Just started with Cranks, and Need Help

[Mr. Finess]

Just started carving my own cranks out of red pine.  I have been using a coping saw and shaving away with a razor blade.  I have about 10 different bodies carved to what I think is rather symmetrical, but have a couple questions.

1.) Screw Eyes:  I have purchased some screw eyes from the local hardware store, are these going to be good enough when combined with gorilla glue.  Or do I need to purchase some scew eyes with a longer screw shaft.

2.)  Sealant and Paint:  I am not going to airbrush for now and just want to brush the paint on.  but have no clue what pait to buy, and especically where to find it.  All the paints I find are for airbrushing.  Also, what is a good sealant that I can use.

If you have any information please share, it won't go unappreciated!!!

Thanks

[Fishwhittler]

The screw eyes from the hardware store may work, but it depends on how strong they are. A good way to test hook hangers is to fasten them to a piece of scrap wood using the same method you would use on a lure. Then clamp the hook hanger in a vise and pull on the wood until something breaks. If it doesn't take much force to bend or pull out the screw eye, you had better find a new method. And if it's fastened in well, you shouldn't be able to pull it free without the wood breaking.  If the screw eyes you have don't work, here's a tutorial for making your own hook hangers that are very strong: Dave's Twisted Wire Hinge Tutorial.

Sealant: Waterproof epoxy is a good sealant. Examples are Flex Coat rod finish and Flex Coat 2 hour epoxy; there are others but those are the ones I've used. Of those two I prefer the 2 hour epoxy, as it's more forgiving than the rod finish.

Paint:  You can use just about any paint on your lures; I've used the craft paints from Wal-Mart and they work fine.  You can also use spray cans to paint your baits and get good results. The main thing is to make sure you get a good, waterproof topcoat on your lure to protect the paint.  A good topcoat to use is Flex Coat Ultra V rod finish.

Hope this helps.

Ben

[.dsaavedra.]

and just so you know, there is a difference between sealant and a top coat. sealant goes UNDER your paint to protect the actual wood should the top coat be breached. the top coat goes OVER the paint to protect the paint and the whole lure.

[Mr. Finess]

Thanks ben.  Is that something that I can get in a hardware store or Wal-mart?  Those and the internet are my only options and would prefer to get it from physical store. 

And I am aware that the sealant protects the wood then paint then protective coat. 

Does a oil based primer do the trick?  I says it seals, and primes wood on the can.

Also, I realized that I said Red Pine, which infact should say RED CEDAR.  Apologies.

[BobP]

The least fuss is to seal the wood with Devcon Two Ton epoxy thinned with some denatured alcohol, paint the bait with water based acrylic paints (get them in 2 oz bottles at Michaels or Hobby Lobby, craft shops) and then topcoat the bait with Devcon Two Ton epoxy, this time unthinned.  Give the baits a white color base coat before you apply the colors so the wood grain will not show through.

[Mr. Finess]

well ended up getting some Kilz sealer.  the epoxy scared me because I am sure I am going to need to make modifications to the body to get it to swim right.  But thanks for the advice.  This is a great hobby for me and really look forward to getting more into it and learning more from you guys and gals!

[Fishwhittler]

Flex Coat is available online at mudhole.com.  I don't think you could find it locally. If you want to buy locally, you could try Envirotex Lite.  You can probably find it at a hardware store or Wal-Mart.  I haven't used it but guys that have used both Flex Coat and E-tex say they're pretty similar. 

I've used Rust Oleum enamel paint as sealer a couple times and it worked fine.  The advantage epoxy has over paint like Rust Oleum is that epoxy is much tougher and it only takes one coat to give you a smooth surface to paint over. 

Ben

Note:  In your first post you mentioned using gorilla glue with the screw eyes.  I torture tested 5 min epoxy versus gorilla glue, and the epoxy came out winner by a large margin. I would recommend using a 5 minute epoxy instead.