Anglinarcher

I have done both, but I tend to just dip and hang. Takes less time and works for my needs.

The original Pledge is the gold standard, but they put cleaners in it now that prevent it from working as well. The Createx intercoat or clear works well also. I am using the below stuff from Home Depot. It is white in the bottle but in about 15 minutes it is completely dry and clear. It is not a "top coat" but works very well as an intercoat. https://www.homedepot.com/p/QUICK-SHINE-64-oz-Floor-Finish-51590/203488484

6 months ago, I would have agreed. But, after trying some of the mirror paints I learned about from Engineered Angler, and using the floor wax he recommended, it worked, and worked very well. I am eating crow now, and in truth, loving it.

I think that you might be getting the cart before the horse a little by 3D printing first, but ..... Glide baits are a broad category of baits, and getting them to "glide" often takes a lot of work just getting the shape right, and then, getting weight right. As for the rest, I pour with the weight in place, and have used foam on the top. It takes a little adjustment to get it right, but it makes for one solid bait.

Never used it, but most slow cure epoxy products hold up over time and most fast cure get brittle and yellow over time. If it is fully cured in 30, I suspect it will yellow in about one year. If 30 minutes is the working time, it should be good.

I am honored to be a newbie, just like you jigmeister. So, 10+ years, 1577 post, 82 days "won", 7 different "badge" categories, and I am a newbie. Ye Ha. Moderators???? How many "Grand Masters" do we have and what did they do to win this honor? For that matter, do we have anyone over newbie??????? Moderators, enquiring minds want to know!

I have an interesting idea. Larry Dahlberg (Freshwater and Saltwater Hall of Fame, Host of the TV Show Hunt for Big Fish, etc., etc) is the one that actually created and patented Flashabo. He can be be contacted directly on a web site called http://asklarry.huntforbigfish.com/. He is also a very good lure maker and designer himself (Whopper Plopper, Dahlberg Diver, Mr. Wiggley, Dahlberg Diving Frog, etc.). Best yet, he loves to teach and is very very free with lure building information and knowledge. You can go to Makelure.com to see some of his videos. My suggestion, ASK HIM.

Never seen one.

Remember that Pledge was designed for floors, so a cleaner works better for floors when you do your floors over and over. We are using Pledge "off label". So, in reality, the modern Pledge is better, for floors, but not for hobbyist.

First, the source and material. I just by the shafts with one end closed and the other I close with my wire bender. https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Looped-End-Wire-Shafts As for diameter, I use a micrometer (analog or digital) and measure spinners that are close to what I want to make. I think you will find that there is quite a range. For example, Rooster Tail used a much thinner wire than any other spinner of that size, but when the bend, and the bend often, they are useful only to cut apart for materials. For material, I don't worry about it when I buy the premade shafts. If you buy the coils from the same company, like lurepartsonline.com, it will be the right stuff. For whatever it is worth, it is spring stainless steel. https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Stainless-Steel-Wire-coils To me, diameter of wire is not that critical. If you have a large enough, but not too large, clevis you can use a range of wire sizes. I find that .062 wire is a bit large for most bass lures, but I use it for Muskie/pike spinners a lot. But, as you mentioned, bendability is an issue. If it bends, but springs back to shape, great, use it. If it bends, but takes a set and has to be re-bent back into shape, you will not enjoy it much.

I am not sure how to compare sizes or styles between our two areas. I try to use these: https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Easy-Spin-Clevises Size 1, .030", use on smaller baits typically 1/4oz or smaller These are fair blades to use. https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Painted-Colorado-Blades But, when you can get the right size, this is the type of Colorado Blade I prefer: https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Premium-Painted-Deep-Cup-Blades I am glad you got some to work, but I have trouble getting blades smaller than size 3, once in a while a size 2.

Createx opaque is pigment mixed into an acrylic medium, so using MinWax polyacrylic is essentially doing just that. The one they sell as the original intercoat is the acrylic. The new one that is better for Candy is one I have not used. I do know that to spray MinWax Polyacrylic you need to mix in 15% water. It does dry extremely clear. It will protect chrome paint and prevent it from turning gray when you clear coat it. The original Pledge is so much in demand it is demands up to $50 a bottle, a partial bottle, in the internet. The new Pledge has a cleaner in it so it can/does turn chromes and silvers grey. The original Pledge did/does protect chrome before clear coating. Holloway House "Quick Shine" dries super clear, and will also protect chrome from becoming grey. I see no reason that any of the above would not work. I don't know about the others. Hope this helps some.

I agree on all accounts. The old things I copied just used a weighted swimbait type hook to provided the "keel effect". I used a swimbait style, weight on the hook shank, jig hook bend if you will. This is a fun subject. I use to make, and buy, and use a lot of buzz baits. I swear that while they are not going to get you the most fish on most days, they sure do catch bigger fish in general.

Your point about straightening the bend is true, but it does not happen often, and normally takes several fish. In my case, I make some (somewhere I have them in storage) that are completely straight. There is no way to straighten what is already straight. I think that the downward bend is done to "put the lure" in the water more, or to convince the fisherman that it is. Does it matter? I don't know that it does. Bill Dance once pushed a buzz bait that had a long wire between the R bend and the hook, maybe 12". I have a couple still today, and except for the fact that it takes a bit to learn to cast them, having the hook a distance behind the blade seems to work very well. In fact, I suspect now that any short strikes on Buzz Baits are because the fish gets the hook lost in the wake of the blade, so perhaps the R Bend is better overall. Still, my straight model (a copy of an old one I saw as a kid) with hook weighted so it has hook up, will pull over emergent vegetation that other styles won't even get close to getting over. I guess that is why I have so many different ones. Want to talk about all the different blades, double, tri, quad, plastic, aluminum, steel, ....... never mind.

Good answers all. I have used the GoPro will some good success. The Water Wolf is what a friend uses. PS, more than bass and trout will hit the camera, catfish will, trout and kokanee also will hit it. In the past I used an underwater camera like what a lot use for ice fishing. You can set the camera just above the water and cast past it. Of course, you can hire a diver and....................OK, I can't afford that either.

I keep going back to this archived web site from across the pond. They specialize in wooden baits so the patterns that they give can help. http://www.lurebuilding.nl/indexeng.html Click on crankbait, jerkbaits or Surface. Inside that tab are more options. These are proven lures so that should get you started.

Try one with just the gold first, adding the beads, and make one up with the same painted one you have with the additional beads. The painting may make no difference.

It's not the weight, it is the angle of the blade relative to the width of the body and first couple of beads. On your 2nd from the left and the third, you have a micro bead than a small brass bead. Add at least one, maybe two. Below that hoj can add your weight back in. Your blades may be part of the problem. They looked like you painted them, so how much heavier are they than original. If the weight is too much, it slows down the spin. It would probably need to be 30% or more heavier than before the added paint. You are close, very close. Someday I will take the time to draw this out and take a picture. But, right now, I don't have a sketch to help you with.

Ya, those style blades are great. I find myself using them more and more.

I do know that there is a knock off of AlumiUV that Engineered Angler on YouTube has tested, and liked. It is about half price to AlumiUV, but taks a long time to ship from China. Still, can you get on Amazon and order the China Knock-off from UK?

Yes, and no. That product has cleaners in it, and the cleaners are said to cause issues, BUT I have not tried it myself. The stuff I know works is one of the two of these(I prefer gloss): 1) https://www.hobbylobby.com/search?q=minwax+polycrylic%3Arelevance&quickview=80958532 Mix this down with 15% water to use it in an airbrush. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Minwax-Polycrylic-Matte-Water-Based-Polyurethane-Actual-Net-Contents-11-5-fl-oz/1000447085?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-pnt-_-google-_-lia-_-219-_-interiorstains-_-1000447085-_-0&placeholder=null&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=CjwKCAjwz_WGBhA1EiwAUAxIccrffQNbu4e_KtYHswwFuVAc_yfhzJRXuuSbtc0rNGdt5Joffh_pshoCRA0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds You can spray this direct. 2) https://www.lowes.com/pd/Holloway-House-27-oz-Floor-Polish/1000204525?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-lwn-_-google-_-lia-_-127-_-traditionalcleaning-_-1000204525-_-0&placeholder=null&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=CjwKCAjwz_WGBhA1EiwAUAxIcUFVxflz5_LQtpZuTZoCpNYrxncBE83KX9JeWKuNP5hahcF3zRdH_BoCGJkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds This I use by dipping and letting it dry. The Quick Shine has a little bit of cleaner it it, but it seems to work just fine. The Min Wax Polyacrylic is essentially the same as the polyacrylic clear base in Createx paints. Again, I know this only because I saw this on YouTube by Engineered Angler, then I tried them. For me, they work well. I top clear coat with AlunmiUV.

OK, I will be the fly in the ointment here for sure. (or in this case, the soup, the hot plastic, the epoxy clear coat) LOL 1st, I agree that .031 is a little large for 1/16 oz, but if the clevis is large enough that won't matter. 2nd, I don't know what brand you are using, but size 1 Colorado blades (any size 1) take a pretty small clevis, so that should be OK. 3rd, I totally disagree with the positions taken on Colorado blades. Once spinning, they spin at almost right angles to the blade, not close to the body. They also spin easiest, with the most thump, and at the slowest speeds. OK, I bet someone is looking for raid to spray the fly in me about now. Willow Leaf blades spin the closest to the body, but the fastest. French blades are a good compromise and they are commonly used to provide a compromise. Hatchet blades create a lot of noise, can be tricky to spin on an in-line, but they do work; I upsize them one size. Dakota blades spin almost as fast as Willow Leaf, just have an extra reflective surface. I have missed some, but the point is that if you can use them on a bass spinner bait (safety pin style) you can use them in line as well. 4th, the beads between the body and the blade are the key IMHO. It appears to me that if you hang the spinner from the line tie that the blade will hit the hook points. For the blade to work, it must be able to start spinning and hanging up on the hook points prevents it from starting, allowing the Bernoulli effect to start and get the blade to spin. Either the body will need to be longer or the number of beads will need to increase so that the lure hanging on the line eye will not have the blade and hook interfere. Additionally, you need some distance to increase the starting angle on the body and the addition of at least a second bead should do that for you. To test this out, try to cut the wire out, make a new one with a single bead behind the body, add two more beads above the body and before the clevis for a total of 3, use the Colorado blade you have with the concave forward (a must). I suggest that while it might not look the greatest, it will work fine now. You can than remove beads as necessary/desired.

You and me both brother, you and me both. My wife has acquired an aversion to the smells of my stuff, so I need to paint outside. I swear, if I have the time I get the wind, and no wind, no time. I wait "at least overnight", but in reality, I have some ready for the next layer and I will need to wash an inch of dust off them when I get to them. OUCH!

Just a couple of minutes for recoating, but I let it set overnight before I do any final coats.

I actually like a little bleeding. Outlaw, looks good, but I do know how we all have our goals. I am a lousy painter, and yet, people love my lures most the time.......so either they are trying to make me feel better (most likely) or I do a better job than I think (NOT likely). An interesting intercoat I am playing with now that the original Pledge is not available is "Quick Shine Floor Finish". Same ingredients as the original Pledge but with a touch of cleaner. I wish the original Pledge was still available.