I make my own straight-line spinners for trout fishing.  I purchased both a Panther Martin style kit and a Mepps style kit.  I dress the treble in many different ways from squirrel tail to plain treble.  After shaping the wire loop (line connection) I add the clevis, with blade. Working top down I add a small bead (metal), large bead (metal), spinner body weight (metal) then the dressed treble is attached and fastened. In other words it looks like any store bought spinner.

My problem is that the spinners work well as long as I am using a medium to fast speed, but at slow speed the blade doesn't want to spin.  My wire shaft is straight, and everything seems right.  So now what?????

I make my own spinners too and here's a couple of things you can try that I've found through the years I've been making them:

For the Mepps style spinners:  I'm attaching photo's from the

Canadian Guide to lure making as you can't draw pictures here

http://www.luremaking.com/howto/frenchspinner.htm

You should be working on the bottom of the spinner FIRST,  

http://www.luremaking.com/howto/images/frspnstep1.jpg

make your loop put the hook on and then you want to take your brass or silver body and slide it down the wire then squeeze the wires together and run the body weight over both.  

http://www.luremaking.com/howto/images/frspnstep2.jpg

Holding the spinner body, take the tag end bend it over and snip it and your body weight is attached.  This step right here is where you might be bending the main shaft a little that's why I say to make sure and hold the weight when doing this step.

Now put on your beads and clevis and blade

http://www.luremaking.com/howto/images/frspnstep3.jpg

Then make your closing loop for attaching to your line

http://www.luremaking.com/howto/images/frspnstep6.jpg

A word about the spinner clevis!!!!!!  The stirrup clevis's are ok but I much prefer the folded clevis's they seem to spin better.  

One reason I can think of why your spinners aren't spinning at slower speeds is your blade size ratio to your body weight is off.  Download their lure making guide and on Pg. 25 is a chart on In-line spinners and blade size to body weight style, you'll have to print off a copy of the page from the catalouge to show body style to match against the guide below

http://www.luremaking.com/catalogue/download_guide.htm

The other problem I can think of is your eye for tying to your line is off center of the main shaft of the spinner.  To try and adjust this try bending the eye one side or the other of the main shaft cast out and try to retrieve at slow speed and see if that will fix it.  If not bend the other way and try again.   This could be the same problem your having with the Panther Martin style spinner too.

I've never bought a kit, I just buy the coils of wire and all the other components.  If you don't have a wire forming tool this can be tough to make them.  

That's about all I can give you for help, let us know how it works.

Fatman

Thanks Fatman!  I'm going to down-load that info.

Making flies and spinners gives me something to do other then chisel the icicles off my nose.

I fish the hard-water but the older I get the closer to the fire I like to be. :-/