# Sticky  Quick tips...take em all, but leave one of your own too



## vc1111

Let's dedicate a thread to any and all kinds of tips and shortcuts...everything from woodworking, painting, securing supplies, finishing baits, cutting and installing lips, eye screws, you name it.

I'll kick it off...

I always stop at Walmart in the photo department and ask them for all the empty film cannisters they have. They usually have at least 30 to 50, sometimes more and all they do is pitch them out. So...recycle them through your lurebuilding...
*
Film cannisters *are great for mixing water-based paints to create custom colors, and they work just fine for enamels and lacquers too. Don't forget to get the lids with them and you can store your mixed paint for waaaaaay longer than you'd think if you just cover the film cannister when you're done.


----------



## fugarwi7

vc1111 said:


> Let's dedicate a thread to any and all kinds of tips and shortcuts...everything from woodworking, painting, securing supplies, finishing baits, cutting and installing lips, eye screws, you name it.
> 
> I'll kick it off...
> 
> I always stop at Walmart in the photo department and ask them for all the empty film cannisters they have. They usually have at least 30 to 50, sometimes more and all they do is pitch them out. So...recycle them through your lurebuilding...
> *
> Film cannisters *are great for mixing water-based paints to create custom colors, and they work just fine for enamels and lacquers too. Don't forget to get the lids with them and you can store your mixed paint for waaaaaay longer than you'd think if you just cover the film cannister when you're done.


I have gathered several of these anticipating that very application. (I saw a few on one of your workbench pictures). My tip is to extend the shelf life of those custom mixes a little longer...place a small piece of Siran Wrap over the cannister before snapping on the lid, then store it upside down (for that matter, store all of your paints upside down). The air that seeps into your paint is what dries it out...the paint settling against the cap will prevent that from happening.


----------



## rjbass

I use the cheap craft brushes from walmart for applying epoxy I think they are $1.77 for 30. When I am done I cut off the bristles and use the handle later to mix epoxy, paint or whatever you need to mix, they work great. I also use them to put epoxy in lip slots and on Lexan lips.

Rod


----------



## Buckeye Mike

Cheap Eyes
O.K here is mine for making lure eyes.
Get some silver lure tape, a paper bunch, some black and white paint for the pupil, and a couple of Sharpie markers, Yellow and Red.
Punch your eye out with the paper punch, add a white dot then a black in the middle of that, let dry,apply to lure, cover with Devcon epoxy.
Or punch out your eye, coat your eye with either the red or yellow maker let dry, add your dots, let dry, apply to lure, Devcon.
Cheap and easy.


----------



## goolies

You can pick up an assortment bag of these half round beads at your local craft store for a couple of bucks. Remove a portion of the reflective backing and paint in a pupil on the back of the bead. Attach eye to lure as you would with any 3D eye.


----------



## goolies

I moved this post over here from another thread.

I don't have a lathe so I have to shape the body on the belt sander. It is difficult to rotate the blank by hand and get the smooth shape I'm looking for so I cut the head off of a screw and chucked it in the cordless drill. I screwed into the center of the blank and used the drill to rotate the blank on the belt sander. I made the blank longer than needed so I could cut off the screw hole portion.


----------



## vc1111

Sometimes its a good idea to clear the bait before changing colors while painting. I often clear during the painting process after getting the bait to a certain point with 2 or 3 colors and before I add the remaining colors and touches.

That way if you have an error in painting, you can wipe off the error while preserving the work already completed.


----------



## vc1111

I use electrical tape for my kill dots. I use a paper punch and punch the kill dot out of the tape and stick it on. Nice uniform round dots every time. The epoxy clearcoat blends them in nicely.










(The "kill dot" is that black dot right behind and slightly above the gill plate area)


----------



## vc1111

Make your own line ties:

Take a block of wood, like a 10 inch piece of 2x4 and hammer two nails into it just far enough apart that the wire fits in between the nails.

Slip the wire between the nails and you have a great wire bender.

Experiment by trying to duplicate the lip wire shapes and line ties you see on commercially sold bait. Its easy and you'll be making your own line tie wires in no time.

Doing it yourself allows you to make a variety of different types and you can also use different wire strenghts and diameters.

I use spinner bait wire for the line ties on musky baits.

I'd recommend you buy only stainless steel wire or something similar. Rust and corrosion are your enemies.


----------



## CountryKat

When using skirts on wire baits make sure you hold the bait up at eye level and cut the bottom of the skirt even with a sharp pair of scissors. This will help the bait run true and not roll over during the retrieve. If one side of the skirt is longer than the other it will pull through the water harder than the other side and tend to pull the bait.


----------



## peple of the perch

For foiling, (now i dont know how it is normaly done) but if you are using a foil that does not have an adhesive side to it just rub some glue from a glue stick down on it. Same for the mesh, but rub it on the lure itself than apply the mesh.


----------



## John S

I was looking on Ebay for Husky Jerks and saw some with fiber optic eyes. The idea is the fiber optics collect all available light and concentrate it to the eye making that glow that animals eyes have. I know Rapala doesn't make them like this so I wanted to figure out how/where to make the fiber optic eyes. I also saw lures with a line that ran along the side that had a glow. 


The closest thing I came up with is online I found fiber optic beads and you could sand them to a half circle and glue them on each side. The other thing would be to take the string used in fiber optic bow sights and use that to make fiber optic eyes or line.

If anyone else knows where to get these eyes it would be nice to know!


----------



## vc1111

Here's a link for brushes that work great for applying epoxy.

They're cheap enough that I don't bother cleaning them but you could if you wanted to use them over again.

I save some after I'm done with them and cut the handles into small pieces to make rattle tubes. Cut off a small slice of of ordinary lead pencil and plug the ends after inserting a few bb's.

http://www.rsquality.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=654&idproduct=3201


----------



## vc1111

I was asked a question about stencils on another board via PM and I'd like to share the discussion.

The question was about how to make stencils for applying stripes, gills, fins, etc.

There are dozens of ways to make stencils and a ton of material from which they can be made. 

Here's one way to make them and use them...

The stencil I often use is a piece of semi-hard plastic, sort of a flimsy clear film. You can find it in packaging when you buy stuff at stores. Often computers have a thin film of plastic covering the screen to protect the screen when it is shipped. That's the type of stuff, I save and set aside for stencils.

Anyway, I take the baits before they are painted or primed and lay them on a piece of plain old white copy paper, like you use in your computer printer. I draw an outline around the outside of the bait so I have a side profile image of the bait shape on the white paper. I then draw the stripes on the paper.

Next I lay the clear plastic film over the white paper and trace the lines onto the clear film. Then I take an Xacto knife and cut out the stripes and VOILA, you have yourself a stencil.

Spray one side of the bait, remove the stencil and wipe off all the paint from the stencil using the appropriate solvent (water for water-based paints, or paint thinner for enamels). That way, you can again see through the stencil to place it on the opposite side of the bait, and you have no excess paint sticking to it, which would of course possibly stick to the bait and screw up the job.

I often carefully tape the stencil to the bait to make sure it is precisely placed and won't move during the spraying process. I make marks on the stencil as guides. For example, I might make a mark where the lip slot is and where the tail hook hanger shows throught plastic. That way, when you flip the stencil over to the other side, you know exactly where you put it on the first side and placing it precisely is much easier.

Stencils can also be made of cardboard, aluminum foil (which can be bent over rounded baits), sheet metal, cloth, various types of heavy textured paper, which can be torn instead of cut to give a textured edge to the stencil, and so on. 

You can also hold the stencil above the bait to give a "fuzzy" edge to the stripes or whatever shape you've made for the stencil. If you spray with the stencil slightly elevated above the bait (say 1/4 inch), the paint has a much less defined edge on the bait, because some of the overspray rolls under the stencil and settles in a faded fashion as opposed to a sharp distinct edge. This is often a desirable effect because it can look much more natural at times than sharp edges.


----------



## Big Daddy

I know when I shot the story with TIGGER, he was using a cutout from a plastic milk jug to stripe his firetiger lures... Very basic, recycled materials, worked GREAT, and just translucent enough to see exisiting striping so you don't overlap.

I don't want to speak for him, as Garth said, "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!"


----------



## hazmail

vc1111 said:


> Here's a link for brushes that work great for applying epoxy.
> 
> They're cheap enough that I don't bother cleaning them but you could if you wanted to use them over again.
> 
> I save some after I'm done with them and cut the handles into small pieces to make rattle tubes. Cut off a small slice of of ordinary lead pencil and plug the ends after inserting a few bb's.
> 
> http://www.rsquality.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=654&idproduct=3201


Vince, just ordered some of these brushes, thanks mate. pete


----------



## vc1111

Good deal, Pete. I hope you like those.

Here's another tip for airbrush users. 

Cleaning the airbrush after each use ensures that your next painting session will go smoother. I think its important to have a set of small brushes dedicated to cleaning the airbrush after each use. I just picked up another set of brushes designed just for that purpose. The cost was about $7.

Also if you check in the craft stores you can find "stippling" brushes, which I think are also called stenciling brushes. These come in a variety of sizes. I bought a tiny one and it is perfect for the Iwata. It reaches down into the bowl of the gravity feeder and cleans out that paint which tends to get trapped next to the needle. It makes changing colors a lot faster and leaves the bottom of the bowl clean and ready for the next color.

I'll post a picture of the brush kit I bought for $7 as soon as I get a chance.


----------



## TIGGER

Big Daddy said:


> I know when I shot the story with TIGGER, he was using a cutout from a plastic milk jug to stripe his firetiger lures... Very basic, recycled materials, worked GREAT, and just translucent enough to see exisiting striping so you don't overlap.
> 
> I don't want to speak for him, as Garth said, "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!"


LOL thats funny Carl!  It kills me that I seem to be so short on time lately. I have many many little tips I am going to add to this. I feel bad that Vince has been calling me and I haven't been able to catch up to him yet. We keep missing each other. It is getting better. I got a lathe last week and haven't even opened the box!!!!!!! I usually would have that thing opened up on my way home while driving and have a body turned on it by the time I pulled in the driveway! LOL

Vince told me about using the Milk Jugs. A great way to recycle and rigid enough to hold in one hand. Works great.
I took some pics last night in the shop. More stuff is coming! 
John


----------



## TIGGER

Here is a tip for you workbench area. I went to a construction company and asked if they had any old blueprints. They were able to help me out. 

I put the set of prints face down on the bench to show the white side up. I can mix little batches of quick set epoxy and even drill and cut with a razor knife right on top of it. When it gets to messy I cut the page off at the binder and I have a fresh works surface again!


----------



## vc1111

I KNOW you're busy if you haven't fired up that lathe yet!


----------



## hazmail

Tigger, heres a smaller version of your great paper idea. Cut a couple of inches of tape off a spool of silver/ plastic 'Duct tape' (called "100 mile an hour tape" here) and stick in on the bench, makes a good surface for mixing up your D2T on, instead of looking around for a jar top or sheet of plastic. When you are finished just tear it up and chuck it in the bin.pete


----------



## Jim45498

For my first post I would like to say how much I enjoy reading the board. The information is invaluable.
Now maybe I can give something back.
For my eyes I use colored tape. I will put a couple strips on top of a magazine and to cut out the 2 different sizes I use an empty 223 cal. case for the larger size and use an empty 17 cal. rifle case for the pupil. I just take a small hammer and tap the end of the 223 and the 17 cal. and it cuts out the perfect size for my eyes. For my kill spot I use the same thing that vc1111 uses, the hole punch.
And I want to say thank you for letting me be a member of this forum.


----------



## Big Daddy

In my house we have two names for duct tape... 

1. West Virginia Chrome

2. Child Care

Great tips guys... This is awesome stuff.


----------



## vc1111

BigDaddy, where did you get all those panfish in your avatar? Man, I'm goin' ice fishin' with you, dude! 

Jim, great tip on the eyes. It would seem that if you use tape like that, they would be easier to reposition if you get them on cockeyed, like I sometimes do.

I'm glad you finally posted. Now you've broken the ice!


----------



## fugarwi7

Jim45498 said:


> For my first post I would like to say how much I enjoy reading the board. The information is invaluable.
> Now maybe I can give something back.
> For my eyes I use colored tape. I will put a couple strips on top of a magazine and to cut out the 2 different sizes I use an *empty 223 cal. case *for the larger size and use an *empty 17 cal. rifle case *for the pupil. I just take a small hammer and tap the end of the 223 and the 17 cal. and it cuts out the perfect size for my eyes. For my kill spot I use the same thing that vc1111 uses, the hole punch.
> And I want to say thank you for letting me be a member of this forum.


The operative word here is *"EMPTY"*!


----------



## Big Daddy

Lake doesn't matter... I catch them like that wherever I go!!!  

You're welcome to join me on the ice any time.

(BTW, that pic was from Presque Isle Bay. Takes about 10 minutes to catch that many!)


----------



## katfish

When melting lead for sinkers or jigs add a little soldering flux
to the lead to float out impurities. This will prevent voids 
in your castings.

Use more flux when fisrt cleaning lead to make ingots.
Use a little in each pot to float out impurities. I have 
a Lee production pot and impurities will clog the spout
and cause big time problems.


----------



## vc1111

If you paint baits, you owe it to yourself to try pearls. Pearl can sprayed directly over an otherwise normal color and you'll get a pearl effect from that color and sometimes you can create colors that change as the light hits the bait from different angles.

Pearl paints can be purchased of course, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about pearl powders that you mix with a clear base, like automotive clear (House of Kolor, SG-100 is what I use). 

The pearls can be purchased at craft and art supply stores. They're cheap... for about $5 to $7 you can purchase a bottle big enough to do hundreds of baits.

The pearl powders come in a great variety of colors and a little bit goes a long, long way. I mix about enough to cover your thumbnail into a film container about 1/2 full of automotive clear. That's enough to do about 6 to 10 baits depending on how much you apply and the size of the bait. I can easily to 4 to 6 musky-class baits with that mixture.

The automotive clear must be cleaned out of your brush with lacquer thinner, but that's no big deal. 

Also the automotive clear makes a great clear coat between sections of your water-based paint work... (so that if you make a mistake on later portions of the paint job you can wipe it off and start again...the automotive clear protects the paint already applied.)

Here's some stuff to try if you're interested in adding a new element to your paint work with pearls...

Buy gold pearl powder, mix it as described above, and try spraying it over the black portions of your paint on the bait. It cause the blacks to sort of fade along the edges and the black actually seems to almost disappear and be replaced by gold as the bait is hit by the light at different angles:

































You can also use pearls in more subtle ways, such as shooting it on the bait in a circle behind where you'll be putting the eyes on the foward part of the bait.

You can apply pearl only to the belly of the bait. For example, I like to shoot blue pearl over an orange belly, or blue pearl over a white belly. Blue pearl over a white belly seems to be especially attractive on foiled baits or baits with an overall blue theme. This bait has a bit of blue pearl over the foiled sides and a lot of pearl on the white belly. You can see the subtle bluish overtones it produces:

















More later...

Do not shoot pearls over candy colors or florescent colors...it flattens them out. You can have one effect or the other in a given color, but not both.


----------



## TIGGER

Here is a neat little vise I picked up from a hobby shop. It was around $28.00. It is worth every penny. You take a bait, use vise-grip pliers then clamp on to the back screw eye of the lure. Put the set-up into the bench swivel vise and spray away. It give you many angle adjustments in a second.












Vince neat lures!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## TIGGER

Here is a neat little trick with your larger lures on the drying wheel. You can keep larger musky sized baits from spinning on the wheel by taking a piece of wire and making an "s" hook. Then I take a rubber band and go around the axis and onto the "s hook" . Works great. Just watch yourself with alot of baits and reaching into the center. Epoxy in forearm hair sucks!


----------



## vc1111

That rubber band trick is ingenious, John. 

Where did you get the vice?


----------



## hazmail

Tigger - bloody beautiful lure ( hope that's not swearing) and idea -It's not swearing here. pete


----------



## All Eyes

Never assume that a mistake is a bad thing. Worst case senario is that you will learn by it, but some of my best ideas came out of screwing up.


----------



## vc1111

Another tip to consider is keeping a supply of Q Tips near your workbench. They come in handy for a lot of applications.

I use them to remove excess glue when installing screw eyes, to add glue to the lip slot, and to remove paint when over spray goes astray. I've sometimes cut off the cotton end and use the stick for stirring small quantities.


----------



## TIGGER

Here is a slick little trick. Take a plastic wire tie and attach them to the end line ties of the lure. As you epoxy the lure leave them on. When finished with the lure just drill it out and you are done!

The first coat is a pain in the $%^&* ................ but after the first coat dries they stay stiff for the rest of the coats. Easy to take off and put on the wheel


----------



## eyesman_01

As I also pour lead, I've found a combination ballhead jig mold works great for consistent sized weights if you need to add any to a bait. Leave the hook out, pour, and trim off everything except the ballhead itself. The combination mold gives a variety of sizes from 1/32 to 3/8 oz. Use a drill bit only slightly larger than the weight. Put masking tape around the flutes at the depth needed to keep it consistent also. Insert weight, fill with wood putty and let dry completely. Sand, paint, etc...


----------



## vc1111

Eyes, you can also put electrical tape over point the place where you're drilling the hole to reduce the possibility of the drill bit tearing out wood around the surface areas of the hole.


----------



## basshunter11

good tips evrybody. I have two for you. I make my own hitchikers with .035 aluminum welding wire. Cut two pieces abought two foot long, wrap one piece around the other as many times as you can, and as close together as you can. Pull the wraps off of the iner wire, strech the wraps out slowly then cut the pieces to the length that you want. My other tip is if you need a 
120V low rpm motor for a drying wheel find a old microwave take it apart and get the motor that turns the plate in the botom. It works very good for epoxy on crankbaits.


----------



## goolies

Not sure how many know this so I thought I would post it. When water testing a lipped crank bait if it shoots left or right and rises to the surface it could mean the lip is positioned incorrectly. If the bait goes left the lip is positioned to far to the right and vice-versa. If you have already epoxied in the lip you can't move it, but you can remove material from the opposite side of the lip. If the lure goes to the left, remove material from the right side of the lip and vice versa. For my polycarbonate lips I use a dremel with a small grinding stone. Remove a small amount of material and test the lure. If needed remove more.


----------



## eyesman_01

When using Devcon Epoxy for your clear coats, I've found the even the 30 minute epoxy will start setting up on you if you are not quick enough covering your baits. I have found it is possible to complete your coverage using the blowdryer while you continue brushing the bait. The heat thins the epoxy enough to finish. This has worked for me when finishing the last bait of a batch of 3 and the epoxy starts setting up and gives just as smooth a surface as the first 2.


----------



## vc1111

After installing the lip into the bait, I like to see the Devcon protruding over the lip about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. The bit of overlap onto the lip adds a bit of strength and provides a great seal around the lip slot.

I also like to hit the exposed excess Devcon 2 ton epoxy with the heat gun to get the bubbles out of it. Also by heating it a bit, you can make it run into any area where it is a bit absent (along that point where the lip meets the lip slot) by simply tilting the bait so that the Devcon runs to the area which needs a bit of Devcon to fill it in nicely.


----------



## pizza

you can balance/fine tune your lure by using this hook on either a front or back hook. the smaller the lure, the more this applies.


----------



## pizza

sure set hooks. You could also put them on both front and back/all hooks to add a tad bit more weight. haven't experimented too much yet other than adding one to the back of my hawgnose/poes hybrid so it floated more level at rest. haven't fished it yet though.


----------



## pizza

goolies said:


> You can pick up an assortment bag of these half round beads at your local craft store for a couple of bucks. Remove a portion of the reflective backing and paint in a pupil on the back of the bead. Attach eye to lure as you would with any 3D eye.


I use those too and just use a black sharpie on the top surface to make the pupil. Depending on the angle you are looking into the eye, you can sometimes see 2 pupils due to the reflection off the back surface (pretty cool). I'll try your technique too now that I read it, just need to be careful with the xacto and not cut myself since the eyes I use are pretty small. Or is there a better way to remove the reflective surface for the pupil? Maybe use a drill and fill the eye in a little with Testor's paint to get more of a 3-d pupil?


----------



## pizza

for mixing up small batches of devcon two ton epoxy (with optional glitter), the bottom of pop or beer cans works well. I usually just mix up enough for 1 bass crank but have done two with one batch before. Probably the oldest trick in the book as I heard it from someone else but it works great.


----------



## Coon_Shark

Tip: I use shower curtain hangers on the nose and tail screw eye thruout the whole process of making the lure. Great for easy handling, esp during the epoxy, primer, paint steps. When done with a lure, I keep the same screweye with the shower curtain hanger and add it to the next bait. This way, primer and paint build up won't add the extra step of having to clean off the sreweyes of paint, debris and giving the possibility of ruining a great paint job. Final step of the lure process....add nice pretty screweyes that haven't been touched yet!


----------



## Coon_Shark

Oh, another tip......use a plastic putty spreader/applier you get from the hardware store as a stencil for the black on the firetiger pattterns, bars on the perch patterns, etc. You can get 'em at any hardware location, they're easy to store, they're cheap, they're easy to cut with a knife to make the pattern.


----------



## normd

vc1111 said:


> Let's dedicate a thread to any and all kinds of tips and shortcuts...everything from woodworking, painting, securing supplies, finishing baits, cutting and installing lips, eye screws, you name it.
> 
> I'll kick it off...
> 
> I always stop at Walmart in the photo department and ask them for all the empty film cannisters they have. They usually have at least 30 to 50, sometimes more and all they do is pitch them out. So...recycle them through your lurebuilding...
> *
> Film cannisters *are great for mixing water-based paints to create custom colors, and they work just fine for enamels and lacquers too. Don't forget to get the lids with them and you can store your mixed paint for waaaaaay longer than you'd think if you just cover the film cannister when you're done.


Film Cannisters, well I called a local photo store and they gave me a bag of them for free. I am keeping my harness making beads in them.


----------



## Husky

Here's how I make hangers and ties from SS welding rods







. 
I find the Rods stiffer than the SS wire that comes on rolls and is available at any welding supply store.
1. I put a mark on my round nose pliers for consistency and bend a loop, there. Then I "overbend the wire to make a more circular loop.

















2. Cut the wire evenly. 









3. Place the ends of the wire in a vise grip.









4.Clamp the loop with a flat pliers.









5. Twist, counter clockwise. Now you're done!

6. Here are a couple, one .045" and the other .062









Just drill a hole large enough to accept the twisted wire, fill it with 5 min epoxy, wipe the overflow with alcohol and you'll have a bullet proof tie or eye.


----------



## vc1111

Excellent tutorial, Husky!


----------



## goolies

I twist .041 diameter stainless steel wire to use for my hook hangers, line ties, and joining body segments of jointed lures. I seen Husky's tutorial so I thought I would show another method of twisting the wire.


I start by bending the stainless wire into a u-shape and slightly flairing out the ends as shown.
 

I then squeeze the ends of the wire together and and grip with a pair of vise-grips.


I have a homemade hook-shaped twisting bit. This bit is about 1/8" diameter.
 

I put the twisting bit in my cordless drill.
 

I then insert the twisting bit into the loop in the stainless wire.
 

Holding the vise grips in one hand and the drill in the other, I run the drill and twist the wire until the loop in the wire tightens down around the twisting bit.
 

Here's the result.
 

Snip off the frayed end of the twisted wire when done and you have a nice homemade screw thread.

I make my twisted wire thread about 1-1/8" long under the eye. I pre-drill 1/16" diameter holes in the lure body for my twisted wire. I use Gorilla glue for securing my twisted wire because I like how it expands to fill the gaps in the thread. I soak the pre-drilled 1/16" diameter holes with water. Dip the twisted wire in glue and use needle nose pliers to thread the wire into the body. Wipe off the excess glue.


----------



## Husky

Cut a strip of Norton's Sandpaper (11" long) the width of a Paint stirrer, the kind they give you when you buy paint. Spray the back of the Sandpaper with adhesive and affix it (bend it in the middle) to the stirrer. You'll either have the worlds largest emory board or one heck of a useful sanding stick which is quite maneuverable and very effective.


----------



## JamesT

this doesn't apply as much to those building bigger baits and using an air brush since the air brush has much finer control. But I am building bass baits and using rattle cans and there is much more overspray than I thought (not easily seen with the naked eye). I've also masked with masking tape but find I like the following better.

After you've painted just use a paper towel (the blue "shop paper towels" seem to work well) and put some "epoxy/laquer thinner" on in and wipe the sides of your bait(fold the paper towel, etc). Be careful though, it is easy to overdo it and you can ruin a "fade" if that is what you desire. But it definitely can add shine to foiled finishes. Also different HVAC tapes have different shininesses to begin with so shop around. Wally world has the shiniest I've seen (shinier than any of the stuff I saw at Lowes).

Q tips would also probably work quite well but I haven't tried them yet.


----------



## vc1111

Recycle your netting materials:

If you have a certain type of netting that you favor and is hard to find, try using it repeatedly by occasionally running it through the clothes washing machine. Often the paint is completely removed and the material is ready to use again. This works best with cotton netting, which is the stuff I favor over the nylon.


----------



## JamesT

when applying 2-dimensional (i.e. flat peel-and-stick)eyes to smaller crankbaits (bass size cranks or smaller, in other words it's the radius of curvature which matters most here) on a curved area it may be helpful to bend the eye (which may put a small "kink" in it depending on the material/where you got them from) prior to sticking it on and applying. I got my eyes (3/16" and 1/8") from Gander and they are not very adhesive. What happens is I put them on and they are flush with the bait and look dandy. But when I put my first layer of epoxy (which I dillute with epoxy thinner which doesn't help matters since it dissolves the adhesive) one side of the eye lifts up. Just now I took off problem eye, "bent" a new one and put it on. Seems to work great(knock on wood). I have not tried the process from the beginning but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Also eyes from other sources may be higher quality with better adhesive so this may not be necessary with all 2-d eyes. Good luck.


----------



## vc1111

You might also consider using a forstner bit the same size as the eye you're sticking on. You could simply flatten the area with the forstner bit priod to applyin the eye.


----------



## ShutUpNFish

If you use a gravity fed airbrush (I think most do)....try to find this hand sanitizer brand (the bigger bottle). I was given this brand at work by our employer and when the bottle is emptied, they make an excellend spray bottle to clean/rinse out your airbrush cup....I keep one with cleaner and one with plain water while working and they spray a heavy powerful mist which does a nice job rinsing out those cups in between color changes.


----------



## EdH

@Shutupnfish - the photo doesn't show up or link doesn't work.


----------



## rjbass

Back in the day, I always had a problem as to what to do with baits during painting stages. I didn't have a convenient way of hanging them close to my paint booth. I found this method a few years ago and it works really well. Thought you guys might like to see this method.

I bought a bunch of small vice grip pliers ( the cheap ones). Then I installed a bunch of cup hooks found at any hardware store. Then turn the hooks sideways. The screw in the vice grips fits perfectly in the hook and the top of the screw keeps them in. You can see better in the picture.


----------



## vc1111

Excellent tip, rj. I'm going to have to try that one.

Also, I love the pattern along the back of that bait on the right in your picture.


----------



## vc1111

Just found this...I use these and they are great for cleaning airbrushes. 

My previous source was far more expensive than the price shown here:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/pc-Mini-Nylon-Brush-Set/dp/B001N3IX3Y/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_1"]SE 5 pc. Mini Nylon Brush Set: Amazon.com: Home & [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@31Q90Jv89QL[/ame]


----------



## redheaded

I made these templates up to make my lexan diving lips. There made out of 3/16 and 1/4 inch aluminum flat bar you could use thinner stock if you wanted to. I found a few patterns for diving lips cut them out and traced them to the aluminum. After cutting them down with a hacksaw I then sanded them to size that I wanted on my disk sander. I put a piece of double sided tape on the template and then stick the lexan to it. I also use two small drill bits placed in the line tie holes that I predrilled into the template to hold the lexan in place. Then its just a matter of sanding it out to the shape of the template. They all may not be 100% the same exact size but I can get them really close.


----------



## goolies

My benchtop drill press does not have a drill depth stop. I was using tape wrapped around the drill bit to gauge drill depth. These clamp on aluminum collars are only a couple of dollars each. They are adjustable and will not damage the drill bit.


----------



## vc1111

Those are great! Where did you find them?


----------



## goolies

I bought a pair of composite digital calipers from Harbor Freight for $10 and mounted them to my bench top drill press. I can zero them out and get a depth reading when I'm drilling a hole.





  








Drill Press Mod




__
goolies


__
Feb 26, 2016


__
1



I bought a pair of composite digital calipers from Harbor Freight for $10 and mounted them to my...


----------



## AceArcher

Not sure exactly where i saw it, but somewhere on the interwebs i came across a DIY reducer / cleaner mix that is one heck of a lot less expensive than buying reducer / cleaner for airbrushing and it has been working well for me. (think this only really works for acrylics) 

3 parts Distilled Water
1 part Denatured Alcohol
1 part Ammonia free window cleaner
4-5 drops of Glycerin (every 16 ounces) (if your like me and live in a very humid area, more if its dry where you are)

I have never messed with the recipe but i distinctly remember that the person who wrote it said that its VERY VERY important to use exactly the correct ratio's and exactly the correct parts 

ie... if you use regular window cleaner with ammonia it will corrode your airbrush.... if you use any other type of alcohol it will gum up acrylic paint... if you use something other than distilled water it will form deposits on your airbrush... etc.....

I know i run through this cleaner / reducer like crazy... if i had to buy the stuff from createx i would be out quite a bit of $$$$


----------



## c. j. stone

Couple "tips" to contribute-Best one Involves "good vision" when lure making. I use the cheap "readers"( first thing I do is put them on when I sit down at my tackle desk)! Even if you don't need(or 'think' you need them!), you will see every detail-my "old" eyes now use 3X magnification!
Next, I add "eyes" to every jig or lure I make(except harnesses)! Everything a fish eats HAS THEM(well, maybe not Worms)! Usually eyes include a larger paint dot, then a smaller contrasting color dot in the center.(don't forget a black dot on the "shad" imitator bodies!) 
Also-"Seal" all jigheads(with eyes!) with clear nail polish. If well dried/cured before application, and applied quickly with the nail brush, the 'color' doesn't run. This will leave your jigheads virtually "chip-proof" if not coloring w/powder paint! I seal all foil tape add-ons to blades for harnesses with clear polish as well(the tape will not come off and your shiny blades will not oxidize!)


----------



## c. j. stone

I'll add one more, when making any lure/body w/lead or solder added for weight adjustment-for example, I use a small box/craft blade to remove any dull surface. Just scratch it lightly by dragging the blade over it til you get the bright metal look, then a couple coats of clear nail polish on the leaded side will seal in the " brite metallic look", and also make the lead safer for future handling of the lure. This will last longer than you, and your heirs can continue using the lure! Of course, if you want to coat the lure in a color, use any color of nail polish you prefer. Same benefit as last one and very resilient to chipping.


----------

