Garage Bait Making Suppliers
Click the Links to view the suppliers.
Below are the Active Links for many quality suppliers: airbrushes, paint, paint supplies, spinner blades, wire, wire shafts, components, hair, marabou, tinsel, mylar, pre made Lexan lips, wood blanks, and of course manufactured lures.
Cost and materials can vary quite a bit between suppliers, so it pays to compare.
Wood can be purchased at Home Depot, Lowe's, Menard's (clear pine). Stay away from the construction lumber and look for trim ( finished ) wood. Cost a bit more, but is knot free and as dry a possible.
Note. You do not need a lot of special tools or material to build a lure, keep it to a minimum starting out.
If you wish to re-paint an old bait, you could really use your kids Tempera Paints, or even a Sharpie Permanent Markers. Just make sure the paint or marker is cured (thoroughly dry) before you clear it, and begin clearing with very light coats.
http://www.lurepartsonline.com
Stamina, Inc.
Great blades, wire, flashabou, and buck-tail components.
http://www.jannsnetcraft.com
Good parts supplier.
http://www.lurecraft.com
Good parts supplier.
http://www.barlowstackle.com
I have not used them, but another choice.
http://www.muskyshop.com
Anything for anything you wish to build
http://www.mooreslures.com
Has some of the more hard to find materials. Great source, good pricing.
http://www.lakelandinc.com
Blades, wire and other spinner components. Great pricing.
http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com .
Best place for real glass eyes, we've been using the economy blanks.
http://www.westsystem.com
Epoxy coatings and info on this site and where to purchase.
http://www.tcpglobal.com/kustomshop
Great online site, anything you need to paint-finish a lure. House of Kolor Paint.
http://alsapaint.com/index.html
I have never used this paint, just ran across it this year, looked interesting for rattle cans (aerosol paints).
http://www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com
Chicago area, lot's of stuff in tight quarters. Good time going there. Pricing is fair if you are going there, verses others- plus shipping.
http://www.shopwtp-inc.com
Tape products and 3D eyes.
http://www.bogbaits.com
Cool stick on 3D eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOpUy4GJJ8U
If you want to try making plastic lures, this is a good starting point.
Spend a little time with Larry Dalhberg, - very knowledgeable and entertaining!!
I haven't tried any of the liquid plastic to date, but I do see it in my future.
( Keep it in the Water )
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Why would anyone want to make their own Musky Lures? - by Frank
A very accomplished lure maker, who is well revered on popular tackle making forums, attaches this saying to his every post... "We spend thousands of hours, and thousands of dollars, making thousands of lures because we lost a few in the rocks". ........Clearly that's hilarious, ,,,,,,,,,,,,, But that is not why we make our own lures!!!!!!! The only way you will ever have "Special Baits" in "Special Colors" with "Special Action" (that competitors cannot access) is by making them yourself.
My second favorite memory of lure making is catching 3 Muskies in one day - two fish (46" and 40") on baits I had made,,,, and one fish (42") on a bait I had painted and taped.....................My favorite memory is losing a trophy fish on the very first 14" bait Rick and I had ever made. No the lure didn't break, but the 30# Monel Trolling Wire did, after the fish wrapped up in a 4' 90lb seven strand leader, and the Monel got caught in a 7/0 treble hook barb. Anyway -
My fishing partner Rick has started this blog with the good intention of sharing all that we have learned (good and bad) about making fishing lures...........And to also generate interest and discussion about this craft, for beginners as well as journeymen lure makers.
It's not so hard - cutting and sanding wood. However, it is challenging to squarely slot a bait, install a diving bill, center it, and actually have the bait swim 4mph. Paint and finish as well as action are what sets baits apart - custom from commercial - and this blog is meant to help those who are interested - Get Started.
Watch the video (attached link) several times and note the difference in the action of the 5 identical lures. You can see the varied placement of the weight at the bottom of every bait. You can also see how this dramatically achieves different action. The different weight/placement is the only difference/variable in the 5 lures.
Much like a homemade pizza - with garage bait making - you can have your baits exactly the way you want them...... If this interests you ,,, Post a comment !!!! Or a question ???
Happy Holidays,
Frank Postal
My second favorite memory of lure making is catching 3 Muskies in one day - two fish (46" and 40") on baits I had made,,,, and one fish (42") on a bait I had painted and taped.....................My favorite memory is losing a trophy fish on the very first 14" bait Rick and I had ever made. No the lure didn't break, but the 30# Monel Trolling Wire did, after the fish wrapped up in a 4' 90lb seven strand leader, and the Monel got caught in a 7/0 treble hook barb. Anyway -
My fishing partner Rick has started this blog with the good intention of sharing all that we have learned (good and bad) about making fishing lures...........And to also generate interest and discussion about this craft, for beginners as well as journeymen lure makers.
It's not so hard - cutting and sanding wood. However, it is challenging to squarely slot a bait, install a diving bill, center it, and actually have the bait swim 4mph. Paint and finish as well as action are what sets baits apart - custom from commercial - and this blog is meant to help those who are interested - Get Started.
Watch the video (attached link) several times and note the difference in the action of the 5 identical lures. You can see the varied placement of the weight at the bottom of every bait. You can also see how this dramatically achieves different action. The different weight/placement is the only difference/variable in the 5 lures.
 |
| From Minnow bait weights and action |
Much like a homemade pizza - with garage bait making - you can have your baits exactly the way you want them...... If this interests you ,,, Post a comment !!!! Or a question ???
Happy Holidays,
Frank Postal
Monday, December 12, 2011
Variegated , Siver and Gold Leaf Finishes.
Gold, silver, copper, bronze and variegated leaf are some great finishes to baits, if you want to invest in the time.You may achieve some great metallic finishes with paint that reflect well but leaf is in a world of it's own.
In the paint end of it all you really need are some candy's to highlight it. OK, maybe a white belly and black back.
To start with , you have to seal the wood completely. Seal your lure as though you were prepping as normal. Now you need to seal the surface for the leaf. I have been using envirotex in a spray can to do this. Their was a tree house brand from hobby lobby that worked well, and then it was gone . Any kind of polymer or acrylic should work.The key to using leaf is the prep, seal sand, seal sand. The surface needs to be as flawless as possible for the best results . Once the surface is ready, plan out your art work. If you are doing multiple colors of leaf know where you are going to tape off from the sections. Yeah, multiple colors should be done one at a time. Do not coat the entire bait with adhesive unless you are going to leaf the entire bait. I started with what was offered with the leaf adhesives, I think it is the Mona Lisa brand. It does OK , but I wanted something thinner to use after my first baits. Did some looking and came up with "Charbonnel". A bit more expensive and volatile, but really nice to work with. If you were putting leaf on a car this is what you would use. The thickness of the adhesive plays a big part in the finish.
Alright glue is on and now we wait, until the adhesive no longer pulls, by this I mean not sticky. You should be able to touch it with out it pulling back .Pay attention to this, it can also become to dry!! If you are using sheet leaf try to keep it as wrinkle free as possible, it will show otherwise. Buy one of their brushes for putting the leaf on, it works better than your wife's makeup brush and you will thank yourself later . Leaf is like airborne glue it will be every where and stick to everything except what you are working on. When you apply the leaf try not to finger it, use some wax paper to cover and then use the brush to apply pressure to secure it. The less you try to manipulate the leaf the better off the finish and you will be.
After it is all on and dry, their are a number of things that can be done. You can leave it alone and paint it with a candy for highlights, or you can try burnishing , swirls, or scales. An easy way to get a scale looking pattern is with a Clean ratchet handle, make sure everything is dry, then roll the knurled handle over the lure with enough pressure to indent the leaf but not the wood. You can also do this to leaf or any other material before hand, if it's leaf place it between two pieces of wax paper first, then roll it. I have tried aluminum foil, gift wrapping and others, they just seem to thick , that's how I ended up using leaf.
OK, leaf is on and you are finished with that part. Now the leaf and the adhesive you used have to be sealed.
A mist coat for the the first two coats, let it dry then coat the bait out. If the sealer is put on to heavy, everything you just did melts together!!
Let it all dry well and add color.
Good luck if this is your endeavor. Remember, less is better.
The 14" leaf and stained baits I made for Christmas gifts a few years back. I think their were 13 in total I have one. NO I did not stiff anyone. It was a lot of fun trying this technique and I will do more.
The 12" knockoff's , I wanted a Whishmaster and just couldn't find the funds to do it." Rolf was a Master at his craft" The work he put into a bait justifies the cost. Happy fishing where ever you are Rolf.
The 10" baits, was just having fun with balsa for the first time. I take my hat off to anyone who works with balsa. It is the most unforgiving wood I have ever used.
( Keep it in the water )
In the paint end of it all you really need are some candy's to highlight it. OK, maybe a white belly and black back.
To start with , you have to seal the wood completely. Seal your lure as though you were prepping as normal. Now you need to seal the surface for the leaf. I have been using envirotex in a spray can to do this. Their was a tree house brand from hobby lobby that worked well, and then it was gone . Any kind of polymer or acrylic should work.The key to using leaf is the prep, seal sand, seal sand. The surface needs to be as flawless as possible for the best results . Once the surface is ready, plan out your art work. If you are doing multiple colors of leaf know where you are going to tape off from the sections. Yeah, multiple colors should be done one at a time. Do not coat the entire bait with adhesive unless you are going to leaf the entire bait. I started with what was offered with the leaf adhesives, I think it is the Mona Lisa brand. It does OK , but I wanted something thinner to use after my first baits. Did some looking and came up with "Charbonnel". A bit more expensive and volatile, but really nice to work with. If you were putting leaf on a car this is what you would use. The thickness of the adhesive plays a big part in the finish.
Alright glue is on and now we wait, until the adhesive no longer pulls, by this I mean not sticky. You should be able to touch it with out it pulling back .Pay attention to this, it can also become to dry!! If you are using sheet leaf try to keep it as wrinkle free as possible, it will show otherwise. Buy one of their brushes for putting the leaf on, it works better than your wife's makeup brush and you will thank yourself later . Leaf is like airborne glue it will be every where and stick to everything except what you are working on. When you apply the leaf try not to finger it, use some wax paper to cover and then use the brush to apply pressure to secure it. The less you try to manipulate the leaf the better off the finish and you will be.
After it is all on and dry, their are a number of things that can be done. You can leave it alone and paint it with a candy for highlights, or you can try burnishing , swirls, or scales. An easy way to get a scale looking pattern is with a Clean ratchet handle, make sure everything is dry, then roll the knurled handle over the lure with enough pressure to indent the leaf but not the wood. You can also do this to leaf or any other material before hand, if it's leaf place it between two pieces of wax paper first, then roll it. I have tried aluminum foil, gift wrapping and others, they just seem to thick , that's how I ended up using leaf.
OK, leaf is on and you are finished with that part. Now the leaf and the adhesive you used have to be sealed.
A mist coat for the the first two coats, let it dry then coat the bait out. If the sealer is put on to heavy, everything you just did melts together!!
Let it all dry well and add color.
Good luck if this is your endeavor. Remember, less is better.
The 14" leaf and stained baits I made for Christmas gifts a few years back. I think their were 13 in total I have one. NO I did not stiff anyone. It was a lot of fun trying this technique and I will do more.
The 12" knockoff's , I wanted a Whishmaster and just couldn't find the funds to do it." Rolf was a Master at his craft" The work he put into a bait justifies the cost. Happy fishing where ever you are Rolf.
The 10" baits, was just having fun with balsa for the first time. I take my hat off to anyone who works with balsa. It is the most unforgiving wood I have ever used.
( Keep it in the water )
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Putting Weight in a lure
I found this after I was finished adding lead to my baits this year. Frank did get the opportunity to try it.
The Archimedes dunk test.
1. Fill a beaker with enough water to completely submerge your lure, without touching sides or bottom.
2. Place beaker of water on scales.
3. Set the scales to measure grams and zero.
4. Hold the nose eye with long nose pliers and submerge in the water, up to the eye. Leave the hooks on for this.
5 - Read off the scale and write the number down.
Because one gram of water has a volume of one centimeter cube, the number written down represents the volume of the lure in centimeter cubes.
The number also represents what the final lure should weigh (in grams) if you are going for neutral buoyancy. If you want a floater, just add less ballast.
This test can be done as early as the first seal of the body, to get an early indication of the final weight of the lure, or right at the end of the build process. If you want to tweak the final lure to get neutral, fit all the hooks etc and test. This will indicate the size of the slug you need to add.
Another application is, if you want to copy a lure and get the same amount of float. Weigh the original, with hooks and divide by the dunk test weight. This will give you a ratio. When you build your copy, ballast to achieve the same ratio.
I have been using this technique for a few months now and it is quick, very accurate and simple. I recommend that you at least give it a try out.
The Archimedes dunk test.
1. Fill a beaker with enough water to completely submerge your lure, without touching sides or bottom.
2. Place beaker of water on scales.
3. Set the scales to measure grams and zero.
4. Hold the nose eye with long nose pliers and submerge in the water, up to the eye. Leave the hooks on for this.
5 - Read off the scale and write the number down.
Because one gram of water has a volume of one centimeter cube, the number written down represents the volume of the lure in centimeter cubes.
The number also represents what the final lure should weigh (in grams) if you are going for neutral buoyancy. If you want a floater, just add less ballast.
This test can be done as early as the first seal of the body, to get an early indication of the final weight of the lure, or right at the end of the build process. If you want to tweak the final lure to get neutral, fit all the hooks etc and test. This will indicate the size of the slug you need to add.
Another application is, if you want to copy a lure and get the same amount of float. Weigh the original, with hooks and divide by the dunk test weight. This will give you a ratio. When you build your copy, ballast to achieve the same ratio.
I have been using this technique for a few months now and it is quick, very accurate and simple. I recommend that you at least give it a try out.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Info on Franks pics.
As you can tell there are a few extra holes in the baits. Because of time constraints and the first time we made small baits in quantity. We decided early on not to do glass eyes or thru wire for these guys. We thought we would use glass rattles epoxied to the back side of the lips and screw eyes. Most baits where done with .072 screw eyes, we did not like the idea that the threads on a .072 are minute at best. I think .090 are the better choice for our application. The extra holes came from no glass eyes, this is where we would put the rattles normally. So we figured out we could drill the holes the same way at the eye and in the body. Thus giving even more rattle. We used a forstner bit to drill out enough for a punched out piece of aluminum about an 1/8" bigger than the aluminum itself and epoxy, then drill a hole all the way thru for the rattle. The rattle can be anything you like , we have been using BB's and air gun pellets.The aluminum was punched out with nut drivers that had the ends beveled and sharpened. The blue dots you see in some of the pics ,is the punch out .The lips were store bought this time around not made by us.
( keep it in the water ).
( keep it in the water ).
Nuts and Bolts,condensed version.
I am just going to do a run thru and go from there.
First comes the obvious, the type of lure. For those of you who still have a memory lasting longer than five minutes,skip this. For the rest of us, start a Bible ( notebook ) and wright everything down, you will thank yourself later. Make a drawing for a pattern if it's something knew, or a pattern from a lure you want to copy.
If it is new, determine the thickness, if it's a copy just measure it.Now some wood. Rule # 1. if it feels heavy it is heavy, it will not change.We have done oak, cherry, teak, wocaboca, maple, mahogany, Trex decking, Aztek plastic trim , balsa, basswood and the one that will work for just about anything #1 pine select. Home Depot or such is the supplier.
We normally get 1"x3" and plane it down to the desired thickness on a planner. Then cut to the length you need, we will normally go a 1/2" longer than needed in our lengths. Keep in mind we usually make 80 to 100 baits at a time. The idea is still the same. Then trace the pattern to the blanks, we hold our patterns to the nose of the bait because we use a radial arm saw to cut the lip slot, which is the next step. If you are making multiple baits of the same, install a stop block on the saw table, adjust the depth and angle, do a test piece and keep going.
Now you need to know if there will be drilled out glass eyes, as we use, stick on , or painted. Most lures need some kind of weight, now is a good time to know what you are going to do. While the lure is still a square block, you need to determine the balance point of a finished lure hooks and all, then drill the hole for lead or similar material and the eye location if you are going to use glass eyes. A drill press is best for this. You can determine hole size and depth for weight in a bait by taking some scrap wood, weigh it, drill it, add lead and weigh it again, grams are better than ounces, do this with different size bits and depths once and all you have to do is refer back to the bible in the future. Glass eyes are cool and we use the holes here to add rattles. Now you can cut out your pattern, a scroll saw or band saw work well. Depending on your skill level, staying away from the traced line is better and use a stationary belt sander or disc sander to bring it within tolerance, keeping all edges as square as possible.
I can not explain why, but up until a couple of years age we never had jigs to help with these operations. Take the time to make some , they really do simplify some of the operations.
OK , all drilled out and moving on to rounding the edges. We have a couple of routers in tables set up to round the edges and cut the belly slot for wire.The edge can be what ever you choose depending on the thickness of your bait and what you are trying to achieve. The wire slot is cut with a kerf blade on the router. We are setup for .052 wire. Except for this years batch of baits, we were using thru wire construction.
Now it is time for some kind of wood sealer.This can be thinned out primer, sanding sealer,thinned out epoxy
thinned out envirotex or propionate which we started using a year or so ago.The jest here is to have some thing penetrate the wood filling the open cells and sealing it.
Then it is on to bending and installing wires. We have tried to bend our wires up prior to making the baits along with cutting the lips so everything is ready for building. We have jigs made to bend our wire so there is some kind of consistency in the 14" & yes the 18". Lips are cut on a jig with a die grinder that Frank had made up back in the early days. Once wires are in ,the slot is filled with epoxy of your choice, we use the West System because it flows well and penetrates into the wood. Now sand the bait for paint. If you are looking for a flawless finish, it starts here.Anything and every thing will show at paint.Primer is a adhesion promoter not a filler. Rough sanding shaping is at about a 150 grit, finish sanding a 220 grit. Prime and sand in the 400 grit range.
This is where the real Fun starts, Paint. Subject of it's own.
(keep it in the water)
First comes the obvious, the type of lure. For those of you who still have a memory lasting longer than five minutes,skip this. For the rest of us, start a Bible ( notebook ) and wright everything down, you will thank yourself later. Make a drawing for a pattern if it's something knew, or a pattern from a lure you want to copy.
If it is new, determine the thickness, if it's a copy just measure it.Now some wood. Rule # 1. if it feels heavy it is heavy, it will not change.We have done oak, cherry, teak, wocaboca, maple, mahogany, Trex decking, Aztek plastic trim , balsa, basswood and the one that will work for just about anything #1 pine select. Home Depot or such is the supplier.
We normally get 1"x3" and plane it down to the desired thickness on a planner. Then cut to the length you need, we will normally go a 1/2" longer than needed in our lengths. Keep in mind we usually make 80 to 100 baits at a time. The idea is still the same. Then trace the pattern to the blanks, we hold our patterns to the nose of the bait because we use a radial arm saw to cut the lip slot, which is the next step. If you are making multiple baits of the same, install a stop block on the saw table, adjust the depth and angle, do a test piece and keep going.
Now you need to know if there will be drilled out glass eyes, as we use, stick on , or painted. Most lures need some kind of weight, now is a good time to know what you are going to do. While the lure is still a square block, you need to determine the balance point of a finished lure hooks and all, then drill the hole for lead or similar material and the eye location if you are going to use glass eyes. A drill press is best for this. You can determine hole size and depth for weight in a bait by taking some scrap wood, weigh it, drill it, add lead and weigh it again, grams are better than ounces, do this with different size bits and depths once and all you have to do is refer back to the bible in the future. Glass eyes are cool and we use the holes here to add rattles. Now you can cut out your pattern, a scroll saw or band saw work well. Depending on your skill level, staying away from the traced line is better and use a stationary belt sander or disc sander to bring it within tolerance, keeping all edges as square as possible.
I can not explain why, but up until a couple of years age we never had jigs to help with these operations. Take the time to make some , they really do simplify some of the operations.
OK , all drilled out and moving on to rounding the edges. We have a couple of routers in tables set up to round the edges and cut the belly slot for wire.The edge can be what ever you choose depending on the thickness of your bait and what you are trying to achieve. The wire slot is cut with a kerf blade on the router. We are setup for .052 wire. Except for this years batch of baits, we were using thru wire construction.
Now it is time for some kind of wood sealer.This can be thinned out primer, sanding sealer,thinned out epoxy
thinned out envirotex or propionate which we started using a year or so ago.The jest here is to have some thing penetrate the wood filling the open cells and sealing it.
Then it is on to bending and installing wires. We have tried to bend our wires up prior to making the baits along with cutting the lips so everything is ready for building. We have jigs made to bend our wire so there is some kind of consistency in the 14" & yes the 18". Lips are cut on a jig with a die grinder that Frank had made up back in the early days. Once wires are in ,the slot is filled with epoxy of your choice, we use the West System because it flows well and penetrates into the wood. Now sand the bait for paint. If you are looking for a flawless finish, it starts here.Anything and every thing will show at paint.Primer is a adhesion promoter not a filler. Rough sanding shaping is at about a 150 grit, finish sanding a 220 grit. Prime and sand in the 400 grit range.
This is where the real Fun starts, Paint. Subject of it's own.
(keep it in the water)
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Saga.
Well hopping on the way back machine, the story goes like this.
I started out about twenty years ago trying to duplicate a bait that Frank and I thought had really nice action, but wasn't made as well as it could be.This was the start into an obsession! Don't take that the wrong way, it really is a lot of fun, especially at paint time!
The pics you see are where we have evolved to over the years.The one constant is the two sided paint on the 14"trolling baits. Franks idea really. I will post some pics of older baits later.The action on these baits is a side to side flop that that allows both colors to be seen, we refer to this as, on off, light dark. Along with this there is a figure eight wobble nose to tail. It is a cool action for a trolling bait.
The beginnings were rattle cans like so many others ,then came reflective tape, large glass eyes and rattles.
We moved up to an airbrush and createx paint, but more times than not reverted back to the rattle cans.
Then good airbrushes, House of Kolor paint and lot's of time, we were making are best.
We make 60 to 100 lures a year, this is normally with four people.There have been numerous fishing buddies
who join in for a while and then stop, can't imagine stopping for myself. Although it does consume a lot of time.
By the way, Frank is my bait building bud from the beginning and fishing partner. Al and Mike have been with us for a few years now and have contributed quite a lot. It is the combined thoughts of all who join us as to what we create.This was the first year we did small baits on the larger scale. For the most part a great success,even though Mike and Al didn't finish theirs? There were only a few casualties that couldn't be saved.
I just started this blog to see if there is anybody who wanted info, haven't done it all but we have done a lot.
Once I know it.s going I will get the group involved.
( Keep it in the water.)
I started out about twenty years ago trying to duplicate a bait that Frank and I thought had really nice action, but wasn't made as well as it could be.This was the start into an obsession! Don't take that the wrong way, it really is a lot of fun, especially at paint time!
The pics you see are where we have evolved to over the years.The one constant is the two sided paint on the 14"trolling baits. Franks idea really. I will post some pics of older baits later.The action on these baits is a side to side flop that that allows both colors to be seen, we refer to this as, on off, light dark. Along with this there is a figure eight wobble nose to tail. It is a cool action for a trolling bait.
The beginnings were rattle cans like so many others ,then came reflective tape, large glass eyes and rattles.
We moved up to an airbrush and createx paint, but more times than not reverted back to the rattle cans.
Then good airbrushes, House of Kolor paint and lot's of time, we were making are best.
We make 60 to 100 lures a year, this is normally with four people.There have been numerous fishing buddies
who join in for a while and then stop, can't imagine stopping for myself. Although it does consume a lot of time.
By the way, Frank is my bait building bud from the beginning and fishing partner. Al and Mike have been with us for a few years now and have contributed quite a lot. It is the combined thoughts of all who join us as to what we create.This was the first year we did small baits on the larger scale. For the most part a great success,even though Mike and Al didn't finish theirs? There were only a few casualties that couldn't be saved.
I just started this blog to see if there is anybody who wanted info, haven't done it all but we have done a lot.
Once I know it.s going I will get the group involved.
( Keep it in the water.)
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