Making Your Own Lures (Heads)

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Stormbringer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 May 2006 at 6:26pm
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all this great advice floating around is awsome especially Peter & dustin got to see :)

ok Here is my second attempt it still needs finishing and buffing but i think they are getting there, i can see alot of water testing coming up over winter


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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Dohboy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 May 2006 at 7:52pm
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Is it your own design storm or a copy?
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Stormbringer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 May 2006 at 8:37pm
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own design just got to lathe the skirt collars

 


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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Peter Pakula Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2006 at 3:19pm
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Guess you've got a bit more work to do
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Stormbringer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2006 at 6:34pm
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slowly


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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kezza Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2006 at 7:00pm
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good stuff Leigh...chuck a couple of "flying fish" skirts on that and way ya go!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Dohboy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2006 at 8:55pm
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Looking good storm.
What sort of lathe do you have? Pic?
Dean
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Stefan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2006 at 7:57pm
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Thats awesome you should be well stoked!

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Stormbringer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2006 at 7:40pm
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an update! here is the 2 latest creations ready to test out :) both are cup faced


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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote dustin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2006 at 10:49pm
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Damn, they almost look like Andromedas... Next time mate try a slice of lead on the bottom half of the lure and don't cup the face, just take a belt sander with a fine belt ... maybe 280 grit and put a very slight angle on the face - say just 2-3 degrees - and see how it goes!

For the cup face ones I might try a deeper cup... I think the deeper the cup the more head shake you might get? Also mate - you could try facing your insert the other way so you have the big end facing forward instead, and lathe the tail piece on the smaller end?  Put a cup face on the big end and that would give you a nice reverse taper lure similar to a Moldcraft Chugger or Pakula Beer Barrel. 

cheers - dustin

 

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Alan L Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Apr 2021 at 12:44pm
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Can anyone share how they polish the resin heads. I have been using lathe and soft rag and Brasso - but they don't come out totally clear. Look OK in the water - but slightly cloudy when dry. Wouldn't sell many if they were on the shelf. Some I don't have to polish - come out perfect - plastic molds. But latex moulds leave them needing a polish. 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Tzer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Apr 2021 at 1:42pm
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Originally posted by Alan L Alan L wrote:

Can anyone share how they polish the resin heads. I have been using lathe and soft rag and Brasso - but they don't come out totally clear. Look OK in the water - but slightly cloudy when dry. Wouldn't sell many if they were on the shelf. Some I don't have to polish - come out perfect - plastic molds. But latex moulds leave them needing a polish. 
Alan


Alan, use wet & dry sand paper. Start with about 220 grit and work you way up to about 600 grit, finish with 1200 grit & brasso before using soft cloth. Works for me
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote waynorth Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Apr 2021 at 1:57pm
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You were lucky. Used to dream of having lathe. My lures were all cast in home made silicone rubber moulds, and wet polished on an orbital sander held upside down in a vice. Wet & dry paper - starting with 280 (?) grit, then progressing to 600 then 1200 then a final polish with brasso & a rag stretched over the sander plate.

I would rinse the paste off the lure in water regularly to monitor progress, & change out the paper several times as it lost sharpness & clogged up. Rags under the sanding plate kept drips from the electrics below.

This was using casting resins & moulding silicone available 20 odd years ago - the heads all came out sticky with partially-cured resin, hence the progression through various grades of wet & dry. 

Sounds like modern resins may come out much cleaner if you are going straight to Brasso Alan - I've never tried plastic moulds.

 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Alan L Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Apr 2021 at 3:58pm
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Thanks guys. I suspect my 'rubber/latex' moulds may in fact be silicone. Not sure . Have to check. But they need polishing. But looks like I have to go back a few steps. Thanks will try that. Just made a few more.
The ones I cast in plastic don't need touching. These ones are straight out of the mould. Clear resin (Allnex) is what I use - recommended on one of the lure making threads here.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Alan L Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2021 at 2:29pm
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OK guys - where am I going wrong here? I still cannot polish theseheads. The lower one I have cleaned up some surface imperfections in the lathe, then 600 followed by 1200 paper (wet). I haven't run brasso on this one yet, but it made no difference to a previous one. With this still cloudy finish do I persevere more with 1200 or go back a step and more 600. By the time I get a 1200 finish I am thinking it should be near good enough? So I am thinking I need more work with 600? What should it look like after finished with 600?
The upper one is as they come out of the mould. You could think I should just leave them - I seem to make them worse trying to clean them up.
Thanks
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When mine came out of the mold they would be fairly clear and shiny but sticky. When I sanded them with the 280 they would go cloudy - I persisted until the surface was uniform, with all lumps & hollows removed. The insert could hardly be seen at this point. As I moved up through the 600/1200/brasso they would lose the cloudiness and become clear again. The 280 did most of the work, and clogged up pretty quickly - I might use a full sheet (3 strips cut to the size of the sander plate) or even 2 sheets if the lure was particularly sticky. Moving on to the finer grades too early just clogged them up.

Those lures from the plastic molds look amazing for straight out of the mold. If they aren't sticky, they look ready for 1200 or even straight to brasso. The one on the left in the latest pics look similar to mine as they came out of the mold. I would guess that turning them on the lathe would do the job of the 280.

Are you sure the resin has cured properly ? Its the uncured resin on the outside you have to get rid of to get a shiny surface - stay with the lathe/280 grit until you can't scratch the surface with a fingernail. Maybe a drop more catalyst in the next batch (not too much though, especially with the bigger ones that can react too quickly and get hot & split). If you just can't get past the soft outer surface, maybe a smear with catalyst alone might harden them up. 

Or try leaving them for a couple of days to complete curing before polishing. My Nuplex resin would cure itself after a year or so in the tin. I considered making a giant teaser from an almost full 3 litre tin that went 'off' once, but I couldn't think of a way to skirt it that wouldn't look stupid, and it would probably have taken a knot off my trolling speed too.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Alan L Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2021 at 6:28pm
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Thanks for the info. Yes the sticky finish is an issue. I just pulled some a few days ago - from the mould. They are still sticky. These ones I am trying to clean up are 2-3 weeks out. Funny you mention the tin - I just chucked out a tin with about one litre still in it. I threw some catalyst in first.
I will go back a step and try 280 then see if I make some progress. your suggestion of some catalyst is worth a go - but I haven't heard that one before. But it may be they are just not set hard enough yet. I could try wiping some over them.
I will try the 280 first.
These are small lures (smallest I make) - size of little finger. But have landed YF around 40 kg, and mahi and skippies.
Thanks
Alan
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote salty69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2021 at 7:24pm
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My 5 cents of input for what its worth.

I used the Nuplex resin and catalyst. Very true about over doing the catalyst and the heads splitting.

To avoid the stickiness avoid using cold or damp areas. Quite often I used the hot water cupboard - and put ear plugs in to drown out the complaints.

A good range of wet and dry is really important as is brasso. But Craig Arfman (RIP) also used McGegors wax from the states. I guess any wax would do.

Trying to sand sticky heads is a pain. Put them aside and wait til harden properly.

Good luck
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote dustin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Sep 2021 at 10:20am
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Hey all, 

Been a while since I last posted, still check in every so often though.  

If you are using conventional polyester/casting resin in rubber/silicone moulds, you will likely be stuck with some level of surface stickiness.  Some measures can help to some extent (warming up the moulds, using mould wax, leaving the lures in a heated room/cupboard for a few weeks etc) but the lure head will always require some finishing. 

The question is how best to get the sticky stuff off.  I recommend scraping it off with a knife or similar before going to something like 240 grit (with large lures 180).  If you are finishing them on a lathe you can use different grades of files, but you'll need to clean them regularly with a wire brush or something similar as they will clog up.  


NB. this is why using rubber moulds results in a lure that is almost always smaller than the original, and therefore not an exact copy.  Between the shrinkage of the resin as it cures, and what you take off during the sanding/polishing process, you can lose a fair amount of material.  Bear in mind the original lure, if made from polyester resin, has also shrunk and had some material taken off too.  In an ideal world you'd shrink some thick-ish walled tubing over the original lure head to compensate for this.  
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote TM. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Sep 2021 at 6:56pm
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I haven’t made lures for a few years now but I certainly found with standard epoxy resin the heads came out sticky….
Apparently there are urethane resins out there that come out clean and don’t require polishing but I don’t know what they are.
For the sticky epoxy I found that oven cleaner was good for removing the sticky layer before sanding and polishing with brasso…..
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