# Appling foil to your bait.



## TIGGER

After you get you body shaped you now have to decide how you want to finish it. I use two methods. I will paint or I will put a foil base and apply paint over it. I guess I will do the foil first! In my opinion vc is the best at it!
I am sure he will add much more to this. He has many tricks

As always PLEASE take the precautions to ensure your safety while working with power tools. If you are not of age PLEASE ask for assistance from an adult. 

Before I start I like to have the lip in if I am doing a crankbait. I also like to have the screw eyes inserted. Your blank will be sanded smooth to ensure a good platform to start your work.





To get a scale effect there are many ways to achieve it. One method is to apply a mesh down first as a base. The second is to apply the foil and imprint with an object to press in the pattern into the foil and wood at the same time. I will show the mesh method.

Mesh, It can be bought at a fabric store or it can even be egg sack type bagging material. Patterns are unlimited, the sky is the limit.






You need to get the mesh to stick to the lure body. There are many glues to do this. Rubber cements and contact type adhesives. Apply a thin layer of glue and let it set per instructions. Apply the mesh and wrap around the body. You can trim the mesh with a razor blade. Continue to do the other side also. You can overlap the mesh and cut both at the same time to get a clean cut.

The foil, I like to use HVAC metal duct tape.

The metal tape comes in different widths. On bigger bait you will not be able to cover all of the lure. Bass baits you can. Let the foil overlap and trim both at the same time. It will give you a nice seem.





It has a peel and stick backer that adheres well to the mesh and wood. Cut your piece to length and start to peel the tape. Be careful not to have it stick to itself. Keep it stretched out the best you can. It will crinkle but don't worry.


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## TIGGER

I like to start down the lateral line and work out. (center to sides) Take your thumb or the a blunt object and press the pattern in. The foil is delicate be a bit careful. The thumb works well for me. Try to get all the surface down if you can.



The metal tape comes in different widths. On bigger bait you will not be able to cover all of the lure. Bass baits you can. Let the foil overlap and trim both at the same time. It will give you a nice seem.




The non-covered areas, Don't worry about this. You will cover the bait in epoxy. Epoxy is a great thing to level the playing field. After you coat the lures it will be level smooth to start you paint steps. Here is a copper foil that I applied the epoxy on. It is back to smooth. Over the next couple of nights I will add the other steps to finish this lure. We will do it together on here. You can see that I purposely made imperfections under my foil. There are glue bumps and other imperfections. You watch how those will fade as we go down the road of finish steps. It can be any level that you want to take it to. It is all good in my book! 







Vc will show you some neat tricks also with the gills and other methods. He is very good at it.


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## vc1111

Great work, Tigger.


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## freyedknot

what wood is best for musky baits?? pine?balsa?


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## buckdawg

My thanks to the two of you. I can't wait to give this a go!


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## TIGGER

Well ready for part 2,

After I have the foil on and it is done I am ready to put the first coat of epoxy on. As I had mentioned before, this levels the playing field. The raised foil and the places where the foil didn't cover needs to be smoothed out. The epoxy will do this.

I like to use Devcon 2-part epoxy. Get the 2 ton type. It has a 30 minute set time. Do not try the 5 minute set time. You will never make it! It can be bought at Walmart for $1.97 per pack.

There are several ways to hold the body after the epoxy is applied.

The first is just hanging it from a wire with the head up. This way the extra epoxy will run off the lure and drip off. Enough will stay on. Just let it drip onto a piece of paper. You can drill the holes back out after it dries.













The second is to make a rotary wheel set up. It can be made many different ways. A pig roast type turner, and rotary chicken cooker, and I have even heard of people using fishing rod spinners from custom rod making. You can research some of the other links to find more info. Just type in "drying wheels"










Now you have coated your bait and removed it from the method of drying that you have used. The body is back to 99 percent smooth.


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## TIGGER

You are almost ready for paint. I like to clean out the holes as I go. It will let the paint around the screw eyes be buried and also reduce the chipping at the end. I take a small drill bit to do this.











Next I will tape off the lip if there is one. Then I will hold the bait by the back srew eye with a pair of channel locks. It makes it easy to hold while painting.












The bait is ready for paint now. Before the paint the bait does not look pretty at all. This is when the transformation is about to start.

For this bait lets do a shad. It is a very common forage fish and should work well.

You might be limited in how you may apply your paint. There all different levels of airbrushes. I have a very basic one. I think it is an entry level one that I bought second hand. I got it for 50 dollars. Had some extra stuff that I haven't used yet. You can use compressed air cans with mini paint guns that can be purchased at Walmart and craft stores. You might also use spray cans but the controll is very limited and would not suggest this, but it can be done.


I like to paint the belly first. Most shad have a white belly so we will use "white" I will start down the center and work to the edges while turning the bait. This is where you will fade the sides in. You can choose how much foil that you want to cover or not cover.










You can see that the uncovered foil areas will start to vanish.

Next I like to add a highlight color. I will use purple for this one. It can any color you choose.










Next I will do the back. Black is my color of choice. I will go down the back and fade the sides. I will take it around the head next.


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## TIGGER

I will let the bait dry ovenight. Now it is ready for the second epoxy coat.











The amount of epoxy will vary on the size of your bait. On this bait it will need about 1/2 the amount provided in the package. I like to mix it in a plastic dixie cup with a wood stir stick. I found the ones with the wax coating will cause problems with the wax scraping off during the mixing of the two parts. You can use throw away brushes or use an artist brush with a very good cleaning of that brush with-in minutes after the coat. Once the epoxy starts to harded you can ruin an 8 dollar brush in a hurry!











Mix your epoxy with a stir stick and apply to your bait. 


I like to hold the bait and then transfer it to the wheel. The crankbaits are easy to move to the wheel. They have a lip to hold on to! LOL After you have the bait attached start the wheel or let hang to dry.

On the wheel you will have small bubbles to deal with. As it is spinning on the wheel I will take a heat gun or blow dryer to lightly go over the bait to release the bubbles. Do not heat too much of your epoxy will start to gather in tumbling-spinning masses of uneven coatings. You can take the brush and lightly swipe the run while spinning. Also if you heat it too much the coating will get to thin for coverage of the bait. It is like Honey and water. It is a fine line that you will start to recognize after a couple of baits.

Here is the complete 2nd step. It is starting to look like a finished bait.










After this dry's we will paint the head and fins to take it down the home stretch!


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## lazy

Great job Tigger, a very infromative tutorial.

Dallas


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## eyesman_01

This is awesome. I do a lot of lead and wire forms. I've always wanted to try my hand at cranks. Thanks Tigger.


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## TIGGER

Well it is time for the final step.

After the epoxy dries,next day, we are ready to paint the head and fins. The way I do this is take thin plastic like off an empty milk jug or to buy stencil plastic at the hobby store. You can cut any shapes you like. There are plenty of fish ID photo's on the web that you can track down to get good close-ups of the bait fish and their characteristics.












I like to paint the gill plate with black and paint the fin in the highlight color of the back. Place template over bait and mist color lightly.













Next I will shoot a lighter color over the cheek (white or silver)and highlight the edges of the fins with black. At this time I will add the shad dot also. I took a hole punch to make the spot in the template. Works great. 











The last thing to add are the eyes. You can buy stick on eyes at many tackle stores or order from tackle supply websites. This is one that I use. It is in OHIO!!!! http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/

We are now ready for the final coat. Mix the epoxy and do as the same as step #2. It is done! Let dry and remove the next day. Clean out the screw eye holes and add the hooks.












The only thing that limits you is yourself. Don't be afraid to try. I have a whole box full of rejects that I messed up along the way. 

As you saw at the start of this. My foil was not perfect! Do the best that you can. You only get better with each one. The only thing that you might have to do down the road is to recoat it in a year or two to cover up the teeth mark scratches!!!!!!!LOL

If you have any good tips or ideas related to this post them on here. It will better us all!

Thanks 
John


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## Young Whiskers

Very informative post Tigger. I have been wanting to start trying this (been looking on TackleUnderground.com), but have been wondering a little where to start as far as finishing the lure goes. Thanks for the help; I may try to make one soon.


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## eyesman_01

Hey Tigger, do you have to mesh/foil the whole thing as you did, or can you just put it where the scales are showing (not painted) (looking at your bait)? I was just thinking, for us newbies we wouldn't worry about the seam then.


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## lazy

An excellent tutorial John. I for one appreciate you and VC not only shearing you knowledge but taking the time to put together a tutorial with the photos. As they say; many times a picture is worth a thousand word&#8217;s. Makes me want to start making sawdust and slinging paint.

Dallas


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## TIGGER

One warning! It is very addictive! LOL

You can put the foil in patches or just as side panels if you like. The tape can be applied right over some of your existing lures. The adhesive sticks quit well be itself. With the smaller walleye shad raps and types it could throw your lure out of wack a bit. You have to make sure the pieces are the same size on both sides. Some times if you want a little fash you can stick it on for the day and remove it. 

You can buy the foil tape at Lowes or Home Depot. Go by the venting and duct work supplies. Mini rolls cost about 6 dollars. You can use house hold food foil wrap but you have to glue it one is more work. You can find foils all over the place. Next time you eat a candy bar look at the foil. I have tried some of those. You can find foil at candy supply stores. Cup cake foil. You can find pinks,reds greens, and many others also. With these again you have to glue it down with rubber cement. Once the epoxy is over it, it will not go anywhere. This is where you can do things that few people have tried. You might find that magical finish that the fish have not seen before. Vc and I believe that there is a lure to be made that will be the lures of all lures!


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## eyesman_01

*TIGGER* Did you get my PM?


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## TIGGER

Yes I am trying to round some for you! I don't have many walleye sized templates. All the baits I have been making are giant sized. 7" and bigger! I have only been making baits for about 6 months. I want to go to the smaller sizes next. 72nd street walleye type baits!


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## eyesman_01

Wasn't trying to rush you, just wanted to make sure you got it. Lures I use most are like rapala, shad rap, and reef runners for trolling. I've never made a crankbait. Figured I'd give it a try. Thanks.


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## vc1111

If I might, I'd like to add that you can do some nice paint jobs even if you don't have an airbrush.

There are some fine baits made using just "rattle cans," meaning the spray cans of paint that you can buy at Walmart or just about anywhere. 

With a little practice on some primered pieces of scrap wood, you can easily learn to "fade" one color over another by holding the bait at an angle and making light passes with the spray can.

An airbrush simply makes the job far more effortless and precise. 

An investment in a decent airbrush and a compressor is like getting your first cell phone. You'll wonder how you ever got by without it.


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## lazy

It seems I read not long ago that there was either a new type of rattle can design out or a different top that could be placed on a rattle can which allowed for better paint control. I did a quick search but didnt find anything, maybe I was dreaming..again.  

But while I was searching I came across this video that demonstrates what can be accomplished with rattle cans. I can also see where some of his shading techniques used with an airbrush.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1246174515665636969

Dallas


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## eyesman_01

That is absolutely amazing.


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## heyjay

lazy said:


> But while I was searching I came across this video that demonstrates what can be accomplished with rattle cans. I can also see where some of his shading techniques used with an airbrush.
> http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1246174515665636969
> 
> Dallas


that's pretty awesome .


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## freyedknot

i have an iwata dbl action airbrush ,but have also used some of the tricks to paint decoys,using freehand and templates when i don't feel like hooking it up and cleaning it. if you ever seen a good taggers work. you know he didn't use an airbrush ,just rattle cans.


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## lazy

freyedknot said:


> i have an iwata dbl action airbrush ,but have also used some of the tricks to paint decoys,using freehand and templates when i don't feel like hooking it up and cleaning it. *if you ever seen a good taggers work. you know he didn't use an airbrush ,just rattle cans*.


Right on freyedknot, it is amazing what some of those people can do free hand with a couple cans of spray paint.

Has everyone been noticing that it's getting light earlier each morning; won't be lone before we can start inhaling two cycle motor oil again.  

Dallas


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## TIGGER

Van, I thought you might paint your duck decoy's. I know you are a serious duck hunter.

I don't know if you caught the reply to your wood question on the musky lures. I have been using poplar for mine so far. I have maple and beech also that I haven't tried yet. Red cedar is the best I have heard. I have a big chunk that I want to use for a BIG crank! 

I have slow dial-up. I have not seen the Lazy's link to the rattle cans yet! I have tried to load it but it will take 45 minutes to load! I start to and can't take it! LOL
John


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## freyedknot

i happen to have some lg boards made of poplar and i will be cutting into them shortly.going to turn them into some small boards and some cranks. thanx for all the info. last year i spent a small fortune on painting spoons ,now it will be on homemade cranks. especially some husky jerk like baits for the night bite.


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