tschneid83 Posted February 22, 2006 Report Share Posted February 22, 2006 Ok folks, I want to start off by thanking everyone on this site for all the information they have given me over the last couple of years. I have been a long time lurker of this site and I finally got the motivation to try and make a bait of my own. with that being said...... attached are a couple of photos that I took of a bait I somewhat finished. One of the pictures shows the bait and nothing more. The other is the same pic with the layout painted (microsoft paint) on the bait. I made this first bait out of pine just to get an idea down. Once I get something I really like I have some basswood waiting to see the saw. The bait still needs a lot of fine sanding around the bill, eyelets, etc, etc but I was hoping that some of you kind people would take a look at my bait, check out the layout and tell me what you think. I apologize for the hole on the side of the bait. The bait was a lot thicker and well when I sanded it down I did not realize that I hit my drill hole for the weight. The lip material is also a little thick but all I had available at the time so I just sanded down the front edges and it turned out sort of cool. Since I live in Indiana (stupid winter) I have only had a chance to run it in the bathtub where it at least floats upright and seems to have a wobble. Thanks a bunch, tschneid83 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted February 22, 2006 Report Share Posted February 22, 2006 Looks like you have a great start. Just my humble opinion, why use thru-wire? I would guess the weight you have near the front might be a bit light too particularly with basswood, maybe skeeter or blades will chime in here. jed v. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschneid83 Posted February 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2006 I am not sure why I used through wire, If something better is available I would be open to some suggestions. Should I just use some hook hangers or maybe the line ties in the tutorials? Currently the bait barely floats and that is withought split rings and hooks which is not a lot of weight but enough and I assume the bait prolly will float a lot more with basswood. Thanks for the comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddoxBay Posted February 22, 2006 Report Share Posted February 22, 2006 I would suggest using lead just for the simple fact you can drill it out much easer if you need to make adjustments to the weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tally Posted February 22, 2006 Report Share Posted February 22, 2006 WOW!!!!! Someone who actually has been lurking and reading previous post????? Congratulations and thank you!!!! There is so much information here especially the basics that it is refreshing to see someone try making a crank from the knowledge obtained from the post.... You certainly are on your way and you should be very proud of your first crank. There is nothing wrong with experimenting with pine to design you body, but once you have a design down, I would start using the basswood or what ever kind of wood you plan on using. All woods cut and sand differently and you might as well get used to the wood you are going to be using. Also, the wieght needed in pine will more than likely not be the same in basswood. I agree with Jed, why tthru wire? Not that thru wire is bad but just getting started it is not the easiest way.......put the thru wire idea on the back burner and use screw eyes or take a look at Coley's tutorial on hook hangers. It appears that this is a flat sided bait? If so, there should be very little sanding on the sides......start with the right size stock. It also looks as if you are drilling a hole through the side of the bait to add your weight? I would drill on the bottom of the bait (belly) and keep the weight close to the bottom to keep the bait from rolling (leaning). I think Coley's tutorial shows that as well. I tip my hat to you. You will find that you will receive more help here if you put in the time and effort to learn this craft. Some want all the answers handed to them without any effort and you can see by some of the post....they receive very little information. Keep up the good work!!!! Tally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbkindle Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 kbkindle also a new lure maker have made a few flat side cranks 3/8 thick out of basswood and cedar dont know where to put rattles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschneid83 Posted February 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 I want to thank everyone that has made comments. I really appreciate them. I hope I did not seem like one of those "tell me how to do this and this" type of people. I visit multiple message boards and I do not like those type of people. I am just glad that the senko craze is over. On one of the message boards I look at every third post was "what is a senko", "how to fish a senko", etc, etc, etc...... Ok back to the lure. When I added my weight I drilled out both sides evenly (tried to) and then inserted the weight this way I did not have to fill in with adhesive but now that a couple of people have mentioned it I guess that is prolly easier to drill the bottom out and fill in. With the weights, I am assuming that hook hangers would work with basswood? If I was using balsa I can see some problems with hook hangers. Well thanks again. I will keep posting (bothering you) when I get a new bait made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tally Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 I hope I did not seem like one of those "tell me how to do this and this" type of people. Well thanks again. I will keep posting (bothering you) when I get a new bait made. Nope....not at all. I just simply appreciate the fact you took the time to look at the post on this forum. If you look hard enough, there is some information on TU that guys don't talk about any more...the good stuff!! No bother......eveyone here will help you especially if you are trying to help yourself keep working at it and keep posting Tally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopherkeene9 Posted February 25, 2006 Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 I hope you guys can answer this for me but I have been hearing about basswood lately and was wondering how easy is it to work with (can exacto knives be easily used for detail) and where can I get it? I've been experimenting with different designs in my pool now and I don't like how hard it is to carve the fine details, but don't want to use balsa due to the bouyancy of it. Thanks Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted March 4, 2006 Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 http://www.nationalbalsa.com/products.htm is where I bought my last basswood. As a generalization, I also think it's best to drill from the bottom and place your ballast low. Low placement for rattles too. But experimentation can sometimes yield a winner. Sealing the wood, painting and clearcoating plus the hardware and bill will add quite a bit of weight (usually 1/10th oz or more, depending). Doesn't seem like much, but if it sinks, ! I don't use thru-wire except in balsa, preferring hand-twisted ss wire hangers in hardwood. I don't like screw eyes, not because they won't hold but because its hard to get split rings on them without bending the rings out of shape. Basswood has a good consistent density and sands very nicely without much grain effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschneid83 Posted March 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 well I figured I would give an update on how things are going. Finding time to get a couple done has been the main problem but I am getting close. I decided to give the laquer thinner and solo cups (tutorial) a try just to see how things work out. I had some cups and laquer around so why not. My main problem has been getting the sanding down so everything is even but I have learned to stay away from the sander as much as possible and use some elbow grease to get it the way I want it. on another note..... thanks again to everyone that responded. I will never through wire again while using basswood. The exacto knife hook hangers and epoxy are a lot eaiser and I can not pull them out but maybe I am a wuss. I also put some split rings and hooks on and it rises slow (way to slow) so I have to use less weight and I am getting close. look for another pic posted soon. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tally Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 :grin: :-D sned that one to me I love a slow rising bait!!!!! Yeah......you are getting close, but only you can decide what you want the lure to do. less weight will make it rise faster for sure. How does the bait sit in the water? What does the bait do when you start to crank? Is the action of the bait what you want? Nothing beats trial and error man. It is the best way to learn and you will really start to understand the effects of every tweak you make!!!! Keep up the good work and post those photos Tally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschneid83 Posted March 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 I have had little time to test my design but i did get a chance to chuck it a few times and it did wobble. I like my design and is something I assume will work. Am I wrong for assuming i need to worry about lip angle and size more than lure design. I know I will have to make some adjusments to both lure and lip but could you not throw a square piece of balsa with a lip and it would wobble. Please dont take that the wrong way either b/c I know some of you spend hours and hours on design and tweaking but for a beginner is it not better to get things down first then start tweaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
