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If you are going to continue what was being done before with the same plastic then there is no question about having to degass. Many guys want it done. Is it another step yes for for you. Will it take time yes. Will it cost you more money to get the equipment to do it yes. But that is what it will take to carry on what was done before. I have been doing it for myself for years and for me it was a no brainer to get my own equipment. I have told anyone who wants to do it how to and even posted a picture of my set up here before. But some will not want to do it and it is up to you to acomidate them or send them to another supplier that does it for them. I don’t know what the sales ratios of degassed to standard sale were but if you don’t offer it then in my mind you are loosing out. You must be open to what others want and change if necessary. It is not weather you see a benefit in it it is if your customer does. Already on this post people have given another supplier that does this for them. Do you want to lose even more customers?

Dang! Please return the four dozen swimbaits I just sent you to foil for me. Hahaha

I wrote about this a very long time ago and I don't think it has changed yet. I'm a spinnerbait junkie, it is my favorite lure and it was the one that got me started in making my own tackle. Anyway, after I figured out the spinnerbait and how to adjust it and changing wire diameters and blade spacings, I decided to look into titanium wire forms and I learned a lot. The first thing is titanium is very brittle in raw form, to make wire forms it is cut to length and then bent and then it is put through the tempering process. After that the body is poured and then the top loop on a titanium wire form is then bent enough to get the clevis on, then the beads and then the swivel and blade. I'm telling you this because anyone that has used a Terminator long enough has either found one with a top loop with a big gap or they didn't notice it and reeled in a bait the lost the swivel and blade. That happens because the loop wasn't bent all the way during the tempering process and once it was tempered it can't be closed because it retains its shape which is why it was used for wire forms to begin with. With that said, it likely means you will have to buy titanium wire forms already made and bent, and then go through the hassle of trying to get the blades and spacers on. Cadman told you how the wire would have to be tempered but you would need to heat up the entire wire to an exact degree and then have it cooled down at a certain rate or it would be junk. This is the reason you don't see many titanium baits on the market because it costs a lot to make them and for the small manufacturer and home hobbyist it just can't be done unless you find the wire forms already made and I don't remember ever finding any when I looked for them. You aren't the first to want to make them in titanium but look around and see how many there are on the market, you'll be shocked to know that there isn't many around because it isn't easy and it is costly to do. I don't mean to try to dissuade you from looking into it but I think this is feasible just yet but if you can find a way to do that would be awesome.

JR - nope, never heard back from them. Still, more time for fishing. New PB two days ago, 5.72Kg (12.58Lbs) bawal. I caught two over 5Kg that day. Dave

They use to make a soft titanium wire spinnerbait head until Terminator shut them down. It does not act like snap back titanium wire nor steel it is a whole different animal. I have some of the 3/8oz heads around here I bought years ago for like $3 each. Let me see if I can locate them and I will post a pic. Allen

I love the video. I have used the scallop shears to cut the foil tape before,but you get a much better looking bait than I have up till now. I like the way you wiped the black off with rubbing alcohol to get the depth of the scales. I will give that a try. Thanks for posting the video, very informative.

were you find degassing a advantage, is the ability to mix the hell out of it, and post degass. It is science and it is a chemical, it is going to settle, and it is going to aerate at it current viscosity. a thinner material dont aerate as badly if at all. But...... Thinner material also has other drawbacks. Like it ability to suspend.

BlackCrow13 - I understand your points about sharing, and also that you are not alone in this opinion. Also understand that I am not knocking you or anyone else. Perhaps because I am not in the business of selling baits, I am very much the opposite in my sharing views and opinions. In fact, when I was very active on the building scene, I would take on projects purely to solve a problem, and then publish the solution. Not all of my projects were successful, but I published my findings regardless. When I read back on some of them, I cringe now I think it is OK to have a few defining trade secrets, but don't let the newcomers drown. Be active, throw them a helping lifeline, or two if required. In my time on TU, I have taken on a few beginners and made them my project, spoon feeding them you might say. Some went on to be experts in their own right. Many think this is about 'attaboys' and smileys, yes, appreciation is nice but is not what drives me. Some projects took hundreds of hours with virtually no feedback, and that is OK too. Other than the fundamental principle of TU, and my search for personal knowledge, I cannot answer the question 'why?' Oh, and it is fun Dave

thanks for the welcome back Vodkaman. Let me address this now as I do not come back with nor do I want any hostility. I do remember some of the heated discussions and for whatever the reason was, personality clashes or maybe I needed to grow up, My apologies to you!! Now on the other note, I did glance at your hunting bait post and plan on looking at that again in detail. No need to be embarrassed.... you had an idea and ran with it. Most would have gave up much sooner than that, including myself. Congrats on putting that all full circle. I sincerely hope my apology is accepted and we can move forward. If not, again thank you for the welcome back! Tally Maybe you are more of a custom crank bait make than you take credit for?

I suspect that many of the longer members of TU have been waiting with baited breath for me to chime in on the return of Mr Tally, as we have some serious ‘history’ to deal with. Fortunately the 12,000 miles between our locations kept us sufficiently separated. Don’t bother searching the archives as that series of heated exchanges were lost in one of the many system crashes around that time, in fact, even my join date is wrong by a month or more. I joined around Oct 96. As a side note, this is the sixth draft of this post, and I will hold it back for 24 hours before posting. What caused the problem - I asked as a ‘newby’ (I always hated that term); how do cranks work, what makes them move. The derogatory answer, I forget the details, but it was basically, ‘do the work and figure it out for yourself, you get nothing on a silver platter’. Not an accurate quote, but the basic message. After the heated exchanges that followed, not just from Tally, but from the entire clique of designers of that time, some of which I never resolved my differences with, I carried my anger for many years. I have always hated cliques, groups of self-gratifying members who seem to think that they are above their peers and something special. I eventually concluded that the extremely hostile response to my very basic question was because no one actually knew the answer. As an engineer, I started my research, and it did not take long to find my answers, and I introduced the word ‘vortex’ to the vocabulary of the lure designer. Soon after, I tackled one of the BIG mysteries of lure design; ‘hunting’. Everyone had seen ‘hunting’ but no one understood what made it happen. My questions and discussions on the subject met with even more animosity, and so I was determined to solve the resolve with an engineering solution. This became my passion. My mentor at this time was KC Dano. We exchanged more than a thousand messages over the next several years, mostly about my hunting project. He last logged on Oct 2014. Does anyone know if he is ok? I built many hundreds maybe even as many as one thousand prototypes exploring my many theories on the subject, and I am embarrassed that it took some seven years to crack the theory, but it is published for all to read. The method is proven. With care, 100% repeatable. Am I a "REAL" custom crank bait maker? - certainly not. I have never professed to be a custom designer or even a lure builder. In fact, after more than ten years, I have never finished (painted) a lure. I have test fished my lures and yes, they do catch. I have many local fishermen who continue to hassle me for lures after I gave a few away (unpainted), after they caught me testing in my 8’ x 4’ tank in the front of my house. If you would like a label, I would call myself an R+D lure engineer. I confess, after successfully designing and building a couple of lure duplicator machines, I hit hard times, and had to give up my workshop and all my developed machines, and have done very little since. I did some work on a process of injection combined with vacuum forming that was very successful for difficult to pour soft plastics. I also did some work on 3D printing of mold designs that needs more work, but the design is good, only material availability problems remain. I revamped an existing idea plucked from the TU archives to do with Archimedes principles which many members have picked up and run with. I particularly like this idea even though it was not my own. Useful for lure development, production repeatability and reverse engineering (unfortunately). I did a lot of design work for a few lure producers and mold makers, but to be honest, I found this work to be unimaginative and tedious. Do I still bear a grudge – certainly not. I am confident in my knowledge and ability. I read TU posts to keep in touch, offer some advice and opinions, and learn (a lot) in the process. I will accept questioning of my ideas and concepts and will put forward my point of view. It is up to the membership to accept or reject my ideas. I only ask that you show some human respect and keep it civil. My message to every newcomer to the TU community; is ask away. No matter how basic or even silly you think your question is, ASK IT. If you do not get a suitable response, message me and I will do my best to help. Welcome back Mr, Tally. Dave

Been years since I've been on here, so I'm pretty sure not many people remember me. Not as a result of burning out or having a lack of ideas, but rather my real world job has had me busy putting in 60+hours a week for the last 3+ years....I'm just plain worn out. What free time I did have has been consumed with honey do lists and the occasional fishing trip. I have several drawings I have come up with over the last few years. Ideas that keep me awake some nights. Thoughts on how I am going to make these and what is the most efficient way to do it. Most are crankbaits, some spinners, jigheads and I have a few soft plastics I want to design. My goal is to expand my "lure lab" into a full fledged shop like Larry Dahlbergs. And since Im still working so many hours, Im shooting for an early retirement/semi-retirement as soon as I get my house paid off. I paint blanks as well, but I actually started for a different reason. I wanted to learn how to paint better and know I would be able to put on a great looking custom coat on each bait. While my painting has improved, it still has a long way to go before I am super happy with it. The baits I do paint I sell to local guys for a few bucks and use that money to buy a few more blanks or paints. Im hoping that one day, Ill actually get to retire and can do nothing but fish, bbq, and make lures all day every day lol. Another thing with the blanks. I actually use them to help me get new ideas too. Lip angles, lip sizes and shapes, body styles, internal weighting, etc. Throw in watching videos from solarbaits, Marling baits and others, and I've come to the conclusion that no matter how crazy a bait may seem, putting in the time and effort to design and create it will eventually pay off.

This site is the result of a few DEDICATED craftsmen that were tired of paying for crap. Eric gave many the first place to start. But it was Red that really made it reputable and the number one place on the web to learn. Red was probably the most dedicated person that I can remember. In my eyes he created this wonderful playground that we all enjoy. The dedication, skills, innovation, and the willingness to settle for nothing less than perfection gave this site the reputation that it has. I have always been thankful and proud to be a member of TU. I have learned much and made many wonderful friends. Skeeter

Apply liquid frisket (latex) to the joints and let it dry. Top coat your bait. Rub the liquid frisket off after the top coat cures. Ben