smallmouthaholic

That's thinking for sure. You can also use a fine pointed awl and make a small starter hole 1/8 of an inch deep in the nose of the soft-bait..The Hitchiker coil keeper will easily follow it. I rig close to 3,000 Hitchikers a year in baits I sell. Hold the Hitchiker and apply slight pressure while turning the soft-bait towards you. They thread themselves after 1/2 of a turn. Keep your thumb and forefinger on the outside of the soft-bait to keep it centered while turning.

Dunno Mark- I spent a good deal of $ w/ a trademark and patent attorney 24 years ago. Lessons learned I've been told you can't patent a product that is already marketed.Bottom line- trying to skirt a patented bait w/ subtle changes of your own is begging for financial problems. You'd better have deep pockets to fight the large manufacturers

It only requires $,the willingness to take a chance and a stainless steel pair ! There are 3 types of people in this world- 1- Those that watch things happen 2- Those that wonder what happened 3- Those that make things happen It is very rewarding to take a vision/dream that others can't visualize and transform it into a reality.

He probably didn't want to waste money defending the patent No they can't. Yamamoto's Senko was already marketed

I'm half-way through a 55 gallon batch of medium. No smell,no smoke but bubbles are a P.I.A. when dipping clear. Baits are also sticky for days after curing and hanging. Funny thing,the samples I used and received before ordering did not bubble nor feel sticky. I spoke to the salesmen and he had a factory chemist call me. i was told the stickiness goes away after a couple of days(laugh) and their plastic is only guaranteed for 3 months. While the chemists was shoveling the b.s, he said it bubbles because moisture got into the plastic. Really- ??!! tell me how that happens in sealed,un -opened containers. Now the good points aside no smell and very little smoke- The price was excellent and they even shipped 55 gallons in 5 gallon pales. The plastic is heat sensitive after prolonged use w/ white and pearl colors.No hard packing and the separation of materials is easily mixed

Mark, Bass fishermen,as a whole are a stubborn-adamant bunch of guys.-90% are followers , 5 % think about changes and the final 5% are innovative and creative.. That said, there is a difference between smallmouth and largemouth bass fishermen. LMB anglers follow the pack and headlines while SMB anglers are always looking for something new. I have to laugh out loud @ the individuals that must have or re-produce an exact copy of a well promoted bait. Location,seasonal patterns followed by profile/action,size and color of the bait are the requirements. Many years ago-most thought the ocean was square but Columbus took a chance. Al

That's because most magazine readers can't think on their own . Creativity and the human brain is a wonderful asset to have- you just have to use them. Ignorance can be fixed,stupid & anal is forever

Laminated jig heads??? Completely un-necessary. Today's multicolored silicone skirts w/ various colored plastic trailers is all that is necessary

".....that is not true of water based air brush paints. They will wash off once the topcoat gets compromised." Cadman- With all due respect,this statement is not true.. I've been airbrushing 1000's of spinner baits,buzz-baits and top-water plugs w/ water base with Component System's paint and epoxy for the past 8 years..I continue to powder coat 1000.s of jigs a year. I was one of the commercial manufacturers instrumental in their development of the powder paint.I will admit the 1st generation of powder paint available had many problems but the adhesion was excellent.The new generation is much easier to use w/ simple reduction rates and pre-mixed products that require little to no paint reduction.Adhesion remains excellent. Prior to using Component System's water base paints I used their Vinyl Lure and jig paint for 18 years. I.M.O. and experience ,each painting technique(powder painting vs. airbrushing ) has their good points and caveats.No painting technique is 100 %foolproof Airbrushing water base paint and epoxy requires knowledge ,technique and practice in conjunction w/ a compressor,airbrush and spray booth. Many simply don't want to learn and spend the additional money on equipment to do so.

Did any of you entrepreneurs ever consider mixing fine sand and salt w/ your plastisol ? Mix the finest,white sand w/ your salt-50/50 and use in a presto pot w/ a stirrer for consistency.Softener is always necessary when you add any salt and /or sand combo..Course ,granular salt produces a weak and easily torn stick worm. Bear's has the finest salt on the market.

Smoke the mold,then wipe off the excess on the outside of the cavities.You can use a small,butane pencil torch to make 3-4 passes on the hook(inside the mold). This will heat the hook and help the lead complete its path. Make sure you center the hook eye in the deepest part of the body and close the spinner bait wire form around the eye of the hook. Clean,fluxed lead works best. It would be helpful to posses a digital pyrometer to monitor the temperature of your lead. i have molds that pour @ 770 degrees,other @ 825 and then some very difficult,small jigs w/ double barbs that require 925 degrees to pour completely. I've used Frankford Arsenal drop-out but you must wipe away all excess (outside the mold cavity ) or the mold will flash.Waiting to remove this product after it dries will result in the need to use 200 grit, wet-sandpaper to completly remove it.I do like the product for the outside pouring sprue entrance which facilitates easier lead casting removal.

Like it or not, Del has a poor reputation for his stated delivery times. He's earned that through piss poor customer service..Deal w/him @ your own risk

Your lead may be too hot. Check it w/ a digital pyrometer. Personally ,I prefer temps in the 750 degree range.

Make a short section of wire-L shape on one end to fit inside the concave sinker bottom and a loop on the other to hang in a toaster oven. Heat,dip then hang and bake

Take time to read the warning on the Wd-40 spray can

HYPE! Remember the "Fish Formula"- spray -on/wash right off craze of the late 80's early nineties? I too got caught up in that hype until I proved to a buddy that is was b.s.

Food grade silicone spay will do the job

Signed

""I guess, if I go ahead and order a new spout and plunger, as long as I flux regularly like I normally do, if the problem will become a thing of the past for me?? Thanks again to everybody." I've been pouring lead jigs for 28 years and have always fluxed. plus clean the sides 4-6times a yearThe continued dripping drove me nuts. I called Lee and they suggested removing the stem ,put the slotted end into a drill and then applying lapping compound on the male end. I used medium rpm's and reversed directions several times along w/applying lapping compound 3x's. NO more drips. Look @ the end of your stem before lapping then look again after finished. You see a smooth difference

Go to your local auto store and purchase a small tube of lapping compound..Disconnect the stem and put the opposite end in your drill. Put some L.P. on the end that seats in the opening and insert it until it stops. Turn on your drill and apply light pressure. You may have to replace the lapping compound a few times . My dripping pot drove me crazy until I called Lee and they suggest this. It worked like a charm.

Your method will not remove all salt and the baits will sink. I 've tried that before and was never successful.

Did you see if your finished baits float after trying your method proving you've removed all salt?

You don't put it in the next batch of plastisol

Sunfish- Use an electronic heat gun to pre-heat your molds and injectors. Using old runners and reject baits requires softener and some new plastisol to be added to the plastic.If you have salt in the mix,remove it.

Are you using new or used plastic? Try some softener in your plastisol. Spray the inside of you injector w/PAM, then purge out the plastic sticking to the sides. This will give you a smoother injection rate w/ a better feeling of sensitivity. Proceed slowly w/ that large injector