installing lips

[Hoodaddy]

It seems that a lot of guys on this board set their lips after the bait is finished.I have always put mine in b-4 priming or painting and taping off the bill.If you are setting the lips after all is done how do you keep from busting out the clear coat (finish) when re-opening the bill slot? It seems like this way you would wind up with a lot cleaner and professional looking job.

[cheesehead]

I just started installing my lips after the paint has dried but before the clearcoat goes on. I just usew an exacto knife to cut any paint out of the slot prior to gluing in my lips.

[Coley]

First of all you don't want any paint in your lip slot.

To avoid this, use a piece of index card folded and

pushed into the slot, during all your priming and

painting of the lure.

I always install my lip as I clear coat my bait, This can

be tough to do if you have a sloppy fit between the lip and

the slot. If this is the case epoxy your lip in before

you do the clear coat.

If your lip is a good snug fit, and won't slip when you rotate

the bait, by hand or in a dryer, you can do this.

Get everything ready, lip sanded and drilled on each corner

that goes into the bait. Mixing container, clean and set, the

bottom of a beer can makes a good mixing container.

Clean brush, and I like to wear the vinyl exam gloves to

hold my bait. You really don't want to hold it with your bare hands.

Oils from your skin can contaminate the paint and cause the epoxy

to pull away at this spot.

Mix up enough epoxy to do one bait, you will get the feel for

this, the more you do. Hold the bait vertical, head up. Apply epoxy

to the lip slot, swish the lip back and forth in the epoxy in the can.

besure the holes are full. Push the lip straight down into the lip

slot, this will force excess epoxy out the sides slot and it will start

to run down the bait. Start clearcoting as soon as you align the

lip.

I use hemostats or in the case of screweyes, a wooden dowel with

a screweye epoxied into a slot to hold my baits, The hemostat

clamps easily to the line tie.

Hope this helps, I am sure there are several ways of doing this

with the same result.

Coley

[SpoRoller]

Coley, if I am reading this right you install your screw eyes after you top coat the bait?? Just curious........

[Hoodaddy]

Thanks for the input.I had been epoxying my lips in b-4 painting and it just had'nt worked for me to my satisfaction.I'd have to tape off the bill and then take it off b-4 clearing but, then even with blue tape there would still be some residue on it that would have to be cleaned off.I'll try ya'lls advice,especially with the hemostats.Thanks for the tips

[BobP]

Lip fitting - I admit to not paying alot of attention to how snugly the lip fits but have been told by materials engineers that epoxy does have an ideal film thickness for maximum strength. Translation - don't fit the lips too tight or the bond may be weak. I try to fit bill so they drag a bit but don't have to be forced into the slot, and I glue them separately with 5 min epoxy just before clearcoating. To me, fitting the bill is maybe the most critical step in the building process. If I'm ever gonna sweat trying to get something "just so" - this is the time.

[savacs]

Another way of fitting the lip is this way.

first of all i don't cut the lip slot, i drill it in the front so i have no dammage on the flancs of the bait. This was a challange for me, because i made some detailed baits, and if cut the details would've vanished, so...:

I cut the lip as i want it, sand it, and afterwards, a quick rub on to the carpet, to give it's shine, and clearness back where i sand it....I use 3mm policarbonate shhet

At the end it narrows imediatly, so that it fits right into the drilled hole in the front of the bait(of course the bait is already primed before this operations).. After fitting the lip, i drill one or 2 holes in the narrowed part of the lip, for a tight bond.

After trying it out and see for my self that it works i leave it apart and paint, and prime coat the bait. If any epoxy got in the hole, i use the same drill again, and it's a perfect cut everytime. Fill the hole with epoxy, fill the drilled holes on the lip with epoxy, and fit it right in.

I tryed to pull it out, but no way hose. I'll try making a deep diver with the line tie attached just on the lip, to see if it holds about 50puonds, even though i believe i can pull more than that. My hand just slipped from the lip in the end, and it didn't brake eather, as some of u might think. It holds just like a normal lip.

Sry for the long post.... Hope this helps

[Lure--Prof]

I glue the lip in with Devcon 2-ton after painting, but let it set up good before clear coating with E-tex. Since all my cranks lately are balsa, I don't mind a little paint in the lip slot, as the balsa sucks the paint enough that you'll still get a good bite with 2 ton.

Dean

[woodieb8]

we install a lexan piece the width of a lip approx. 3 inches long and then paint and clear. then we install our lips. the holes for screws are already pre-drilled. never had an issue this way