Tally

would be hard to say what the exact cause is......but it is either something you are doing or maybe "old" 2 ton devcon..... I have posted this many times but I will post again to try and help you discover the problem. This is "EXACTLY" what I do. 1) tear off a piece of Aluminum foil and fold in half (shinny side up). Lay this on a CLEAN flat surface. 2) put equal amounts of devcon 2 ton on foil. (tip... I keep my devcon stored with the tips pointing straight up. this keeps the air at the top and when you push up the epoxy comes out in equal parts). 3) mix epoxy good...( i use a "lolipop" stick you can find at walmart in the craft section. been using the same stick for over a year). start mixing in one direction, then mix the othe direction. Now, scrape the epoxy back together and mix again, then scrape the epoxy back together. Don't worry about the air bubbles you see.....these are not a problem as I will describe later. 4) Brush.....you want a fairly stiff brush, any brush that has 1/4" or maybe 3/8" nylon brush should work fine. 5) get a big glob of mixed devcon on the brush end and starting at the head of the bait, apply the epoxy...do not spread it thin at this point. What you want to do is get the whole bait covered with epoxy. work your way to the tail. Now that the bait is completely covered with 2 ton, start back at the head and brush the devcon down to the tail. If you start getting too much devcon at the tail, simply "brush" the excess on the foil to remove from brush. the brush will flow very easy over the devcon.....if it seems to stick or not be smooth, you do not have enough devcon in that spot. If there are any air bubbles, brush them out. This process needs to be completed before the epoxy starts to set. If the epoxy starts to set and you are still brushing, you will create more problems and more air bubbles. 6) now you need to spin the lure until the epoxy sets up enough that it will not "run". some say 30-45 minutes is all it takes, some say 2 hours. Mine just happen to spin for 24 hours on a drying wheel while I am at work. 7) get you a jar or a can that has a good seal on the lid. pour some acetone in it. Wipe / squeeze your brush to get some of the excess epoxy off and put the brush in the acetone. Do the same thing with the lolipop stick. After about 15 minutes you can remove both and wipe them down with a paper towel and "flick" the brush and they are ready to use again. I do not use any heat to help spread or make the devcon flow. Some do and if that works for them..so be it. 9) Room temperature when applying. Seems like anywhere from 70-80 degrees is the best. In the heat of summer when it gets to be 100 degrees, the epoxy will set up faster. 10) I hope this helps you guys out. I am sure there are several ways to apply devcon, this is just how I do it. Devcon is not rocket science and don't make it harder than it has to be. There are hundreds of posts on devcon, so if you still have problems, do a search and start reading. Good luck:yay: again, just my

how are you applying it and be be exact.....from the mixing to the curing and are you using heat to help the devcon flow?

Thanks George.......I was not aware of the different crease's. very interesting.......but you are correct about the blades, they are the most shad like blades I have ever used and they do have a place in my boat

oops...forgot one...wide willows look here http://www.staminainc.com/spinner_blades/willowleaf_wide.html

Oklahoma, fat willow, turtle back....all the same just different names. Been around for some time now

Have no idea who made that bait but it is NOT a Bumblebee spinner bait

Happy B-Day Dean....I hope they still let you use your finger paints:lol:

yep and while you are there you might as well mark the line tie holes as well if the line tie is in the lip

Photo Finishing Foil and Faux Finishes Tutorial http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7671&highlight=foil

I think the key word is "affordable"!!! To a guy who does this as a hobby vs. a guy who is trying to make a living making baits on a small scale, the term affordable is very broad. As you put some thought into this, did you have a rough idea on the price you would retail a duplicator that worked? A $$$$ amount might get you a better survey. let us know

forget about masking off the lip unless you are spraying the clearcoat. Somewhere Skeeter explained how it is done. Basically he "pushes" the brush toward the lip to clear the bait by the lip. A little epoxy on the lip where it meets the bait is no big deal and actually helps lock the lip to the bait. Just try and make it as neat as possible and move on

also beware of any electronis that emitt sound. It always amazed me that the first thing people do is shake a crankbait to see if it rattles:? I have never heard the sound a shad or baitfish emitts or if they even do make a sound that the human ear can detect. Crawdads on the other had make a very distinct "tic-tic"..... Rattles are something I use but put little emphasis on. The action of the bait (lure) and the vibration it puts off is much more important as that sound travels thru the water and is picked up by the fishes lateral line. If you ever get a chance to go to the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield Missouri, make sure you make the show where they feed the bass. It is well worth the time. A diver enters the tank (scuba gear) and feeds the bass goldfish. The diver has a microphone where he can talk to the audience and he describes a bit of how fish react. He released a goldfish behind a bass.....about 6 inches from the tail. As soon as he released that gold fish, the bass did a 180 and inhaled the golfish. just my

just be careful what you use to clean the lexan with....some cleaners / solvents will fog the lexan. The masking tape (blue painters type) sounded like a very good solution

you can buy featherlite "A" and "B" and get micro-balloons to add as filler. Featherlite by itself, as you stated, will sink. you will need to use about 80-90% micro balloons in both A and B. This will allow the bait to float (assuming all of the homework was done). Even with the balloons added, it will take very little weight before the baits starts to sink. If you can get the mixture to accept more balloons the better the bait will float, but the mix will be so thick that pouring becomes a problem. hope this helps ya.

and every now and then give that bait you just screwed up a good one - two punch with a hammer

cwenbass always good to see someone that has an interest in making cranks. Welcome aboard. Yes you have come to the best site available to learn. Here are a few of my suggestions and are only "my opinion". #1. if I were going to take a "newbie" (excuse the expression) under my wing, the first thing I would tell them to do is to go purchase this book: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF TACKLE MAKING by C. Boyd Pfeffer....... I don't know the exact date that the book was written and YES it is a bit outdated to todays standards, but it has all of the basics covered that will allow you to understand and answer your most basic question. I keep this book at my desk or in my shop for reference all the time. #2. Learn to use the search feature on this site. By the way, you could learn how to build a crankbait right on this site without purchasing the book. This site is that good. The book will just help you understand more. #3. Nothing beats the trial and error method. #4. your first bait will suck #5 don't get dis-couraged, you will get better good luck

re-read what was posted. under the lip and in line with line tie. go get a clear shad rap and you will see where the existing weight is. use this for reference because the glass shad raps may be weighted a bit differently, but it will give you an idea

think I will see what happens here. last time I got into a sealer / primer deal the post got hot.

Now that is a slick idea for cutting the grove for the thru wire. Excellent idea and thanks for sharing:yay:

right on master!! the only time I have to use a new brush is if I pull the bristles out. the acetone evasporates very fast so that has never been an issue....just squeeze the brush with a paper towel after removing from acetone and flick the bristles. By the time you have a batch of devcon mixed it is ready to go

Looks good to me......and if all LaPicky had to say was one comment:lolhuh: must be on the right track:eek:

here is my process for devcon 2-ton. NOW....this is how "I" do it and to each his own, but I have no problems with air bubbles. I rip off a small amount of foil and fold in half so that the shiny side is up. (I have found it helps to have a piece of glass or plexiglass under the foil so you have a clean flat surface) Put enough devcon on the foil to do the bait. Stir the devcon in all directions....it will turn cloudy, then clear and yes you will have air bubbles. Now take and scrape the devcon together starting on one side and scrape it all together (one scrapping will do)......stir again and let the devcon lay flat on the foil. I can still see air bubbles but very few. when you brush the devcon on, the bubbles will brush out. start at one end of the bait and work to the other. If you try to put it on too thin, you do not have enough devcon to brush the bubbles out. One more point....if the devcon starts setting up on you, you will create more bubbles. With that said, temperature becomes a key factor with devcon.... that is how I do it

Actually, the info won't be on the gravestone either!