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 )