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rustyman

Crankbait Lip Making

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Wondering how the pros here cut out lexan lips. I've cut a few 1/8 in. lips for my baits close to size then try to use my disc sander but it heats up and makes a blob on the bottom. Wonder if it would be better to buy a few. Also does anyone have any idea on how long most epoxies like etex reach maximum hardness? Thanks, Rusty

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I rough them out with metal shears and then take the last millimeter of material down to the template line with a Dremel fine grit sanding drum. I think the Dremel offers best control . You can use a Dremel felt polishing cylinder to polish the edges afterward. Most epoxies are formulated to reach functional hardness after 24 hours.

Guys who make lures in volume need hundreds of one lip, not onesies and twosies like hobbiests. That usually means contract laser cutting or building a hydraulic press with a custom cutting die to punch out the lips in volume.

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@ rustyman

I am wondering , whether your material is the right stuff ?

I am cutting mine out just roughly with a small saw or jigsaw and sand them down to the marked outlines with a 60 grit sanding disc chucked into my lathe's motor .

Even sanding off 1/2" from the Lexan material in one pass does not cause me any of the problems , that you have described .

Never had issues about heating up and generating blobs , only a ridge of milky white rigid material would build up at the location engaged to the grinder , and it is not soft nor sticky at all !

I can easily cut it off with a sharp carpet knife , afterwards break the lip's edges with a small fine grade file and/or sandpaper(with the latter one needs to be very cautious to ONLY touch the edge , otherwise the lip's plane would become scratched) .

good luck , diemai :yay:

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This is a link to a pevious post on how I make my bills. When they come off the table they are finished. If you use a spiral bit they come out even a little nicer but not necessary. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/hard-baits/11444-making-bills-lips.html

Thanks for posting that, I will try it. I think I can get those spiral bits through work for free.

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http://www.tackleund...__fromsearch__1

Don't know if this is it or not but take a look. I found it by doing a Search on the forum.

That is how I cut out my lips. I use a router with a laminate trim bit. The hardest part is making the template and getting it symetrical. After that, the rest is easy. You can make all kinds of shapes as long as your trim bit will fit into the "nooks and crannies" of your template.

Gene

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