Just looking at the bait in the photo, you could probably step up in hook size... It will give a little more exposure around the belly, It would however affect the sinking of the lure but not by much.

Solid effort, my first few attempts weren't even close to that!

 

Thank you

 

 

I apologise for not mentioning it previously: I relented and bought some BLO and have had the lure bodies soaking in a 50/50 mix with turps.

I have seen the posts that advise about the cotton rag issue and have avoided it . 

Have left them in the mix for a day or two

Pulled them out and left to dry.

I have sanded them, Then applied a couple of coats of white spray paint to allow either an application of Aluminium tape or paint as the tape wont adhere to the oily surface.

 

I have been painting em with various paints, sadly a cheap n cheerful process here.

Have been experimenting by pinching some water paints from my son and point brushing spots, letting them dry to a gel state and then repeating with a new colour. Once the dappled result is dry I then apply a paint I got from Bunnings that has a faint sheen  and a fine powder of shiny reflective material in it. The end result when dry is a sheen that goes between the direct colour and a violet blue metallic reflection..

The approach above is the best I can do to get a graded and faded effect .

I cannot spend too much on spray cans so I am forced to find an alternate way of getting the effect I need. I am moving closer, But also acknowledge the finish is more for the fisherman and not the fish!

 

I will post some fotes (cellfonefotes sorry) in the hope that I qualify for more advice

 

Thanks for the sharing

 

 

JPG, your on the right track... To get more service life you will need to seal the timber as well as you can to prevent water getting in and swelling/splitting the lure...Wooden lures will split/crack get water logged over time, best you can do is slow it down. Some woods naturally don't need sealing but it won't hurt especially in the salt.

Few ways you can do this- 

1. 60/40 mix of Boiled linseed oil and mineral turpentine, submerge the lure body for a 1/2 hour or so, then hang up to dry (2-3 days) *

*WARNING... Boiled linseed oil and cotton do not mix! Spontaneous Combustion can and does occur when cotton rags are left with oil on them, chuck them in a bucket with water...Same with paper towels just incase.

2. Some guys thin down the same epoxy they use for their final coats...With the idea being the thinned mixture is absorbed into the pores of the timber, some builders warm their lure body's before coating so as it cools it also draws the thinned mixture of epoxy in...

3. Use a product made for sealing timber, there are a few 2-pot resins out there made for timber, same deal applies to above. 

As for applying a paint brush is all you need, just drip it off the down the wire hole etc...Multiple coats if needed...Brush strokes in epoxy's or resins disappear as it self levels. The more you do the better you get.

Try and stay away from 2-pak clears or paints also, most of us don't have the necessary gear needed to ensure your own safety.

No more advice until we see some lures!!  

 

I am getting close to glassing the above blanks

Getting em painted, Getting em foiled etc

when i do this I intend to pour some glass down the eyelets into the through wire hole's to increase the durability and reduce water penetration.

I figure that the viscosity of the liquid added to rotation will keep the bulk of the liquid in the interior until it gels and hardens

Regarding the outside of the lure: I anticipate "painting" the resin onto the out side and rotating again til it hardens...

I have planned to use a paintbrush to do this.. It seems to be the way to go and I dont see a better alternative webwide.

Aside from ensuring I have combed out any loose bristles, could you offer any further advice for me to consider?

 

Appreciate your time

 

 

 

 

 

I have a couple of blanks I have used for practice and am happy to use these to practice the process

I mentioned it tho as I read that  (On resenes site) the old image of soaking cricket bats in linseed was a myth.

That it promoted mold growth and some other bad thing

That is how they were pimping the use of fence stain

So I put 2 and 2 to gether and thought

That this miht be a cheap way forward.

Soak in dilute stain

dry lure

paint lure

seal lure

lose lure

repeat...

 

Also ; The plywood lure may stay unpainted. love the layers.. 

 

Looks like some wicked lures there JPG, Don't know about fence stain but you could try it. I use an epoxy to seal the wood as it is a process I can now rely on. 

Mean