reeves

Pete, I spray Createx acrylics over powder base all the time. It will take some practice with alot of failures in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it the worst will be behind you. Just remember, once it is on there you have to let it thoroughly dry or heat set it with a heat gun and then clear coat it immediately. Don't touch the acrylic or you will scratch or scar it and don't worry if it is not shiny looking, the clear coat will pull the bright color out of it. As you get more comfortable shooting it you will begin to experiment with different patterns and colors. It is a lot of fun to work with. And if you mess up, just take a wet cloth and wipe it off and have another go at it. Good luck. George

Ted, Got mine yesterday. What a beautiful surprise. Can't thank you enough for the jig and what you do. George

Hawn, I would try again one more time with the Mrs. and if no results try Doug. One can tell when calling in to order that you have just gone back in time. I don't think they even use a computer. The process is simple with them, place your order and she will call you back with a total, you send a check and once she has it in hand, they will then ship the product to you. Once you have done business with them a few times they will then trust you enough to send the order before receiving payment. Stay after her, 5lbs of eyes is substantial (several thousand pieces) and the sooner you rattle Doug's memory the better. Let us know how you make out.

Mark, I posted a reply for Matt on the Hardbaits Forum. For anyone pouring lead sinkers and may need them in quantity, here is the place that makes them. They sell them by the pound. Reading Instrument Company 551 Stracks Dam Rd. Meyerstown, PA 17067 717 866-7214 I use them in custom slabs I cast for a customer.

Matt, This is the company that makes them. They sell them by the pound. Reading Instrument Company 551 Stracks Dam Rd. Myerstown, PA 17067 717 866-7214 #1 long stainless is $6.93 per lb. if you buy between 5-24 lbs. This is off my 2008 pricelist, so they may have had an increase, but you won't find them any cheaper. Hope this helps. George

I powder paint and on the recommendation of a friend who owns a jig company tried this stuff. It is the same standard clear powder with some UV additives to assist in reflecting light. I cleared a jig that was painted watermelon. After curing in the oven the jig had a purple tint to it. I contacted CSI and they said they had never heard that complaint before and would do some testing and call me back. They called the next day to explain that their test on a watermelon colored jig rendered the same results, purple tint. They were unsure of why this happened. I told them that if I want a jig to be purple, I use purple paint. They exchanged the UV Blast for the same quantity of standard clear powder. I don't recommend this product.

The first obvious difference is the holes in the electrical case in the pot on the right. Just a WAG, but I would say the pot on the right is a newer (a running change made by the manufacturer) one than the one on the left. The holes are there to allow heat buildup to escape and keep the wiring from deteriorating and eventually causing a fire. My pots are RCBS, so these are totally unfamiliar to me. George

Yes, you can melt it in your melting pot. It will be a harder alloy for pouring and better used on larger size baits, 3/4oz and larger. For the smaller baits it is almost a MUST that you use softer lead to hand pour if you want to get complete pours and prevent you from becoming too frustrated and want to kill something. Do-It even states on most of their molds to use 'soft lead'. There are many threads on this forum that address this problem. Good luck.

Ted, Looking at Kriet's jig, it appears to me, and I could be wrong, that it has a 45* hook in it not a 60*, which might make it a 38108BLN or a 38109BLN. One of those two numbers should be the light wire version. I traced it out on my monitor screen and matched it to a 45*. I have a spin mold for that style head but I need to check the hook # that it takes, pretty sure it is a light wire. George

I melt all my lead in a large cast iron Dutch Oven on a propane turkey fryer. I do this next to a garage door, with a fan blowing to the outside. I don't do anything special about the paper or glue residue on those softer stick-on weights, just dump them into the pot and let the heat do the rest. You will get some smoke as they burn off, but I have never experienced even any flame doing it this way. When all is melted, skim the trash and flux the melt and pour into ingots. Always use the maximum safety precautions when working with molten lead. The thing to really watch for is moisture, as the slightest drop is dangerous and will cause big trouble. If the tire store owner is willing to save you weights for future pick-up, I would recommend you provide him a clean bucket and ask that he try and keep it indoors and away from moisture. Offer him a few of your baits as a thankful gesture. Good luck and be safe.

That post was almost 3 years ago, and believe it or not, I am just now building the fixtures and booth to convert to electrostatic powder painting. I am doing all this from my memory of the visit to Hook Solutions, I guess you could say I am copying to some extent. I have met David on two other occasions since that visit, at the TU Gathering in Clinton each year. We spend endless hours just trading ideas and newfound shortcuts in both spincasting and powder painting. I wish I could offer you more help on the subject, as I am just about to begin myself. David has had years of experience with it and is way more the authority than I. I have the low-end cheapo model found at Harbor Freight, which David was using at the time (he has since upgraded equipment). This unit has some issues which David informed me I would encounter during use, but was good enough to offer solutions for each. To gain some info about the process you could go to www.caswellplating.com , to the powder coating section and check the resources area for limited help. Also do a Google search on the web and you should be able to come up with some good info that will give you and understanding of how the process works. Essentially the part has a low voltage electrical charge applied to it while the powder has a negative charge applied to it. As the powder is sprayed the two electrical charges are attracted to each other and the paint is attached to the part. It is then placed in an oven to melt the powder on the part and cure it to a hardness. Sounds simple, and I hope I explained it correctly. In the next few days I will be starting to spray myself and can offer more info.

George, I have had the same problem. The thing will spray a bit and then seem to clog up. My cure has been to shake the powder in the jar and it will start working again. I have also found that you have to have at least 3/4 of the jar filled with powder and it will spray more consistent. I don't think it is a moisture problem but more a problem of they are pushing the limit on what can be sprayed through such a small orifice. Nature of the beast more or less. Also, it doesn't take but a few pounds of pressure to make it work, any more and you can get out the vacuum cause it is going to be everywhere. If you are trying to increase your output for the sake of production, you may want to investigate electrostatic equipment. Hope this was of help to you.

Happy late Birthday Jerry. Was going to send this yesterday when I noticed it was your big day, but I forgot. Something you have to look forward to when you get to be my age . Hope you had a great one and I join in on thanking you for all you do for this great site also. George

Smalljaw, If you are a customer of Shorty's, they will send you a sample of the hook you are interested in provided they have it in stock. For me, spinnerbait hooks are one of the easiest hooks to interchange simply because there are no angles involved in the shank. Jig hooks are less likely due to the angle before the hook eye. I agree with you about VMC hooks, have never had any issues with them and I have been using them in several applications for several years. Good Luck with your search.

Truly another fantastic weekend enjoying the company of many other fine people who share a common passion. I looked forward to it all year since missing last years due to commitments. My hat off to Deb and Nathan, excellent hosts to say the least, a person cannot go there and not feel part of the family. Anyone living close enough to make the drive should include it in your plans for next year as it is well worth the time invested to meet with a great group of people, learn a ton of new things and excercise your jaw chatting about lure making. Congrats to Jerry on the life feed. It may not have come out perfect, but it came out and that is what is important. A great connect with those who could not attend yet were able to benefit some just the same. The auction and fishing tournament are fantastic ideas, I look forward to seeing that happen. Enjoyed meeting Tim Hughes and Steve Weatherly and visiting with them while speaking the common language of lure making and fishing. Oh yeah, meeting with the rest of the gang once again was the best ever. Semper Fi to Bruce!! Again my thanks to Deb and Nathan, your hospitality make it the best ever. See you again soon. George Reeves

I am far from an expert on this subject but do have a few thoughts on it. The fact that the magnet was attracted to it, I believe is a sure sign that it is not stainless. It may be stainless coated, but not pure through. Also where you cleaned it to a shiny finish and it has already returned to a dull finish may be a sign of rust forming which is what I would expect to see happening. These are all just my thoughts with no expertise to back any of it, but I hope it helped shed some light on the subject.

I have found that the pre-mixed clear/glitter from Pro-tec is very heavy on the glitter for my liking. It is also near impossible to fluidize in a fluid bed because there is so much glitter in it. You can buy just plain clear powder from Pro-Tec, I believe it is item #10. I use it to mix my glitter in to get the level of glittter I want. I have a cup mixed with each color of glitter and clear. Some things to remember about this stuff: Glitter is heavy and will tend to settle in the fluid cup if the proper amount of air is not used to keep it floating. As you use the mixture in a fluid bed, the ratio you started with is constantly changing so it is necessary to add either clear powder or glitter as required. You should dip fast into the mixture and swish to get a more even coat of glitter, and remove from the cup. If you hesitate for a fraction of a second while dipping the lure in the mixture, you will get a ton of glitter often all on one side or the other and not consistent throughout. Proper heating of the lure is very important. The hotter the lure, the more glitter will stick to it, the less heat will attract less glitter. Seems like different shaped lures require different swishing motions to get the right coverage of glitter. Some shapes just dipping in and out do the job, while with others I have to swish in a circular motion to achieve best results. It is all an experiment. I hope this helps you conquer your problem. Let us know how it goes.

rr316, Yes, I do make my own molds. To do this it requires a vulcanizer and mold frames, which is another large cash outlay. Actually, if I had it to do over, I would have only bought the casting machine, but my equipment came as a package deal. Unless you are going to make a lot of molds it is more cost effective to have someone else make them for you. If there is anything else I can help you with to get started, don't hesitate to contact me.

There are several listed on Ebay right now. Of the ones listed, I feel this might be the best buy. http://cgi.ebay.com/12-inch-Rubber-Mold-Casting-Machine-cast-metal-WOW_W0QQitemZ370352985596QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item563ac215fc It is an older model, but a workhorse and if taken care, will last forever. I have one similar that is a Conely and have been running it for years. The others listed are similar models (old), and are asking a lot more for them. I don't have all the web page addresses, but companies that make them are: Tekcast Contenti Conely You can Google them and get their websites. Most of them do have reconditioned units for sale but you may have to contact them for information and pics. Good Luck

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHIL!!! Sorry if I'm late, I never scroll all the way down on most pages, so I missed it. Cheers with many more to come.

I met Bruce at the TU meet a couple of years ago. He was an addicted wire-bender for sure, loved going after those toothy muskies. He was and ex-marine switched over to Air Force and had a million stories to tell about his years of service. He will be missed greatly. Prayers to the family. RIP Bruce . . . . Semper Fi!

I have it on my calendar to attend. Hopefully nothing more important than the TU get together will interfere this year. Looking forward to seeing everyone again. Too bad Phil and Pete won't be able to make it this year, will miss you guys. Is Jerry coming out this year? George

I use the airbrush as it seems to give me a more even amount of paint over the surface of the blade. Another nice feature is that you can shoot glitter through it without clogging. I hold the blade with a pair of narrow nosed hemostats right at the tip of the blade by the hole. I never really worried about that one little spot that doesn't get covered with paint because the split ring will wear off the paint in pretty short order once in use anyway. It only takes the paint about 20 seconds to set and then I transfer it to an opened up paperclip and hang on my oven rack for baking. I tried doing them in my fluid bed but always ended up with too much paint on the blade which all collected at the end of the blade when baking. Hope this helps you.

I would start with the .031 wire and see how it does for starters. The heavier you go the tougher it is going to be to achieve what you are after. Considering you are targeting big toothy critters, I can understand the need for strength. Are the loops at the line tie going to be pre-bent or are you planning on bending them after you pour the head. Either way you go, I would make the loop in opposite directions so the main wires coming out of the lead can lay perfectly side by side and the loop on both wires goes outboard of center. The larger size wire you use for the twin spin application is going to give some flash when you go back to a single wire pour. By using the .031 wire you will minimize the amount of flash, and it will look better as well. The flash is easy to clean up either way. Good luck, and keep us posted.

I think it will work. Like JSC said, you may have to modify the mold by opening up the wire channels a bit for it to close properly. The other obstacle you will have is that both wires have to attach to the hook eye and this too can be overcome if they do not fit. By using a pair of side-cutters, place them where the loop of the eye touches the shank of the hook and squeeze. You won't be cutting the hook but forcing the side-cutters in between the two and forcing them apart. I hope I described that well enough for you. Open the hook eye just enough for both wireforms to fit. Unless you are set on having a loop for your line-tie, 'R' bend wireforms can be used. Both of the .031 wires will give the strength of the .062 wire to tie your line to. This is an interesting project and if you could, please let us know how it turns out and post some pics. Good luck.