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Showing content with the highest reputation on 07/26/2019 in all areas

  1. I always add glitter after heating. In fact, on a new batch of plastic I'll take it up to 350, add my colorant and then wait for it to get down to 325 - 330 or so before I add glitter.
    2 points
  2. +1, but I added glitter before heating and never had a problem. Either your plastic is too hot or it's low quality glitter. As mentioned, stay away from craft store stuff.
    2 points
  3. I think putting the design on computer was the biggest help to me in making lures. If you sketch it, scan the sketch to a file, copy/paste the design, so you have 2, flip one horizontally so you have a template for each side, a top view and bottom view template are also useful. You can just reprint the file and have the body profile, lip shape, hardware attachment points, location of ballast on a piece of paper you can cut into a template. You can put any notes in the file like amount of ballast, wire/screws used. Try to find an easy way to get the same shape and weight ballast every time. Search Mark Poulson's posts about ballast. I don't like pouring lead. Finding a 1/4" diameter lead wire you can cut to a set length greatly speeds up making a bait. I agree with ultimately trying to get to make lures from a resin or even PVC boards (see the pinned post). Wood can vary (grain, density, buoyancy, moisture content) from piece to piece and even within the same the same piece. I wish I had focused more of my early efforts in body materials other than wood. Resins and PVC are less subject to water penetration and expanding/contracting in different temperatures. Expansion/contraction of wood can make the clear coat crack. Making one master to make a mold is easier in the long run. Non-wood bodies are more durable. I also think I focused too much on the paint job at first. Now, I make the lure, seal it, attached hardware, and test before I waste time on painting a dud. Supreglue makes a good quick sealer for testing. Some of my most effective lures are all white or all black If you want to see a reputable handmade lure, look at Mike Shaw's MS Slammer. There are a few models that range on the larger side. I have several and really like them. Last note, never underestimate the importance of safety (eye protection, a good mask, gloves, hearing protection, proper vetilation ). Most people, including myself, lose focus on safety over time. Imagine being in the ER with- a piece of a Dremel disk in your eye, lungs full of sanding dust and paint particles, a missing finger from the saw, burns on your feet from pouring lead in sandals, etc.
    1 point
  4. It sounds to me like you need more ballast in the belly. When I'm trying to get a bait to fish like a similar commercial bait, I put them side by side in a 5 gallon bucket of water, and add split shots pinched onto the tines of the belly treble until my bait hangs in the water with the same angle as the commercial bait. Then I take the spit shots off, weigh them on my gram scale, and use whatever weighted belly hook hanger I need to get that weight. If I need more than the belly hanger's weight, I use either 3/16" or 1/4" lead wire to get the additional ballast. Depending on how long the lead wire I need is, I may have to cut it into two or three pieces to be able to drill belly holes while keeping the ballast low in the belly. If I need multiple holes, I'll keep them around the belly hook hanger, starting with just in front. Since, from experience, I've found that most of my cranks need 2 or 3 grams of belly weight, I use the weighted belly hook hangers from Lure Parts Online. That way I keep my ballast as close to the belly hanger as possible, which is the center+- of the X wiggle of my cranks. http://www.lurepartsonline.com/Online-Store/Muskie-Bait-Parts/Plug-Belly-Weight-Inserts.html
    1 point
  5. Top water walking bait like a spook? White or bone, with just a little orange on the throat. I also like black with a little red on the throat for low light conditions (dawn, dusk, night, heavy overcast clouds).
    1 point
  6. That looks like Nature's Edge skirt material from Net rafters. Pumpkin (090) Red (008) Could be a little orange (018) in there to
    1 point
  7. I always add after heating. Some glitter is not very heat tolerant and will bleed into the plastisol. If you are using glitter from a craft store it is probably plastic and will melt along with the plastic.
    1 point
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