TMI

Sure thing...happy to help. If you decide to buy them, avoid the "rare book sellers"...they'll charge more for them because some are considered collectibles. Your best bet is to do a search on Amazon or Ebay for the titles. There they just consider them "old books" and you can usually find at least one seller who has it for under $10. Enjoy! (But beware...it's addictive!)

You can contact these folks: HEB Manufacturing Co, Inc. P.O. Box 188, Route 10 Chelsea, VT 05028 (802) 685-4821 You'll have to buy them in bulk...but its like $70 for 1,000 or something like that...not too bad. This company is a big supplier of screw eyes to the fishing industry, so they'll know what you're looking for when you call.

IMHO...it really depends on what you're using the hardware for. As a general rule, you need to make sure the screws are: (1) not off-center (2) Open eyes will be round after closing (3) Have the smallest possible eye diameter (smaller = stronger) (4) Will last..and (5)...and if you're selling them..."look good" is important! Most the lure companies and catalog folks buy their lure screws from a company called "HEB Manufacturing" in Vermont (no...I don't work for them...but they're great folks to deal with). They sell screw eyes, weed guards, etc. in bulk to most of the lure making supply shops and this used to be the company we bought our lure making supplies from for our shop too... Once you get the hardware, there is also a science to the angle that you put the screw into the bait. Contrary to popular belief (and some popular books!) the screw is actually strongest when it goes in at an angle. If you make it perpendicular to the lure, it is weaker than if you it goes in at about 15 degrees off perpendicular...heading in the direction away from the line tie. If it is a tail screw, it should actually point down toward the belly about 15 degrees. Hope that helps! Happy fishing! - Erik

If you're not doing much multi-color...or you're also looking to use it with embossing powders on your lures or rods...you can pick up a cheep (~$15) embossing gun from A.C. Moore. It's basically a small heat gun shaped like a thick marker. It has a smaller surface area at the tip, so you can also use it for embossing eyes and ridges along the lure without impacting the rest of the paint (a large heat gun will damage the surrounding paint). It might be a good first step?

I use a 2 gallon from from Home Depot that I got for $55 around the holidays (they put it on special every x-mas). It works great. It has a quick-release coupler that I've connected to the end of my airbrush hose. Quick and easy. Here's a clip from an article I wrote that might be helpful: "For airbrushes to work, they need an air source that is capable of providing between 15 and 50 PSI of air pressure, with most applications being right around 30 PSI. Although some people use an inflated tire or canned air as their air source, the most common source for pressurized air is an "air compressor", which forces air into a pressurized state and then regulates the release of that air. To achieve that pressurized air, most compressors have a reciprocating piston that continuously forces air into a holding tank until the maximum pressure is achieved. The larger that tank, the more pressurized air it can provide before it has to cycle on the piston to re-pressurize the air. (and thus the quieter it is). When shopping for compressors, you'll see them described in terms of tank volume (1 gallon, 2 gallon, etc.). The smallest size (1 gallon or less) will be adequate for airbrushing, as the larger sizes are only needed to power air tools like large nail guns. If your compressor doesn't contain an air valve / pressure regulator, you'll need to get that too. The valve will be used to control the flow of air out of the compressor, and you'll need it to make sure you're not sending more PSI to the airbrush than it can handle (see your airbrush's manual for exact specification on PSI). In addition to the air compressors that use tanks, you can also buy tankless models. These have the pump and the motor, but do not store the compressed air anywhere before pushing it though the hose to the tool. The compressors sold with airbrushes or by airbrush companies usually fall into this category and typically cost about the same as a small "tanked" air compressor. The downside of these types of compressors is that they must always be running to generate the air pressure needed, and you don't typically have much control over the pressure of the air that they're generating. The upside is that they are smaller, more portable, and don't usually require much maintenance. At the end of the day, our preference is using a small (<2 gallon) air compressor with a tank. It's relatively quiet when it's not cycling, more energy efficient, more versatile, and easier to regulate air pressure than the tankless versions. That said, if you only airbrush about once a month, you're better off saving your money and just buying cans of compressed air at the local craft store and using those to power your airbrush. If you do all of your painting on your dining room table, the smaller, more portable tankless air compressors might be a better choice for you." Hope that helps! - Erik

Welcome...I actually collect old books on Tackle Making, so if you are still looking for suggestions, here are a few to look for (and to avoid): GOOD - "Making Tackle for Anglers" by Herbert Jenkins. It was published in 1953 and some of the stuff is outdated, but this is still my overall favorite book on the subject - "Hook, Line, and Sinker" by Gary Soucie. Everything you ever wanted to know about the business end of a fishing rig. Seriously...buy this book - "Make Your Own Fishing Lures" by Vlad Evanoff. It was published in 1975 in London. Pretty good overview of mold making and other techniques - "Fishing Tackle Making, Maintenance, & Improvement" by Barrie Rickards and Ken Whitehead. This is an older British book...very hard to find in the US...but it's really good. Deals a lot with Pike fishing...some partical bait fishing stuff too (which isn't big in the US). - "Luremaking" by A.D. Livingston. Good general book about the subject. - "Knowing Bass" by Keith A. Jones. EXCELLENT book about the science behind fishing lures...specific to bass though (thus the name!) - "The Complete Book of Tackle Making" by C. Boyd Pfeiffer. This is a good book for beginners. But my preference is the older (1950s to 1970s) books. The old books blow this out of the water. But it is a good primer to get the basic skills down. BAD - "Making Fishing Tackle" by Thomas Pursell. Don't ever, ever, ever buy this book unless you have an eight year old at home. This book is actually a kid's craft book...seriously...it talks about making lures from yarn and pipe cleaners. - You can also check out YouTube.com There are some instructional videos on there. I've got about 20 more titles...but that should be enough to get you started! Enjoy!

I was actually thinking it might be good to have it change color as it decends through the water column. So colors that aren't visible at deeper depths (like red which goes away at 10 feet) would change to a color that is visible at lower depths (like yellow) as it decends into the colder water. Not sure if it would make a difference, but I was also thinking these lures might have tendency to create spot contrasts, which increase their visibility to fish. Science aside...I have to admit...part of the interest is just because I think it would be fun to try out. The chameleon colors sound cool too...I'll have to check those out! Thx.

Hi All! I was reading a post on an automotive painting website that talked about painting an entire motorcycle (with airbrush) in thermochromic paints (paints that change color depending on the temperature) and it got me thinking...I wonder if anyone's ever used these paints to paint lures? Seems like it might be sort of neat to have a lure change from red to yellow when it touches the water....and then back to red when it comes out of the water. I've used themochromic powder in plastisol for soft plastic baits in the past, and had mixed results...so before I go spend $50 on this paint, I was wondering if anyone's ever tried it for wooden lures? If so, what temperature setting did you get for the color change? Thanks, - E

Nice set-up b75n!...are the clips in the second photo nailed / glued to the dowel rod?

Yeah...magnets are the way to go. Makes it a whole lot easier.

GREAT feedback Senko...thanks! Thought I'd add in a few more tidbits of reseach around this that might be helpful... Many years ago, Berkley / Pure Fishing starting doing a ton of research around the science of fishing lures...mostly focused on Bass, but it included other species as well. They did a bunch of testing on different types of lures, scents, lengths, girth, etc. and built up what is now considered the "holy grail" of lure information......the "Berkley Fish Research Data Bank". The full set of data in that research library is only accessible to a privledged few and is considered a trade secret so not much of it has been publicized...but there are a few pieces that have leaked out over the years. From the stuff I have seen from it and other sources, the most interesting data to me is around how the importance of different lure traits changes based on the size/age of the fish. So the lure traits that are important to small 1 lb bass aren't the same set of traits that appeal to a larger 4 lb bass. For me, this makes lure design much more interesting, as your designs should really change based on the exact size of fish you want to catch!...and I'm surprised none of the lure makers have used this as a marketing edge yet... For instance, the 4 inch soft plastic is scientifically proven to be the best length for 2 lb largemouth bass. So if you fish in a lake where most of the bass are 2 pounders, you should be using 4 inch soft plastics. A key reason Senkos are so succussful (in my opinion) is that they are perfectly designed to catch bass in the 1 to 3 pound range...which just happens to be the largest population of bass out there. So by virtue of having a bait that appeals to fish in the most common size range, the bait has the appearance of being able to catch more fish...when in reality it just catches more fish in a particular size range, because it is very well matched to that specific fish demographic. But...if you're going to larger bass, you should really be using longer soft plastics. So I could easily see a marketing scenario where worms are marketed based on the size of the fish instead of the size of the lure...For instance, you would have "2 pound bass" worms instead of "4 inch cut-tail". Because the traits of the worm are customized to catch a certain size bass, the lures would be more successful because anglers would be matching them specifically to the SIZE bass they want to catch. Anyway...that's my 2 cents...hope I helped (Awesome post by the way...this the part of lure making that I love learning and talking about!)

I paint before adding hardware, so my process is a little different. To hold my baits, I stick a "panel nail" into the tail where the tail screw/hook will eventually go - that gives a good compression fit to hold the bait while you paint. I hold the nail with a exacto handle during the painting process. When I'm done, I remove the nail from the exacto handle and stick it on a long magnet that I have attached to my rod drying motor. It then rotates nose over tail during the drying process...and there is a little movement from the nail on the magnet that ensures a smooth distribution of clearcoat. Actually...now that I think of it, you could probably use my set-up with the drill turner shown in a Yake's reply. But you could just put the nail directly into the drill bit without needing the extra hanger. The key is to get Panel Nails so you get a good strong compression fit. My approach isn't as elaborate as the other's drying wheels...but it actually works pretty well and is super simple. I think I have a post somewhere else on this site showing my compression holder...I'll hunt it down and update my post with a photo. (found the photo...here it is!) The nail is a "panel nail" that you can pick up from Lowes, Home Depot, etc. I clipped off the head of the nail so it fits easily into the exacto handle. When I'm done, I unscrew the exacto top and plop the nail onto my magnet. I did have to add a few glue ridges to the magnet to keep the nail from rolling, but other than that it's actually a pretty easy way to do your painting and turning.

Thanks for the help! I've finally got some free time this weekend and I'm going to try it out. If all goes well, I'll post some photos!

Another really good tool for setting powder paints is available in most craft stores and usually labeled as an "embossing heat tool". Crafty people use it for shrink-wrapping plastic around gift baskets and for embossing (which incidently is a very cool way to make raised lure eyes)...but it is also an invaluable tool for tackle makers. Here is what one looks like: It's great because it generates instant heat like a hairdryer, but doesn't generate any wind, so it doesn't upset glitter or push paint into ridges. I use mine for heating the bubbles out of flex-coat to finish my lures, for embossing eyes onto lures (you'll need a paint additive to do this...but it's a great technique and worth learning for lure making), for heating lead for powder painting, and for quick drying paints...and I find new uses for it almost daily! Best of all...these things only cost about $20 at most of the big box craft stores (like an A.C. Moore, Michaels, MisterArt.com, DickBlick,etc.) Hope that helps!

Thanks!...do you know if they also make the paint look grainy or gritty? Or do they dissolve?

Good looking! Great detail on the gills!

Hi All! I've been using embossing powders for a while to create raised eyes and ridges on my lures...and while shopping for those powders, I've also noticed that most hobby shops sell other powder additives for "liquid mediums". Based on their descriptions, it sounds like you can add these powders to your existing paints to add "glow-in-the-dark", "pearlescent", "metallic", etc. appearances in your paint job. I was wondering if anyone has ever used these types of additives, and if so, do they work okay through the airbrush? Thanks! - TMI

If you're interested in plastic bodies (like the ones at Stamina), you can buy those straight from the manufacturer at a deep discount. The company that makes / sells most of the bodies that you can get through the retailers is a company called "Land-O-Tackle". Here is the link to their catalog: The minimum purchase is 300 bodies (I think?), but it's pretty cheep...only about $0.60 each..so about $175 for the minimum on bodies. http://www.efmall.com/plastech/ Here is the link to their actual bodies: http://www.efmall.com/plastech/lando2.htm Click the "Click here for more" link at the bottom of the page to cycle through all the bodies they sell. They'll look familiar with you've ever looked at bodies in the Stamina, or Jann's catalogs! :-) This is also the company that makes the lexan diving lips, hook hangers, props, screws, etc. that you can get from the other retailers. Those are really cheep too...even in bulk. The minimum purchase there is 1,000 pieces (I think), but that only runs between $7 and $30. If you're buying those pieces...get them here. You'll save a ton and never have to restock again. Hope that helps! (and no...I don't work for them.) :-) - TMI

I do most of my painting without any hardware attached, so I use a slight variation of the x-acto knife holder. Instead of keeping the blade in the knife, I replaced it with the shaft of a long skinny nail. I then press the nail into the rear of the bait where my screw will eventually go. The compression of the nail will hold on to your wood while you do all your painting, and you can hold the handle of the knife in a vise or roll it behind a netting filter to add scales, etc. When it's ready to dry, simply release the nail from the x-acto knife, and stick it into your drying wheel foam for turning/drying. Here's a quick image of my holder. Hope that helps (although I have to say...I might switch to that RCA jack appraoch...it looks really good!!!) What is that circle in the background? It's a knitting hoop with cloth mesh stuck in it that I use for painting fish scales. I press/roll the bait along the back of the netting, while spraying through the front...and it creates a great scale effect. You can pick up those knitting hoops for $1 at most craft stores and it's an easy way to add scales to baits. :-)

Happy to help! - TMI (a.k.a. Erik) (P.S...this site is fantastic!!! Good stuff!)

Hi All...new here, but I hope you don't mind if I chime in with a humble opinion! I would actually have to say..it depends on what type of blade. I used to own a catalog business selling tackle making supplies (The business has since gone under...way under!). Anyway, we had many blades from all of the mfgs mentioned above (except Hil..), so I got to try out a bunch of different ones. Overall, Worth seemed to have the best finish, but Lakeland had the best weight/action/balance. That said, I was actually pretty surprised to see that the quality/balance/weight/etc varied pretty widely for each manufacturer, depending on what size/shape blade you had. My best advise would be to figure out the right sizing/shape for the blade you want to invest in, and then try out blades in that size/shape from a few of the manufacturers (you can often clip one off a commercial or handmade bait to test). Make sure you water test them! One that looks great may actually have an erratic vibration that doesn't match your wire material, etc. Anyway...hope that helps. If you have a specific shape/size in mind, go ahead and post it and I might be able to offer a better answer.

Hi All...I'm new here, but not new to the industry or to tacklemaking. Way back in 2000/2001, I tried to start an online business that sold tacklemaking supplies. Needless to say, I was horrible at the business side of things and the company ultimately failed, but I did learn a ton about the industry during that time. But now I'm picking tackle making back up again - strictly as a hobby - it's much more fun that way!!!! Anyway, I might be able to shed some light on what types of issues you're running into and where you might be able to find good supplies. First Tip - All of these vendors are pretty small. Although they all look like they're huge companies with tons of inventory...the reality is that most of the tackle supply companies are very, very small. Many with fewer than a dozen employees. And they don't make much money...only about $8 in profit on an average hobbyist order. So when the big orders come in, they need them to foot the bills, pay their staff (usually family), and keep the lights on. Not that it excuses poor service (it doesn't), but I think a lot of people expect there to be a Wal-Mart behind the supply catalogs...when it's actually more like a local tackle shack with a leaky roof. Second Tip - Buy in bulk whenever you can (Hagan's was a great recommendation!). If you buy your supplies in bulk, you'll spend MUCH less in the long run. And you can always unload the extra stuff on eBay...often making your money back. Hagan's and Lakeland Inc. are two great sources for blades, etc...that's actually where most of the other retailers get their supplies. Take a look at their catalogs...you'll notice a bunch of familar items! Third Tip - Call in your orders. Aside from Mud Hole and Netcraft, the other component retailers likely don't have the big $$ to invest in a true ecommerce shopping system that syncs with real-time inventory. But they do keep inventory available to the folks who answer the phone. If you have an important order, you might want to call it in, because you'll know on the spot if it's available. Anyway...I thought that might be helpful to some of you who were interested in how this whole tackle making supply business works and why some retailers are better than others. Hope it helps! Happy fishing! - TMI