Leaderboard

I use 1/4" and 3/16" lead wire, so all I have to do is drill that size hole, and super glue in the correct weight of wire. Here is one source, but there are others online: https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bullet-weights-lead-wire?hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions&ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=Shop|Generic|AllProducts|High|SSCCatchAll&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fr_BRDaARIsAABw4EtgIb3rOqrUGUiDN1LzC_kIEFWfbGsqSVf0GUJPMuyGigThCO48_rcaAlAbEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Sealing? NO Base coating? normally yes to get a good paint job.

For awhile I was finishing rapid prototypes and using them to make silicone molds... and rapid prototypes have build lines all through it - so required alot of sanding. If you really want to super smooth - you'll probably need to use a auto primer (spray can is fine) and wet sand down in steps from 240 to a 1000 grit - even finer if your picky. Even at 600 grit you'll still see lines picked up with a silicone mold - silicone is unforgiving and is usually formulated to pick up the fine details. I'd wax/buff the hell out the to part create a layer of protection between the part/paint and mold material. Unfortunately - I can't tell you exactly what brand of paint to use - as type of paint and type of silicone is all different.... and some can react differently - obviously testing a small item first is best bet. If you buy your silicone from a place like SmoothOn - give them a call - they are helpful and might know a product that is compatible with their materials. J.

+2 - I've been through a couple single injectors and still tinker with them to try and get them to work smoothly and mess with the endcaps to allow quick removal - was pretty much a waste of my time.... as my Basstackle injector is smooth and built very very well.... super fast to pop endcap off (SAFELY) and clean if i'm doing small batches in microwave. For the extra money you spend compared to a crappy EBAY injector it's totally worth it - this is a tool you use for EVERY bait you make... don't skimp. J.

I would contact Jon Barlow at his website, https://barlowstackle.com/, to see if he can help you.

Another thumps for Mark's idea. Mark, I know you posted this tip a while ago. It has made my lure making easier. You can get a near perfect cylinder that fits the ballast hole tightly. It will reduce the margin of error in Travis' formula caused by irregular ballast weights made with wood molds or ballast poured in a drilled ballast hole. In a pinch, if Bass Pro is out of the coil lead, you can use the XPS finesse weights as a substitute . They do have a hole through the middle that can be filled with wire. The 1/2 oz finesse weights are 1-1/16" long and have a diameter of 5/16". They have a hole that can be filled with .051 wire. I don't know the dimensions of the other sizes. https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-xps-finesse-weights The finesse weights also make cheap bodies for inline spinners.

Hey do what you want. I started with a meat injector. Actually I started with one of those little plastic things from Janns... then I went to a meat injector. LOL. The Meat injector was a huge step up until the nose cap fell out.

@mark poulson Man that is a great idea! I'll have to see if I can get something similar in metric diameters over here and give it try.

Buy it right and buy it once is what I always say. Sure, the upfront cost of the BassTackle injectors is higher but they will literally last you forever and they're the best quality available. Do you really want the headaches involved with some of the cheaper options? I have several injectors- 2 from Bear's Baits (no longer in business) and a couple of BassTackle ones. The BT are the best option on the market BY FAR and their customer service literal cannot be beaten.

It pealed after a couple of trips so the paint was exposed. I left some lures at home in a box for about a year and they yellowed.

@Big Epp linke @Brick Steel said above I also use a 6 gallon compressor. Works great and has a built in regulator with water trap. I usually just turn it on and let it fill up, which takes about a minute and a half I guess, then I turn it off and use it until empty. Depending on the paint scheme it can sometimes get me through an entire bait before I need to turn it on to fill up again.

That's a tricky one there. There really isn't a good way to mount a thermometer to a hot pot. And the hot pot doesn't have a way to adjust it yourself other than unplugging it if it got to hot. I suppose you could take periodic temps with your thermometer just to be sure your not getting to hot. I have a lee 10# bottom pour pot and a lee 20# bottom pour. I also have 3 different sizes of cast iron pots I run on a 60,000 btu turkey fryer style burner. One is 20#, the next 50# and the biggest holds ~196# with several style/size ladels. I also own a Palmer hot pot. The hot pot imho is the most dangerous and the one I worry the most about spilling lead all over myself if it ever were to happen. I really only use it when I cast in tin as I don't have to clean my bottom pour pot and I can utilize all the tin out of the pot. But I do feel it gets a bit hot for the tin which melts at temps lower than lead. I'm usually just casting a few tin jigs anyway so it isn't on too terribly long. If you can get a bottom pour pot later on I would do so. They are much better for stuff under 3oz. And a ladle and burner are better for the big stuff. But if your careful the hot pot is ok. This is just my opinion so take it for what it's worth!

Just get the bass tackle and you will have greater efficiency and less time fixing, adjusting, tweaking, and repairing your equipment. Best of all, piece of mind.

When I was really pouring a lot 90% were laminates. Now pour less and 95% are laminates. You will sell more baits if you can use a Twinjector or similar. But when they know you can make them they will ask for them. Not from laminate plates they are a waste of time(actual time). Cost is not an issue when production goes way up.

I know ones that are being sold on lure parts online and other type of websites are using does to punch out the lips. I’m thinking a hand one will work.

Juice this has come up a few times, check out Lincoya here on TU He posted a video of routing bills using templates, very fast and effective way of cutting your bill / bibs.

I bought some of their painted Colorado blades: chartreuse with white stripe, red with white stripe, chartreuse with red diamonds. The quality is decent, nothing spectacular, but good for the price. The chartreuse & white stripe and the red & white stripe Colorado blades were nickel on the backside. I had to give the back side a quick buff with a microfiber cloth to get them to shine. I use Nu Finish Scratch Doctor car polish for blade cleaning. After a quick buff, the nickel finish is pretty good. The chartreuse with diamonds blades had a back side that was painted chartreuse with no diamonds. I have only fished them maybe 6 times and all the paint is still there. I don't know about the long term durability of the paint. If the paint doesn't last, I will hit my remaining blades with some rattle can clear. I ordered size 5s and 6s from them. Their blades run a bit small. Their size 5 is the same as a size 4.5 in other brands. Their size 6 is around a size 5.5 in other brands. The shipping was fast and nothing was missing from the order.

I make a lot of floating baits using the floaty bubble stuff. I'm experimenting with making floating, or neutral buoyancy claws for my crayfish LOL...you do know what boat means don't you? Bust Out Another Thousand Spending money on the boat! That's funny! You have to do that over the life of the boat. A hole in the ocean into which you pour lots of money. The two happiest days in a boat owners life the day he buys it and the day he sells it...And I'm sure the list goes on. I have a 24' walkaround sitting in my driveway that the engine needs to come out of. I/O Chevy 5.7 Overbuilt to nearly 350HP. Oil pan rotted out. As long as the engine is out, replace the starter, the exhaust and shift bellows, the shift cable. I keep thinking my second happiest day is coming!

Yep i totally agree Bob. I've had a dual injector from Authentic Hand Made on Ebay & didn't like it at all. It drew up & contracted way to much for me & got extremely hot very quickly. I changed orings & done a little modification to the tube its self & it worked alright. I also had a 9 ouncer from the bad batch that baitplastics got from quality injector & had to send it back after only making 1 shot with it. I have a Basstackle single 6 ouncer & a dual 6 ouncer in the twin injector & they're by far my favorites & don't plan on changing anytime soom. I had a 10 ouncer from Basstackle too & it was top notch too.

If those are your first baits man you are well on your way! They look great. In my day job I am a network engineer so I can appreciate the fact that you used the two sides from an old computer case for your painting booth. That's awesome man:) You have for sure found yourself in the land of bait makers here. Everyone here is extremely helpful and listening to their advice will only make you better at this amazing hobby. There have been so many good tips provided here and I'd like to give you a couple as well. Just a couple of tips to make things easier for you I guess. I used to have HP printers almost exclusively. Every time I would buy ink it would come with a free pack of 4 x 6 photo paper. After years of buying ink I had so much of that stuff it was ridiculous. Once I began making baits I needed a way to mark a center line after cutting a blank I had drawn out. I remember using a stack of CDs to do this at first but they had a little ridge at the center which made them uneven and therefore pretty much useless. Then I noticed I had a stack of unused HP 4x6 photo paper laying around. To make a long story short, you can mark the center point on a bait when it is still in "block" form and then lay a pen or pencil or marker or whatever on a stack of photo paper (or really any paper will work) and then just add or remove paper as needed until your pen or pencil meets the mark. When it does just push the bait around the pen or pencil until you have an even line all the way around the bait. This will give you an exact center line with which to drill your hook hangers, line ties, etc. Getting things exactly center becomes much harder once you have cut the rough outline of you bait and then sanded it to shape so for me at least this method has been a great help. Second tip: When airbrushing, you can use a transparent base, I use Createx Transparent Base, between coats of paint to help mitigate errors in airbrushing. For example, for me airbrushing is still the most error prone part of the entire process. You spend a good amount of time designing, cutting, sanding, etc., then, once you have all of that perfect you begin the airbrushing process. The airbrushing process is tedious and has many steps depending on what it is you are trying to do. What I have found helpful is to use Createx Transparent Base between steps to protect the layer I just painted from overspray or other errors I make during the next step in the process. So, for example, lets say I've got my base coat down and I have my scales painted and I want to begin painting gill plates. I'll use the transparent base over the entire bait before moving on to the gill plates. Doing this means I have a protective layer over the base and the scales. This way when I begin painting the gill plates if I make a mistake I can easily correct it using a Q-Tip and a bit of water to wipe it away without worrying about wiping away the base coat or scales. I am no expert but this has saved a ton of time for me and has proved a go to method when airbrushing detail. Anyway I hope this helps. Great to have you here and welcome to this unbelievably amazing hobby!

Why would you need to modify the mold? Do you want to use a different hook that might not fit? Are you wanting to change or add something? You only have to modify a mold if you want to use a hook that doesn't fit, or if you want to add a wire keeper or something else. I'll be honest, get a mold that you want that has all the elements you want without making changes. Don't worry about the hook brand, if you don't like a hook that the mold calls for there usually are alternatives and members here will let you know what fits. I say that because a lot of times a modified mold could get finicky and may need to be tilted a certain way or poured at a higher temperature to get a complete pour. You can end up with some flash that will need to be cleaned up so the straightforward pouring jig head now becomes a not so straightforward affair. Let us know what you want to do with that jig and we may be able to help.