[mark poulson]

6 hours ago, LHL said:

Like most I use Devcon 2 ton epoxy and scuff the lips with 80 grit sandpaper. I had to remove one of the lips because it slipped out of position (whoops). I ended up using a hammer to pop it out but instead of the lip coming out cleanly the entire nose of the bait broke off. The epoxy joint ends up being stronger than the wood itself in my case. 

Next time try using a small saw to cut the lip out.  If you leave one slot face undamaged, you can wedge a new lip against that face to align it, and then epoxy the new one in place.

[exx1976]

I, too, drill holes through my lips so there is a mechanical bond through the lip itself.  My lips are epoxied in when I fill the slot from running the thru-wire.  I fill it with epoxy and West systems 404.  I do the initial epoxy curing at a somewhat cool temperature, so the epoxy sets up more slowly.  This allows me to check when it reaches sort of a "clay-like" consistency, which makes it very easy to trim excess epoxy using an exacto knife.  The blanks are then moved to a warmer area, where they very quickly finish curing rock-hard.

I'm not sure that I'd recommend *any* of my processes to anyone, though.  They are all rather time consuming, and likely even somewhat convoluted - but I'm pleased with the results.  I'm sure with more experience I will continue to refine them to reduce the time investment.

[Big Epp]

I often make bass-sized baits (4" or less).  I haven't done any lipped muskie/pike baits yet, so if that's your aim I can't vouch for this technique.  I also haven't put the line-tie in a lip yet, always in the lure body.

I often just use superglue.  I've used a variety of brands and have had pretty good success.  I haven't had any problems with lips coming out or loosening up.  I've taken a few lips out of baits, and they always take wood with them and basically bust things up.  One way I've done it is to use thick super glue (even the gel stuff) and fill the lip slot as described above and then inserted the lip, wiping off the excess.  Alternatively, I've used thin super glue after inserting the lip.  The glue is so thin it penetrates and seeps into any gaps.

This technique comes with a disclaimer.  While I have watched many of Marling Bait's videos on YT and seen him do it many times, I've only made maybe 30 baits like this, so I don't have near the experience over time as some others here.