Carving a popper

[IndianaFinesse]

I have been trying to carve a popper, I've already got the body shaped but I was wondering how to shape the mouth and how to install the hooks and line tie?  What would you use to form them, and how would you keep them in place?  

[Gundog]

Never done it before but I would probably drill a hole from the mouth straight back to the tail. Then drill up where I want the hooks. Put a wire loop up thru the hook holes then run a solid line from the front to the back, passing thru the wire loops. Then wood putty the hook holes. This is just general knowledge. For specifics you should check out videos. 

[IndianaFinesse]

Thanks gundog, I will use that method.  I also figured out how to carve the concave face, a power drill with a large bit took most of it out and I finished off with a knife.  Does anyone know of something to coat the wood with, I was a thinking maybe a couple coats of outdoor primer paint?  I don't plan on painting it real fancy, I just need something to keep it from absorbing water.

[Ratherbfishing]

Is that what they are calling it these days?  ; )

[scout]

I turn mine on a lathe. I use a rotoary ball type drill bit to carve out the mouth. Use a dremil tool to drill the holes to put the  loops on.

[IndianaFinesse]

15 minutes ago, scout said:

I turn mine on a lathe. I use a rotoary ball type drill bit to carve out the mouth. Use a dremil tool to drill the holes to put the  loops on.

Thanks, what do you use for the wire harness and what do you coat the wood with?  I would use a lathe, but I don't have one.

[scout]

I use cedar.  no wire harness drill a small hole where you want the loops.  Place a screw that has a loop at the end.  front and rear and where you want the bottom hook. attach the o ring to the screw.

I dipped in sanding sealer 

let dry over night.

paint with airbrush colors or dip in acrylic paint and let drip dry.

I liked the airbrush the best  but seal with sanding sealer first.

the mouth is cut on a band saw at a slight angle then use the rotary tool to make the inside of the mouth. 

[IndianaFinesse]

4 minutes ago, scout said:

I use cedar.  no wire harness drill a small hole where you want the loops.  Place a screw that has a loop at the end.  front and rear and where you want the bottom hook. attach the o ring to the screw.

I dipped in sanding sealer 

let dry over night.

paint with airbrush colors or dip in acrylic paint and let drip dry.

I liked the airbrush the best  but seal with sanding sealer first.

Mine is just made of pine, would the wood still be strong enough to rely on the screws?  I think I'm going to have to add some weight to the tail to make it sit right in the water, so i was thinking of drilling a hole near the tail and inserting a small piece of lead before filling the hole in with epoxy, would that work?

[scout]

if using it for a popper you want it too float   I know my cedar floats .  never tried pine

I didnt use weights  need to float.  for popper   lol

try this link  this  is the guy I got it from

 

 

[IndianaFinesse]

1 minute ago, scout said:

if using it for a popper you want it too float   I know my cedar floats .  never tried pine

I didnt use weights  need to float.  for popper   lol

I know it needs to float, but the way it is now the nose of the bait is parallel to the water, even facing down a little. All of the store bought poppers have the nose facing slightly upwards, so I figured a tiny amount of lead in the back would help the face of the popper sit at a better angle.

[scout]

I cut mine at an angle slightly before using the rotary tool

he also sells his blanks on ebay as a finished kit

[scaleface]

Wood Crankbaits I drilled a small hole and melted lead solder in it . 

[IndianaFinesse]

Thanks @scaleface, @gundog, and @scout.  I ended up pushing a wire thru from the bottom hook hole down to the tail, then doubled it back over to the nose of the bait, and back into the popper.  I then sealed the holes with two part epoxy and added a tiny bit of lead to the tail to help the nose ride up a little.  Any ideas for common water proof materials to coat the popper with to keep it from getting water logged and to protect the wood?

[Deleted account]

If its a freshwater popper, I'd just use screw eyes for the hooks and tie. epoxy them in place if you'd like. A dremel with the appropriate wheel will make short work of cupping the mouth. I was just down in the Florida Keys, and they have a flea market where a couple of vendors sell all sorts of hardware odds and ends, and they had bins and bins of dremel attachments of all kinds, along with all those things you needed last week. Of course you could through wire it, but I think that's overkill (until a musky hits it)...

[scaleface]

 I have cedar poppers bodies  that I carved out years ago . Anybody want to finish them ? You can have them .

[holeshot]

the angle at which the bait floats is very important ( so yu hafta have the correct pinch of led to achieve this)

easiest way is to take pinch and scotch tape it to lure back half and under the belly and float it until the bottom lip is barely under water....that way yu get a good spit and pop or move it until yu are satisfied.....the dremel small hole and epoxy lead in place

[chipmunk84]

On 2/12/2017 at 9:18 AM, scaleface said:

 I have cedar poppers bodies  that I carved out years ago . Anybody want to finish them ? You can have them .

do you have any more bodies you would sell?

 

[scaleface]

1 hour ago, chipmunk84 said:

do you have any more bodies you would sell?

 

yes ,if you want to finish them , you  can have them .

[Rick Howard]

You can use super glue as a top coat.  Fold up the towel so it's 3 or 4 layers thick.  Put the glue on a paper towel (a few drops will do) then quickly wipe it on in the direction of the grain.  It dries fast and a few coats are done quickly.  It is pretty durable.  Also it's water resistant.

 

Wear a glove!  Acetone dissolves super glue if you decide against the glove.  

 

I use stick fast Brand CA glue for finishing turnings a lot.  There are you tube videos out there on the subject.  Most are going to take place on a lathe but, I've used it as a wipe on finish for small carvings a bunch.  

[chipmunk84]

On 9/26/2017 at 7:59 PM, scaleface said:

yes ,if you want to finish them , you  can have them .

i need your address please and can you give me a rough figure on shipping cost please and thank you so very much......

[scaleface]

Heres what I have  Chipmunk84 . You can have the cranks too .

 

[islandbass]

On 2/3/2017 at 9:15 AM, reason said:

If its a freshwater popper, I'd just use screw eyes for the hooks and tie. epoxy them in place if you'd like. A dremel with the appropriate wheel will make short work of cupping the mouth. I was just down in the Florida Keys, and they have a flea market where a couple of vendors sell all sorts of hardware odds and ends, and they had bins and bins of dremel attachments of all kinds, along with all those things you needed last week. Of course you could through wire it, but I think that's overkill (until a musky hits it)...

Bam. Well said. Unless your popper is made from balsa, through wire is not really needed.  There are places you can buy screw eyes with a long enough thread to make this work (bass or lesser fish only).

 

One of the best things about making a popper is there is practically no need to balance them as crank bait requires.  The trebles will ensure the bait will sit upright, at least in the ones I build.  I have used basswood in the past but would love to build a few out of balsa if ever I build more.

 

If you are going to use through wire again, I think it would be easier to cut the popper in half like you would a crankbait.  This will give you the most flexibility to ensure that the wire you form fits the way it should.  The lures I made below (I admit that I can't paint worth a darn, lol) are bass wood.

 

Oh yeah.  Don't worry about whether your popper isn't slightly tail down (ie, don't add lead to the tail yet) until you have all the hard ware installed.  Depending on the size of the rear treble, and if it is dressed or not, these two things combined might be sufficient alone to make the tail sit lower than the head. If you add weight to the tail beforehand, it might be too much weight.  I also made the tails. I apologize for the poor image. I think it was taken with sub 5 megapixels was tops, lol. I made the tails using white feathers.  The firetiger popper has that flash or flashabou material. 

 

[Pro Logcatcher]

When bored on camping trips I'll carve lures. Never managed to stop them from rolling on their sides, though.

[1978jessejames]

Pine is fantastic.use a dremel ball for cupped mouth. Predrill tiny holes for wood screws. Drill 1/4" hole between cup and center bottom screw. Insert a non removable round sinker. Fill with gorilla glue or wood putty. Sand hole smooth when dry. Dip lure in sanding sealer. Dry. Prime. Dry. Paint. Dry. Gloss. Dry. Insert eye screws with a touch of gorilla glue on the screw tips. Dry. Hammer Smallmouth.

[Munkin]

If you want the back to sit lower just use a heavier hook or wrap some solder. 

 

Allen