Balsa crank problems

[Hiro]

Thanks,  Bob

Some transparent material like gel pad might make it more beautiful and I also will try.

[barrybait]

I have had good success with several balsa crank baits all were of the flat sided type.  I used thin super glue as a sealer on the wood, then I epoxied the hardware and lip in.  Then I used Solarez UV Cure Polyester Resin in order to get a durable bait.  I have tried using multiple coats of D2T but it never developed the hard durable shell that I got with the Solarez.  The D2T cured well but even with multiple coats, I could still feel the squeeze on the flat sides and sharp hook points would easily penetrate it.  D2T is my favorite durable coating on top of a plastic crank bait and it is amazing how well it protects the finish and holds up excellent to prevent hook rash.  But I think that it does not work well with the softer substrate of balsa and I can't get the same result.  With the Solarez, it resulted in a tougher fiberglass type coat.

I am careful with my Balsa crank baits but while they did not break, I did get nicks and cracks and I had multiple repairs to keep the bait going as long as I could but eventually it just did not fish as well and had to be retired. 

For the lip slot ( I also used fiber board lips) I use a deeper lip slop than the one in the original post above.  I also sand and dremel tool grooves in the lip where it is epoxied into the bait to give the D2T a good grip to the lip  which also provides a good bond to the balsa and I believe strengthens the nose area of the bait.  I am concerned that the increased lip slot of the cushioned lip with rubber inserts will weaken the nose of the bait as it greatly reduces the wood area at the line tie