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dtrs5kprs

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Everything posted by dtrs5kprs

  1. Baby bass: Belly = Super hi lite green powder (LC) with 0.035 black flake Back = Medium lite smoke (1-2 drops black to about 4oz) with either 0.035 holo flake or same size gold & green. Gives you a nice blend of colors at the match line, as the hi-lite melts into the smoke for a dark green hi-lite tone.
  2. I think "officially" Skirts Plus wants you to have a tax #, but if you meet their order minimums i think they will sell to you. The color mins used to 100 strips/color, with a total order minimum of 1000 strips. Cheap if you have the $.
  3. As passed along by Tim Hughes several years ago, use a weighted netting that you can drop over the bait. I use Water Gremlin Bull-Shot crimp on worm weights to weight the neeting and kep different sizes for rogues, warts, etc. Shoot your paint as dry as you can when doing scales...lots of psi, low paint flow. Wet paint and netting = mess.
  4. I've mixed hi-lite powder and flake in epoxy coatings (devcon, FC, etc) and had ok results. Have not tried to mix anything wet into it. MF has some dark powders for worm color, that might work. If you are already good with C-tex it is probably easier to epoxy coat your head, shoot your paint, then epoxy again to seal. That is more or less what I do on "fancy" SB heads.
  5. RTV silicone will work. Just make sure you use a silicone compatible material to construct your proto head. You can use a spray or brush on mold release, or light application of talc. Fiberglass resin will work as your pouring material, or you can upgrade to one of the 2 part liquid plastics from smooth-on, US composites, etc. Those are a little more $$$ but easier on your mold than the resin -> longer mold life. Also a littel faster, cleaner, and easier to work with.
  6. Try the nasty looking ones with the round head and large cutting surfaces for removing lots of aluminum quickly. I like the small engravers for adjusting hook grooves, hook eyes etc. Plain old cutting wheels (with mandrel) will also open up a hook groove or cut a wire weedguard slot.
  7. The smooth on products are good. If you dont want to go the 1:1 route, their 930 product does a nice job when using a sealed (lacquer) hard master. I have been doing very well with the TinSil 70-25 from US Composites to reproduce clay masters (soft sili safe) and plastics: http://www.shopmaninc.com/moldmaking.html
  8. Lead is usually between the lip and or attached to the first hook hanger. I would have guessed your lead position is about right. It could be off a bit from the center of the bait (if looking down on the back). Normally I attach mine to the vertical wires forming the first hanger. Have seen a lot of baits with additional weight between the lip and first hanger, usually in an attempt to increase depth. Thickness of the lip affects overall weight, diving depth, etc. That is why you see use of materials like circuit board on a lot of cranks. Suppose I should have asked for more specifics regarding the incorrect action you have observed...Spinnning? Broaching? Lack of vibration? Are you testing it with the tail attached?
  9. I've used the red Mustad and some red gammies (trebles, jigs) and it seems like the red hooks are not as sharp as the nickle or black nickle finishes. The dip is called Blade Dip and it does work. I'm not sure about baking it...think it may be an alcohol base. It will come off after some use but is quick and cheap. I would go that route and leave the option of changing back to the original finish open as an on the lake choice.
  10. Kevlar rocks the hair jigs. With hair you need the thread to build up the collar area so you can apply the bunches of fiber. Wire is fine for silicone or round rubber, but it will tend to cut silicone if you wire it too tightly. Try a copper or brass wire vs the stainless or galvanized wires.
  11. You can also shoot the iridescent/chameleon/hi-lit type colors over a black or other dark colored back. For example, the traditional Bagley TN shad pattern is basically orange belly, pearl sides, black back, gold hi-lite scale shoulders.
  12. Looks like an awful lot of things (differnet shapes, tail, etc) are going on in the body of the bait at the same time. That will not help stabilize action. The lip looks a little thicker than the ones we normally build in the states. You might be better off to groove the underside of the lip and try to get the line tie harness to fit flush with the underside. It almost looks like there is just not going to be enough body at the tail end to make that bait work the way you want it to. Very cool tail flapper though.
  13. Pressure should be regulated first by a regulator, frequently built into a moisture trap. The trap and the ability to adjust psi is critical for the Paasche brushes. The VL is dual action so you then further regulate pressure with the trigger. Needle sleeve is basically an adjustment for paint (although that will obviously impact your shooting pressures). I would leave it alone.
  14. Make sure you do not use a glitter that is aluminum or metal based. Doing so will quickly demonstrate the reason.
  15. Either way will work. Gluing is easier. Yes the resulting pours will be flat-sided. That is usually a non-issue, and sometimes an advantage as it can help a spilt shot or carolina bait glide.
  16. If you are not locked into GYCB or some other brand, Barlow's has a decent hula type grub that is (unless I am way off) made by Lucky Strike. They sell them in 10ct or 50ct.
  17. Another, as yet unaddressed issue, is that Japanese manufacturer's inability or disinterest in bringing that product into the USA market. Obviously it can be done (see Lucky Craft). Exclusivity is great for a while, but it is just not the way of the American marketplace, and that bait has been around for a few years. Sort of lessens any ethical issues in my view. Also, we don't know if Lake Fork bought the US rights to market from GarageCraft.
  18. Living up to is hard to quantify, but they do have an entirely different feel and flash. For single spins I do not think they will disappoint you. Believe the Stamina blades are made by Lakeland. I still have some old Chopper Bee's in with my Tarantulas and Spence Models . I think Bumble Bee just went quietly into the night like so many other good companies that were blown away in the expansion of the Strike Kings and etc in the late 80's early 90's.
  19. Boy, really makes me happy I just finished my molds for that bait . Hmm, hours of work, $$$ worth of RTV, available at WM...very very rewarding. I re-built a version from sili safe clay and re-molded due to issues with the rib not pouring well. After playing with some last year I'd have to say they do prety well when swimming or waking, especially in clear water during spawn post-spawn. Found them to be much like working a big jointed red-fin. Our drop shot bite is usually more of a 3-4" bite, so no experience there. Wonder if that is why the Javallon has been harder to find thru some of the Japanese ebay sellers.
  20. If it is a water base like C-tex you can 1) add some plain airbrush medium (the paint base) 2) dial down your psi 3) if a mixed color simply add a few more drops of each part of the mix minus water or any other thinning agents. Or, like George says wait for it to dry out, but you will probably have a clogged brush issue.
  21. Good single spin blade. Also very good on short arm baits for night fishing. Bumble Bee used to make one, the "Chopper Bee" if I remember correctly.
  22. I either mix the flake in clearcoat (flexcoat) or sprinkle it over specific areas of the bait. Sprinkling allows you to get specific colors in specific areas vs. mixed clearcoat which will tend to put the mixed flake color all over the body. In either case I follow it up with at least one additional clear coat to seal, add depth, and bring put the color of the flake. Depending on the size of flake, not sealing it may cause failure of the clearcoat.
  23. I actually prefer the engine enamel for POP. Most of the POP molds I have used that were coated with epoxy, etc did not perform any better. If you get a bait you really are happy with, and intend to pour some qty of (say 100-500 baits per session), I would strongly suggest looking at RTV. It's much cheaper than it is made out to be, and usually ends up being easier to work with.
  24. The VL and the Millennium brushes will spray at any psi you like, as long as the viscosity of the paint is ok. For color blending I like a higher psi, thinner paint (so it looks like you are basically spraying pigment), and a "drier" spray. I shoot a lot of C-tex at psi 35-40 just because I like the way it covers at those pressures. I have tried all the needles and assemblies for those brushes, and have settled in on the #3 for most everything except very small baits. Blending colors just takes lots of practice. Try shooting your second color in the opposite direction of your first color. Example: if blending a back and side, paint the side, then shoot your back color beginning at the top of the side and shooting away from the side color. Helps keep overspray issues to a minimum. Feel free to PM or email me if you still have issues with your Paasche. I'm one of their fans, and run 3 at a time when I paint.
  25. Has anyone tried making a 2 part mold that pours thru "side sprues" on the big baits. Seems like you could arrange 1 or 2 sprues on the side of the mold, vs pouring from the head of the bait, and be able to fill the mold more completely.
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