reeves

First place I would look would be Shorty's, if they don't have it, they will get it for you. If they can't get it, it don't exist. Another place would be Captain Hooks.

Keith, Have you tried rotating the needle from the back end? It does sound like that tanning solution has it frozen in place. If need be, I would use a pair of vise grips on the aft end of the needle and try rotating it, if you can rotate it I would think you should be able to start easing it out. New needles don't cost too much and I would also replace that packing seal.

Seems to me they should be the same. I have found a few over the years that were as you described and I just pitched them thinking they were bent wrong out of the machine. Is it possible you have a bad batch. I can't think of an advantage for them being different lengths. I will look tomorrow when I get out to the shop and double check.

Pete, I have a friend in Newcastle that has been keeping me posted on the situation down there. He claims that the "Greenies" (environmentalists I assume), are to blame for the towns being so vulnerable to the fire storms. Without being allowed to clear dead wood/brush from certain areas, it has allowed the fires to come right up to the inhabited areas. We are praying and keeping our fingers crossed for everyone in Oz. George

Might give Skirts Plus a call, I think they furnish SK with their skirts. Pretty neat little bait, notice how the wire frame is bent up at the nose on this one too.

I think the wire frame is bent after the bait is cast. This would explain the difference in angles from one bait to another, because it is bent by hand, close but never exact. On most spinnerbaits, they often try to keep the blade in the area of the hook. Since nobody really knows if the fish is striking the flash of the blade or the bulk of the skirt (there are numerous different opinions on this), the two are usually kept close to each other to insure a hook-up. On the SOB bait, the same thing is being done here, only the wire is bent in a different place. Hope this helps!

Combat, Sent you a PM. Will help where I can. dannyp, Thanks for the compliment, but an expert I am not. I powder paint approx. 1200 jigs/spinnerbaits/buzzbaits a week and every time I turn on the fluid beds, it is a new experience and often with a new problem to solve, very challenging at times to achieve the results you want. If you have ever noticed in every one of 'cadman's' posts, at the bottom is his motto - "practice, practice, practice, and when you think you are good, practice some more". Every word of that is gospel, and that you can take to the bank. We are both always willing to offer a helping hand, but unfortunately don't have ALL the answers.

Oh sure, the Mustad 32608N is a great replacement/upgrade hook for what you need. Shorty's prices per thousand: Eagle Claw L255 4/0 $65.30 Mustad 32608N 4/0 $69.35 If you can't purchase from Shorty's, go try Captain Hooks, since they are owned by the same company the prices should be comparable. Good Luck

Rico24, No, you do not need the more expensive ball bearing swivel. Since they will be for your personal use, it should be your decision on which to use. The crane swivel will do the job, although some would argue that they don't work as well as a ball bearing swivel and will soon fail. You have spinnerbaits with the ball bearing swivels on them, get some crane swivels and compare for yourself. I don't think you would be making a bad decision by doing that. I would make sure your friends are OK with it, or you may find yourself fishing alone .

Ted, Don't get me confused. Yes, I want a couple of pounds of textured gray. Yes, I also want white if you have some you want to get rid of. I want to use it for a base coat, nothing else. I want it to stick and flow. I use Caswell's Bright White for finsh coat and hate to waste it as a base coat. Crystal cloudy clear now?? George

Ted, Can't use the textured for a base coat, wish I could. I would like at least 5lbs, more if available. Don't want to sound greedy here, but if I can help you clean out your storage area, why not? I have lots of empty containers to bring. George

Ted, I would like a couple of pounds of the gray. Should we bring our own container? Also, along another line, do you have any white you want to unload. Not looking for anything fancy as I will only be using it as a base coat for flourescents. CSI sent me some garbage a while back and have been using it, but am close to on empty with it. Thanks, George

You can get them from C.S. Hyde Company. CS Hyde Company, IL, USA: PTFE Beading (aka PTFE Minature Cord); small diameter from .028" to .150" Select the size you need, i.e. 1/8" = .125

Am looking forward to this years gathering. Last year I was like a sponge just soaking up everything and hoping that this year I will be able to contribute something. Ted, I know you will be sharing your multi-color powder painting techniques with us and I can't wait for that. Also looking forward to meeting you after several years of PMs. I may be interested in some of the textured powder, will check out the colors and let you know. CHEERS

jigman2, Pour your jig using the base pin. Remove the pin and sprue and prepare for painting. Heat the jig. Insert the pin. Dip in powder. Remove the pin (rotate as you remove), this is all done while the powder paint is still soft, so you have to be quick. Bake to cure. Once cooled, you can glue in the weedguard. I use teflon pins rather than metal ones as they are so much easier to install and remove than the metal type and they last forever. Give this a try and let us know how you do.

Nathan, I was thinking maybe of bringing a couple of fluid beds and some powder paint (I do have pink) to demo and answer a lot of the questions that have been posted on the subject in the forum. Hopefully someone can teach me how to use the darned things. If you think that might be of interest to some, let me know. Pete, Like you said earlier, it's not too late to change your mind. Go ahead and bring those pink crocs, just don't forget to wink at the guys in customs when they go, "what the . . . " Maybe, just maybe, you can make it. If not you will be missed greatly.

combat, In your original post you referred to centrifugal spin casting of your parts. The alloy you seek is totally different between hand pouring and spin casting. The info I provided above is for spin casting. If you could, please specify how you intend to use this alloy as I'm confused and only want to point you in the right direction. Thanks!

I remove the paint immediately as it comes out of the fluid bed while the paint is still soft. Using a piece of stainless spinnerbait wire I will push it through the eye of the hook and then pull it through from the other side and rotate it as it passes through the eye. This helps grab the solft paint and pulls it off the hook eye. The wire must be just big enough to pass through the eye without binding up, any smaller and it is ineffective. It takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, the job is done in one operation, no heating a wire or running a drill to clear the paint or messing with an eye-buster. For an 8/0 hook, I don't think I would even worry about trying to clear the paint off as it would take a lot of paint to plug that eye, just MHO.

The alloy that Cast Ind. uses for their spin casting is: 85% Lead 11% Antimony 4% Tin The antimony and tin being the most expensive elements in this blend, thus keeping the cost of purchasing this alloy already mixed is rather high. I have found that with a mix of 10lbs of wheel weights and 3lbs of linotype, I can cast parts very comparable to using the alloy above. Hope this helps.

Kayser Lure Corporation P.O. Box 68 Ursa, Illinois 62376 (217) 964-2110 This is the company that manufactures them, and the only one that I know of. Everything you buy at Barlows, Stamina and Jann's all come from this company. You can buy direct, they will charge you the 10% FET if you do not have the registered form.

LF, I don't think the fish really care at all. As long as you are not selling them and keeping them for your personal use there should be no problem. Don't know if it would work, but you might try some of the Spike It dip used on soft plastic baits. Good Luck

Nathan, That will work for me!

Hi Pete, Dave hit the nail on the head. These rods are used widely in spin casting, and are near indestructable. I also use them when powder painting the same jigs I spin cast. Heat the head, insert the pin, dip in powder, remove the pin and you are done - one clean hole no drilling or messing with it anymore. How's things doing Down Under in Oz? Summer is pretty hot I bet. George

David, Here are a couple of places that you may try: CS Hyde Company, IL, USA: PTFE Beading (aka PTFE Minature Cord); small diameter from .028" to .150" and, Teflon - PTFE Rod Neither one show that size, but do have some close. Also you can call to see if they have in stock. IND Plastic has some very low prices for this stuff, but require a minimum of $20 order. I need some as well, so when you go to order and need a little more on your order, call me. Plus they take PayPal. George

Hey Gene, today is 'your day' , relax and enjoy for you have earned it! Have a great birthday. George