New to this, need advice

[crazzyjunior]

Hi guys I'm new to this whole lure making thing, but I have an Idea for a new stick bait, my first question is can anyone tell me where I could get some Bass Wood Dowel? Or would Pine be better? My idea is for a jerk bait.

Thanks in advance;

Crazzyjunior

[Palmetto Balsa]

Bass wood is hard to find in a dowel rod but you can find small boards or sticks..

Try Michael's and Hobby Lobby for Bass Wood and get a couple of sticks to start with. It is usually in the rack with the Balsa Wood. You could also look at the bags of scrap Bass Wood and see if it has 3 or 4 pieces that will be the sizes you can use.

You could use Pine but I think you would be more satisfied with the way Bass Wood cuts and sands.

[crazzyjunior]

Actually believe it or not I don't plan on cutting it at all. So with that in mind would Pine perhaps be a little easier to acquire?

Thanks

Crazzyjunior

[now thats a fish]

No dowels, but they have basswood lure blanks.

woodcraft

For (pine?) dowels...I think Wally World, Target, Ace, etc...has them, not sure if they're pine?? I think they're around 36" long.

For larger dia. go to a lumber yard and get closet pole material...it should be pine.

Edited March 20, 2009 by now thats a fish

[Birdman]

One of the things we all learn when first starting out is some of what you need doesn't exist in the form or shape you desire. In other words, you may need to make your own. In your case, a small lathe and chisels will get you started. Right away you'll find yourself making an investment in this craft but if you only spend your money once, it should last you for years and provide you with truckloads of baits.

One quick word about Basswood. I have consulted many luremakers regarding this particular wood. First you need to understand no bait, no matter how well you seal and coat it, is truely waterproof, especially after it has seen some action. Basswood has the quality of swelling or expanding when wet causing bait finishes to crack and split. I know this painfully well from my own experiences.

Good luck

[spidergrub6]

So if bass wood expands and swells (Which I have experienced), is it better to use balsa or white cedar. I've had a lot of problems trying to seal basswood.

[jamie]

I used basswood in the beginning and ran into the same problem. Muskys teeth and hooks would pucture the bait letting water to seep in the bait and cracking was a problem for me also.

[mark poulson]

I've been making lures a while now, and here's what I've learned and tried.

The irony is that water, which is where the fish live, is the enemy of lure finishes.

You'll have to seal any wood you chose to make a lure from, or water intrusion will be a problem. Even oily tropical hardwoods.

For small balsa lures, super glue can be used.

For larger lures, there are myriad choices.

Some like propionate, which is plastic dissolved in acetone.

Some like Minwax Polyacrylic, which is a waterborne acrylic that penetrates and seals.

Some like Minwax Wood Hardener, which is a polymer that penetrates and seals.

There are other wood hardener systems around, and all of them operate the same. The polymer is wicked into the cells of the wood, and into the cellulose walls, where it hardens and reinforces the cell wall as the solvent evaporates.

All of these choices are good in their own way.

The major problem is that wood is soft and it's cells are hollow, so any accidental encounters with hard objects, like rocks, can dent the wood, and the top coating, paint scheme, and sealer along with it. This creates micro cracks which can allow water to penetrate the wood cells, and, once there, to expand when heated by sunlight or warm outside air beneath the finish and cause it to fail. It's like when your glasses get fogged up when your breath hits them.

When I still used wood, I found the wood hardener worked best for me. I would soak my lures for five minutes, and then let them air dry for two days before I primed and painted them, to be sure all the solvent had evaporated off. Otherwise, trapped solvent would cause bubbles under the paint when I heat set it.

If I were you, I'd investigate PVC decking and trim materials. They are buoyant, and waterproof, and the work the same as wood.

And I don't think you'll find pine dowels. The dowels sold in lumber yards, in the smaller sizes, are birch, and the larger sizes, like clothes pole, are fir.

Since you're just getting started, explore all the options before you commit to one material or process.

Right now, you're just a blank canvas, with a masterpiece just a few brushstrokes away.

Good luck.

So if bass wood expands and swells (Which I have experienced), is it better to use balsa or white cedar. I've had a lot of problems trying to seal basswood.

Edited April 7, 2009 by mark poulson