VanBass

I've used quite a bit of balsa for making model planes, fishing floats and more recently small fly fishing poppers for panfish. To put it bluntly, I don't care for the (typical densities of) the balsawood that I could buy from the hobby stores. Find balsa to be too soft (crushes and bruises too easily) and needs a good epoxy "skin" to make it durable. I found that polishing my knife blade to a mirror finish (with 600 grit sandpaper to remove the fine burr) made carving easier. A good quality 100 grit open coat sandpaper glued to a paint-stir stick makes a decent "rasp" for shaping balsa wood. The fine dust is a problem as it gets into everything. I prefer basswood over balsa. I've made a couple of canoes and kayaks with basswood strips though they "fuzz" a bit when power-sanded, raising the fibers with a damp cloth followed with a light hand sanding fixes that. Again sharp blades and fresh sandpaper are best to cut the fibers cleanly rather than tearing them. Up the "carveability scale" are cedar and white pine - both are relatively soft and nice to work with. You may want to consider those woods as well. Van

@Sonny.Barile Thanks for your comments! I've just started experimenting with a couple of clear acrylic products and your suggestion for the ratios will be a good starting point. I'll post the results once I am done. Van

@Hillbilly voodoo Thanks for the reply! Never used a J-plug, I like the shape (looks like it would be good in wood) and was going by its reputation as a trolling plug. Was intending to troll the J-plugs at slower speeds for lake trout and walleye so a less erratic, swim-bait type of action would be desirable. Thinking about my application and the action I am looking for I might be better off to focus on swim-baits. The local fish seem to prefer a slower wobble over a frantic wiggle. Van

@Hillbilly voodoo "I can tell you wood is not a good substitute" ...Sorry to hear that as the J-plug was one of the baits that I wanted to try. Was going to buy a commercial J-plug to use as a template but won't waste my time if it can't be duplicated in wood. Would you please share what you tried. I was thinking that some plastic baits (because of air chambers) might need a combination of two different density woods (like maple and basswood) to get the proper balance/action. Cheers! Van

@mark poulson Thank Mark - appreciate your help! Van

@BobP I like your suggestion of copying commercial baits, lots in the tackle box for reference. There are a couple of baits that I would like to make in 1/2" increments so that I can follow the length of the forage throughout the season. I like to use a bait (or streamer fly) that is about 20% larger than the baitfish. Van

@Chuck Young Beautiful work Chuck! Will have to try it!

Interesting read. Being new to building hard baits I'm curious as to what (experienced) people are doing. When selecting a lure I consider its working depth and the type of action it has, color and pattern are chosen based on water clarity and light penetration. My thinking is that you have to present the lure to the fish where they are (within the range they are willing to chase) and the action should suit their mood. In all of the discussions (above) of color and pattern little was said if the lure was catching fish during prime time when they were feeding heavily or of it was off time when fishing is slower. I think that "mood" is an important factor in choosing which lure to use. People often name lure types per the fish they catch on them (spoons are pike lures and jigs are walleye lures) where they are really associating the action to the (typical) mood of the fish. Pike are aggressive 75% of the time so a fast presentation with a spoon is a good choice, walleyes are subdued 75% of the time so a slow presentation with a jig works well - mind that walleyes will hit a high-speed spoon when they aggressive - no problem! Just saying that it seems that the fishes mood doesn't get considered very often in all this discussion. For the record, simple color schemes (darker back, light sides and lighter belly) have always worked well for me. Florescent blue, orange or chartreuse back for deep water and black, dark grey or olive in shallow water. Typically silver or gold sides. If perch is the predominant forage I will use that pattern but usually it is simple colors. That being said, I am looking forward to learning to paint some of those beautiful sunfish patterns I have been seeing! So, fish or fishermen? ...I let the fish tell me what they want Van

@Anglinarcher Thanks, this does help! It's the exact kind of information (experience) that helps us newbies! Made notes The Varathane product is very similar to the Minwax. The same color, viscosity, tackiness and even smell is (almost) the same. I had a can of the Varathane for other projects so I thought I would test it as well - bonus is that it is "Exterior" use rated so it's more water proof and UV resistant. Bummer about the Pledge, the bottle I got says "Original" on it but I doubt it is the original original. Hate when "new and improved" products don't work as well as the original one. I like how clear the Pledge is but I suspect that word "Cleaner" on the label implies extra chemicals that may not play well with pigments and chrome or bright silver finishes. More testing to be done. I'll probably end up buying proper transparent paint for general use but tinting a clear base sounds like an interesting experiment. It might be useful to add a tiny hint of color to an intercoat to mimic the sheen you see on a lot of bait fish. Van

@ravenlures Interesting that you would pour off the polycrylic ("decant" it ?) to get rid of the "sediment". My first thoughts would be that the stuff on the bottom of the can was part of the product and had just settled out in storage. But then, I am thinking it terms of a paint medium and pigment. ...I just checked my (new) can of Minwax Polycrylic and did find a bit of sediment but there was also instructions to stir the product. @mark poulson Lots of views but few comments, guess that there's an interest or a curiosity about tinting polycrylic. Since I asked first, I'll volunteer to do some testing. As you suggest Mark, it will be a good learning experience. I have 4 water based products that have potential... Pledge "Floor Gloss" - it's crystal clear with a 30 minute drying time. Holloway House "Quick Shine" - it's milky, 1 hour drying time. Minwax "Polycrylic" - Gloss (Interior) it's milky, 2 hour drying time (probably less drying time when thinned to spraying viscosity) . Varathane "Diamond Wood Finish" - Gloss (Exterior) it's milky, 2-3 hour drying time (probably less drying time when thinned to spraying viscosity). Was thinking about using opaque black Createx Wicked (mixed and thinned as required then) sprayed on white paper (with printed text) to gage the transparency. Any thoughts/suggestions? Van

I'm just setting up for airbrushing and bought the two C'tex sets (Basic 1 & 2) not realizing that they are all opaque paint. I am waiting for my compressor and polycrylic to be delivered so I can't try/test this myself. I'll eventually order some but in the meantime I'm wondering if anyone has tried making a transparent paint by tinting polycrylic with C'tex? Any other suggestions on how to make transparent paint? Van

Watched the video, seems that if a "minnow bait" turns out to have a subtle or subdued action it may perform well as a jerk bait. ...good to remember if my minnow baits don't turn out the way I hope

@Hillbilly voodoo Yeah, agree - enough thinking - time to make shavings Van

@Anglinarcher Thanks for that link, sounds to be exactly what I need. I'll check it out! @Travis ...hmm the wrong search word problem again eh ? LOL! Thanks for your comments Travis! Much appreciated! Being (very) technical in nature I guess that I am over-thinking hard bait design. Seen a lot of videos where they just free-hand a lure profile and start carving, I always wonder how many "duds" they make before getting a bait that swims the way they want. Yes, lure profiles are easy to get from pictures, it is the lip/bib shape and weighting that is the concern. Lots of commercial lures in the tackle box that I know the action of. Thinking that studying them (their weight and for they float) would be a good to develop a feel for lure design. Looking to be an interesting hobby! Cheers! Van

First, thanks for the help in selecting a wood to carve hard baits - I've cut a enough cedar and basswood (1 1/4 inch thick) to keep me busy for quite a while :) Being new to carving hard baits I thought that it would be better to make a couple different ones following proven patterns before venturing into (trying) to design one of my own. I searched for "pattern" and found lots about painting. I'm used to fly tying where patterns are readily available, are there public patterns/plans/templates for wood baits on the forum? Any sites/links to where I can find some? Thanks! Van

@Anglinarcher I have a bottle of the Holloway floor finish so I will give that a try. My airbrush paint finally arrived so I can test these products while I'm practicing my airbrushing techniques (wish me luck LOL). I'll see about getting some of the Minwax polycrylic as well. Thanks for your help! Van

Try using a good quality 180 grit wet-dry sandpaper (the black stuff, you can usually find it in the automotive section of the hardware store) and a sanding block to shape your lips. G10 or FR4 is tough stuff and regular sandpaper will dull/break down quickly. Once the sandpaper is dull it is difficult to control. I (strongly) recommend using a good dust mask and working in a well ventilated area. The dust from G10 or FR4 (cured resin and glass fibers) is pretty nasty. Van

@Travis "Very easy to just mill a few fire logs and stack/sticker and air dry" LOL! Glad that I'm not the only one stealing logs from the firewood pile to re-saw for projects! Van

@JD_mudbug Thanks for your comments! I have quite a stock of dry basswood, cedar and several hardwoods to get me started carving baits but I will definitely be re-sawing a bunch of poplar to put aside to air-dry. As Travis mentioned, I can always microwave-dry small pieces of poplar to try. I do have a moisture meter to check the wood with. Van

@Anglinarcher I found some of this at the local hardware store, is this similar to the product that you were talking about? I picked up a bottle to try as an intercoat. https://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Pledge-Floor-Multi-Surface-Finish/dp/B07BNNCT6L/ref=sr_1_9?crid=2UORPTN6PDLO7&dchild=1&keywords=pledge+floor+cleaner&qid=1625192093&sprefix=Pledge%2Caps%2C232&sr=8-9

Thank Mark! I read that thread, interesting but for now I have lots of wood and no PVC. I'll definitely try PVC once I get some experience with wood baits. Van

Thanks AZ! This does help - I'll be adding a hair dryer to the kit Van

Thanks! That's exactly the kind of information that I need Anglnarcher! I find that every intrest has it's jargon and the subtle does and don'ts that a newbie has to negotiate before they can really participate. Thanks for your help! Van

I'm researching hard bait airbrushing (while waiting for my paint to be delivered) and have a couple of questions about intercoating that I hope you can help with. First question(s) would be: do you intercoat between paint layers? Is it necessary or a waste of time? Presuming intercoating is good to do, what products do you recommend to use or avoid? I have read about Minwax Polycrylic as an intercoat, is Varathane brand Diamond Wood Finish (also a water based product) suitable? Any others to consider? A lot of the plastic model people use Pledge (Future) as a clear coat/gloss coat, is it any good as an intercoat for hard baits? When using a glossy intercoat do you remove the "shine" before shooting the next layer? I ask because I always steelwool (0000) lightly between coats of polyurethane (for good adhesion) when finishing my projects. Thanks in advance for your comments! Van

Thanks for the input guys! Looks like cedar and basswood at the top of the list with maple for special baits. That’s good as I have quite a bit of those woods cut and dried @ Hillbilly voodoo - NO didn’t vote for Trudeau ...don't get me going LOL! @ Anglinarcher - I’ll do a bit of research into poplar (as I like the grain and hardness of the wood) and post anything I find out. @ ravenlures – I’ll be making lures (mostly) to fish them, might make a couple for display if I get skilled enough to make something worthwhile. Thanks for the welcome! @ Outlaw4 – yes, I skipped over balsa. All the woods I listed are ones that I can harvest off of my property. Figured that basswood, being a bit harder and finer grained would be a good substitute for balsa. I do have some balsa that I have been using to make fly fishing poppers and will try a lure or two with it. Cheers! Van