# Sintra, not Kama Sutra



## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

This is a new material that I tried for the first time this evening.

It's called "sintra" and its a material used by sign-makers. It's sort of like a PVC material. I heard about it elsewhere and decided to give it a try.

Bottom line: I really like this stuff. It cuts easily, shapes easily on the belt-sander and its WATERPROOF! That's a huge advantage in lure-building because if the clearcoat gets pierced, chipped or scratched on a wood bait, you can sometimes encounter problems with the bait swelling from soaking up water. 

This stuff will not absorb water, period. Therefore, if the clear gets breached, the paint should remain unaffected and bait will not swell or lose its action from taking on water.

The material is available at sign shops. I could not find it anywhere else. It's cheap, in my opinion. especially when compared to the same quantity of hardwood of just about any type. I bought a piece about 2 feet wide by about 2 1/2 long, 1/2 inch thick and another piece about 2 feet by 3 feet, 3/8 inch thick....total cost $16 out the door. 

*If you try this sintra material, ask at the sign shop if you can have their scraps*. The guy at the sign shop told me (after I had made my purchase) that they throw the scraps out because the stuff is so cheap. Free stuff is usually the cheapest. Nyuk, nyuk.

I should be able to build at least 50 baits from those two pieces if I lay the templates out correctly.

The sintra stuff is similar, but superior to PVC board, which I previously purchased at Home Depot in the wood trim department. The PVC board was difficult to work with and a tad brittle, but I made 3 or 4 baits from that stuff for the reasons outlined above. The sintra is by far, a better material. 











The bait pictured is not primered. The sintra is white. I'm going to use the *Krylon primer]that is specially designed to bond to plastic*) on this one. Its available at Walmart and I use it on all my baits, wood or otherwise... you'll love that stuff; dries in about 10 to 15 minutes, smooth as yo' baby's fanny, and ready to paint.

I can't remember the exact name on the Krylon primer but I'll post it later. Ask for it in the paint department. They always have it. Its a white primer and white primer helps light up the colors when you paint.

I'm going to build a bunch and try weighting a few also. Weighting is something we haven't discussed yet, but its a great way to get your baits to run a bit deeper without using a monster lip. Its also very important when building gliders and jerkbaits for musky and pike.

We should share ideas about adding rattles to the bait bodies too. Oh, baby, this is gettin' good, eh?

Stay tuned....

And for cryin' out loud post some more of your baits and if you've got some tips, ideas, etc, post up. Don't make me stop this car!


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## eyesman_01 (Jan 4, 2007)

What's the MSDS say about the sanding dust from this manmade material? Hope you're using a dust mask.


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## lazy (Apr 10, 2004)

Sounds like an interesting material worth experimenting with. I just did a quick bit of internet research and it sounds like the material has about the same working properties as wood but a couple of thoughts come to mind. How well do eye screws hold in this material. And I thought another interesting aspect was that thinner pieces of this material heated to 150 degrees it was pliable enough to me molded. But that also made me wonder what affect heat would have on a lure made of this material when its lying in the hot sun on dark boat carpet. Of course after the cold winter weve had in Ohio this winter Im not sure well ever see hot sun again.  

Dallas


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

Thanks, eyesman. Yea, I wear my mask and eye protection all the time, no matter what I'm using.

Lazy, I'm also wondering how the stuff will hold up in the heat. I'm not too awfully concerned about the hook hangers because I can use either 5 minute epoxy (Devcon brand) or Gorilla Glue, which I'd like to try for the first time. Both glues are tough and remain somewhat sticky and very slightly pliable.

I also plan to use less than three coats of clear on the outside because of the possibility that in high temp conditions the bait may flex ever so slightly. 

Lastly I may use Envirotex for the clear on these because it is a somewhat softer, less brittle clear coat. 

All in all, I'm pretty confident that this material will have a place in my building, if only for certain baits and for certain applications. It may be a great material for "through wiring" baits, which is something I've not messed with yet, because it is in my opinion, overkill for 99.9999% of my fishing situations. But as I say with this material it might be easier and add an element of "peace of mind" for musky fishing.

For me, one of the interesting things about bait building is trying new stuff. I have no fear of failure either. I've had prototypes fail and its no big deal. I just go back to saws and sanders and try again.


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