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Here is the way I see it. You just have to worry about yourself. You cannot stop what you are talking about. So you just need to do it better than everyone else. It is not an easy thing to do. Being the best never is. Bottom line is.....How bad you want it? Skeeter

A few things going on in regards to light transmission and suspension of salt. First all these salts are the same as in NaCl. Where they differ is purity/additives. Salt by it very nature is problematic in that it picks up water. NaCl is used to calibrate some instruments that measure water uptake based on its very well studied water adsorption. So unless you store your salt properly and dry it you are adding some water to your plastic during the heating process. Adding some cloudiness to the end product if not all removed (not a big issue as often gets boiled off during heating). Additionally to counteract salts water loving tendencies manufactures place anti caking agents in it to avoid it turning into a brick (and iodized typically). So you have impurities playing a role in regards light transmission. Other issues that cause cloudiness are result of tackling the suspension issue.. The salt crystal shape plays a role in suspension. Table salt and others are cubodial. The shape results in crystals that don't suspend readily. So guys grind it to make the particles smaller but in doing so exponentially increase the surface area and further cause issues with transparency (lack of). Sort of like fill a glass with ice and pour a margarita mix over it versus putting that same ratio in your blender. You also are adding defects in the crystal in the process. Think of safety glass: pre and after hitting it with a hammer. Kosher, Maldon, and other salts prized by chefs are different in shape. Kosher typically is forced into a flat shape under pressure to form flakes. So take two cubes the same size/mass. Take the second cube and compress it flat. Drop them in a liquid guess which one hits the bottom first. The shapes vary in regards to displacement. The flat shape will displace more plastic and will sink slower than the cube and is the reason Kosher salts suspend better in comparison to table (cubodial) salt. Cargill uses a process called Alberger process to make some of their salts. It results in concaved plate/flake. These salts Kosher, maldon, the Cargill select products are typically larger particle size to boot so often get the best of both worlds... larger crystals (less defects and less surface area) with a shape but do to the shape suspend better than cubes. Additionally they often don't have anticaking agents.

I would not agree at all. If your fisheries are declining you can only blame the gluttony of your local fishermen and a lack of effort to educate them. We all have the ability to give or take when it comes to our fisheries. Just because regulation say you can take does not mean we don’t have a choice not to. We also have a choice to donate, fundraise and lobby to make change The failure of a fishery is not because of some guy selling baits out of his basement. If you don’t like what is happening with you local fisheries do something about it. Look at the big picture and not seek out petty things to blame All fishermen will get more out of their effort if they ask themselves what they can do for their sport rather then point fingers at others Sorry but petty finger pointing excuses piss me off

@eastman03 @Big Epp @Apdriver - The tutorial is posted in the "Member Submitted Tutorials" section. If you guys have questions please let me know;)

This has been going on forever, whether in fishing or any other hobby or business. I make jigs, and have been doing it for 20 years. When I started doing powder paint it was in its infancy. I then started doing multi-color jigs out of powder paint with the tap brush method, while a good friend of mine on here Smalljaw was doing multi-color jigs using powder paint with an air brush. In 2005 we were the only two at that time doing this with powder paint. The TU community exploded asking us questions on how it was done. I was selling jigs off the wall with multi-color patterns. Myself and Smalljaw literally posted our process on how it was done on TU. This is a teaching site. To this day I do not regret people learning from what I brought to the table. Some guys were able to accomplish what I taught, others struggled and figured it out and others just could not get the hang of it. Fast forward to today. I don't sell nearly as many multi-colored jigs as I did back then because everyone is doing it. In all honesty, it doesn't bother me. This is a hobby for me, it always has been and it will always be . I cannot make a living making jigs. With that said, I try to help people when I can, and if they steal my ideas so be it. This is my perception on the whole thing. Someone will steal your idea if they can figure it out and if he doesn't then China will figure it out and steal it. It's just the way it goes. Life is too short to worry about inconsequential things. JMO

So much butthurt, frankly it cracks me up. Anybody on here whining about Farcebook groups and "too many painters" need to just shut up. Probably angry because when they started the help available wasn't as easily attainable.I wonder how much help this forum has been to them over the years? I guess it's OK to get help and info here but no place else on the internet? And as far as the sale pages, THE CREAM RISES TO THE TOP! Plain and simple. Are there a ton of guys doing crappy work? Yes there is, same as before, always been hacks in every business however. There are also a ton of folks putting out some amazing work, hell yes there is. As I said before, the damn cream rises to the top, the hacks sell few and when they do it is at low prices, the quality folks sell plenty at premium prices. crankbaits, jigs, spinnerbaits, plastics etc. Someone brought up "cheap blanks from china", guess what dude, damn near ALL manufactures source the blanks, painting and packaging from China as well, not much to bitch about here either. Well, if there is a bitch its that it all comes from there, and we are responsible for that as a whole, but discussing that issue further is impossible without it getting political. So, my recommendation is, quit the whining and get painting. If your work is good, it will rise to the top too. let the hacks be hacks, they don't sell hardly anything at much of price anyway. Try embracing the shared knowledge and adding to it, instead of whining about it, after all you are on THIS site and I was under the impression that's what this site is about. Its no different on Farcebook, just more of it. Have a wonderful day and try not to be bitter.

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..

No offence but painting is just that painting. I respect the talent with an airbrush but in the end it’s just decorating a lure that someone else made. There is only so many combinations and if you are matching natural feed things are even more limited Maybe I just don’t get it because my focus is on building and action more than painting. In the end if painting is what you base your business on and competition is hurting you it’s time to find something that makes you stand out from the others. It’s just how business goes Good luck

My opinions on painting plastic lure blanks are well documented. I was even reprimanded by the TU management for upsetting paying advertisers. Reprimand is a bit strong, more of a 'please stop it' Strangely enough, people who attempt to copy famous, successful lures do not bother me in the slightest. I know that there is a lot more to copying a lure than shape alone. Most will fail but they will learn something about lures on the journey. In fact, I would recommend trying to copy a favourite lure in the learning process as many experienced builders also suggest. Those who can copy a commercial successfully have all the skills to produce their own masterpieces. I often wonder why they bother, but I guess it is a challenge. I was even considering writing a thread dedicated to reverse engineering a lure without destructive examination even though I have never done it before. I never view the gallery. I am not really interested in the current trends. I do not want my design ideas to be affected by what others are doing. Basically, body shape is a covering over the internal structure although it does have some functionality. Because I am not commercially competing I see no reason for secrets. I even received a couple of angry PMs for revealing design secrets that they had been cashing in on for years. However they need not worry, many read the articles but very few try the ideas out. The few that do are only producing lures for personal use. I probably got a bit off subject with this post, but there you go, I am rambling Dave

Bassmaster - Part of this is down to the beauty of the internet. Anyone can learn a skill far quicker and efficiently than they ever could 20 years ago with hundreds of videos available on any subject. This makes many people who had to learn the hard way bitter on the whole subject. I came across this attitude when I first joined TU, I was told to put the work in. I think quick and efficient learning is a very good thing. The question that you should be asking is 'what is the definition of a custom lure'. For most people, custom means slapping a coat of paint on a cheap Chinese imported blank and selling it on Ebay. My definition of a custom lure; to design and build a lure for a single customer with a specific set of requirements, size, action, depth, shape and paint job. A design that is not or is no longer available commercially. Custom could well be just the paint job, but the customer would send you the lure and request a certain pattern and set of colours. If you obtain 500 blanks, paint them with a few of your own best patterns and put them up on Ebay, these are simply lures for sale, and definitely NOT custom lures for sale. I too am disappointed about the whole 'custom' thing. You, because now everyone can encroach on your 'custom' business. Me, because the whole art of lure design and building has been devalued to the point of neglect. Just like calligraphy, lure design is a dying art. I actually own an Iwata but have never opened the box, it has never seen a drop of paint. All my lures are painted white, purely for visibility, to allow me to examine the movement. If I ever bring a lure to market, which might happen soon, it will be painted black. As a compromise, I might make blanks available, probably not on second thoughts. I don't believe in paint as a fish attraction, I believe it is all about movement. Dave

I think it may be a center of gravity thing. If the blade is getting fouled on the case, the bait is probably tumbling on the cast, instead of traveling ass first. Try adding more beads behind the clevis as spacers, so the body begins at the back of the blade. That way, it should cast truer, like a spook with more weight toward the rear.

Every now and then I see that there's a new topic in the cookbook sticky so I open it up to see what's new. It seems like a lot of folks are going in there asking how to make a color and that ends up with a lot of messages back and forth. I would suggest that if you need help with a color that isn't in the cookbook that you ask in the regular part of the soft plastic forum and once you get the color dialed in you post the recipe in the sticky cookbook thread. Just my opinion though

Through wire is way too much overkill......use stainless steel wire and twist your own screw eyes and set with epoxy. No fish is going to pull the hook hangers or line tie out.

I have looked for my phone, with the flashlight on my phone. I’m only 36...

I am well aware of the Robert Pittman act. We both know this generates money from many different outdoors related products used by more then fishermen. Now let’s not exaggerate the impact on basement baits because it is a drop in the ocean when looking at the big picture I stand by what I posted and I practice what I preach. If you don’t like the direction your fishery is going DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Maybe rather then complain about these small builder try approaching them for donations of cash or their lures to be auctioned off to generate $ for projects to benefit your local fisheries. Lure builders are fishermen that are impacted by the local fisheries as well Your choice be someone who does something to improve things or be the guy who sits there and complains I give the challenge to all fishermen and lure builders get involved support your local fisheries

I simply pull the wire over a wooden dowel at 90 degrees. Works well enough. Dave

Ill 'll give this a shot. Try a twin injector with one color per side and the plunger bridge off. With the blending block in place start injecting the first color then start the second color while stopping the first color and finish out the push. Just MHO.

Its been on my mind lately, and wanted to start a thread about safety regarding our various resins we use with hard baits. I personally have developed a sensitivity to certain resins and upon further research I fault myself for not using better precautions. The fastest way to end one's lure making days is to develop a sensitivity to one of the chemicals used in bait making so I will give my lessons learned with safety and encourage others to give their lessons learned. First, polyurethanes use a toxic chemical known as methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) which is usually the yellow or darked tinted liquid in two part mixes. The clear liquid is usually a diol compound similar to antifreeze and is less toxic. Studies have found nearly everyone can eventually become sensitized to MDI with enough time. 2-8 years of low chronic exposure to MDI will result in 25% or higher likelihood of sensitization. Of those sensitized, 60% will retain the symptoms of sensitization for life, even when permanently removed for ALL exposure. Recently it has been learned that dermal contact with isocyanates can be as dangerous or even more dangerous than inhalation. You may not have realized that spraying an auto clear without a mask is as dangerous as spilling uncured resin on your skin. Second, epoxies usually contain triamines and/or formaldehyde and have caused even worse sensitizations than with isocyanates in studies with Guinea Pigs. Everything above applies but even more severe. Third, microballoons are borosilicate glass and when inhaled chronically can cause silicosis (permanent scarring of the lungs). I work in the abrasives/grinding industry and have personally viewed ceramic dust under a SEM, and have seen many particles often as small as 1 micron by 4 microns. Hence, your dust mask and/or filter is not removing them. When you sand microballoon filled resin your dust mask is not enough. To protect yourself when pouring resins, at a minimum, you should: [1] Work in a well ventilated area [2] Wear nitrile gloves and long sleeve shirt (no exposed skin) [3] Use a vent hood when pouring/sanding/mixing resins or use a full air supplied respirator [4] Never heat any resin without industrial equipment designed for such a purpose [5] Forget about "it won't happen to me" because it will, given enough chronic exposure [6] Remember that even organic respirators do not remove isocyanate vapors Any other stories/suggestions?

This is how I fix the Abrupt 90ﾟ angle in the tail portion of the mold

1. Nobody on here was the first person to paint a crankbait. Get over yourselves. You started at some point too. 2. You should be glad that custom baits are gaining in popularity because you have more competition on the equipment/supplies side. More competition means more innovation and possibilities. 3. Do you discredit an artist because he didn’t handcraft his canvas? What about a sculptor because he didn’t make his own clay? Where do you draw the line? If I cast my own crankbait blanks, can I call them custom...even though I didn’t invent the resin I used? Bottom line, you’re mad because other people are taking a piece of the pie. Welcome to capitalism. Like skeeter said, be the best and don’t worry about the rest. Row your own boat.

I put the non pin side on some 1500 grit paper. I had colored it like suggested. All parts sanded so no apparent warp here. i took the pins out of the other side and put the 2sides together. PERFECT FIT. Put the pins back in and bad fit. I remembered Thai the pin had come out and I had put a dab of super glue on it. Who’a thunk that would be thick enough to make the pin too long. NOT ME. So I sanded off the glue and the “warped mold is fixed”. Sometimes I hate being a READY FIRE AIM guy.

When it comes to dumb mistakes you’re not alone

I think the bigger question is...."How much work are you willing to get into?" If your stuff is good and the orders come in, then remember you are going to have to come home from work and get to work. Then remember that you have to be there for your customers. I played the pro game for years. But it was the BFL guys that really beat me up. It just got to be too much. So much so that I became to hate making a bait. The enjoyment was gone. Then you have to deal with "Butt Heads" that want to complain about your prices, don't want to pay you after you finished their order, complain that the shade of red you used wasn't right or the guy that wants you to sponsor him. I am starting to get back into making baits again. I have a different approach. I make baits when I feel like it and when I enjoy it. If someone wants to buy one then he can pick from what I have done. No real pressure there. Always remember that in this business your name and reputation are as important as your work. Mess any of those up and you are done. Skeeter

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 grew up in a small business family. As an adult, I chose a different career, mostly because of the hard business lessons I learned at my Dad’s knee. Some guys are interested in building baits as a business. Some of them can build great baits consistently in single or small batches. But very few are able to scale up their production, keep the quality as good as it was as a hobby, and most importantly, run the operation as a profitable business. And if they manage to do it, many find that being an 80 hour a week slave to production schedules and dealing with feckless suppliers and irrational customers is not the dream they envisioned. If you can cheerfully do that, I salute your guts and initiative and wish you the best of luck.

Then quit. Or stop trying to sell your stuff on a public forum. While I agree it is B.S. to ape someone elses paint jobs, it is an inevitable fact of life when you post on a public forum with millions of users. I am a member of several groups on Farcebook and honestly, from what I have seen, the cream rises to the top as far a what sells and for how much on the auction pages. If people are truly copying your patterns and they are truly unique, you are free to use the "implied copyright" part of the law and hire a lawyer to send out cease and desit letters to everyone. Personally, if I notice someone posting a bait that was obviously inspired by my pattern, I take as a compliment and move on. The so-called "custom tackle" business has never been much of one, and the number of folks actually making a living at it is small, very small. So my advice is, paint for the joy of it, sell some if you can, and don't be all butt hurt. After all, I am sure that you, like everyone, started of copying someone else's work until you gained the skills and confidence necessary to become creative and produce your own.

I have watched some videos using plastic, heat guns, and vacuums to melt plastic over a blank to make homemade stencils. So far, I haven't been super successful at that technique. I went searching for another and I know I posted another video/topic to use Play-Doh to help conceal eyes during the painting process. Well this week I took it further and decided to test the waters on molding the entire bait and letting it dry after cutting. And to my surprise, it was remarkable. There are a few properties of Play-Doh that make perfect and not perfect at the same time, but with a couple tricks I have learned from you guys I have sealed each stencil in super glue which adds a ton of durability to each stencil. I wanted to share in hopes to give you all at tip and trick that could be beneficial to you all if you are looking to make a certain pattern and speed up painting times without needing a ton of tape or a 3D printer. Hope this helps!

There are a couple of small things wrong but nothing too bad. Apdriver mentioned one of them already, .035" on a 1/4oz in-line is too heavy, .028" is much better. The main issue is the blade is 1 size too big. The weight is fine for that size blade but it is Tungsten so it is a little more compact so you have the length of a smaller bait. If you look at a #6 Panther Martin which I think is 1/4oz, you'll notice the bottom of the blade doesn't extend past the lure body. In-line blades ride on the wire so the wire diameter and bead size determine how close the blade lays next to the body. If the wire is too heavy combined with larger beads then the blade sticks out further increasing the likelihood of it catching the line. Then the blade size being a bit too long just provides more area to catch the line when the bait enters the water. So before you make wholesale changes, try dropping the size beads first, then drop blade size and then wire. Start with the easiest thing first, good luck.

overfilled the mold and put a piece of paper and a heavy weight on top cut it clean .(Surgical Scalpel Blades Carbon Steel 10# + Scalpel Knife Handle #3) (use heat if you need a shiny bag)

I use the eraser from a wood pencil and make the size I want on the sander I have plenty of different sizes. Then dip and dot. Wayne

My .02 Buy quality airbrush paint and reducer to start with and stay away from craft paint and homemade reducers. Ya they cost more but you will reduce you're learning curve greatly and won't have as many issues. The Neo has a .35 tip and won't shoot craft paint well. I like Createx and Wicked paints and get them from Coast Airbrush, they have decent prices and a lot to choose from. Youtube has vids on painting to help get you started.

Barlow's give the wire diameter and has the pictures of the hooks along with the sizes next to a ruler.

https://barlowstackle.com/Mustad-32724NP-BN-Jig-Hook--P405/

And I would say you are pretty good about passing on the knowledge you have gained as well

B-Rad - don't take this particular post too seriously. We all flex our ideological muscles occasionally on this site, but it is fairly meaningless. Arrive at your own conclusions. This forum is comprised of lure genius, but we rarely agree on a majority of issues. This is a good thing as you get to make your own decisions. Read, take it all in and decide for yourself. Dave

The Twinjector has been around for many years. The thought put into it is not just the two together. Making one and not thinking about simple things like pins to keep the tips on while using it is priceless. Being far enough apart to use big Pyrex cups or two presto pots makes it a no brainer. But if it is hard to get past the price then save a little longer and you will be money ahead for many years to come. I still have the first one ever made.

Never seen this one, a band saw jig looks pretty cool too.

I remember Hank Parker saying it was made with .031" wire. If Allen says he measured it to .035" then that is what I would go with. You'll still get plenty of vibration of it since it uses a #7 Indiana and a #3 Colorado.

I always recommend Gel Super Glue.

I bought myself a Sihouette Curio stencil cutter and I make any stencil I want within the limits of the lure. Wayne

If you are having trouble centering the stream, find a Lee's pot to try pouring with. (Haha, some of us older guys aren't so steady these days.)

Neo has a .35 needle, so if you are trying to use craft paint or even unreduced quality airbrush paint you may still have clogging issues. Agree with others about sticking trigger and dirty nozzle. You just can't keep em too clean i've learned...

I'll third that! My local glass shop let me come take a look and gave me all sorts of pieces of polycarbonate. In return I made them a larger lure for display with their company name on it, just for fun. They were so pumped, I have basically an unlimited source for lip material now! Another spot I have got some from is a plastic's distributor. They had a bunch of cut offs that they let me buy for cheap.

In the late 90’s I bought a “garage built” balsa squarebill that had been touted by a pro on the Bassmasters circuit. Could not get it to run right and it took on water and self destructed in a single day of fishing. That’s when I decided to start making my own baits, and thinking about that lousy bait later, I believe its maker was a victim of his own success. It’s very hard to ramp up production and keep up quality at the same time. And it’s a business. If you can’t calculate all your costs of production and price them accordingly, you can’t make money on the baits and the more you sell, the faster you go broke.

The issue is the way the ends are fused together. The plastic is melted and you get the "fuzzy" residue and burrs which result if not always an exact fit. Fishing skirts sells the BOSS weed guards which are fused in a different way, they don't have the melted plastic residue and fit really well. They sell them in both medium and heavy 1/8" (FG-30) and 5/32" (FG-40) available in clear, green pumpkin, black and brown. https://fishingskirts.com/product-category/boss/boss-weed-guards/

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..

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.