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macstackleman

Pvc Advantages?

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Gonna build my first PVC crankbait. Was wondering what the advantages of this product is for crankbaits? Have built several balsa, red cedar, and foam baits. Gotta see what this PVC is all about. Thanks, You people are the best!! Some of the baits I see on this site I wouldn't even use they are so good looking!!

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All materials have their pros and cons. PVC is water proof so no sealling step. But you may want to cover surface finish for a smoother surface for painting. Will depend on how far down the grit scale you want to sand the PVC. Being waterproof you can test out ballasting sooner in the build process.

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And it's hard and strong, so it holds screws and resists teeth. But the dust is irritating, so always use a dust mask when you're machining it, or even hand sanding.

I have been a carpenter for almost 50 years, so I may have over-sensitive sinuses, but every time I sand or machine PVC without a dust mask, I have a runny nose that night and the next morning. It's really annoying! Grrr....

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I especially like it for prototyping new baits. When your playing around with weighting a new lure it saves tons of time because your not having to worry about sealing it before each float test. Another good thing about the PVC is that even if the top coat fails the worst that can happen is your paint job gets screwed up. The PVC, being waterproof, won't swell up like wood if it does get wet. And like Mark said it's tough. The only thing I don't like about it so far is it can be a pain to sand if your doing your final shaping by hand with sandpaper. Seems like it gums up the sandpaper. Other than that it's been great. Thanks to Mark I finally gave it a try and will definitely be using it on more of my baits. (Mark, I said thanks.....now will you please call the hounds off) :unsure:

Ben

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Mark your right about the dust. PVC dust feel abrasive on the skin.. Also it is not a natural substance like wood, its plastic and won't breakdown or be absorbed in the body.

I've found when I use my belt sander on the PVC, you charge the particles with static electricity and the stuff sticks to everything, me, my apron, the bench, everything. My wife gets pi$$ed when I track the stuff in the house, and guess who gets to vacuum it up? :halo:

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I've found when I use my belt sander on the PVC, you charge the particles with static electricity and the stuff sticks to everything, me, my apron, the bench, everything. My wife gets pi$$ed when I track the stuff in the house, and guess who gets to vacuum it up? :halo:

You don't have to use a sander on it to charge it with static electricity Bassguy. I have the same thing happen when carving with a knife. And it does get everywhere.

Ben

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You don't have to use a sander on it to charge it with static electricity Bassguy. I have the same thing happen when carving with a knife. And it does get everywhere.

Ben

Exactly , ...same thing with me , Ben , .......but I've got pretty much used to it as it works down so easy .

Been carving some abachiwood blanks as well these days , .....had to get used again to carve this softer wood :lol: , .....no cares about woodgrain with PVC , ....if I lead the knife the wrong direction on this timber , larger than intended chips might break away and woodfiller would be in order :huh: !

And PVC blanks are faster to accomplish compared to even the softest timber .

Only thing is that PVC is not suited for very large and voluminous crankbaits or sinking glidebaits , .......swimbaits are still OK , as the hinge construction still adds weight to the lure .

For swimbaits PVC is even better suited compared to timber due to the sealing problem on wood .

Bigger PVC crankbaits and gliders one most likely has to overload with ballast to achieve a proper balance and action of the lure , ...could spoil the action or makes proper balancing finacky , as some share of the ballast might require to be placed in the back of the lure , not the belly alone .

But I guess , that I've found a way to still make PVC baits sufficiently large and still not requiring too much ballast , ........I'd just make the lurebodies narrower in cross-section and sand down the belly somewhat "V"-shaped , ......like some baits in this video of mine :

I would just glue in some lead sheet together with the internal wire form into a belly slot , .......most likely this is enough of ballast to keep these narrow-sided lure swimming well .

This way these lures still cast a good silhouette in the water and yet are not too heavy .

greetz , diemai :yay:

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AZEK decking and trim board is the brand I use. JR Hopkins turned me on to it several years ago.

The decking is harder, and denser, and it's as buoyant as poplar. I use it for jointed swimbaits, walking baits, and bigger baits in general.

The trim board is even more buoyant, so I use it for cranks and poppers.

Both are strong enough to hold screw eyes. The biggest bass I caught on a homemade PVC popper was the one in my avatar, and it is over 8lbs, so I know it will hold up to fish that size.

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I agree with everything thats been said before.The other thing that is benifical is not having to deal with wood grains when through drilling.I don't have drill bits long enough to through drill long slender baits so I have to drill from both ends and meet at the belly hook opening.This is really hard to do with wood but pvc is much easier.

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Below is a link to a site that carries the Azek PVC material. Their prices are way cheaper than those at Lowe's or Home Depot. About half as much. They seem to be really nice folks and were really helpful in answering any questions I had. If you contact them they will send you samples of their product.

Ben

http://www.vintagewoodworks.com/

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PVC can be sanded smooth, and I mean smooth enough to paint on without coating it with epoxy or any other coating first. Here's what I do:

Start by carving the lure to shape, and try to get it as smooth as possible with the knife before switching to sandpaper. This isn't strictly necessary, but it saves some sanding later.

Sanding only by hand, work through #100, #150, #220, and #600 sandpaper. Be thorough, and make sure you sand the entire bait with each grit of sandpaper.

After sanding with #600, use printer paper to burnish the lure body.

This method is time-consuming, but it gives a smooth surface to paint on without using epoxy (which kind of defeats the purpose of using PVC).

I hope this helps.

Ben

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PVC can be sanded smooth, and I mean smooth enough to paint on without coating it with epoxy or any other coating first. Here's what I do:

Start by carving the lure to shape, and try to get it as smooth as possible with the knife before switching to sandpaper. This isn't strictly necessary, but it saves some sanding later.

Sanding only by hand, work through #100, #150, #220, and #600 sandpaper. Be thorough, and make sure you sand the entire bait with each grit of sandpaper.

After sanding with #600, use printer paper to burnish the lure body.

This method is time-consuming, but it gives a smooth surface to paint on without using epoxy (which kind of defeats the purpose of using PVC).

I hope this helps.

Ben

And wear a dust mask! That sanding dust is nasty!!!!!

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