st8fishin

If you have a program like paint shop pro, you can make fins with water slide decal paper. Apply your clear coat. Let it dry. Then apply the decal before applying your next clear coat. Otherwise, auto detailers use fine line brushes to create lines as thin as a hair. That could be another option. Never tried it though.

Fatfingers has hit this one right on the button. I use to make lures out of poplar. Now I'm trying plastics. This gave my lures a nice castable weight without adding much lead.(splitshots) After my final sanding with 400 grit paper I'd soak my lures in Penetrol oil based paint conditioner for 15 or 20 minutes. Wipe off the excess, then let dry. Usually 12-24 hours. This will raise the grain slightly (with poplar). Now, sand out the imperfections with 400 grit paper once again. After you sand with 400 grit. Take a simple sheet of computer printer paper and buff the lure with it. It will give you a glass like finish and will prepare the lure for painting. Note: If you try this with balsa or basswood sometimes the wood soaks up too much oil and can crack it.(sometimes)

Thanks Seminolefan, That's exactly what I was trying to do. I just couldn't get the layering combinations correct. What I ended up with was a great big gobba paint. I think buying a product from a local craft store might be a better choice for me right now. You sure have a great website. Great lures.

Hey thanks woodie, I had'nt taken into consideration that it was a store bought production finish, that could be painted on. :?I've spent the last two days trying to create a crackled appearance with a heat gun and acrylics. I'm getting better at making baits, but painting them is not my greatest talent. Another lesson learned. Again thanks for the info.

I've been trying to reproduce a crackled finish on some lures. With very little success. Can anyone lead me in the right direction as to produce the desired affect. I've posted a link of the image I'm trying to acheive, or similar to that affect. Thanks in advance for any tips. http://www.tackleunderground.com/photos/index.php?n=33

Sorry for that goldenshinner, what I should have said was Paint Shop Pro (v)9

If you have a program like PSP v9 making scale patterns is a fairly simple task. I was looking for a similiar product a few weeks ago on the web, but wasn't succesfull. I've since reverted to making my own scale patterns with PSP and decal paper. I'd still like to know if there's a product out there to paint masked areas for scales. If you find one please let me know. You can purchase waterslide inkjet decal paper from this company. http://www.beldecal.com/inkjet_decals.cfm

You could also reduce the angle of the baits lip. It won't run as deep, but should increase the wobble factor. You need to play with and tweak it to do what you want it to do. It looks as though you have some excellent wood working skills. That's an impressive bait. Looking at your photos again. You could also raise the line tie eye a little closer to the nose to give it a little more wobble.

You all have some great tips. Another good tip is too wash your scale material with your favorite fabric softener before you paint with it. It helps make the fabric more managable, as well as keeping your lures smelling fresh as a morning breeze. LOL:)

You could also try using a spare hobby knife handle. I have quite a few just for this purpose. Just loosen the tip enough to fit your bottom hook eye, then tighten it down securely. I drill a couple of holes a sturdy 4x4 block of wood to hold my lures while I paint them. If you have a drying wheel. Attach a couple of scrap pieces of 1"1/4 with the appropriate sized holes drilled in them to it. You never have to touch the wet lures.

Does anyone know if there's a company out there that manufactures an airbrush frisket for painting detailed scales? Something similiar to that of wedding thule, but for spraying only the masked areas. I thought I saw some of this stuff on a web site somewhere but can't find it again.

Hello all, I'm new to TU.com, but have been making my own lures from balsa, basswood, poplar for some time. I've recently decided to try my hand at casting with rtv silicon molds and liquid plastics, but I have a few questions that I hope some of you guy's might be able to answer for me. I'm using Smooth-On's Mold Max 30 for my molds. It looks as if my mold has cured quite well. I'm now ready to cast my first lure in liquid plastic. 1. Should I cast with clear or white plastic? Are there any advantages to casting with white liquid plastics? When I carve my lures from wood my first coat of paint is almost always a base coat of white. Will casting with white plastic eliminate the need for a white base coat? 2. What grit sand paper should I use to buff out small imperfections like extra plastic from the sprew vents? 3. Do I need to sand the plastic before I paint? I'm using a badger 175 with acrylics. I just thought I would ask a few questions before I spend the money to purchase any more casting material.