BIG M

Devcon 2ton epoxy is good thinned but it's better if you don't thin it down. Thinning the epoxy makes it weaker. It's good for some applications but not all. Be careful with plastic baits that suspend because Devcon adds weight to the bait and may cause it to sink. Devcon it the only clear coat I use.

There is also a product called tule (sp) that I use 90% of the time. Get several different sized wood sewing hoops and you are set. Place the materail in the hoop a little loose and you'll be able to hold it tight to the bait. Shoot the scale pattern with several passes using less paint. Build up the scales and you won't have a problem with smears.

You need to heat set the paint. Get a hairdryer high heat with low air and dry each coat of paint. That will take care of the problem.

All three baits look really good. Now you've got me wanting try the sinking swim bait again.

A little tip here. You need to figure out a way to put the same amount of weight in each bait. Instead of pouring melted lead into a hole, use an egg sinker or something similar that you can weigh. That way you can reproduce the bait time and time again without the opps I need more weight.

I've got a little over 5 yrs invested

Just finished painting a few baits. Nice little mix of flatsides, round body, and a wake bait.

I have finally found a body style for a good crawfish crank. Now to improve my painting with the stencile. I've also been playing around with a new technique.

I suggest Iwata Eclipse hp-cs gravity feed .35 mm tip and wildlife colors taxidermy paint. I can spray almost anything with that brush including micro flake. Dixie Art has good prices but the customer service is not always so good. If you have a Hobby Lobby near, look for 40% off cupons in the paper or their web site.

Your skills with the photo finish and painting are getting really good. That is you best batch of baits so far.

Very cool!!! That's good work and to get all three baits to run good is an accomplishment. 1 thing you need to work on is getting the foil wrapped all the way around the bait. Put a clear coat on the bait to help hide the seam when you paint.

We will just have to agree to disagree on what makes them swim. There is always more than 1 way to build a crank that runs true.

This is a pre-made lip you can get from Jann's Netcraft.

idlov2fish has the process down to the letter. A lot of builders use that method to test diff. shaped lips. Adding to his point on line tie position, that alone can make a bait act totally different. I've had several test baits that did not run good and put the line tie in the lip and wow what a bait. I use a lip like the bomber long A in my smaller wake baits. It gives the bait a less aggressive action which I like on the smaller bait.

dsaavedra, I feel your pain as I am also failing to make a swimbait run right without a lip. I have look at every bait made and can't figure out what the trick is. I know it has something to do with a long weighted head section but from there I'm lost. I think on my next try I will cut a 45-50 degree slop on top of the baits head and see how that works. The lip will give you bait all the action you want.

dsaavedra, the lip is 1 x 1 1/8, lip slot is 3/16 deep, and the bait is made from 3/4 stock. If you need a pic of the lip pattern just let me know.

Try WASCO (wildlife artist supply).

Here it is at over 7 inches and a finished weight of 2.8oz. Made of balsa and sits high in the water, very easy to make a big wake with this one. The 2 at the bottom of the pic are my first attempts at 4 segments in the body. If you look at the bottom of these you can see where I've been adding/taking away, and moving weight around. I've also changed the lips from the originals (too narrow) did not get the head action I wanted. But the new lips are nice and wide, will get lots of side to side movement. The bodies are made from 3/8 thick balsa.

LBH, now just my opinion here. I think if you used a different style of joint and changed the body shape just a little it will be your own bait. Every bait with a lip in it is a copy of something else. What type of wood do you plan to use and did you get the clearcoat figured out on the test bait?

I use them all the time, great service for me.

You can get started pretty cheap. Scrollsaw or bandsaw, drill press, compressor, airbrush, paint, carving knife, sand paper. If you buy cheap equipment then that's what you will get. I figure I've got 500 invested in tools, another 100 worth of wood, and 300-400 in paint. The easiest bait to make is an exact copy of a bait you have. Put it on a copy machine and get a profile of exact size.

A realistic crappie pattern is a tough 1 to paint. I like the look of your bait, very nice mods on that one.

I prefer to thin devcon with denatured alcohol, it's doesn't gas off as fast as acetone and no fumes to deal with. I put a thinned coat of devcon on my baits before I paint. That way you get a nice smooth surface to paint on. I also seal the wood before the thinned coat of devcon. You can't have too much protection from the water.

That is a great looking bait. Makes my big baits look very small.

very nice looking jigs and a great idea on using the zip-ties. Now where's the hand carved cranks? No fair holding out