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Be patient. I told my partners when you own your own business, you only have to work 1/2 a day. Just pick what 12 hours you want to work. Just dont try to grow to fast, take your time.

I have several 4x8 sheets of this same lead that I have used and processed. It’s very pure and soft but will have to be cleaned and fluxed. The first thing I do is roll it out on my driveway, flatten it as best I can and power wash it with an industrial soap and remove all the old glue and left over sheet rock remains. You must let the lead completely dry before you process it after cleaning with water. After that, I cut into strips and roll those strips up so I can get it into my fluxing pot. I flux it outside in my fluxing pot and use paraffin as flux. Never put dirty lead in your pouring pot. Flux it until it’s clean, the mix should be hot enough to catch the flux on fire. Be careful. No kids observing or close by. Stay upwind. Dip off impurities and continue to flux until you get good clean lead. Yes, it will still have some dross after it’s reheated in your pouring pot but just spoon it off top when you see some buildup. I have good success with it.

Some of us old timers still come around, but as others have said, it’s the nature of forums to age and change. Over time many of the old timers have reduced their presence (you were on of the first really Tally), others have passed (RIP), or gone missing (Craig aka Blackjack aka Nomad?) But a larger issue is that the nature of fishing and the hobby has changed. Soft baits have gone largely to bought molds and injectors, less hand carved and molded baits. A lot of the younger members work on swimbaits rather than crankbaits, and end up doing more foam baits as they are usually more intricate so thus harder to replicate all the pieces by hand. As mentioned above, a large group of newer members are painters rather than builders, using the Chinese knockoffs of existing baits. Nothing wrong with any of it, it just is different from what it was. I think, Tally, you are the equivalent of a grandparent that hasn’t seen their grandchild in 7 years, lol. That little leaguer you remember has now changed into a college student, lol. Mark, as usual, also makes good points. There is so much more information out there between forums, YouTube, Facebook groups, etc. Not the least this site. With that one exception all of our old discussions are still here, so many don’t have a reason to discuss/rehash if they use the search function. Imagine the first two guys working to come up with a wheel. Lot’s of communication, research, trial and error. But once they invent it, a third guy with access to their notes could then make a wheel. But he may improve on the design, or make it more suitable for his needs, and so on. Rick Clunn once claimed that there will really never be any “new” lures. But of course since then entire new categories have developed, like soft-plastic stickbaits, swimbaits, chatterbaits, etc... Just My 2 cents, Clemmy

Thanks I think what I will do is buy a gallon from each and decide. My next question is I've been thinking about buying a degasser vac system and see that bait plastics has them for like $169 but currently dont have that much to spend so are the ones on eBay ok? I am tired of air in my baits so figured I would look into one so would those be o.k. to use? Pretty much looks just like baitplastic one same size pump and everything. Anyway thanks guys

That little tip made a big difference thank you

Glad to hear it Dave! I’m a Physio by trade, so I know what you’ve gone through. Cheers, Craig

Yep i have it. I am going to possibly try laminates tomorrow to see how this mold does with a dual injector if i have time. I usually don't sale because i'm usually so busy with work that i don't have time. I am on vacation now until the 2nd of Janurary though. Pm me & i'll see if it's something i'm interested in doing. May be able to help you out.

I think Travis said it perfectly. I would just add that this site has always, to me, been about learning and sharing. There are a lot of "real" custom lure makers here ( Travis mentioned Vodkaman, Nathan is another, there are lots more), but they are all open and sharing of their knowledge. When I first came here, I knew almost nothing about making crankbaits, but the members were generous with what they knew, and shared with me, and everyone else here. Thanks to everyone here, I now know how to build lures that work' and enjoy doing it. I want others to have a chance to get the same enjoyment. To that end, when I build a lure that I think will add to the group, I post it in the Hard Baits Gallery, along with schematics and explanations, like how to make a crankbait erratic (hunt) by adding moving ballast above the centerline of the bait, or how to achieve a wobbling fall in a spybait by raising part of the ballast above the lure's centerline, and giving it a flat bottom. It's not like any of us is going to get rich building crankbaits. But we can all still get the thrill and satisfaction of catching fish on something we made. There are lure building tricks and secrets, sure, but, to me, they really aren't worth much unless they're shared, and that's what makes this site so great.

From what you described it sounds to me like you aren't pushing forward while twisting, a very common mistake when first using a bender like this. I have a different one but the same principle applies, you have to have forward pressure to keep the wire wraps nice and tight otherwise you get the "bread tie" effect.

You could try forum member Bob Lalonde of CNC molds n stuff. I believe his website is https://www.cncmolds.com/webstore/ He designed and cut a couple aluminum molds for me. I was happy with the transaction.

Are the bubbles happening after the D2T has been on the bait for a bit, or are they there when right when you brush the D2T on? If they are coming to the surface later then it may be a seal or paint problem. If they are there immediately it may be related to mixing or application. Bubbles brushed on: -If you mix the epoxy too quickly you will have more bubbles, and they may be transferred onto the bait. -If the D2T starts to thicken the bubbles seem to transfer onto the blank a little more easily. I haven't had this issue since I started adding a few drops of denatured alcohol to make it a bit thinner and started mixing smaller batches to reduce the time the D2T sits before application. -I normally try to use long smooth strokes on the bait for cleaner results, and try to avoid over brushing. Bubbles showing up later: If they are coming up after the D2T has been on the bait then that normally means that the wooden body wasn't properly sealed or you have moisture popping up from your paint like woodieb8 mentioned. -If you did seal the wooden body and still had that happen then one option for a better seal is to heat the blanks up in the oven to around 125 degrees to open the pores in the bait and allow what you're sealing the wood with to penetrate better. -As far as the paint goes I normally paint the next day myself, but haven't had any trouble painting a few hours later if I have properly heat set between paint layers. Tip: If I still have a couple bubbles I will hit them very briefly with a heat gun while they are on the lure turner, and they'll normally pop. I try not too have to hit the baits with a heat gun when I don't have too though, because I think this would cause the exothermic epoxy reaction to speed up more which could cause D2T to be even more brittle.

Yes, these were made using the a.i molds.

Number 1 tip I got, Don't go around bashing your competition, Customers will think a great deal less about you if they hear about it. Take phone calls, and accept returns if a customer is not satisfied with the product. If a shipping company loses your package, you replace it on your dime to keep your customer happy. A good product and great customer service will market itself for the most part.

I agree 100% with Good Fishing. The key to success is finding a special little niche in the market that sets your business apart from all the others. You will more than likely have to spend hundreds of hours of work and a lot of $ before you ever see a profit. But as the old saying goes, ( If it was easy, everyone would do it). Stay focused on your ultimate business goal and above all else, treat each business downturn as a learning experience and make adjustments to correct the problem. Lastly, Listen to your customers, because they are actually the Bosses of your business.

Youre not selling them for enough profit and/or its taking you too long to make them and/or your not buying product in a large enough quantity to get a good discount. As far as marketing you need to spend $ to spread the word and you need friends to tell friends about your baits. Its a chain that can continue but there are a lot of guys here doing it and it takes $ to make $. Some guys have a few hundred molds and injection machines and buy everything in bulk. Upfront cost is brutal but long term you will do ok if you work it right. Youre not going to get rich I can promise you. Competitive market though especially if you're selling the same baits as others and everyones trying to cut eachothers throats. Just enjoy doing it unless you want to spend any free time you have making baits and thousands of dollars for all the molds plastic and equipment. Just my 2 cents.