fishinguitars Posted April 18, 2010 Report Share Posted April 18, 2010 I was just wondering if anyone has made suspending lures out of pvc decking. I've heard its extremely buoyant which makes me wonder if it would take to much weight to keep it down. Another question is do you just epoxy the weight and rattle chambers then sand before painting, or is there a filler that can be used. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 (edited) The PVC decking I use, made by AZEK, is about as buoyant as poplar. I add weight as needed to achieve either floaters, slow, or fast sinkers. I float test the lures unpainted, with their hardware and hooks attached, and add weight, in the form of egg sinkers and split shot, to the tines of the trebles, until I get the lure weighted like I want. Then I remove the hooks, drill 1/4" holes in the belly of the lure, and add the same amount of 1/4" lead wire weight as I needed in my float test. If I want a suspending lure, I try to get it to just barely float in the test. The paint and topcoat will add a little weight, too, so I don't want it to suspend in the test. A super slow sinker is really what I shoot for. I push the weights into the holes, usually a tight fit, just past flush, add a drop of runny crazy glue, and bondo over the holes. Then I sand the bondo smooth and flush, and float test again, just to be sure. It's easier to adjust a lure before it's painted, and it looks better. Then I put on two or three coats of primer, as much to fill any voids as to insure a paint bond, and paint away. If I do add rattles, it's usually one right between the eyes, and that's in place before my float test. I want the lure as close to finished as possible when I weight test it, so all I have to allow for is the paint and topcoat. In the past, when I used epoxy as a topcoat, I usually allowed 3 grams for my paint scheme and two coats of epoxy topcoat. I figure about 2 grams now, since I'm using three dip coats of urethane for my topcoat. I can always add a little weight to the finished lure by wrapping lead wire around the shank of the front hook, and securing it with a drop of crazy glue, but I try to get it as close as possible with the lead wire weighting, so fine tuning is minimal. Hope this helps. Edited April 19, 2010 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinguitars Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 The PVC decking I use, made by AZEK, is about as buoyant as poplar. I add weight as needed to achieve either floaters, slow, or fast sinkers. I float test the lures unpainted, with their hardware and hooks attached, and add weight, in the form of egg sinkers and split shot, to the tines of the trebles, until I get the lure weighted like I want. Then I remove the hooks, drill 1/4" holes in the belly of the lure, and add the same amount of 1/4" lead wire weight as I needed in my float test. If I want a suspending lure, I try to get it to just barely float in the test. The paint and topcoat will add a little weight, too, so I don't want it to suspend in the test. A super slow sinker is really what I shoot for. I push the weights into the holes, usually a tight fit, just past flush, add a drop of runny crazy glue, and bondo over the holes. Then I sand the bondo smooth and flush, and float test again, just to be sure. It's easier to adjust a lure before it's painted, and it looks better. Then I put on two or three coats of primer, as much to fill any voids as to insure a paint bond, and paint away. If I do add rattles, it's usually one right between the eyes, and that's in place before my float test. I want the lure as close to finished as possible when I weight test it, so all I have to allow for is the paint and topcoat. In the past, when I used epoxy as a topcoat, I usually allowed 3 grams for my paint scheme and two coats of epoxy topcoat. I figure about 2 grams now, since I'm using three dip coats of urethane for my topcoat. I can always add a little weight to the finished lure by wrapping lead wire around the shank of the front hook, and securing it with a drop of crazy glue, but I try to get it as close as possible with the lead wire weighting, so fine tuning is minimal. Hope this helps. Thanks a ton Mark I really appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...