Solutions for Joint Strength

[SwimbaitNOVA]

Hi SU, this is my most recent creation, but I'm doubting the strength of the joints, especially the main to second joint which will have another screw eye put in. I used 1/16 inch steel rods with a hole drilled through the wood. It is epoxied fairly well and will be getting a second coat as well as touch-ups in the joints, but im still worried about wear and tear over time, especially since it is a wooden bait. 

I could:

1: Drill larger holes I suppose and replace the connections with heavier duty rods.

2: Add a length of flexible fiber on the top of the bait on the main joint and epoxy it in. The downside of this is that it could restrict the movement of the joints.

I'm eager to hear your suggestions on what I can do to improve this joint style!

[danthefisherman]

Can we a picture from the top/bottom of the bait or even inside the joints? I'd be more concerned about the wooden "hinges" breaking before the steel pins bend. It doesn't look like you have much material on the hinges to enclose the pins especially on the first two joints from the head. Drilling bigger holes will perhaps weaken the joints further, so be careful. Bait looks sweet besides that!

[SwimbaitNOVA]

3 minutes ago, danthefisherman said:

Can we a picture from the top/bottom of the bait or even inside the joints? I'd be more concerned about the wooden "hinges" breaking before the steel pins bend. It doesn't look like you have much material on the hinges to enclose the pins especially on the first two joints from the head. Drilling bigger holes will perhaps weaken the joints further, so be careful. Bait looks sweet besides that!

this is the main hinge that I am concerned about, I drilled the hole a little too far out and it wobbles up and down which means the hole is getting worn out. I really want to salvage this bait

[chefchris]

bait looks nice first off 

second if the hook placement is only in the front section, you dont have to worry "too much" about how strong the joints are cause they wont be getting any leverage from fish applied to them. just swimming along. only real concern would be casting it into rocks/docks/structure 

Like dan said a pic from the top/bottom would be helpful. 

what type of wood?

how is it sealed before painting? 

 

[SwimbaitNOVA]

Just now, chefchris said:

bait looks nice first off 

second if the hook placement is only in the front section, you dont have to worry "too much" about how strong the joints are cause they wont be getting any leverage from fish applied to them. just swimming along. only real concern would be casting it into rocks/docks/structure 

Like dan said a pic from the top/bottom would be helpful. 

what type of wood?

how is it sealed before painting? 

 

well I feel that I need to add a second treble or I'll never hook a fish. not sure what the type of wood is exactly but its a very heavy grained wood that seems to chip rather than being carved easily. I did not seal it before painting, I think it wont be an issue if I cover every millimeter with epoxy. 

[morgantm16]

I'm with Dan on hinges and pin.  The 1/16'" steel pin should be plenty, drilling it out bigger i think would weaken your hinge style joint by loosing too much body material.  I would think the wood in the hinge would break before the metal.

[morgantm16]

As I was sitting at my desk, I started to think back to what Chris said about sealing.  He has a really good method a few topics down in his "9" trout glide project"

I would look to sealing before painting on future wood projects.  Should help harden that wood, but my main concern right now is if everything down in the hinges and pin holes got fully sealed with epoxy.

[chefchris]

2 hours ago, SwimbaitNOVA said:

 I did not seal it before painting, I think it wont be an issue if I cover every millimeter with epoxy. 

That will become an issue down the road. 

For you to cover every mm ofntye bait you’d also have to epoxy the joint holes, which would cause the bait not to move. 

And even if you did, once you get some hook rash on it thru the epoxy, water will get under the epoxy/paint and make the wood swell causing the paint and epoxy to peel and/or the bait to swell with water, and usually gets heavier. 

If you plan to do more down the road it’s worth the extra couple steps/$ and a few extra days of drying time to properly seal the wood. There’s a bunch of ways that work really well, some easier and cleaner than others. 

I’d say fish it as is, see what happens and how it performs and go from there. 

[SwimbaitNOVA]

finished the bait with a second coat of epoxy and another treble. lets see how it holds up!

[VolunteerSwimbaits]

I find that this is not the best joint for wooden baits, but instead for resin baits. I know that you have already done so, but just future advice. 

Most of the stress will be on the wood and not the pin itself. You will definitely want to seal the wood next time.

Have you test swam? The main worry is that the hinge will swell up after a couple of casts, and it wont swim right al all. To avoid this, seal the bait after you have the rough shape, and all the details, but before you put it together.

Bait looks great by the way! 

 

 

Also, is that 2 hooks on one hanger? Or is it just a weird illusion? 

[SwimbaitNOVA]

3 minutes ago, VolunteerSwimbaits said:

I find that this is not the best joint for wooden baits, but instead for resin baits. I know that you have already done so, but just future advice. 

Most of the stress will be on the wood and not the pin itself. You will definitely want to seal the wood next time.

Have you test swam? The main worry is that the hinge will swell up after a couple of casts, and it wont swim right al all. To avoid this, seal the bait after you have the rough shape, and all the details, but before you put it together.

Bait looks great by the way! 

 

 

Also, is that 2 hooks on one hanger? Or is it just a weird illusion? 

its the shadow from my camera flash LOL! And yeah it swims great, nice subtle full body swim with a vertical wobble.  it didnt swell at all in the half hour I tested it. And my goal is definitely to make resin baits so im trying to experiment with different joint styles 

[VolunteerSwimbaits]

10 hours ago, SwimbaitNOVA said:

its the shadow from my camera flash LOL! And yeah it swims great, nice subtle full body swim with a vertical wobble.  it didnt swell at all in the half hour I tested it. And my goal is definitely to make resin baits so im trying to experiment with different joint styles 

Okay, here is a tip for the resin. To make the joints, you can cut out a little "trough" where you want the joint to be, on both sides, then glue a dowel of proper size, and whenever you mold it, you will get a perfect circle for your joints... pm me if you need more info.