David Reid

Ryan, Thanks. As I have to airfreight them I will probably bring several down. Will need to find an outfit that will pack them and send them to my freight agents Agents in Los Angeles so they can just be put on a plane. The basic air freight bill charges are pretty much the same for 6 as 1 and all I will have on top is the extra kg weight rate. Pete yeah I suppose the drill press is not a bad idea. You could probably use a fairly simple and cheap 12 v motor and run it off a plug in power pack if it will allow you to draw sufficient power. Advantages either way I imagine.

Thanks Pete, Yeah I think its Model 06003 or 06000. I dont think there is much difference between them as you dont normally use the lid although I may. I think the 06003 is the glass lid one and the 06000 is the metal one. Looking at getting some down and looking to see if someone who sells them in L A will deliver them to my freight peoples Agents there. I think they are actually made in China arnt they? The main thing is reasonably accurate temperature control. Anyone had any problems with them?

What is the correct model of Presto pot you are using? Is that the Kitchen Kettle Multi Cooker? Also has anyone used one of their bigger canner models? These certainly look like good solutions.

What is the correct model of Presto pot you are using? Is that the Kitchen Kettle Multi Cooker? Also has anyone used one of their bigger canner models? These certainly look like good solutions.

Mb, Posted something yesterday but it didnt come through for some reason. Try contacting Z-man by email: info@zmanfishing.com or phoning them: (843) 747-4366 or 1-800-822-3398 and they may be able to put you on to someone.

Yeah its a GY one if its a Gold Shiner or a Strike King skirt if its a Golden Shiner btloi. Available from a number of sources. Depends on where you are . Try LBF, Cabelas, or various others I imagine but first let your fingers doing the walking and ask Uncle Google the best teacher on the net he knows everything and can quickly sort it out for you and point you in the right direction. Without trying to be rude I never fail to be amazed at how many of you first time guys fail to exercise your intelligence do the preliminary search work and then be more specific. Its often hard to give an accurate answer when people havnt learnt to be more specific and only give you half the facts or generalities. eg. You could have said what it was attached to and included it if possible. eg a spinnerblade and type, or lure. PM me if you really get stuck and I will do what I can to help you a bit more. Good Luck.

Birdy and Roger, Final samples arrived Saturday so yours will be in the mail later today when I have sorted a few more things out. Please post pics at some stage as I am as curious as you to see how it performs outside NZ from the lures and spinnerblades you make. If anyone else wants some please PM me and I will eventually get round to it as I am interested in promoting the industry and will probably sell it from my site when I set one up although it is not top priority right at present.

Birdy, First samples arrived yesterday which was what I requested originally and nothing at all suitable in that. (just a number of small paua circles which take time to cut, and some small broken piece paua confetti). 2 more lots of samples coming up (from this and another supplier) and there will have to be something in that. One has to get it right. Rest assured Paua shell is a good solution and will repay any time expended. One supplier supplies to the Craft market and the other to the Commercial market so as I was a lot more specific in what I specified here we should get some of the right samples. I suspect the more appropriate stuff here might be the laminate Here is what the commercial guy said: In his first email he said:”We supply quite a few fishing lure makers both here in New Zealand and offshore in Australia, Hawaii and Florida. These guys are using our shell laminate”. And in his second he said: We will send you a brochure, laminate sample sheet and a few off-cuts of laminate for you to play around with. I think it best for us to supply you the basic 0.3mm thick laminate and you glue this to whatever is suitable for your production processes Further down the track if you require specific shapes laser cut from the laminate in reasonable numbers we can cost this for you later. Thanks for the Craft Warehouse details. Found them easy enough on the web and see they have 16 different sizes which is good. Will try to source them locally first as the need is likely to be ongoing but will get back to you if stuck. Again Thanks.

Where do you get the movable and fixed Teddy Bear style eyes btw? I have been looking for a source for them for a while.

Bb, You quickly demonstrate to me a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I take it a wake bait is towed on the surface or just below the surface. I also take it wake is influenced by size of lip too proportional to swimbait size, the bigger the lip the bigger the wake. I also imagine trolling speed has a bit to do with it. Interested in learning a bit more myself. Where does one find infomation? Thanks. David

Yeah I imagine it comes down to wether it swims or not and what action you get out of it. What Riverman is saying above strikes me as particularly good advice. As soon as you have made 2 or 3 you will also have a lot better idea too I imagine.

Mavrick, I cant really fairly comment as I have not made lipped swimbaits before but think your lip is a little too vertical and could possibly be inclined (slanted) forward a bit more. Others may be able to comment a bit more and agree or tell you & me I am talking through a hole in my hat.

Birdy,Yeah I live in Auckland. Lived in QLD a long time back when I was 20 and then again for 5 months on my way home after 5 years over in Europe. Came back with the idea of buying a particular piece of land at the southern end of Ellis Beach just north of Cairns and building a beautiful Mediterranean house there I had in mind. It would have been 20 years before its time and was a million dollar site. The social reporter for the Cairns newspaper at the time took me up there and lo and behold there was the exact house just being finished by a damn good European builder. Freaky. He had beaten me by 6 months. The odds on it being that piece of land, that particular style of house, getting around the 2 or 3 problems that site and design presented and a builder who could build it all coming together even today all these years later seem impossible. It taught me one thing and that is even when everthing is going your way and everything is stacked in your favour and life seems certain Life itself or Mother Nature will come along and kick the living crap out of you just for the hell of it. The other thing is to seize life by the horns which due to circumstances and virtually everything I own being stolen including all my tools of trade is what I seem to have been avoiding for the last year or so as I have fought to stop myself killing the ##### which is the real easy way out and am now changing. No probs re the paua. I have a nice guy down in the S I who is sending me up some samples and who sent me up an email last night saying he would be sorting it out today and puting it in the post so will ask him to include some samples for you as well. The measurements you have given will help. Later shipments we will have to pay for naturally as that is his business. Mainlanders here are damn good people once they have made up their minds you are a reasonable dude and in my case not a JAFA (Just Another F---ing Aucklander) ripping them off or freeloading. Will get back in touch with him this morning. Cheers

Birdy, Do a Google search under Surgical Tubing and I am sure you will find a local supplier of lots of small sizes. Let me know if you want some paua pieces along with some approx sizes. I have got someone down in the South Island sending me up some small pieces and some circles for something I am doing and he could probably include those as well so its just a matter of onforwarding them.

Birdy, Give up and quit while you are ahead. No seriously they look good and if that is your first proper attempt at making these lure heads I would say you are well on your way. Like I said originally there are lots of good people here who can comment and offer good advice. Cant comment fairly myself as I have not made heads but am interested and eventually will get round to it. Following are my comments for what they are worth: 1)Your masters probably still need a bit further polishing if there is any marks or blemishes being carried over. I dont know what grit you have polished those with but aluminium oxide instantly springs to mind. Also try some Autosol paste which is used for polishing metal and ss on cars. Available from good auto garages or someone like Super Cheap Auto. That Autosol is a good product and originally was developed for Rolls Royce. I have found with a little elbow grease and a good polishing cloth it works a treat. In your case spinning them on the lathe with some on a cloth will cut the time down dramatically. 2) I think this is probably better on the Hard Baits section rather than the Soft Baits. 3) 3mm ID tube seems pretty large to me and I would have thought was on the large size. (equates to just under 1/8"). I would have opted for something in the 1.6 to 2mm with a bit of a lead in through the nose maybe. Perhaps try teflon tube if you can source it. Wall thickness is not going to be that important cast in a solid head like this. 4) Have you thought of using some NZ Paua shell for inserts? Here they use it quite regularly and it makes some of the better and one of the best Marlin lure heads I have seen. Sure beats any other abalone shell around as the colours in those are too light and too white while the paua is a good blend of greens blues and turquoises. I will email you a picture. PM me your address and I will see wether I can obtain some samples from someone I know and post them over to you.