HELP......my lips wont sit right in the crank

[tschneid83]

ok i am new to the lure making thing so i really need some help here. I am making crankbaits and i have no trouble making them look good and the painting i am getting better at but i am having trouble with the lip. I went and bought a piece of 1/8 in thick lexan and i use my scroll say to cut it but i am having trouble making the lip sit straight in the lure which makes it spin and not work. I make sure that i keep the sides of the bait straight so when i make the cut out for the lip it is even across the side. after that i cut the sides but when i go to put the lip in it is all crooked and i cant get it to sit straight. when i glue it in i try to add a little extra to even it out but it does not work. could someone please help me out and explain a good way to make this work......THANKS A BUNCH

[Coley]

I didnot write this, Skeeter did. Hope he doesn't mind me using it.

Sounds like your lip has too much cleareance to start with.

Coley

Skeeter says,

Personally I try to get as tight of a fit that I can. The reason is because as long as the slot is square, then as the epoxy cures it can cause the lip to twist and not be at 90 degrees with the top and bottom of the lure. If you are having a hard time with the blade twisting in the saw while you cut the slot then try tightening the tension of the blade alittle. The rest is practice. Just take your time. I draw the outline of the bait and then draw the slot on the center line. I draw the slot 1/2 inch back from the nose of the bait. For angled lips I use the 1/2 inch mark to draw the bottom line for the slot. In other words let's say you want to draw a slot for a lip that is at 30 deg. Draw your center line through the bait from nose to tail. Make a mark on that line 1/2 inch back from the nose. From that mark draw a 30 deg. line to the bottom edge of the bait where the lip will exit. If you are using 1/16 inch thick material for your lip then measure 1/16 from that bottom line and draw another 30 deg. line. This is the top of the slot. Then make sure that the slot is 1/2 inch deep,even if you draw the end of the slot above the center line. Get a fine toothblade for your band or scroll saw. I use a scroll saw and use blades that are meant to cut PVC pipe. Now, very first thing..... cut the slot for the lip. Then cut out the rest of the bait. Once you have rounded the lure and sanded it to shape, the lip slot will be about 3/8 inch deep. You need this much glue surface for the lip and slot. If you are using a hard wood then you will need to make a channel in the middle of the lower lip of the slot for the wire used in your line tie to slide into. With balsa you can just push the lip and wire in and it will just cut its own slot into the wood. Drill a 1/32 in hole into each corner of the lip and get your epoxy down inside those holes, this is a glue point and will secure the lip like a post once it cures. Hope this helps you.

Skeeter

Skeeter

[kvillebasser]

There are a few other items that will make a lure spin instead of running correctly.....

I assume that you've created a wire line tie to the bait. Did you "true" the bait by bending the line tie toward the direction that the bait wants to run or spin? You can be "off" a little bit in your lip installation and still get a good bait by trueing the bait up at the line tie. Very small adjustments in the line tie angle create huge differences in how the bait runs.

Also, do you have enough weight in the belly of the bait? The bait will seem to run the best if it sits upright, with the head pointed slightly down, when the bait is just floating around and not being pulled. What I do is make a bait with no weight in it (complete bait with hooks) then I float it in my sink and take small worm weights and hang them on the hook points on the hook in the belly until I get the weight like I want it. If you use this method, as stated by someone else on this board, you've got to remember that hanging the weights from the hooks in the test mode actually places the center of gravity lower on the bait than it will truely be when you weight the bait for real, but at least it gives you a good starting point.

I hope this helps too, in combination with Coley's and Skeeter's comments. Hang in there! A few baits down the road, and these things will be running like champs!

Kvillebasser

[Big Splash]

When you make your lure the line tie should be placed slightly below the center-line on the bait. This will help control spin. Many commercial lures have the tie located on the chin, between the nose and lip.

If the line tie is centered in the nose, and you have little, or no weight added to the belly, the lure will want to act like a Spin n' glow.

[Skeeter]

I don't know what the problem is but I am having trouble with getting the site up every night. I have to check stuff from home when I can. First I need to know some things. What is the bait made of? How big is it? What style of lip are you using? Where is the line tie located and how are you making it? How much weight are you using and where is it located? Every one of these is a factor.

Use Devcon 5 min. epoxy to put in your lip. 1/8 inch lexan is hard to work with. It is thick and gets hot as you cut it. The edges melt and are really rough when you cut it. For me it is hard to keep straight. Use blades in your saw that are very fine teeth. I use blades ment for PVC pipe in my scroll saw. You can get them at Lowes. Try .060 lexan. This is about 1/16 in. thick. Leave the plastic coating on the lexan when you cut it. It keeps the edges cleaner and really reduces the melting.

Cut the slot for the lip in the bait before you cut the bait out of the stock of wood. Then cut the outline of the lure out. This is the best way to keep it square. If you are making flat cranks, and the wood is square, then don't sand the sides of the lure. Sometimes sanding the sides of the bait can throw it off. Just round the top and bottom of the lure. Before you glue the lip in, just slide it in the slot and take a look at how it wll sit. Also, try setting it in there with the wire line tie on it. This is a BIG cause of making a lip sit crooked in a slot. If you need too, cut a channel down the center of the bottom lip slot for the wire to set in. If the slot is wide, then glue the lip in and keep eye balling the lip as the epoxy dries. Sometimes as epoxy dries,

it will twist the lip. Keep adjusting it untill it is right. You will only have to watch it for about 10 min. By then the epoxy is set. Your main goal is to get good glue on the top and bottom of the lip. You can worry about the sides later. Answer these other questions for me and we can get you fixed up.

Skeeter

[tschneid83]

ok just so you know i have been making baits for like a month now so i dont know much. I am in college so i dont have a lot of tools or money to work with. I went and bought a cheap scroll saw from menards but i am only cutting balsa so i dont need nothing to special. so to answer your questions i am using balsa wood, it is 2 1/2 in long. I am using 1/8in lexan sheets. I bought a 2ftx2ft piece. i am adding the weight on the bottom just in front and behind the bottom hook hanger. the line tie is centered on the front of the bait and the lip is 1/4in below the line tie and is at a 45 degree angle. i am still experimenting with it to get it to dive right. I have no idea really what i am doing. I just look at crankbaits i like and try to mimic them. I think the problem is that i have to cut the slot. i have to sort of notch it out. if i could make one cut big enough it would not be a problem but when i have to make 2 cuts and then cut out the rest is where i mess it up. i am having a problem making the 2 cuts the same angle and notching out the slot. any help would be great. thanks

[Big Splash]

To avoid making the cut twice, I've used a thin (jewler's) file to widen the saw cut. You can fit the lip and file the slot to help straighten it.

Try putting the line tie below the centerline on the lure, between the nose and the lip.

Have you float tested your lure beside the one you are useing as a pattern? They should float at the same depth and angle, with a slight nose down attitude.

[Skeeter]

Ok Dude, relax, I got you covered. To start with you did good with the scroll saw. You are right, you don't need high tech stuff to cut balsa. Working with balsa is easy on your equipment also. You can use the 1/8 Lexan for your lips. What Coley put on the board for you that I wrote to him is what you need to do. Personally I think that you need about a 30 no more than 40 degree slot for your lip. For your weights try 3/16 to 1/4 oz. of weight for that size bait. Most of us that make cranks probably all started the way your are. I would try making a Poes RC3 or RC1 crankbait to start with. It is basically flat and you can take your measurement easily with that bait. Cutting slots with the saw takes practice. You will have to learn to make several cuts to cut it out. Cut the top of the slot line and then the bottom. Make several cuts down the middle to remove the rest. The side of a bastard file is generally 1/8 inch thick on its side edge. It will make the slot square if you need to. Be sure that the platten on the scroll saw is flat. If is is adjustable then it has to be at 90 deg. to the blade. Do not sand the sides of the bait. Your wood is already cut square, therefore, leave it that way. You should only have to sand the top and bottom edges. If you sand the sides then you may have cut the slot just fine, but threw it out of wack if you started sanding the sides. I know because I've done it. You have picked the toughest of baits to start with. Making cranks by hand is a lesson is patience and skill. Stick with it. It will come. If you would like to discuss anything, send me some email. I would be glad to help just like the rest of the guys here.

Skeeter