# Lips



## ducksdemise (Sep 15, 2004)

Hello,
I am just getting started trying to make my own Musky Baits. i wll have a zillion questions looking for info. Any help will be appreciated.

What material do you use to make Musky trolling bait lips some will be pretty large polycarbonate, lexan , acrylic.
Also what do you cut it with.
Thanks,
Jim


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## st.slippy (Oct 3, 2008)

I use lexan for all my baits. I cut it using a coping saw, but that can really be quite tedious with a lot of sanding. I would recommend a scroll or band saw. I attached a lip patterns guide. If it doesn't work, just go to the web site. I think it was lure making .com


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## st.slippy (Oct 3, 2008)

Oh yeah, and for longer lips I like to drill 2 holes centered on the lip and send the steel wire through and into the body


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## Bulldawg (Dec 3, 2007)

st.slippy said:


> Oh yeah, and for longer lips I like to drill 2 holes centered on the lip and send the steel wire through and into the body



If you have an old Rollie and Helen"s catalog look in the back and they have the actual sizes of all the lips they sell. I just tear that out of the book and make copies with the computer . 

When I pick out the lip I want I cut out the outline of it and use paper cement to glue it onto 1/8 " lexan . Then cut it out with my scroll saw and fine tune the edges with my belt sander.


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## jerkin (Apr 3, 2008)

Polycarbonate is what you want to use, Lexan is just General Electrics brand name for their polycarbonate, sort of the same as Kleenex and facial tissue. Do not use Acrylic (plexiglass) it's way cheaper but breaks easily and is dangerous to cut with power tools due to the sharp chips that fly off.

I do all my lips on a bench top bandsaw, just buy a thin, fine tooth blade for them, don't try to use a wood blade. Cut the lips from a larger sheet, don't try to cut small squares or rectangles then cut the lips out of those as you have way less control over the piece.

I have used a belt sander to smooth mine out also but lately have been just using a sheet of sandpaper on the bench and running the lips over it. Seems to work better for me for some reason.


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