Internal harness

[Munro76]

What is the process of making a softplastic swimbait with the internal harness?  I would like to make a bait along the lines of the huddelstone and mattlures baits etc but not sure of the process of getting the hook setup inside. Thanks.

[Gus1969]

Monte.

if you find out let me know asap

[Landry]

I make muskie baits with internal harnesses. 

Huddlestons have a special ballast area that allows them to sink level -  ant help you with that. 

- I added little slots for my wire to rest in my molds

- I bend the first one by hand 

- then make an aluminum plate bending plate by taping the original wire form on it and  drilling holes for 1/8” pegs removable made from drill bits.  Each harness will be the same this way. 

- you can then use scullery to make your lead shape on the wire and then make a two part mold from high temp silicone  this will hold up to lead poring surprisingly well  

- now u can mass produce the lead harnesses and have them rest to be place in your open pour or two part mold

 

[Landry]

I made my swimbait from basswood and coated it with acrylic spray. Then used silicone to make mold. The master must have thin wooden tabs where the wire will exit the bait

[Munro76]

Landry thanks for the info much appreciated. Do you have a pic of the actual harness mate? Also do you use sb coat to paint your baits? I used it for the first time today and it rubs off, am i doing it wrong? Thanks again.

[mark poulson]

Would these work?

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Blade_Runner_Swim_Bait_Insert_Weighted_Hook/descpage-BRHSBI.html

 

[Munro76]

They look great Mark.

[Landry]

I use Sb Coat and buy big cans of VPI clear and thinner because I mix the two together to make a clear which keeps the paint on really well and gives a shine. I used SBCoat the first season and it held up okay but not nearly as good as with the clear on top  you can buy the clear SB but it will be gone quickly. I just mix clear:thinner at 3:1 ratio. If that cobwebs then a thin it a bit until I get the thickest pint bin and spray with minimal or no cobwebs  

SB Coat is just thinned VPI

i don’t have any harness photos and my harness supply is at my workshop. I will try to get pics. 

[Munro76]

Thanks Landry great info mate that is a great help. So VPI is the same as sb coat but in bulk?  Thanks again.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Munro76

[Landry]

Yes - VPI is thicker and needs to be thinned with their thinner 

[mark poulson]

On 8/25/2018 at 1:30 AM, Munro76 said:

They look great Mark.

 

Raw lead will oxidize in a soft plastic bait, so you should plan on coating it first with some kind of a primer. 

Rustoleum etching primer would probably work, but I've never tried it for that.   but I've sprayed spinnerbait and chatterbait heads before painting them with Createx.  That stuff sticks to lead heads (and spinnerbait wire) like glue, so be sure to cover/mask off anthing you don't want painted. 

And the fumes are nasty, so spray it down wind, and/or with a solvent filter mask.  I try to spray it outside, with the wind at my back,  or with the big garage door open, and a box fan behind me blowing out in cold weather.