I just read the thread of first time luremaker and I too am very interested in making my own trolling lures. My question is what method is preferred, molds or shaping on a lathe? Also I don't know where to buy the molds that are good head shapes. Is there a specific site or product out there for this. I bought some clear resin at the craft shop but it never hardened properly so I was a bit deflated after the first attempt. A little help over here!
Sushi,
You are going to have a hard time finding molds. If you want to mold lure (repeatability), you first have to have the shape you are looking to mold.
For that you probably will want a lathe to fine tune the shapes you are working on.
When I am working on a new shape, I'll take a piece of PVC pipe and split it length wise, then tape it back together. you can cap one of the open ends with tape or plastic.
Pour your resin/catalyst mix into the pipe and alloe it to cure.
Once cured remove the tape and the halves of the PVC pipe will pull off the resin Cylinder. Put the cylinder on the lathe and shape it as you wish.
Once you are happy with the lure head, you can make a mold using silicone molding rubber (www.tapplastics.com) - they also have a great video series on mold making.
One note - the resin may take a bit of experimenting to find the right ratio of resin to catalyst for the temperature/humidity you are working in. Read the label for the correct mix ratio, and reduce the catalyst amount slightly if you are working in warm temperatures
Many of the early Hawaiian lure makers started with bar glasses, pill bottles and the like to get their starting shapes.
"There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot." --STEVEN WRIGHT
Excellent advice capt. Thank you. I will be working on my head shapes today. Tight lines to all.
Have fun sushi,it may become a little addicting but that only gets worse when you catch fish on them.
just ordered my resin, catalyst, and color pigments from us components..
already got the lathe and the insight from my man capt clt....
so i am eagerly awaiting the shipment of this order!!
can not wait to spin some lures!!
]
I just spun out 8 new shapes to mold.It is really fun.I have been playing with alot of color as well.Originally Posted by sportfishingusa
Its a great winter hobby, and the previous poster is right that once you start catching on them you really get fired up. You'll soon find u got way too many lures so start thinking about your gift lists!! Good luck, and don't forget mold release.
is the lathe that you are all using just like my wood lathe or is it different. And do you use the typical cut knives just like I do with wood?
I use a metal lathe - I like the 3 jaw chuck (self-centering) and
I use Carbide metal lathe tools. Most metal lathes have the cutting tool attached to a screw drive, so it is very easy to turn a consistent diameter the whole length of the head - before I start to shape it.
Once I have a centered, balanced cylinder, I start shaping with a file and coarse sandpaper.
I do have a smaller wood lathe that I have retrofitted with a 3 jaw chuck - I often use that for polishing
Last edited by clt_capt; 11-21-2008 at 10:04 PM.
"There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot." --STEVEN WRIGHT
Tabasco and Clt_Capt all I can say is wow. Those heads really look the part. I'm not new to making my own lures, I've been catching stripers on my own hand built lures for twenty years but just recently I have been building my own dredges and spreader bars for tuna so I understand that feeling you get when it all comes together in the end. I am really excited about this though. Again thanks for all your advice guys. See ya in the canyons!
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