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Commercial screw eyes are vulnerable if you put them in balsa baits without also epoxying the hole they’re in. A hard knock can loosen the eye and cause it to rip out. If it loosens but doesn’t rip out, water will infiltrate and ruin the bait anyway. I prefer hand twisted screw eyes epoxied into pre-drilled holes. I’ve never had a failure with them. Making a durable balsa bait, or any wood bait for that matter, is mostly about stopping water infiltration.

Pour the 1/8 oz Snootie jig in tin. More than a third less weight than lead. Lead 11.342 grams per cubic centimeter Bismuth 9.87 grams per cubic centimeter Pewter 8.5-9.5 grams per cubic centimeter Tin 7.265 grams per cubic centimeter

Or some old lead chimney flashing.I know exactly what you mean. When the first run comes out, it's awesome. The shine is incredible. Then comes the reheat, and bleh. Add it to the pile that is used to make more black. It's a shame because the shine from this stuff is intense. Just small batches.\I guess is the way to go.

Just checked Barlows. They have them as well, and also in smaller sizes than Janns. They used to be sold in metric sizes but I see now they're sold in standard measurement for us American folks.

Not sure what you mean by "crimping beads", but try Janns Netcraft. Do search for Hollow Metal Beads, or Solid Metal Beads. Pretty sure either of these can be crimped.

On the bismuth or tin, all you have to do is empty your current pot of lead and put in the tin or bismuth. If you are going to do a couple of jigs for samples, take an old tablespoon or a small ladle, put a small chunk of tin, and heat the spoon/ladle with a torch and pour it into a hot mold. You can heat the cavity of the mold with a torch to to warm it up as well. Tin has a low melting point about 425 degrees lower than lead. I don't know how strong it is though. Bismuth is very hard, as I have poured bismuth jigs for the guys in Massachusetts. On the jigs, the walleye jig has a 90 degree hook, so I don't know if that is an issue for you. The other two are 60 degree hooks. You can incorporate a weedguard slot like Jig Man mentioned it is not complicated.

It’s easy to make a weedguard slot. All you have to do is cut a piece of wire just bigger than the weedguard, tape it in place, put the mold. In a vice and tighten it down. I have several molds modified this way using Sevalon or Surflon wire in 25, 60 and 90#.

How about Do-It's BAT-7-A, Bat Jig Mold #3504. Maybe you can modify the hook eye to fit your hook.

You can usually paint water based paints over enamel/lacquer based paints after they are fully dry but not the other way around. ..Nathan

Hello, I thing using screw eyes versus making wire eyes can depend on the design and durability you're aiming for. Using .062 screw eyes from Janns should provide more. May you might consider reinforcing the screw eyes with epoxy or another adhesive to secure them in place. This can help ensure your bait holds up well during use.

Use it right before you fish the baits. Some were advertising to marinate your baits in it, but being water based the resin won't absorb any significant amount of it. Their new BF injector looks more promising.

Hollow won't crimp. Need solid for sure. Good luck.

Think I got it figured out. Did a dab of devcon 2 ton right on the bottom side of the lip were the line tie passes through and it seems much more solid now. We will see how it holds up.

it is 100% waterbased. ABW (owners of BaitFuel & Netbait) uses a different form of Baitfuel (not available to anyone else) to add to the plastic during the manufacturing process for their own products.

JustFishin, How did you make out? I would like to see some of your creations. Tip: a mold is not always necessary to making soft plastics. You'd be amazed what you can create using a glassy floor tile or tablespoon as a mold such as this surface lure.

Did you put a clear coat over the paint?

I was out in the garage repainting some jig heads and noticed I had some chrome spray paint. I put a dark gray primer on the jig and cover it with a chrome and it looks beautiful. Do you think I can prime one of my Baits, paint the base white and black and then do the scales with this chrome spray paint? Do you think the oil and the water-based paints will get along? And do you think after I clearcoat it that it will dull the chrome?

Adding it before heating would only cook it off.. And if indeed it is water based Do Not add to raw plastisol before heating. Make your biats, let them cure day or so, then add BaitFuel to your bagged baits. But only do samples one or two baits, because you don't know what effect Bait fuel will have on finished baits. over the long term Once you see it's harmless, feel free to add as much as you want to your bagged baits.

I'm thinking bait fuel is water based so it could only be added in the bag. I could be wrong. If in fact it is water based you sure don't want to add to raw plastic!

No. I have had bad luck with this approach. Maybe some people can make it work, but why risk it? specifically, I’ve sprayed a rattle can silver on a bait. Days later sprayed transparent createx over it. looked fine but it scratched off super easy.

we use 0.51 aircraft tie wire. can be purchased in 1lb spools. excellent for bending. .its actually easier to use then screws and being wire thru,awesome for larger lures for toothy fish,

I use Hagen's salmon red premium plastic beads for propeller spin bearings super gllued on hook shanks. Stacked beads stay in place better than singles. There are reasons why the suggested beads are source, type, & color specific.

The other thing it did was when the glitter lost its color, it turned the whole batch into a crappy color I didn’t like. Almost like a tin color. Think ugly tin roof. I ended up tossing it all.

I have on some glitter. It was a silver, also. Some of it just won’t take much heat.

Sometimes we have to experience things to find out why that lightbulb didn't work. I found that if you take a clean plastic pocket comb and use the larger end first and the smaller next, the strands of skirt making material will separate. Tip of the day.

I’m very much still looking. Your help would be most welcome

You would hope after 4 months of going back and fourth on 1/2 measured attempts to solve the problem that might be the case. It was not! It was clear and deliberate avoidance in dealing with it correctly in hopes that I would go away, which I did on simple principle that I don’t want to do regular business with someone who operates like that and don’t have the patience to deal with someone who sends insults as solutions to the problems they’ve caused me. After everything we talked about on the phone and she told me, it’s clear that they’re running an oaky operation without procedures, QC/QA or good manufacturing practices. I’m way more happy with Calhoun plastics.

Exactly!

I'm sorry, brother. Maybe I misunderstood. I'm not getting any younger! LOL I thought that after everything you tried, it turned out just being a bad batch of plastic. In which case, most companies will send another to replace that.

That's a very generic question, and I'm not entirely sure what you're looking for. There are certainly guys on here that make wooden lures from scratch, and there's no shortage of shallow diving crankbaits in the mix. I make wooden or PVC cranks, most of them shallow divers. Are you looking for ideas for crankbait designs?

That’s not what happened. I do understand that LC hard packs instantly and needs to be mixed really well. The problem was the chemistry of what happened specifically to that batch of plastic that was nothing like any other batches of LC I had used in the previous year which was quite enough to have mastered the characteristics of the workability of the plastic. Hands down it was an unstable batch without lot/batch# or any QC/QA and the issue was never honored. I agree it’s a fairly good formula when it works right but it’s over priced and the hard formula lacks clarity.

Try adding Carolina brown instead of Chartreuse and see if that will bring it in.

I would stick with lureworks for colorant. I would also add that if you use a paste colorant, you will be able to get a better consistency by weighing by grams.

Have you tried just putting an extra o-ring on behind the skirt?

A 50 gallon jug of LC will need to be mixed vigorously before even thinking about using it. I've had some that have had an entire gallon or more of hardener separated from the drum. Once you figure that out, LC is pretty good stuff. If you're someone going from MF to LC, you will be shocked the first time you use it! I actually used an old wooden baseball bat to break up the hardener. LOL.

Yes, if your plastic is good and you’re using heat correctly, you can remelt several times and still make pristine baits QA baits. I always cut up in smaller chunks and add a little fresh plastic, sometimes stabilizer but there’s stabilizer in new plastic.

When I modify my molds I use JB weld I like a permanent fix after I do the modification.

this sort of stuff is great for twisted eyes it work hardens as it is twisted there are various diameters. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01FVQVNCQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

.041 wire is just right for all but the smallest or largest cranks. But the secret is that it needs to be SOFT TEMPER stainless wire, not the hard stuff.

Everyone's pigments/dyes are unique to that supplier. I have always found the majority of MF to be thin (watered down). The Lureworks line is great, I use them for the majority of my pigments/dyes. Their parent company (colortechnologies) supplies a good portion of the production industries so it is likely your favourite brands are buying the same pigments/dyes. As noted above, every supplier's pigments are unique. As for Greenpumpkin, it never hurts to have a green GP like 109 as well as a browner version like 156 (both LureWorks colours) I think you're referring to LureCraft, they sell a plastic labelled 502, not Lureworks.

I like lureworks colorants & glitter & they have good plastic too.

i use .035 welding wire about 2" long then twist a few times drill small hole and glue in super glue

I called this morning and asked some questions I had. He said that he definitely wouldn't use the Super Tough Saltwater for injection molding because it would be way too thick and would stop up the injector. I'm guessing it would be best for simple open pours. I'm going to get the normal #312 saltwater plastic.

I’ve built and painted them both ways and it didn’t seem to make a difference when fishing them. My takeaway was that ultra realism is not the determining factor in getting what is usually a reaction bite.

Palmetto Bass, Good to hear from you again, but I'm sorry it's for such a sad occasion for you and his family. I think I speak for most, if not all, of us hear at TU when I say please send our condolences. Looking at the vintage baits you posted, it's easy to see he was a truly inventive person. The first baits are obviously the design that Lucky Craft copied for their RC 1, 1.5, and 2.5 baits, and for all the similar shallow cranks that are now so popular. The second set of baits look like they are what every major lure maker copies for their flat sided cranks. A very creative mind. It's a loss for all of us. Mark