benton B

You are correct Husky, I just enjoy making the lures and trying different designs. But if you are going to take the time to make a quality lure then you should be paid for at least some of that time.

Without factoring in the labor, I figured each one of my balsa lures cost me approx 70-90 cents in materials,(wood, paint, hooks) now for labor each lure is approx 7-10 hours to complete from start to finish. I have sold 4 lures and I charged for quality and custom work that went into each lure and, (those covered enough balsa wood to build couple of hundred blanks.) If you put the quality into the lure it is worth charging extra for. You are building better lures than your customer can buy at wal-mart. I am not looking to build a business, I would like to cover my tools and materials but I don't want to be forced to work on lures everyday to try and keep up with any demand. I love this as a hobby and enjoy giving the lures to friends and family.

Mcmaster-carr sells polycarbonate 12"x24" for approx 2.50 plus shipping.

Woodsac, I got the shears at Home Depot, in a combo pack. The reason I use them is I hate cutting lexan on my scroll saw ( I like all of my fingers). The trick to the clean edge is a large flat bastard file and a small 2nd cut mill file.

Make sure you leave the covering on the lexan sheet while cutting. Most people here use a bandsaw or scroll saw. I use a pair of industrial shears and cut mine by hand (scared of the scroll saw).

Thanks to all the pros and artist on this site. Without the willingness to share info and spoon feed the rookies like myself, I would not have a new hobby to spend money on. Thanks to everyone involved with this site.

The hot plastic causes the trapped air in the wood to escape. We crankbaiters had the same problem with wood while mixing epoxy for topcoats.

Jamie, I would bet you have a bent needle. If your needle is just slightly bent it will not spray right. Try a new needle before a new brush.

If your looking for .063 (1/16") thickness go to Mcmaster-Carr, I think I paid 2.48 for 12"x 24" sheet. I was not able to find any glass shops in the Little Rock area that used the thin stuff. If you want 1/8" all of the glass shops use that stuff.

MP, the top coat has nothing to do with that hunting action. In my limited experience that hunting action is a fluke. I have a D bait copy made out of cedar ( my very first bait ) and it tracks like yours and caught a lot of fish. But I haven't been able to get another bait to track like that one. I gave up on the hunting action and try to get my baits to run stright back to the rod tip. After searching TU on hunting action, from the guru's posts I gather they don't want their baits moving off of center.

Jaime, those are mainly used in leather crafts (I think).

Coley, go to www.nationalbalsa.com, there is a 25 dollar min. order but the quality as far as density goes is better than Dick Blicks or any hobby store in the Little Rock area. The selection on size is very good and you can mix and match.

I haven't fished a pop-r in sometime, but I thought the tail of the bait was under the water and lip is out of the water, and I think hula poppers sit the same way. Maybe try weighting the tail a little heavier to see if that helps.

TM, check the last reply from your previous post, I answered your question there.

Put the nail in a piece of scrap wood like a 2x4. Then cut the head off the nail with wire cutters and twist the hook hangers and line ties around the nail, pull them off and trim to the lenght you want. Drill small holes in the lure and place the hook hangers and line tie in with devcon 5 min. exp. I work mostly with balsa wood and when I screw up a lure(which happens alot) i have to break the lure apart to get my weight and hangers back. This system will hold.

Hey Skeeter, you are doing well with the one handed typing, I guess a little devcon vs. enviro gets the fingers moving. Hope your recovery is going well. Pm me if you need any rehab hints or with any questions.

Get some 20 ga. stainless steel wire from lowes and tack a finishing nail in a board and twist your own hardware, very easy to attach the split rings too. I use 24 ga wire but I'm trying to make baits for panfish and small stream bass.

Use the textured part of an exacto knee, just gently roll over your lure with light pressure and increase the pressure to change the effect.

I found some balsa foam at an art store this weekend. It is sold in sheets 1/2 inch and 1 inch in width and 8x12 inches overall size. This stuff is very rigid, light weight, easy to shape (be real careful when carving tends to gouge) and cuts like butter on a scroll saw. But this stuff makes a mess with the orange dust it leaves. I should have a completed bait latter this week to field test. Yes Red creative lure is where I read about this material.

I'm pretty sure the thread was talking about carving this stuff, but hey if nobody here has heard of it that speaks for it's self. thanks guys

I have read about Balsa Foam on another site and was wondering if anybody has tried this product and what were the results.

Thanks for the help Skeeter, by the way your baits look top of the line. If I do not figure these baits out soon, I may be asking you for an order form. If you need some business. Thanks again.

I need some direction and help on adding a line tie to a lexan lip. The baits I've been working on are made out of balsa but are not thru wire construction. Any hints on the subject, thanks.

I am having a similar problem with the top coat becoming very thin on the edges of my flat sided cranks. is this due to applying the top coat to thin or do the edges of the lures need to be rounded off? I was also thinking of thinning and applying two coats to each lure. Any suggestions or ideas.

I am having a similar problem with the top coat becoming very thin on the edges of my flat sided cranks. is this due to applying the top coat to thin or do the edges of the lures need to be rounded off? I was also thinking of thinning and applying two coats to each lure. Any suggestions or ideas.