Leaderboard

LOL! Paint patterns or schemes cannot be owned by any one person or company. I find it ironic that a custom painter is complaining about someone ripping off his paint scheme, when he is putting that scheme on knock-off lures ripped off from other manufacturers.

The perfect topcoat is fish saliva..

Maybe this will help out a little... These are ones I have tested and found the fit acceptable.

I don't want to start a thread about complaints, I'm giving an update on BTS and this is what has happened to me and its current status. On January 1st 2017 I placed a order for $740 worth of molds, which I never received....... Unlike some I did not try and recoup my money but hoped that someday Bob would be back on his feet and honour this order. 2 weeks ago Bob answered a email and stated that he and his family had went through "life changing" issues.He apologized for not responding and wanted to know if the original order should be filled or did I want to change it. After receiving help from forum members here, I had been able to acquire the required molds ( Big thanks to this forum and its members who I have dealt with and received molds from!) I changed my order to reflect my current needs, Bob stated he would start right away on the molds, in 5 days I received shipping confirmation and picked up my molds yesterday. They are excellent and I would like to thank Bob for fulfilling the order. I hope that this helps some who have been hesitant of placing a order. I will be dealing with him again in the near future and hope that his mold business continues. I am posting this simply to inform everyone of what has happened and that it is fully resolved and has a happy ending.

NWBass, I'm coming into the conversation a little late, so I apologize for that (took a few days off for spring break with the kids!). I'm sorry you're having issue with the split rings you purchased from us. As many here have already suggested, there's definitely some technique to putting these together. I've built more than I can count, and I still semi-regularly end up with sprung split rings. A couple of suggestions that haven't already been covered: Consider using narrow opening split ring pliers. These are widely available online, including from us, many of our competitors, and from Amazon. The lower jaw on these pliers extends past the downward point of the upper jaw (think underbite), making it far more difficult to overextend your split rings. Basically, they limit how far you can open your split rings. I use these almost exclusively when building chatterbaits. When I'm building these, I use two pairs of split ring pliers (or, depending on what I have on hand, a pair of split ring pliers and a small pair of round nose pliers). The technique is difficult to describe, but, basically, I use the narrow opening split ring pliers to get the ring started on the blade, then, while using the narrow opening pliers to keep the split ring open, I'll use the other pair of pliers to rotate the split ring onto the blade. Not sure that makes sense, but I've found it far easier to maneuver/rotate the ring/blade this way without overextending the ring. Maybe I'm just losing dexterity as I age! If you like, PM me your order info (order number and/or email address) and I'll double check to make sure we sent you the right rings. It's possible another style of split ring slipped in there (stainless steel would be a nightmare on these). We'll do what we can to make things right. Thanks, and good fishing! Matt Barlow

A few tips that are strictly from a hand pour perspective: 1) Flakes: I rarely use them but when I do I adhere to the idea of 'less is best'. This helps with issues such as, arching, even flake dispersal and less stirring. I've never had a fish stick it's head up out of the water and tell me the watermelon was perfect but they didn't bite because I didn't have enough flake or wrong color flake. You can always add but you can't subtract and don't get in the habit of adding flakes in reheats, you'll become reliant on the flakes. If you have to in order to achieve the finished bait know that you are because you've curled what you originally put in. The result is usually a "cat turd" rolled in flakes. 2) I use 900W micros on full power, higher wattage micros I have to turn down the power in order to use the same heating sequences. 3) I always stir from the center out in order to disperse the heat as quickly and evenly as possible. 4) Decide how your goal in a finished bait is to be accomplished color wise, meaning either directly with colorant or the influence of flakes. 5) From the start don't do what I did and believe that you're going to remember recipes...you can't. Date each recipe & photo it so you can correspond. 6) Strive for consistency..after all it doesn't serve you to make the immaculate conception if you can't duplicate it. A) Don't question your recipe unless you've changed a colorant supplier, b) don't trust artificial lighting, take the time to walk outside and see it in natural light, it's where the bait is going to be used. 7) "If a fish can see these bubbles it already has a hook in it's mouth", a philosophy I accepted. I wear 4 power glasses to pour as a result I probably see more bubbles than the average bear. I was terribly anal about bubbles when I first started pouring because I was comparing what I made to a machine made. 8 Never forget your humanity, you're not a machine which is why you've chosen to make your own baits to begin with. Individualism, creation & ownership are an extension of your mind, you will have failures and learn from them...you will never be perfect and there's always a next time. 9) No where is it written that you cannot make something, anything is possible until you prove to yourself it isn't. 10) Color is what you say it is, no two people see color alike and is irrelevant because the color only matters to a finned creature with the brain the size of a walnut.

I make big muskie paddletails. My advice: - make a basswood model of your soft tail - lightly coat it with Krylon acrylic spray - make the top side or back flat on your paddletail so you can do an open pour vs injected bait - make a silicon mold of your tail - forget the plaster - this should cost less than $50 and it’s so easy. Your baits will look professional. YouTube is your friend. - note: if you don’t have a vacuum chamber to use when making you mold - no worries - but when pouring your actual baits you will have to pour a few warm up tails and then the baits will come out glass smooth. - wear a respirator mask 3M 6006 is a great filter to use

I have tried many of the various manufacturers chrome paint and have used the Alsa MirraChrome. It is expensive and it does work if the directions are followed to a T and you use their clear coat(also expensive), It must be on a glossy black base or the effects are muted. I prefer good old aluminum foil tape. As you can see there are many ways to manipulate the foil to create interesting patterns.

Hello, I don’t post near as much as I used to, but am still here every couple days. I saw the new thread about the JR Hopkins DVD and I started thinking about the past of TU. I wonder if we shouldn’t have a “Lost and Found” sticky for formerly active members? More to let us know they’re okay, and just not into building, or having a difficult time, or whatever. Similarly, perhaps we should have a “In Memoriam” sticky. I know we unfortunately have had multiple threads in the past about Members who have passed, but they’re hard to find if you don’t know to look. Maybe each could have a link to the thread (if there was one), a link to their posts (as a way of honoring their contribution to the hobby) and a comments section. Craig

I cataloged all mine in a spreadsheet, printed out a list, had them closed on shelves with the number on the end of the wood handle showing so I could find it on my list, then looked for the number of handle. I had the shelves with numbers so I had location numbers on my list and still couldn't find what I was looking for when I needed a mold. so I put them on peg board .The pic of my molds takes up a lot of room but at least if can find what I am looking for. and while looking for a mold i'll see one that i forgot i had, so that is helpful.

Or you could be like me. Add hardener, then find out it's too hard, then add softener, then too soft, repeat......

I have started receiving complaints from TU members about business owners, tackle supply retailers, lure parts companies and others spending time here in the forums with a single motive; selling TU members their goods or services. This message serves as notice to everyone that this will STOP here and now! TU is not a venue for ANYONE to spend time hanging out here, trying to sell their products to people. It is a place where people come to learn from other lure makers. Any company who has people here and is actively soliciting TU members, be forewarned that your accounts are in danger of being permanently banned! I don't take this lightly and you shouldn't either! So if you happen to be one of those people who has been becoming more active here for the sole purpose of trying to reel in new customers, put an end to it now. If you want to share your knowledge with others without mentioning your company and without offering to "help" them with their problem by offering to sell them something, then feel free to continue to to participate here. I will be keeping a close eye on this and TU members will also be watching and if they see anything going on that is outside of these guidelines, it will be passed along to me. Once again, accounts of guilty parties will be permanently banned if this continues after today!

If I had a nickel for how many times I've seen "new lure finish" in the last 18 years........... Well lets just say I wouldnt be making $8 fishing lures

The only thing I can add is that I read somewhere (can't remember where) that using wooden stir sticks can introduce bubbles into your epoxy when mixing. I use a metal rod bent into a shepherds stick shape and seem to have a lot lot less problems with my epoxy than a lot of guys do. Ben

UL Spybait Challenge I got an email from a buddy who asked if I could make a UL version of a spinbait for trout fishing in the mountain streams of North Carolina. It seems that Duo Realis discontinued the spinbait 60 and now only makes an 80 and 90mm version. I couldn't even find a 60 but I remembered that I had one. I am a jig and spinnerbait guy, I've never made a hard bodied bait before. I took on the challenge because I felt if I was successful, I'd have a hell of a bluegill/bass bait for my own pond on my property in NC and the rivers I fish here in Florida. How I went about it: I'm not ashamed to admit I made a 1pc mold of the 60 and cut it down to the length I wanted and sanded it to the necessary profile I was looking for. I made both a 1 5/8" and a 2" body. But with that came the issue of properly weighting it so that it would fall flat horizontally with that sexy little shimmy. I needed to add weight to a solid body, not a bait I could assemble from two halves with spots for the weights molded in place. I molded about a dozen bodies and then had to experiment with weighting the baits. I needed the bait to do two things........swim straight without wobble and fall perfectly horizontal with that sexy shimy like a Senko. I drilled a series of small holes ahead of and behind the belly hook and filled them with tungsten powder. I got really lucky and pretty much nailed it with the first two baits I made. Next I mocked up a bait with the screws and hardware I would use to complete the bait to test it. I swam some of the baits in the pool and found that they blew out and rolled if fished too fast. I simply bent the paddles of the lead prop the opposite of the tail prop and this was instantly corrected. The bait fell exactly as I wanted it to and it swam great. I would decide to use Decoy single hook's on the 1 5/8" bait and Gammy trebles on the 2". At about the time I was knee deep in the project, I read on Tackle Tour that Duo made the Tetra Works mini prop which is a ul version of the Spinbait. Despite the bait being rather difficult to acquire, I managed to get one and here is a comparison photo with the 1 5/8" bait I made. Here a few smaller ones @ 1/8oz ready for clear coat. I used my copic air brush to paint them. 2" baits are about 3/16oz. I was going for small in the sense of length and profile. A slightly heavier bait in moving water or deeper water like the quarry pits I fish could be a good thing. These are essentially the finished baits in both 2" and 1 5/8". A couple were also specifically made for deep water. Here is a family tree of the 90mm, 80mm, 60mm and 48mm baits from Duo and a couple of mine.

The future and pledge and other floor care products are a hard acrylic. I am a former floor care professional. I owned my own floor care business. Think about the qualities you need in a floor care product. Here in New England we have harsh winters and a lot of salt / sand applied in parking lots. That is what floor finishes are designed to withstand. Imagine what it takes to remove that product from your airbrush. Not all acrylics are the same. I choose not to put that stuff into a close tolerance airbrush.

User removed. Excessive whining never gets anyone anywhere, especially not here.

The perfect top coat only exists where Rainbow farting Unicorns exist ..Nathan

I think you will find, denting is a combo of gates and venting in hand molds. I have took my exact senco mold, and eliminated half of the venting and it dented to beat hell. I think this is the issue you will find with this mold is the venting is insufficient. Now we can argue about venting all day, But don't expect me to argue back, As I know what works for us..

I made some rattles using brass tubing they sell in short lengths at Ace Hardware and other hardware stores. It is very thin wall and helps reduce the added weight of the rattle and still have the metal chamber. I learned it here or on another lure tutorial site. Cut the tubing with a hack saw the length you want the rattle chamber but do not cut all the way through. Now cut the tubing off about one tubing diameter past your first two cuts. Now you have one length of tubing with two cuts that are not quite all the way through. Cut the two end pieces length wise so that you can bend the tubing open and flatten the two end pieces with a hammer or pliers. Fold the flattened end piece over the end of your rattle chamber, put your rattles in, bend the other flattened end and you have your rattle chamber. Hope that makes sense.

Custom-built Metal Cabinet. Stores about 160 Do-it Molds.I is HEAVY and I can pad-lock it. I took this pic back in January. I am going to have to make another one before the end of the year.

My pouring bench.

And we both know that in reality, the fish don't care near as much as we do... LOL

http://www.lurepartsonline.com/Online-Store/Screw-Eyes/Stainless-Screw-Eyes.html 1/2 inch lenght probably the common length used for bass cranks. A properly glued line/hook tie will hold just as well as a screw eye. You can also make your own twist eyes if you want also. That takes away the adhesion issue as you now are anchoring the tie into the glue. So glue strength one variable and then the other is wood/glue bond strength. The epoxies and super glues typically used are stronger than the wood so your crank will give out first.

Here is my version of helping hand tool for holding lures for painting. The bearing holds the pin vise and lets you turn it freely while painting, The pvc is not glued so you can move it to different positions.

The Clearasol you use to dip the baits will firm up just like the swim bait.. DO NOT pour it back in the bottle..After it cools it will be a chunk . Save it for the next time you dip . When ready to remelt cut it up into small chunks and add a little fresh to it and remelt then dip again.

Here’s my latest jig Build. Robster Craw I’d love to know what everyone thinks.

Watch this.

Are you tying on a treble hook? If so how big and are you trying to tie a clump of hair in one spot so you can add another color in a different area? I'm asking the last part because I normally want the hair to go around evenly unless I'm wanting to keep colors separated. For a treble hook you need to tie on the flat spots first and then pinch the hair as close as you can to the ends. Then make 2 or 3 loose wraps, just tight enough to hold the hair in place and then make another wrap but make it tight. The loose wraps will keep the hair from moving completely around the hook but "loose" is a relative term, it takes practice until you develop the feel for it. You want the wraps loose enough that the hair doesn't work around the hook but tight enough that when you make the tight wrap the previous wraps hold the hair in that spot.

If I had a $1 for every time someone told me that a particular lure was the only consistent fish catcher.... Well lets just say I would have a Lear jet in my driveway.

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

I've probably said this a million times and like sallmouthaholic said " don't quit your day job". This isn't meant for me to get rich off of. I have a full time job for that. This is my way of relaxing, talk to a lot of fishermen and learn what the latest tactics are to improve my fish catching . The money I make from this, I would starve and be poor if this was my only source of income. This is a hobby and that's all it is to me. Some days you have a good days pouring and you think you made money, other days, you want to quit and forget about the whole process. Luckily, there are more good days than bad days. All said and done if I figure everything that it costs me to operate, I'm better off working at McDonalds. If they raise the pay to $15/ per hour, I'd definitely be better off.

I made a vid on this Only one time I was not able to free it. Always the clear lip Warts too, maybe because the plastic is softer. You can hit it fairly hard. I never damaged one.

I'm gonna some this up for everyone really quick. People expected the cheapest ass product they could and still wanted to complain. So we started degassing pre shipping. It is exactly the same plastic. this allowed us when people cried about bubbles to say, you should have bought degassed then. Most every plastic is mixed under a vacuum, science says if you don't do this your going to whip air into it. Now this also has many dependencies on viscosity. Aka lurecraft to my knowledge does not degass, but there product being a good product for most, don't misinterpret my words, has a very thin viscosity, aka settles fast. So it can mix easily without degassing. same goes for lureworks, it to has a thin viscocity. reason they can sell it under injectasol easily not degassed... There suspendasol, now is like mayonnaise, Reason you guys cant use it effectively as you cant mix it without whipping in air very easily. Now you have moisture, looks just like air, acts like air etc. Degasser will also extract moisture, I sure hope this clears some air without any feelings being hurt.

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.

I dont use chunk style trailers often but saw a tip by Randal Tharp that I think could help with the plastic ripping. Take a toothpick and run it laterally just in front of where you plan to put the hook through. On a short bite the bait pulls on the toothpick instead of ripping through the front of the bait. Just clip off the ends so they dont stick out.

MORE ON MOLD MAKING To make a mold one has to have something to mold. Most all of my bait designs were to make a bait that fits one of the Do-It leaded molds. I start with two pieces of 0.032 brass shim stock. These are fastened togeather with double sided cellophane tape. The outline of the bait is then sawed, filed , etc. your satisfaction. The body of the bait are then made up of 1/32 strips of basswood glued together to the thickness required. Each 1/32 strip is coated with a color before gluing. This will facilitate shaping the body. When the body is finished The model is then separated into the two halves and mounted into the cavity. Sprues are the added and your are ready to mold. Most of my molds are made with polyurethane resin [ RC-3, VAC50, specialty resin.com]. I usually make a dozen bait molds of each design. This only a hobby for me and I don't sell baits. Usually make baits 2 or 3 times a year or as required.

He was talking how to paint the LC Table Rock. Hughesy may have painted one or two Table Rock Shad over the time as everyone has their knockoff of his. Everyone has their interpretation of his color pattern. Here is an old post of his from 2004. First of all let me thank you for the nice compliments. As far as my "create your own colors page", I did try using my own colors but they didn't look right because of places like where the back color faded into the side of the baits looked real funky, the color of the paint behind the scale pattern would show up and many other issues I came across. It was a real pain. I just put that page on there for the fun of it. I doubt if anyone uses it to really design colors all though I have received many orders with the little pictures as a sample. I might change it around if I every get time to play around with it. As far as it increasing my orders, its killing me the way it is now. We are running about 5 to 6 weeks on deliveries of orders as we speak with no end in sight. On patenting colors schemes, I don't think its possible because you could add 2 drops of white to any color and barely change the color but I'm sure in a court of law it would be considered a new color even though it matches your to a T. If you notice that most of the Big Boys that copy my stuff do not get the colors right. Lucky Crafts Table Rock Shad is a real faded chartreuse and almost a flat purple, Normans Sour Grape has purple flake and the they to can't get the right purple and chartreuse. The same with Pradco's Mark Menendez line. All of those colors are a copies of mine but they just can't get the colors tint right. Plus the quality of their work could use some help. Thanks again clemmy for the great ideas but I'm just gonna stay right where I'm at and just keep on shootin that paint.

Well its a copy of my original table rock shad but I'll give it a shot. I use lacquer paint and I know most don't so I'll just use general color names. 1. cover white entire lure. 2. mix white with a small amount of chartreuse for sides. 3. mix deep violet with a small amount of red. 4. pearl white belly. 5. black dot.

Mother Nature has a lot to do with how quickly you get your express packages. Most of those express packages are carried via air freight. The last couple weeks we have had major early winter storms that disrupted service all over the US because it disrupted the Hub cities where the freight gets sorted. Memphis, New York, Indianapolis, and Louisville. Certainly not the retailers fault.

Hey guys, I am the developer of ClearSHield HD, the new finish Jim is referring to. I'm happy to answer any questions regarding the product, but I don't want to do so without the blessing of the owners of the board. I sent an email or two a few weeks ago about a board sponsorship, but never received a response. Looking forward to getting to know you guys, Best Regards, Andy Dear Axis Outdoor Company

Exhibit is in the gallery. Until now you did not discuss how you did it. But thank you for sharing your knowledge of how it is done. I have found one thing here in all the years I have shared, you can tell them how it is done and very few will actually take the time to put in alll the hard work to do what you do. Doing this to make something of it takes a lot of time and effort. Unless you sit down and spend hours and days doing it no one will understand how hard it really is. That tray of baits took him in my opinion hours to make. Not very many people want to invest that kinda time to do it. I respect that cause I have spent the hours and days to make baits for people. And again thank you for sharing.

Metallics usually contain small flakes of reflective material that emulate the shine of a metal finish, while pearls have a softer, glowing, less reflective look. In general, I use white pearl on the belly of most of my baits and metallics for flash on the back. I also use a transparent chrome lightly sprayed on the sides of a bait to give the underlying pattern a little sheen and to unite the color pattern into a more realistic baitfish look. There’s a whole world of color effects available for airbrushing. I often paint with acrylic latex taxidermy paints like Wildlife Colors and Van Dykes Nature’s Gallery paints. Most of them come pre-thinned and ready to shoot and the cost is reasonable in 4 oz bottles. As you get more experience many of us tend to favor “transparent” colors in the Createx line, which allow you to layer colors for a more realistic effect.

Problem is, the crankbait custom paint market has went to the birds. If you can keep it as a hobby you will enjoy it much longer then a business. I promise you that. Tho I love what I do, It can be very trying at times.

Powder dyes work great and give some vivid colors. X2 liquid colorant is very good. CNC molds make great baits. Oh, the dual injector is the bomb and the triple injector is better than that. Reading your posts, if you want to save money, run away from this hobby as fast as you can. Buy your baits by the bag at Bass Pro. Most of us aren’t saving any money by doing this. I promise.

This is a video from Toxic Baits. There is a small section of his paint set-up and he's a rattle can guy. While he is doing larger baits, maybe there's some techniques or tips that can work for you. His swimbaits are the hottest ticket in town right now. Guys will give almost anything for a Toxic Baits Wade Hoggs and he can't make them fast enough. I can see he uses mesh in a hoop to create his scale pattern and he does a lot of splatter on the backs. I would encourage you to try to figure out your airbrush, it's so much more versatile. I had trouble with my first brushes and it was frustrating. Then I bought a decent brush, dedicated myself to keeping it impeccably clean and not using cheap paints or reducers. The most trouble I figured out, was because of dirty airbrushes, I thought I was cleaning it well, but I wasn't getting it clean enough. It amazing how much trouble a tiny spec of dried paint can cause. I bought a bottle of Auto-air restorer and use a tall, skinny tarter sauce jar to store it in. When the brush starts acting up, a night soaking and a quick cleaning and she's good to go for a while again. Good luck whichever route you take

If you using clean lead you shouldn't have much of a problem. Lead poisoning comes from ingestion most of the time and the reason is simple. Lead does not produce fumes or vapor below 1200 degrees, if you have any smell it is usually impurities and good ventilation is sufficient to carry out the fumes if you are using good lead. I get most of my lead from Rotometals , 99% pure and 3% -5% antimonial and with 2 windows open and a fan blowing in between to create good air circulation there are no problems. I had a serious illness and since then I have to have my blood checked on a regular basis and one thing I have the doctor check for is the lead levels in my blood, in more than 20 years of pouring I can say that I'm fine but, if you are melting down wheel weights or old lead pipes and other forms of scrap lead well then I'd be outside or I'd have a hood and exhaust fan. It also pays to be cautious and a good exhaust fan and hood is something I think is beneficial if pouring indoors but if you aren't pouring for 6 to 8 hours a day a shop that isn't confined with good ventilation will work as long as you are using clean lead.

This is like a lure making university here.There is so much valuable information ..I would like to thank all our members...Without you the learning would stop..Nathan