rclark12 Posted January 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 i personaly fnd it pretty interesting tht the etex is strong enough even at a 50/50 mix!!!! so you do it in a bucket and let the pugs soak? and does it give them a real hard finish or just seal them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jameso321 Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 i personaly fnd it pretty interesting tht the etex is strong enough even at a 50/50 mix!!!!so you do it in a bucket and let the pugs soak? and does it give them a real hard finish or just seal them No. These lures are 2-3 oz saltwater lures. They are pretty big. You take two 16oz solo beer cups and at least 1oz ( am usually working with at least 2oz and at least 10 lures) of the etex/da solution. Poor the solution from cup to cup covering the lure inside and out. Wear gloves, goggles. I suppose if you have small crank baits and were sealing enough of them, you could mix something like 4oz and drop them in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOONSDAD Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Just starting in this fun hobby/want to start a business/ want to become rich/ want to retire wealthy/ I don't know what I'm doing. But I am trying to read up as much as I can and sometimes get over whelmed with the info. Is the proper process to shape the lure, sand , prime, paint and then e-tex? I haven't done woodworking and painting since my pine-wood derby days 35 years ago and I know that my lures have to with stand more torture than rolling down a track. Thanks guys and gals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Welcome to TU Goonsdad. It is good to have ambitions and I wish you luck with it. You missed out seal coat, after sanding. The seal coat serves several functions. It provides an additional waterproofing boundary, in addition to the top coat. It adds strength, especially with lighter woods like balsa. It also improves the finish by preventing the grain from rising and becomming visible through the paint. After sealing, a light sanding will remove any raised grain and you have a great keying surface for the paint process. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOONSDAD Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 This may sound goofy but has anyone tried "Thompsons Water Seal" to seal the wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOONSDAD Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 B.T.W. Vodkaman thank you for the warm welcome, many ambitions soooo little time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snax Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 The Thomson's does not provide good adhesion for the paints that go on top. Better to use a proven and tested method of sealing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 (edited) Rclark - No bucket soaking lures in epoxy. You'd end up with a big bucket shaped hunk of epoxy with your lures permanently preserved inside it like a flies caught in amber:lol: A bucket of epoxy would cost a fortune - once you mix epoxy, it's gonna cure hard. So you want to be mixing batches that are just enough to do the job at hand. The only reason you add solvent to epoxy is mechanical: to get it thin enough to brush on a lure easily (topcoat) or to get it thin enough to soak into bare wood (undercoat). For undercoating, you want to mix the Devcon Two Ton epoxy, then mix in an equal volume of denatured alcohol, then brush it on. If you don't have a lure turner, you can brush it on, leave it for a couple of minutes to soak in, then wipe it off with a cloth and hang it to cure. Or if the epoxy solution is very thin, just hang the lure to cure and let the epoxy drip off the tail. Sand lightly afterward to remove the gloss and get a smooth surface for painting. Undercoating is different from using epoxy as the lure topcoat, though you may use the same epoxy for both jobs. In undercoating, you're trying to give the bare wood some waterproofing in case the topcoat fails in the future and you're also preventing the grain of the wood from swelling when you paint the wood with water based acrylic paint. When you topcoat with Devcon Two Ton epoxy, you mix it up but only add a very few drops of solvent (the less the better; none if possible). Then you brush it on and turn the lure for 30-45 mins while it cures so the Devcon will not sag. Envirotex Lite contains solvent and is already very thin, so you don't need to add solvent. But it cures slower so you need to turn it longer, and you usually need to do multiple coats. Hope this helps. Edited January 10, 2009 by BobP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jameso321 Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Funny when people mention making money. You would make more money working at Burger King for your time invested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snax Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Funny when people mention making money.You would make more money working at Burger King for your time invested. It all depends on how much money you (and your customers) think your time is worth. I have to scratch my head at the folks who will spend hours hand crafting a bait only to put it on Ebay and practically give it away. Of course convincing the customers that your time is worth what you ask is another entire topic unto itself. If you build a good reputation and are always on top of your customer service there's no reason why you can't earn some tidy cash from selling your baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 How much is your time worth to crankbait buyers? Nada, zilch, zero. Buyers compare your product to your competition, including factories that crank out thousands per day. If you build a bait that looks great and fishes great, and sell all you make at a competitive price higher than your cost in time & material, you're in business. Otherwise, you're not. What's the first thing to get discounted? Compensation for your time, of course! It's definitely not a get rich fast deal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snax Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 I guess it's different if you sell smaller baits to the average consumer but if you can tap into the right market making larger lures, there's money to be made. Mind you, the time factor goes up along with the increase in size so there's got to be a much higher price tag to match. Musky anglers are a fanatical bunch and will pay top dollar for a special bait to take on their trips. The same holds true for many saltwater anglers also. It's all about finding or creating a market for your product. Not every angler will pay you what you're worth...but there are those who will and that's who I build my baits for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 many fail to realize. sealing can depend upon the wood types. also water temps factor into the mix.. lure maufacturing becomes a process. time becomes money... e-bay can become a dumping ground for over zealous folks that feel they have the newest rage. most lure makers that manufacture for sale have spent years struggling before becoming mainstream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOONSDAD Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Personally I do believe there is money to be made. It all depends on on how hard one wants to work and what he is attempting to sell whether it is a product or a service. In this line of work/hobby I think that there are so many lures that look and act so similar that many are just re-inventing the wheel. I would also guess that many are of us here doing this not necessarily to make money but to build something with pride and see that it actually catches fish... I mean how fun and cool is that?!?!?! Yes and true is the fact that if it does become a business it could actually take the fun out of fishing. With the time that I have thought about how to improve the design of my lure and how to mass produce but still be hand crafted, I could have bought a Burger King...at work, when the Mrs. is "talking at me":whistle:(don't tell her that.) In the shower, on the throne etc... Hello my name is "Goonsdad" and I have a problem... sorry to ramble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
