mark poulson

Post some pictures. It's our porno.

Jamie, It is amazing that we can be so competent in what we do, and so lost when it comes to computers. If my thirteen year old leaves, or she gets pissed, I'm in deep doodoo if I have to do anything new or hard on the computer.

I keep a large "tupperware" type dish with denatured alcohl next to me when I coat with epoxy, and clean my brush in it as I go. I also wear throw away latex gloves ($8 for a box of 50, thank you Pete), and clean my finger tips in the alcohol if they get epoxy on them. A clean towel next to me dries the alcohol off my hands quickly, so I can continue working without delay. The gloves let me handle the lures without leaving finger prints, which can cause fish eyes and dry spots. Thanks FF for the tip about letting my Etex sit to avoid fish eyes, and about avoiding yellow D2T. I've been having issues with the Devcon staying tacky, even though I mix it equally and well. I was wondering what was going on.

Smart kid!

If you can, Kellure's outside vent is a better option. If you don't have a good activated carbon filter in the overhead recirculating system, it will just circulate the fumes back into the room. And if you don't close/seal the activated charcoal filter when the hood's not being used, it will continue to soak up fumes from the room, and become saturated more quickly. If you ventilate the fumes to the outside, there's no mechanical thing to go wrong. For me, the worst part is not knowing if the filter is working or not. I also have allergies, and hate wearing a respirator (I feel like Darth Vadar), but, if I do, I want to be sure it's working. Nothing worse than finding out it's not when you start to smell the fumes it's supposed to filter out.

If you use a slot cutting bit, and a fence that only exposes 1/16" of the cutter, you should be able to use a horizontal router table. The key is to make a jig to hold your lure so it's center line is exactly parallel to the table. Expect to mess some up until you get your jig right. I can't over stress how important it is to have the fence, and to clamp your lure securely in a jig. A router table is just a smaller version of a shaper, and I've seen pieces of wood thrown through walls with a shaper if they're not properly secured. And they love to eat fingers.

Jerry, Next time, could you post the notice on all the forum pages? I, for one, don't visit the Admin. forum on a regular basis. It would have saved me a nervous breakdown. Mark

Someone here suggested T'ing your trebles (sorry, I don't remember his name, or I'd give him full credit for a great idea), bending the two hooks that normally rub the lure out until they sit opposite each other, so they don't rub the lure's finish. I do it by holding each of the hooks with a pair of needle nose pliars and bending them at the same time, which is quick, and kind of makes it easier to get them even, since I'm applying the same pressure to both at the same time. You can also put the middle hook in a vise, and bend the other two down until they're flat across. I believe the guy who originally posted the idea said he did it to his trolling lures to keep them from tearing up the finish, and so the hooks didn't stick and mess up the action. He was right. I don't get hook rash any more, and the hooks don't stick in the side of the lures as much on the cast.

Floods in the Midwest, droughts in the West and Southwest. Hmmmm..... If they can pump oil and natl. gas all over the country, why not water?

Thanks Joe.

How is it to work with compared to Etex? How long to set, how long to handle, how much working time? How hard does it wind up being? Give it up! )

Man, how in the world did you find that? That guy's good, but I could live without the music. )

I can't imagine having something like that springing from my mind without LSD, and I quit that in the 60's. He's amazing.

If you wrap the blank in cellophane, or a baggie, you can make a form fitting jig jaw by using Bondo to mold to the contours of the blank, no matter what shape. The problem is getting it aligned after that so the bill slot is square to the bait's axis. When mixing bondo, remember that the more hardener you add, the darker red it gets, and the faster it sets, the weaker it becomes.

thogan6, Great idea. I'm always trying to figure out where I just mixed the last batch of 5 minute epoxy. I use a margarine top, which is clear, flexible plastic, but, after mixing a bunch of epoxy on it, it's thick and opaque, and I can't see the epoxy once it's mixed and the bubbles have disappeared. I sometimes wind up using my finger to find the wet spot, so I can use the last of the epoxy before it sets. Mixing on blue painters tape sounds like the way to go. Thanks.

If you're buying a bunch of similar lure blanks, you can make a jig to hold the blanks and cut the slots. Because they are already shaped, it's a little more difficult. Take your time, play around until you get something that will hold the lure solidly and square to the blade, and at the angle you want, and then you can do lots of baits and they'll come out the same. Plan on screwing up a couple until you get it right, unless you're really good or really lucky.

I hope you were kidding about using a sawzall to shape. If you're serious, just be very careful. Sawzalls aren't meant to be used on wood you hold in your hand. They are a two handed tool, meant for rough work and demolition. If you're going to try and use one to shape a lure, be sure the wood you're cutting is clamped and secure. Otherwise, you may be picking up pieces of your hand off the floor. Sorry to sound like a parent, but I have used power tools my whole life to make a living, and a sawzall is one of the most dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. I'd hate not to say something and have you injure yourself.

I use Etex, and it will stiffen after about ten minutes. A little heat from a hair dryer restores it's flow. With the hair dryer, it stays usable for about 45 minutes. After that, I would worry that it might not flow, so I've never tried to use it after that time. I just started using D2T for coating my joints before I top coat with Etex. So far, so good. I'm surprised at how little working time I have with D2T. After ten minutes, I can't spread it at all.

If you say you did it, it counts with me.

Palmetto Balsa, That's a great website. Thanks. No doubt their jerkbaits and cranks, especially the lighter ones, are terrific, and cast better than any other lure their weight and size.

The company who perfected it in Japan is Zip Baits. Their Orbit 80, a jerkbait that weighs only 5/16 oz, casts better than any jerkbait that size, and has the most erratic action of any jerkbait on the market, except maybe the new Flit by Omni.

But do you Garontee it? ) Thanks for the advice. I'll just keep painting, as experience seems to be the best teacher for me. And I had a BIG bass come up on one of my jointed floaters painted in a crappie pattern Saturday. She came up right at the boat, in 20' of water, and turned away when she saw it. Next time I'll be farther out when I'm fishing that lure shallow like that. It made a slow day fun, for sure. I got to meet Al Lindner Saturday, too. His son Troy fishes the AC Castiac tournament trail that I work on. What a nice guy. No BS, just plain folk, and easy to talk to. And his kid is a really good kid, and a good fisherman, too. Chip off the old block. Something to make any parent proud.

Since you're using Balsa, it's a safe bet to say you will need some ballast weight for sure. I use hook hangers with the weight attached to get me started in weighting. For glide baits similar to punkers, I use an egg sinker and pass a cotter pin through it, spread the ends and clip them short, and then epoxy that in at my hook hanger locations. For tail hooks, I try not to use lead, since the twist wire hook hanger is pointing straight back, which is a good angle to pull loose, so I want as much wood/epoxy/wire contact as possible. If I find I need more weight near the tail, I'll drill a 5/16" hole, and add a #5 split shot, or whatever size makes the bait sit right. Walking baits typically are center and tail weighted, so the lure's tail wants to come up past the head on the pause. For gliders at rest, I like 1/3 to 1/2 of the lure, at the head, above water, but the lure to sit horizontal. For walking baits, sitting a little more vertical doesn't hurt in the smaller sized, but trying to get 6" baits up and walking if they're sitting tail down makes for a long day. I find it will wear you out, so I try to stick with the 1/3 to 1/2 of the bait out of the water, and just work the glider a little faster, with shorter pulls, like walking a spook. Finally, try to keep the profile low, so you aren't having to fight the flat surface of the lure as you walk it. All of the walk the dog lures I've ever fished are almost cylindrical, with some having a slight sway back. Everything I know about this stuff I either learned here, or copied off of lures I had, and that's the best way to get started, I think. Take a lure you like, and try to imitate it. You'll probably learn more from you mistakes, like most of us do in life, but that's a good method. Hope this helps.

Pete, Where are you flying to?