Attempts at making timber HBs

[ant1969]

they look great Dodge but have a ? for you. the hook anchor points are they just screw in eyelets or wire inlaid in lure. thinking of making surface bass lures as go through quite a few and are expensive

[4weightfanatic]

Well done Dodge keep 'em coming mate I've found you learn a bit more with each one and as usual its the mistakes that stick in your mind most that shape your next creations. Definately getting a good finish is the hardest part but you can always sand it back and start again as I found with my last effort. Regarding using spray cans - I reckon their great for a quality finish but being enamel has problems with humidity and recoat times. I have stuffed a few up rushing between coat times and worse ruined good paint jobs rushing the clear coats. I don't think the clear spray enamel is enough even with multiple coats on anything but hardwoods. You need to do so many coats to get a decent layer. A 24 hr epoxy really is the way to go if you want to do an epoxy final coat but you'll just have to get your creative side making a simple rotisse to put the lures on to cure. There's a few threads around on different sites including LL but also on fly fishing sites (for epoxy flies) where homemades are described using basic electric motors so if you've got some time on you hands on a rainy day give it a go. Pat

[Dodge]

the hook anchor points are they just screw in eyelets or wire inlaid in lure. thinking of making surface bass lures as go through quite a few and are expensive

Ant definitely do your own timber lures as they are a lot of enjoyable hours in the making and the satisfaction is when a fish is taken on your own creation.... one thing I learned is don't blindly follow the moulded resin styles as the buoyancy of timber is much different.

All my hangers and towpoint are DIY, and the method I started with was in here in this thread by Jayson, viewtopic.php?f=59&t=46326

Without knocking his advice in any way I found it difficult and came up with a variation to suit my old brain, and went to BCF and bought the wire held in the picture, although I now have been given some MIG wire from another AKFFer

Anon hangers

I also find it an advantage to wind anti clockwise, as it then give you a right turn when setting it in place which is done with 24hr Araldite [not 5 minute].

All my timbers are finished with a brush, and as you can see I am more interested in the lure action rather than the appearance, although do experiment with the colours. There is a 36 hour period between the following 2 pictures and they have only 1 coat of clear at this point, and after a swim 2 were modified

unpainted

painted

Will do a similar "How To" thread like the one kiwiozi did in the next couple of weeks, but using my old fashioned methods using brush and water based paint, but point out at the outset my style does not give the superb end result and finish achieved by the other blokes, but luckily the fish don't seem to care to this point.

You need to do so many coats to get a decent layer. A 24 hr epoxy really is the way to go if you want to do an epoxy final coat but you'll just have to get your creative side making a simple rotisse to put the lures on to cure.

Pat am now using Cabothane for my clear and totally happy with the outcome, and get an easy 3 coats on in a day in our climate, and will not be going down the epoxy finish road after having a yarn with my LL mentor.

[flyonline]

Richo

how do you find the cabothane in regards to durability and scratch resistance? I gave up on using Ultrathane which is a wooden sports floor covering as it wasn't very reistant to scratches and smelt for weeks afterwards - and I'd think that a stadium floor is about as worse a place for wear and tear as any timber covering!

For hangers, did you try a cuphook? I found it made a big difference over one I'd bent up myself - a lot less rejects and you need to keep tension on the whole time. I've since been given some safety wire pliers and they're foolproof for SS wire like Masons but it can't do thick gal type stuff.

Steve

[Dodge]

how do you find the cabothane in regards to durability and scratch resistance? I gave up on using Ultrathane which is a wooden sports floor covering as it wasn't very reistant to scratches and smelt for weeks afterwards -

For hangers, did you try a cuphook?

Steve I switched to cabothane [approx 5-6 coats] after I found the clear spray enamel I first used went soft and bubbled after about 3 hours in the water. At this point the cabothane has not been given a hard scratch test so too early to have an opinion in that regard, but the finish has not bubbled after immersion for an hour or so. With hindsight I will leave a lure soak for a whole morning session in the freshwater and see what happens to the finish and report back mate.

BTW did read your Ultrathane post on LL and at the time thought it would have been the ants pants considering its normal use.

Have not tried a cup hook at any stage for a hanger, and not surprised the safety pliers are great after watching some concreters using then one time.

Might also say here am finding making the lures is as much fun as using the homemade lure.

[flyonline]

Have not tried a cup hook at any stage for a hanger, and not surprised the safety pliers are great after watching some concreters using then one time.

Sorry, meant using the cup hook in a drill to twist the wire.

I like the triangle pattern, might have to give it a shot sometime

Steve