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I bought my wife a cricut for Christmas years ago and now use it more than her... lol... I make stick on stencils for my crawdad patterns. I just use shelf liner, cheap and works well. I have also cut some non-stick stencils out of acetate. The trickiest part is drawing the pattern and getting the sizing right. But once you get one you have it forever and it repeats the same any time you need them.

Judging is complete. Winners have been chosen! We will announce them on the 13th, just 2 days from now.

I certainly don't need a high def photo of every fish that swims so I search the internet for the fish I want and print the image.

You can try using clear nail polish. Two or three coats, until it's built up to the epoxy level.

Krylon Looking glass seems to get good results as long as you have a very smooth starting point, and put on very very thin coats. This video shows how it is done, (not my video), he also has an entire series on how to get a chrome effect from foil to actual silver plating. Quite interesting. I'm going to try the looking glass rattle can as it seems to do a nice job.

When tying small jigs, like hair jigs and such I whip finish, I got use to a hand whip finish but when my hands hurt, I go right to my tool when I tie jigs with rubber skirts, I catch a loop, which is just a modified half hitch, it real secure too, what ever way you go, just learn to do it right, it's so important, you really can't go wrong

For inks I buy from Lure craft, Spike it ( Lure works)and Dead on plastic for Glitter Lure craft and Spike it ( Lure works) plastic i am currently using Bait plastic ( Polysol) molds. Hand pour, Lure craft, Dead on and Moose ridge injection molds. Enforcer, Angling AI, BTS and Do it are my top choices i hope this helps, good luck, peace

Dave When I started I did not understand vortex technology and you know I still don't. I just think that the lip and the head about 1/4 of the lure is where all the action is, after that the lures hardly change. Color and a little flash make the lure. Now I am no engineer just a old guy that started from a 1/2" dowel and moved up to a 10" deep diving musky lure, but I did a lot of trial and error as I changed from one lip to another, now if I understood vortexes I could have save a lot of time. So thanks for all the information that you pass along it is needed and appreciated BIG TIME. Wayne

Since they are stone molds, and not aluminum, could you enlarge the runner with a dremel tool grinding bit, since what it looks like doesn't matter?

I suggest a wire a bit larger than the one you plan to use for the keeper. I know that is better for me than trying to keep the Dremel in a small slot.

Fishboy gave you the easiest way to do it. You can also do the thing Jig Man alluded to in putting the keeper in and closing the mold and striking it with a dead blow hammer or rubber mallet. I will say that even cranking the mold closed in a vise you may still need to take a Dremel with an engraving bit and just run it through the indent of the wire keeper. The reason for that is because the mold may still need to be squeezed really tight for the mold to close completely so just barely run the bit through the indent in the mold.

X2 Some say smack it with a hammer. I don't I say the above.

Heat the mold up, place the wire keeper where to want it in the mold, carefully close the mold so it doesn’t move on you, put it in a vice and crank it down. Easiest and quickest mod you can do to a mold.

Before you buy from Amazon try Dick Blicks better price and buy enough with paint or double your order get free shipping. Wayne