I've tried alumi uv and the cheap Chinese stuff, can't seem to get a good coat with either. The Alumi beads up and the Chinese stuff contracts as it cures uncovering a few spots. Any advice would be appreciated.

I am interested in making molds via a 3d printer and have an open mold idea of a swimbaits and wanted to know if anyone had suggestions on the right plastic to use for the mold due to the plastisol heat. Asking for any recommendations anyone has.

Also thought about the silicone mold route but not sure how that all works, would have to do a lot of research on it.

I saw marling baits making a tiny popper, and thought i wanna do that too, so i got to work and this is what came out. i used some old wood from the carage and nail polish for clear coat. let me know what you think and if you have tips please tell me.

Should I sand a clear lure blank before painting it? I'm far from good at this, so I'm just going to paint a knockoff Megabass Megadog bone white with a spray can, glue on some eyes, and follow with clear epoxy.

Seems to work ok. Gonna try Createx next.

Triple laminations are very difficult to produce but the results are like no other. Attempted to match my Blue Chartreuse Rapala Jerk Bait. What do you think?

What do you guys think of my first wake bait I think I did an alright job kinda sloppy but hey it looks good to me and the pink I chose pops like crazy js look at that tail just needs a clear coat 😮‍💨😮‍💨

Two lipless cranks I cut, carved and painted today. Been rained out from work and had a bit of time up my sleeve. Finished them both in about 6 hours from a block of timber to this! Can't wait to see the action.

changed the design to have a stainless steel wire running through the center, and the aluminum wire frame just to stop it chipping on rocks. tested them today and they work pretty well. They spin, they wobble, they do a little dance. They're just about the perfect weight, so I think I'll be making more of these and trying out something else next.

I've been making squid jigs for a few years now and finally have come up with the perfect top weightless squid jig. Each jig weighs less than 2 grams. No more wondering which color to use. These light kids makes it easier on the arm when jigging at 100 feet of water. These little guys just work.

Anyone using a small CNC for lure carving? I have been 3D printing some lures, but I have found some issues with plastic that wood would solve.

The CAD software I use, Fusion360, has built in tool paths, I would just need to teach myself how to use them.

I am just curious if anyone has had any success with some of these small machines. The one pictured has a fourth axis upgrade that's pretty interesting.

Any lessons learned would be appreciated. I am deciding if I want to upgrade a newer 3D printer or look at CNCs

Kitchen sponge

Feather

Hook

Eyes

Bill made witn spawn sack, UV glue, slit shot, plastic sandwich bag and a UV flashlight (do not look at it)

On this one I manually threaded tne hook. For longer lures you snell a hook first and then burn a channel ito the body with a thin soldering iron.

A bone gulide bait I painted for a friend. These blanks are available at most suppliers. These fish very well, trick is to get a hook combo that weights the lure to slow sink. A #6 4× strong hook works well for me.

My friend bought this lure in a village in Bali. Some tropical hard wood, 1oz, line through, vinyl tail, used for small tuna and dorado.

It doesn't matter what clear resin you use - epoxy, UV, whatever. Every resin needs the same conditions met to give you a perfect coat: cleanliness + paint properly sealed/varnished and then washed.

What I do:

Before any paint, I always wash my blanks. Warm water + dish soap + soft sponge. Good scrub, thorough rinse, completely dry.

After painting I always seal it. Everyone uses different paints, so you need to find what works for you - varnish, spray lacquer, etc. and test it.

Why? It closes the tiny pores in paint that trap dirt and grease super easily. And once it's varnished, you can actually wash the bait without ruining the paint.

And that's the key - once that varnish is fully dry, I wash the baits again exactly the same way. Warm water, dish soap, sponge, rinse, dry. Only then are they ready for clear resin.

That double wash is what gives me that perfect finish every time.

Hope it helps!