My First 2 Builds

[MaineBassin]

Hey guys. With inspiration and motivation from so many amazing bait builders on here who provide awesome help, I've jumped into the world of swimbait building. I also have some rookie questions that I have not come across that have come up from what I've done so far. 

So I have 2 baits going. A rat and a wake/crank style bait. Both made out of cedar. Wnc is around 5.75" and the rat is 6", both without tails and bills. The rat is a bulky bait, about 1.5" wide, hopefully not too bulky. 

I have most of the hardware epoxied in. For the hook hangers I used 5 gram plug belly weight inserts. They seam a little light gauge wire but I read on here guys saying they are strong, esp for bass. I bought some 062 wire to make hardware, but have not done that yet. I just used 072 1.25" closed screw eyes and straight leg pins for the other side. All from lpo. I am using bob smith industries 2 part epoxy/hardener. 

So some questions....

1. Any concern with the strength of this stuff?

2. When drilling the holes for hardware, do you make them a little loose to fit more epoxy or tight to rely more on the threads? My thought was with the epoxy being stronger.

3. I was going to buy the epoxy @chefchris mentioned (pretty sure it was him) that was a sealer / hardener in one. But wasn't ready to drop $50 on a big bottle of it off the bat. I tried to paint on this epoxy on the outside, as you can see in the rear section of the rat. It applied very tough. Like it was hardening already as I was applying it. I weigh each bottle with 50 50 ratio. I don't have a turner so I just hung it to dry. Lots of bubbles and uneven surfaces. I think I'll bite the bullet and get the other stuff. If I remember correctly you just submerge atleast half of each piece until bubbles stop then flip over. 

So can I use this epoxy as an external sealer? Then paint over it then seal again? 

Any tips or suggestions strongly welcomed. Thanks guys. 

Justin

[kev_swmbt_20]

When I use the .072 hook hangers I pre drill the holes using the same diameter bit, but I only drill it about 3/4 of the length of the hangers. Then I super glue the holes and threads of the hangers. Then I screw the hangers in completely that way I have the strength of the super glue then also the strength of the 1/4 of the threads directly into the wood. It seems to work for me. Hope that helps man good luck.

[azsouth]

Just a reminder super glue is not water proof but 30 minute epoxy is.

[chefchris]

@MaineBassin the baits look good so far man. 

i would NOT recommend that brother hood bait sealer. It’s just thinned super glue, I did some penetration test and the stuff soaked in about the thickness of your finger nail (if you finger nail is like paper thin) I wasn’t impressed with it, I’m sure on balsa or other similar woods it’s fine, but it was a pain to work with, and sucks to sand if you get any drips. 

for sealer I do 50/50 epoxy (probably the same stuff you bought) then I cut it with denatured Alcohol, there’s a thread on here if you search it.

or go to Home Depot and get some SATIN Helmspar urethane (quart size) and cut that with mineral spirits. @BrhodesBassindips his in poly or something Similar I believe.

for screw eyes I use a drill bit one size down and drill about 3/4 of the way, depends on the wood. Then use some 2 part Devcon epoxy when assembling. 

[chefchris]

Sounds like the epoxy you got is like etex or palmers bar top epoxy, I did so much research on epoxies when I was building salt water lures for sale. Almost all of them are made in the same parent factory and just packaged differently, private labeled it’s very common. The stuff you got can be used for sealing (if it’s cut after being mixed) or top coat. But you’ll need a spinner. 

but you can get away with flipping baits, it’s takes some more time cause you have to babysit em but it’s doable. I did it for 6-7 years before I made a spinner. 

[MaineBassin]

Thanks for the feedback guys. @chefchris what about the epoxy Truecoat? I thought you were impressed with that stuff...not the other super glue one. It's $40 plus shipping for a decent amount. 

I hear you guys regarding drilling 3/4 of the way and using epoxy and the wood for strength. I drilled most of my holes big (say one size) and basically filled them up with epoxy then put the hardware in. Do you think this is strong enough without any wood strength holding them? 

I will look back through the forum for how to's for sealing etc. I just looked quick to find the Truecoat name I was thinking of. Some great tutorials from Chris and others. Thanks for all the feedback. Look forward to getting these wet and see how my first ones perform. 

[chefchris]

The truecoat is the balls! I love it. I only use it for top coat. 

epoxy sealing I use envirotex lite (etex) from any major craft shop 

[BrhodesBassin]

I use polyurethane to seal my baits like Chris said. I do 2 coats. 1 after all the milling is done, bait is shaped and carved and then another after It has been weighted and the ballast holes have been back filled. The 1st coat I let soak for 5min or so and the last one i just dip after scuffing the 1st coat a bit to give it something to grab onto.

 

The only part of your process I would change is glueing in hardware before sealing the bait and i wouldn't drill pilot holes a size big. Other then that bro I think your off to a great start, that chunky rat looks like it's going to be a fun one to fish

Edited May 4, 2020 by BrhodesBassin

[MaineBassin]

Thanks guys. I think I'll order some Truecoat then. I will also change my hardware strategy. One last question. Do you guys seal, install hardware, swim test, paint, then final clear coat over paint? Or is paint the last step? 

[BrhodesBassin]

That's how I go about it. Once you have a few builds done you will get a better idea of how a bait is going to act and you will have the option to swim test and tune after the bait is painted and cleared. I dont like.to waste time painting baits that idk will run right but there are definitely builders who do it that way

Edited May 4, 2020 by BrhodesBassin

[Rogervang]

4 hours ago, MaineBassin said:

Do you guys seal, install hardware, swim test, paint, then final clear coat over paint? 

I, install hardware, test swim, paint, clear, final test swim. Most time I already know itll be good after the clear but it always ease the mind when I give it a final test. 

[danthefisherman]

Great start! I echo what everyone above said 

[MaineBassin]

They are ready for water. Overall I'm pretty happy with how they came out. Could be better. I've learned a lot that will lead to better future baits. I just guessed lip size. Read a tip online of "it's hard to add to the lip by cutting", so I went bigger from the beginning. The tail screw on the rat is too big. Future will be smaller. I'm also worried that the rat line tie may have to be moved to down by the lip. Water testing will tell. I'm also a little concerned about the strength of the metal and the holding power of the straight leg joints from lpo. I did trust them to give some extra surface area inside the wood with the epoxy. I also need to find some thick silicone for wnc tail. Don't want hard ones if possible. Working with epoxy has a learning curve. I found that cutting with DA when applying to seal the wood worked awesome. Much easier to work with. No running of epoxy and a quick sand once dry and it was ready for another coat. Each coat applied improved the finish. I have 2 full coats on them now. If they swim good I'll paint then one last clear finish. 

Both have a real nice clack. Wood just has a different sound to it. Rat is 2.75 oz without split rings and hooks. Wnc is 1.70 oz without split rings and hooks. 

[BrierBob]

Both look like they should be winners to me.

[MaineBassin]

Thanks. Hope so. Just occured to me, now that I have epoxied the joint hardware, how am I supposed to paint the insides? Brush?