RAswimmers

From my experience balancing and the ratio of microballons are closely related. I've gotten a lot of help from the TU community and Matt's 1-1 ratio is the best place to start and the overall consensus for general buoyancy. One thing I can add to this is that this ratio will almost certainly need to be modified to fit the bait you're making. I find that there is distinct actions that happens when the ration and ballast / balance is not quite right (apples to lipless baits) , the roll and a dead action retrieve. Roll / wobble: if you get a roll or wobble when you retrieve the bait I've found that this can usually be fixed by making the bait more buoyant (adding more microballons) and adding more ballast. By doing this you are applying more force in the upward and downward direction forcing the bait vertical. In my experience this help with roll in any sink rate you want. The only downside to this is that the more balloons you add the weaker the bait gets and if changing the ratios doesn't fixe the roll problem then it's probably the shape of the bait. I've always though of it like this, a perfectly tuned wood bait has the most amazing action. Most wood used for baits is fairly light and buoyant, try to replicate wood then fine tune you ration and weight to get the exact action you want out of it. I hope this isn't too fare off topic.

I recently started using bulldog adhesion promoter and the stuff works great. I clean the blanks in warm soapy water two times then rinse and dry them with a lint free cloth. Spray it on lightly for the first coat then a little heavier on the second. I haven't had any problems since.

Hi wvhillbillyjIm, 1. Tresin baits are very durable and can withstand musky teeth. Be sure to use a good clear coat for extra protection 2. Two part urethane resin is machinable and is easy to drill out for accepting screw eyes. 3 yes sir. 4. I use epoxy (deacon 2ton) I don't drill the bait to add weight but I do fill any small holes or imperfection with this stuff and it works like a charm, never had any problems with it. If you do use resin be sure to add micro balloons for buoyancy check the hard baits cook book for recommended ratios. Good Luck, Pete

Hi wileel, It's strange that the voids are on the bottom of your pour . Are they strictly located at the bottom of the pour? Sorry I didn't see an images of the opposite side. I've never had any problem with the bottom of a pour just the top. I could go on and on about water contaminants etc. but It would all be speculation. Maybe someone else on TU has had this problem befor? Pete

Hi Willel, Here's what I think you can do to smooth out your pours 1. If you're using a carved piece of wood as you master make sure is not to porous and that it gets a good smooth sanding. (I don't use wood so I can only speculate this might be a problem) 2. look at your mold, does it have these marking in it? If so try to eliminate anything on your master that might be causing this. 3. When you mix the resin and micro balloons mix one side of the resin with the balloons and let all air rise to the top before mixing it with the other side, this allows for a more even mixture. a. if the side that has all of the voids is the top of the mold or the side that you pour the resin I would think that you are mixing to vigorously causing air to get entrapped which rises as it cures. 4. try to get a pour that requires almost no sanding. Like gon2long explained micro balloons are tiny glass spheres, if you sand them they rupture and leave very small voids. They will show up after you paint and clear. 6. Make sure your resin is clean of any residual residues from the silicone or resin, this will cause fish eye problems when you paint and clear. 5. If all else fails pressure cast them. There are some steps that help you cover them up once they are present, use an acrylics base primer to help fill them, epoxy to self level them or auto fillers like bondo. (search the forum for how to's) If pouring lure is something you want to do on a regular basis I would avoid trying to use to much surface filler and just make sure your process is dialed in, when I first started pouring resin I had similar problems, I constantly searched for a magic solution but In reality you have to make sure every step in your process is done properly. Once you dial it in it's not too difficult. Good luck, Pete