makin' crankbaits

[crankybait]

you got a lathe for 59.99??? wow cheapest i saw was around 300. usually the stand for the lathe alone is like 50-60 bucks. and bandsaws, were like 1000 bucks

[ILfishinman]

um right now its just sealent and the color is sharpies if you read my post. i wanted to get it dont because i am goin on a trip tonite and want to use it tomorrow. i wont be home til saturday so i will see you guys the!

[basstech]

Go to www.tackleunderground.com. There is everything you'll ever want or need to know about making cranks, painting and finishing them. You won't find a more informitive site.

[ILfishinman]

yea ive checked them out too nice site they got.

[crankybait]

uh ILfisherman i dont know what you were talking about with the "um right now its just sealent and the color is sharpies if you read my post. i wanted to get it dont because i am goin on a trip tonite and want to use it tomorrow. i wont be home til saturday so i will see you guys the!" but sharpies will wash off. and a primer paint will not hold up lond. you absolutely need epoxy and do not fish that lure without it. permanent markers are not permanent. in water.

[ILfishinman]

well when i got home i will try to go to home depot or sumthin and get epoxy

[whittler]

A little advice if I may. On those first baits that you make do not worry about the fancy paint and epoxy top-coats those will come as you gain skill and experience. Do be concerned with how it works in the water on rod and reel, not in the bath tub. Build it as straight and true as possible and make it work with the action you want. If your first baits do not work correctlly then you can change and modify untill it does without concern for finish. Some polyurathane clear will seal and top-coat, can be dipped or brushed and dries fast or Krylon clear will also work. If the bait does not work with the right action then it won't make ,much difference how pretty it is.

[bassking22]

Yeah man dont fish those baits until you have exactly what you need, b/c you have a great first one , and you dont want to ruin it. Hey whittler, thats a real pretty crank, how did you paint it?

[FishySkater]

Those look really nice. I want to know who they do after you use them.

[bassguy2004]

Whittler painted it with an airbrush, my guess and also very carefully.

[crankybait]

most likely airbrush, but spray paint would work. for those who cant get an airbrush. you can get different nozzles for spray paint cans that work almost as good as an air brush.

[whittler]

Bassking, it was painted with an airbrush and top-coated with 2 coats of epoxy.

FishySkater, hopefully with lots of teeth marks.

[ILfishinman]

okay in my trip i tested my lure out. it doesnt have good action at all. i will have to fix that and i made another body, a flat side crank, looks real nice.

[bassking22]

Yep, at first they will have terrible action. Made two more blanks today, once you start, it's hard to stop

[ILfishinman]

yea it is its just so fun

[crankybait]

today the guy working on my basement asked me for a novelty pig lure... almost done...

also- try adding a bill to the lure. that will give it some action. use physics and think logically when designing.

[bassnman30]

Unless you are running the wire line through the bait, then get some glue for the hooks.

[crankybait]

here is one ive been working on:
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1...s/DSCN0469.jpg

[bassking22]

Nice! I have been doing nothing nut making blanks, and working on them since I got back. My dad had to scream me to turn off the dremel and go to bed at 3 last night

[bassking22]

Hey, I found another,easier, better way to make a line tie, and hook ties, go to Lowes, and buy some of the long shank extra small screw eyes. They come in packs of ten, and work great! Also another tip if you spray paint the base coat on, is to attach the rear hook eye, and tie some fishing line on it, then tie it to a branch of a tree, and spray on the base coat.

[crankybait]

ive used screw eyes... in my opinion theyre too thick. and its so much cheaper to make your own.

[ILfishinman]

how do you make screw eyes? do you have to drill a hole to put them in or you just screw them?
also i picked up a 8 by 10 sheet of lexan up today at lowes for $4 so i can now make lips

[crankybait]

ok well to make screw eyes, take a 2 inch or so peice of 20 gauge steel wire... may be longer i never really meausred. then bend it at the middle. i like to add the split ring now. but usually youd add it after finishing. so after its bent, make it so there is a little loop at the middle. then twist it until it is a screw eye.

[ILfishinman]

ok hhow do you carve slots to put lips in?

[crankybait]

use the cut off thing on the rotary tool. a hacksaw will do too... just hold the lure in a vice before you sand it (or else you cant hold it in a vice) and cut the slot

oh yes- when dealing with balsa you do not need to drill a hole for the screw eye. but for harder woods, yes you do.