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Chuck Young

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Posts posted by Chuck Young

  1. On 7/1/2018 at 6:00 PM, bonepile said:

    hmmm? what's the reason to not use a wood mixing stick? i'm the same, I use a flat, wooden stick to mix mine, has never been an issue. I

    It may be a bigger deal if you are using E-Tex for a pour on surface or for art. That is what the maker of the product designed it for. So that is what the directions are for. A thick, poured on puddle is especially where you would see bubbles. So the directions are for the prevention of bubbles. If you brush it on to fishing lures, you pop most of them anyway. If you use a round stick, you can still achieve complete mixing by doing the counter rotating thing instead of scraping. It pulls all the edge product into the middle. As for mixing it for a full two minutes - I see no problem with mixing it a little longer, it has a pretty long pot life. 

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  2. Thanks, Pete. I value your opinion a lot.

    By way of update, I tried 3m spray adhesive as well. It grabbed the foil fine, if you got he timing right. But you can't slide the foil around, and the finish was not as smooth or shiny. Any residue that got on the "chrome" was easily contaminated. Superglue also proved useless, contaminating the chrome.

    I didn't wait for the epoxy to get tacky. It went into the clamp right away. It stays there until  it is cured.  I tried waiting for the epoxy to tack up before applying foil,  but the results were unsatisfactory.  Any epoxy that gets on the chrome does not ruin it. In fact most excess gets removed with the plastic film. Atmospheric pressure or vacuum pressure was not enough to compress the thin epoxy. The pressure from that particular foam with the parallel clamp is perfect for conforming to the details of the lure. The thin epoxy and relief cuts allow the excess to escape.  It was surprising that virtually no weight was gained with this process. 

    The uv cure epoxies might not fully cure once under the reflective chrome, unless they are a dual cure formula. But tackiness is not as big a problem as some make it out to be. Paint sticks to it, so does the top layer of epoxies. Those laminating fiberglass use a special epoxy that remains tacky, so it will bond properly. 

  3. On 6/8/2018 at 8:42 PM, Anglinarcher said:

    Sally Hansen Hard as Nails clear is reported to work if you do not touch the surface with the brush.  I have my doubts (LOL) but will test it some day.

    If you coated it that way, you would end up with a very thick coat - probably throwing the weight way off. I have abandoned this approach in favor of heat transfer foil and epoxy. Measurements before and after showed no difference in weight of a bait chromed this way.  

    I have posted a tutorial, thread, and gallery pics. A disproportionate number of the pics show mistakes, which were part of the learning process. I made them so you won't have too. Even those with errors, they look better that a spray chromed lure would after just a few fish. The last 1/2 dozen lures done came out very well. I am now confident that most lures, if not all, can be chromed this way. The foil can be coated with e-tex, Devcon, and probably all the rest as well - with no loss of luster.   I am sure many improvements can be made on this process. All I ask is that you share any improvements. 

    • Like 2
  4. I am a big fan of holographic films on lures. The big trick with either of these patterns is getting the scale pattern. There are two ways of accomplishing this. 

    For the mostly white lure, I would apply paint in this order:

    Entire body - O white

    Entire body - Createx F white (fluorescent white under clear holographic film has both fluorescence and reflection)

    To apply scales using nail art film, I would apply the adhesive, then lay a scale mesh over the lure before applying the nail art film. Apply pressure with layers of craft foam in a vise while it dries. Do both sides before removing the film and scale mesh. 

    This should leave you with the holographic scales with blank spaces where the mesh was. If you use clear holographic film, the fluorescent white will show through even where the film is. 

    Finish the lure by using a gill stencil. the color used for the gills on the lure is Folk Art neon blue. You will have to thin it if you want to spray it. The kill spot (black) is generally applied just above the lat line and just behind the gill plate

    The second method for applying the scales is to use Thinned Wicked pearl silver sprayed through a scale mesh. Apply a thin coat only - you just want to get a hint of reflection.

    The other lure you showed is a Citrus shad. After applying scale effect, spray F yellow along the entire length of the bottom. Then also just above the lat line - not all the way to the top. 

    Apply scale mask, then spray Folk Art neon blue to the top. Fade it down on the sides over part of the yellow, but do not cover all the yellow. The kill spot shown is also neon blue. Personally, I prefer a black kill spot. I also like to put a touch of F sunburst to the belly. 

     

    I wanted to post a link to a gallery pic. But I was unable to access it. Only a few are available to view .

     

     

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  5. I am looking to start carving cedar musky lures. What are your favorite sizes, patterns, actions, etc. Attach pics if you will. I am not looking to copy what is out there. Rather, I want to develop some new ideas to improve what is out there. What kind of action should I look to create? What would you like to see?

  6. I got some chrome heat transfer foil. Now I am trying to figure out a good way to apply it without a heat transfer machine. I bought teflon sheets, .31" silicone pad, and I have an iron. So far, this will not work. I have tried a few different adhesives in a soft foam press. This has led to some interesting effects. 

    I have also tried vaccu-forming the foil over the lure with a heat gun after applying adhesive. Then putting it in a press till it cured. This has led to the best coverage. 

    Adhesives used so far: 1) Elmers craft adhesive 2) Four drops Devcon 2 ton reduced with 2 drops Denatured alcohol. I also will purchase some 3m spray adhesive (probably 90, since it handles heat better and has the adjustable spray). 

  7. I have tired that. When I finish my experiments, I will post some pics for comparison. So far I have done nail art powder brushed to the topcoat, over: 1)rustoleum metalic silver, 2)aluminum foil, 3)white 4) wicked silver. also I have mixed it with topcoat over;  1) painted lure 2) white blank 3) foiled and painted lure. 

     

  8. I know little about Musky lures, and nothing about musky fishing. Although if someone wants to educate me, I have a few road trips left in me!

    That being said, most musky baits I see are made of much stronger wood. Mark is definitely right about the weight needed to strengthen balsa to withstand a large toothy predator. Additionally,  to achieve the right buoyancy (if you are making a diving bait) you have to add a lot of weight. That would also counteract the properties of balsa. 

    A stronger more dense wood might be recommended. I am sure more experience members have some recommendations. 

    • Like 1
  9. Turn an avid 2" frog into a mouse. 

    Fold paper and draw ear pattern as shown. 

    Test fit on blank. when it is right, unfold it and mark stencil plastic where you want the ears cupped. 

    Punch holes in a piece of 1/4" craft foam where you want the ears cupped. 

    Use a heat gun to vacuu-form the ears. 

    Fold the plastic to match the two indents. 

    Lay your paper pattern on the fold, putting the cups in the best looking place.

    Cut them out then attach to frog  blank using the fold line and the seam on lure as a guide. The beginning of the ears should sit just behind the eyes. 

    Painting does not require an airbrush. 1st coat as follows:

    bottom - Createx T med gray.  Sides - o white. Top - T dark brown.

    Apply the second coat sparsely, leaving plenty of brush strokes showing the first coat. 

    Bottom - o white. Sides - T dark brown. Top - T med gray. 

    Tail: Lay some black, brown, or grey maribou fibers flat on a treble and whip finish. 

    The eyes were made with a thin coat of wicked P black sprayed over silver eyes. 

     

     

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