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Ces

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  1. Thanks for all the help mate.
  2. On ya Steve. The through wire idea was purely for the rattle (i have been trying glass rattles), my timber models all used twisted wire eyelets, glued in with no problem. I don't see our bass busting up these lures. As far as the Q-cells I'm using, here's a description from the website 'Fibreglass & Resin Sales'- www.fibreglass-resin-sales.com.au " Q Cells – One of the original micro spheres, bubbles or balloons. It has reasonable compression strength and is generally used to get bulk without adding too much weight. It also sands easily. " That store is not where I bought them but it's the same product. I think you've set me on the right path. I might try some home rotomoulding with straight RC-3 and then popping some ball bearings in after the fact for the rattle, as I already have plenty of that product. If that doesn't produce I'll try Alumifoam and give up on the rattles. The timber prototypes didn't have them and they still caught fish. What do you think of this idea for adjusting my pouring mould for rotomoulding? Insert a hard blank into the mould, coat the pour hole with mould release, fill pour hole with RTV silicone and let set. Use this as a plug. The mould also has 1 small vent (toothpick sized). Just stick toothpick in the vent hole before rotomoulding? Thanks again, Steve. Ces
  3. Really great info Wayne. Thank you very much for sharing. I can tell a lot of research went into the knowledge behind those posts, so it is very generous of you to put it up here. In terms of my resin mixing method, I slowly mix the measured amount of microballoons in the hardener until thoroughly mixed but not too aerated and then quickly mix in the resin before pouring. Using this technique, above 12% by weight of Q-cells turns my resin into something like very thick peanut butter. Forget the size of the pour holes.... this stuff would need to be spread into the mold with a butter knife. Wherre am I going wrong? I'll have to give the home-roto moulding a go... I was thinking of securing the rattle to an internal harness/through-wire system, so the foam couldn't move it about. What do you think? Also, I think its best to know what I'm planning on chasing with these baits. These are designed as top-water walkers for Australian Bass. I have heard some guys comment that they are similar to White Bass found in some parts of the U.S. Typical forage for Aus Bass off the top would be flies, dragonflies, beetles, cicadas and moths not frogs, mice and lizards, so the baits need to be a little smaller than the standard Large Mouth bait. I have heard some anglers say my 55 mm baits are too big but I have caught tiny bass with the lures so I cant agree. Thanks again Wayne. Ces.
  4. Hi Wayne, Its 55 mm (about 2 1/4 ") and I think that's the problem. Larger baits may allow for more microballoons because of larger pouring holes (I think), also the hardware going into a bait with smaller volume effects the buoyancy more (please note that both of these statements are conjecture). At the moment, anything above about 12% microballoons by weight makes the resin unpourable. I do believe, the pour hole is adequate after several adjustments, however AnglinArcher's charts leads me to believe that achieving the specific gravity I'm after may be impossible with RC-3 and microballoons/Q-cells. Either way, I cant get enough microballoons in my resin to mach the 0.48 gm per cm squared density timber (i.e. Radiata Pine) I designed the master and tested the lure on. I believe that Alumifoam has a density of around 0.47, so might be a good start but then I want to add rattles.... which the timer models didnt have, so I dont know? Thanks again guys. Sorry to the Hillbilly Voodoo for hijacking the post but I think this info might be helpful to you too, mate. Cheers, Ces.
  5. Hey guys, I've been using Alumiite white with microballoons but its just not buoyant enough for what I want. I'm looking to switch to Alumifoam but are you able to drill it, sand it or carve it? Thanks for the help guys. Cheers, Ces.
  6. Hey guys, I recently received a new commercial spinnerbait mould that I'm 90 % happy with. All the specs I wanted and it pours easily... however, the surface of the spinner bait heads comes out very textured due to the finish on the mould. Is there a way of polishing the moulds somehow to get a smoother finish on the heads? Its probably fine for powder paint but I want to airbrush mine. thanks for the help guys. Cheers, Ces.
  7. Thanks everyone. Great information there. I'll have to look into those commercial models as the one's I've pre-shaped are set to be sub-surface lures, too slim to ever carry ballast and hooks etc to float by the sounds of things. Oh well... I'm sure I'll find a use for them. Now to take everything on board and try again. Drop belly may be the way to go for what I'm after. I'm looking for a mullet/smelt profile. thanks again guys. cheers, ces.
  8. Hey guys, Was wondering if anyone is making small gliders, say a 2 1/4 inch version? I haven't seen any commercial models so I was thinking it was just too hard or there isn't a commercial market. Thanks guys, Ces.
  9. I think 40 mm is around 1.57 inches. Thanks guys.
  10. Hey guys, I'm just getting into making resin baits (been working with timber for a few years) and I wondered how small you can go with pouring resin baits (microballoons, internal harness and rattle included) so that it still will have top water buoyancy? I want to make a 40 mm long top water walker with aluminium bib. I have a 58 mm version ready to mold that I'm confident will float but I'm not sure about downsized version. I question whether I should bother molding it or just suck it up and make timber ones. Thanks for the help guys. Cheers, Ces.
  11. Maybe try experimenting with translucent white under the areas you want purple with a fade in the white (heavier coat where you want strong purple) which may give you a fade between purple and yellow. I usually do this if I'm putting light scales over a dark background (i.e. trans. white then scale colour). Good luck. Cheers, Ces.
  12. nice work mate. you'll get it dialled in.
  13. what epoxy are you using mate? A week is a long time to wait I reckon. have you considered switching to etex? It fully cures in 48-72 hours but I'm happy swimming mine after about 36 hours (final coat). For straight epoxy, the RPM of your turner wont matter too much as long as its not spinning so fast as to throw all the epoxy to the outer edge. Good luck with it. The glitter idea is not mine but a good one. Cheers, Ces.
  14. Not necessarily. If I'm adding glitter or some sort of shimmer medium to the top coat the rotation on the lure turner can sometimes have the effect of throwing the glitter etc. to the outer edge of the top coat, particularly with thinner epoxies like e-tex, so I'll start with the glitter coat and then 8 hours later add a second clear coat. This might not be a problem on very slow spinning drying wheels. My motor is from a BBQ rotisserie and does a about 6 RPM (from memory). However, for totally clear baits I let them cure completely between coats. This is because if I do get some fish eyes occurring I can't be sure how bad the oil/dust/whatever contamination is and I wipe them down with alcohol after the first coat of epoxy. I usually end up doing 3 coats. Dont be nervous if the first or even the second coat dont look perfect just make sure you've brushed epoxy everywhere and the coats will build up.
  15. As others have mentioned, practice. But multiple thin layers can help. Keep the oils away from it between each coat or you'll keep getting fish eyes.
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