Tackle Making Tips Thread

Started by TightLinez, January 21, 2009, 03:55:33 AM

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TightLinez

I thought we could start a thread of tips, tricks, do's, and don'ts of tackle making- whether it be painting, building, pouring, or anything else that has to do with the "Tackle Box". If you have any little secrets, feel free to share!


Don't use q-tips to clean out your airbrush between colors. They will fall apart in the cup and your brush will start spitting little
pieces of cotton out. ~rant

If you thin your paint (Apple Barrel, Folk Art, etc.), use plastic condiment cups and not paper ones. The paper cups will break down while you mix, and you'll have tiny pieces of "paper" in your airbrush cup.... ~xyz

A small pair of vise grips is a great tool to have while you're painting. You can use them to hold pretty much any size/type of bait- just adjust the width depending on whether you're holding the bill on a CB or the split ring on a lipless CB. A pair of foreceps also works, but I trust the vise grips a lot more!

Acetone melts plastic...... VERY fast.......

Before backwashing your airbrush, put the needle cap back on. You can backwash without it, but it's a little bit scary........ and painful if your timing is a little off.

Always have a backup needle and needle cap- you'll eventually need them.

Latex gloves come in handy while painting- saves you from a lot of scrubbing and I use them as a little canvas to check if my brush is spraying right. I can make sure there aren't any clogs, the color is how I want it, and the pressure is good. :-*

Most of the time I just put glitter on the back of my baits when I epoxy them. Instead of mixing up two batches (one with glitter-one without), just save the back of the bait for last. Then, add the glitter to what is left and finish the bait!


LEARN FROM YOUR/MY MISTAKES! lo





Well that was a start. I'll post more, but I'd love to see what some of you other guys have. ~cf

TightLinez

Cracker, BIG M, Jav, anyone........ ~tumble

TightLinez

#2
Here's two more I just thought of today.....

I use those cheap brushes you buy in a 20pk from Walmart. After you're done brushing the epoxy on your bait, snap the head off if it. The handle makes a great stir stick for your next batch of epoxy! ;)

An LED cap light is great when applying epoxy to your bait. The bright light allows you to see anything you may have missed.

Team_Reeder20

if you modify crankbait bills use a template. It might look right if you eyeball it, until you shave it off, then you realize it's not right at all!! lol.
Member of the "Little Boats, Big Bass" Fishing Club

Sponsors: Minda Lures

hesjustbassin

Preheat your soft plastic molds before you pour. You'll get much better flow on a warm piece of aluminum vice cold.
'Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting the different results' Albert Einstein.

BIG M

Put your netting in a sewing hoop a little loose so it stetches evenly over the bait for spraying scale patterns.    Buy some cheap plastic baits from Jann's and use those for practice.   I've painted the same bait at least 500 times.

There are not any quick tips for building balsa cranks.

javelin225ho

Quote from: TightLinez on January 22, 2009, 03:31:24 PM
Cracker, BIG M, Jav, anyone........ ~tumble

i have tons of them.........but im headed to a tourney, be back on Saturday night.....

GotstaFish

Smoke your lead molds with a beeswax candle to get a better pour and release  :)
Karl@KaRuLures.com

Dug

The edge of a heavy cardboard box makes a great place to hang jig heads for drying.  If the hook is deep enough in the cardboard edge they won't rest against it while drying.  Also if you paint bullet weights, stab toothpicks into the cardboard and impale your bullet weights on them for painting and drying.

Dug
In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away.

TightLinez

Quote from: BIG M on January 22, 2009, 09:46:51 PM
Put your netting in a sewing hoop a little loose so it stetches evenly over the bait for spraying scale patterns.    Buy some cheap plastic baits from Jann's and use those for practice.   I've painted the same bait at least 500 times.

There are not any quick tips for building balsa cranks.

Alright guys! ~c~
Keep em' coming.

BIG M I'm going to have to try this one out!!! Been looking for an easier way to spray my scale pattern and I think this you found it. Nice job. ;D

Hawgwild

What is a good tough paint to use for painting raw tungston weights......I was thinking about a good automotive paint in spray cans...just not set up to air-brush yet...

Would probably paint most all black and then maybe some clear coat auto finish over that...

I could powder coat them but think it would be a real hassle to keep the hole clear and figuring out a way to hang them while drying...

Any other thoughts or suggestions... :)

The Bassmeister

Quote from: Hawgwild on January 23, 2009, 08:27:02 PM
What is a good tough paint to use for painting raw tungston weights......I was thinking about a good automotive paint in spray cans...just not set up to air-brush yet...

Would probably paint most all black and then maybe some clear coat auto finish over that...

I could powder coat them but think it would be a real hassle to keep the hole clear and figuring out a way to hang them while drying...

Any other thoughts or suggestions... :)

Nail polish works great
Ranger 519VX 200 Optimax

Cross her eyes!

TightLinez

Hey Jav, you think we could make this thread a sticky? ;)

aweiser743

Hawgwild if you want to turn your tungsten black take a propane torch and heat them up till they are cherry red then dip them in some water. This gets rid of the silver shine and tunrs them a dark gray and you never have to worry about chipped paint because this last forever.  If they have inserts make sure you remove them first I use a heavy sewing needle and tweezers they pull right out and when your done just put them back in. 

thecrankincracker

You can make stencils out of plastic milk jugs or any kind of thin plastic. Just trace what you want on it and cut out with an x-acto knife. They will save you ton's of time. Sorry saw this post a little late...

TightLinez

No problem CC. lo
I'm working on some different stencils today. Instead of a milk jug, I'm using a thin plastic trapper keeper. No more hair pics and combs for me! ;D

thecrankincracker

Just make sure you clean them off frenquently with denatured alcohol. If you have paint on one side then lay it back on the bait it never fails to come off on the bait!!! I found some transparency clear sheet's that work great at staples. Super clear and very cheap.

TightLinez

Cool deal. How are you holding your stencils on your baits? The problem I am having is getting them to lay flush. That's why I hated using pics and combs- if you weren't careful, you'd have some over-spray or fuzzy edges. Also, do you have a stencil made for your gill plates? Yours seem to be a lot crisper than mine. :help:

thecrankincracker

I usually lay the bait on my leg and use my finger's to hold it on (sometime's I wish I had a few more arms). Little easier that way than trying to do it while it's hanging. Come on now, I've got to keep a few secret's lol... Just kidding, just use painter's tape for the gills!!!

TightLinez

Quote from: thecrankincracker on January 25, 2009, 04:57:14 PM
I usually lay the bait on my leg and use my finger's to hold it on (sometime's I wish I had a few more arms). Little easier that way than trying to do it while it's hanging. Come on now, I've got to keep a few secret's lol... Just kidding, just use painter's tape for the gills!!!

lo One more thing-....... no I'm just kidding. ;D ;D ;D