[summitlures]

Man I am so confused here! There are so many things to think about to make my lures, like how to make that perfect finish, how to make the lures! I am on a really tight budget too!

Well, first of all I want to make two jointed swimbait, like in a trout and bluegill pattern, and I am a total noob at lure making at all!

And how will I be able to rotate my lures on a tight budget too? Do you need to use epoxy?

What should I do?

[hazmail]

Summit. Do a search FOR - "perfect finish", "jointed swimbait", "rotate lures", "epoxy" - there are heaps of posts on these- also look in the 'tutorials' (if allowed), there is a good one by 'Fatfingers' on epoxy finishing amongst others. Sorry, but I have even less time than you, otherwise I would search them out for you, find them, and print them to read at your leisure. pete

[diemai]

@ summitlures

If you're on a tight budget , you've gotta make compromises .

For instance use small brushpaint cans instead of an airbrush , I guess , that those small modellmaking paints by Humbrol or Revell are even cheaper than acrylic paints(at least over here in Germany) .

For instance , for a brush-painted rainbow trout pattern 5 to 6 different colors should be enough .

If fishing for non-toothy predatory fish , it won't absolutely be neccessary to apply tough topcoats of epoxy or E-tex or whatsoever brand , a few coats of ordinary floorboard lacquer will do as well .

I started out this way as well , and those lures also caught fish , and that`s what you make them for , not to win a beauty contest .

As said before , you've gotta make compromises !

good luck and success , diemai

[mark poulson]

Summitlures,
You only need some wood, a few hand tools, and your imagination.
I started out using rattle can paints, and they worked. They are not as durable as epoxy or some other finishes, but, as long as I stayed away from rocks, and T'd my trebles so they didn't wear a path on the belly, the finish held up fine. And touchup was easy.
Since you're on a tight budget right now, I'd suggest starting with one piece, walking/gliding lures, like the Lunker Punker. They are easy to shape with a sanding block, and, depending on the wood you use, don't take a lot of ballast to get them to walk.
You'll need some kind of a drill to predrill the line tie and hook hanger holes, and for any ballast holes. You can get 30 minute Devcon 2 Ton epoxy at the local lumber yard, and you can have the wood you buy (I started with doug. fir clothes pole) precut to length at the yard if you don't own a saw. You can use smaller diameter dowels for smaller lures, but, at least at my local lumber yard, the smaller dowel stock is birch, and is harder to shape. But it will work, too, as long as you seal the lure well before it gets wet.
Simple paint schemes catch fish, so you can start with solid white, solid black, and solid mossy green. Those three colors will catch fish on a top water lure whenever the fish are looking up. After all, they only see the profile, and the general paint scheme, when they're looking up at a lure that's framed against the sky, which is usually brighter than the water they're swimming in.
Like diemai said, the fish won't know the difference if you're using an air brush or a paint brush.
Someone long ago said, "Action catches fish, paint jobs catch fishermen".

[lockjaw]

Might I suggest you start with something simplier - like a glider or spook. You can gain a lot of experience in how the whole process is done by working with an easier lure first. And go slow - understand what you're doing and why. That way when problems arise, you have a general idea of where to fix the problem or make adjustments. Take notes! Write down everything you do. That's saved my butt a few times.
If you're really set on making a swimbait, then be prepared to do a lot of "search"ing and reading.

Tight budget? You don't really need expensive tools to make an effective lure. I started with a block of wood, x-acto knife and spray cans (black,white). There are guys who do amazing jobs with just spray cans - check out rlcam's work. I still rotate my lures by hand.

It's a fun and addicting hobby once you start building.

[summitlures]

hey diemai, how long does floorboard lacquer take to dry

[summitlures]

oh, does enamel paint work too?

[Vodkaman]

Most finishes are touch dry in 12 hours or less. But, if you have the time, you should give them 48 hours to cure properly. Some of the finishes used by lure builders take a week or more to reach full cure.

As stated above, no special tools are really necessary, but a good mini drill would make life a LOT easier.

I've been building for about 18 months, in an apartment, so a nice set of tools is out of the question. My only power tool is a dremel. At the start, I choked at the price and went for the cheapest one on the shelf. Three days later, I returned the burned out shell and bought the middle price option. A week later, the switch mechanism broke, I returned it and bought the dremel!

But you can get by with a normal electric drill that you already probably have, or even a manual hand drill, although this may involve some extra filling operations. Quality, SHARP drills are important. Money can be saved by sharpening your own. Lots of drill sharpening jigs on the market. Once you have sharpened 3 - 4 drills, the jig will have paid for itself.

Hope I haven't damaged your wallet, but don't forget, this is luxury rather than essential. It'll soon be christmas!