Cheap lure making wire?

[Bass'N'Bluegill]

I have almost everything I need to make my own crank-baits. Can anyone tell me to get some good cheap stainless steel wire? I plan on making lures that can catch a 4 pound bass or so.

[dsqui]

Lurecraft.com

 

Look for tooth proof

[Bass'N'Bluegill]

I'm also looking for some relatively cheap balsa wood. Preferably 1/2" thick by 2 1/2" wide and as long as possible.

[BobP]

I use soft temper stainless steel wire ordered from McMaster-Carr online. .041” diameter is right for most bass cranks, is easy to bend and twist with hand tools, and is plenty strong.  It allows you to tune the line tie on a crankbait without breaking the finish on the nose.  Cost is around $7-8 for a 1/4 lb spool that will wire a bunch of baits.  Pick up a set of round nose wire bending pliers at a craft store.

 

I order medium density balsa from Balsa USA online.  Cheapest?  Probably not but you get what you pay for and the costs for crankbait components is tiny tiny tiny compared to the work you put into building them.  Penny wise pound foolish, as they say.

[Bass'N'Bluegill]

I'm getting some balsa wood from http://shop.balsausa.com. Thanks BobP

I have some sort of clear plastic from an old BlockBuster sign about 2mm or so thick that I plan on using for crankbait lips/bills.

[BobP]

I understand the urge to use available materials for crankbaits.  But to me, the many hours you put into shaping, assembling, and finishing a crankbait hugely outweighs the cost of basic materials like wood, wire, and polycarbonate (aka Lexan) or G10 circuit board. JMHO

[islandbass]

On 6/6/2018 at 6:26 PM, BobP said:

I understand the urge to use available materials for crankbaits.  But to me, the many hours you put into shaping, assembling, and finishing a crankbait hugely outweighs the cost of basic materials like wood, wire, and polycarbonate (aka Lexan) or G10 circuit board. JMHO

Indeed. Don’t skimp on the Lexan. It would be a pity to put all that work into it and have the lip break on you simply because it looked like the right plastic but it wasn’t. Hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide are both colorless and look like water but neither aren’t. Unless you know with certainty that the plastic in the sign is lexan or just as worthy, it might be worth the risk or the heartache. 

 

I made a couple of posts detailing  my crankbait and jerkbait making journies. Search for them to avoid pitfalls and learn from my trial and error. Do not, however, imitate my painting skills. They’re nonexistent,!lol!

 

Good luck and keep us posted. ?

[Bass'N'Bluegill]

On 6/1/2018 at 9:50 PM, Bass'N'Bluegill said:

I'm getting some balsa wood from http://shop.balsausa.com. Thanks BobP

I have some sort of clear plastic from an old BlockBuster sign about 2mm or so thick that I plan on using for crankbait lips/bills.

I just realized how expensive shipping actually is on Balsausa , so I'm going to see if Hobby Lobby has any balsa I can use.

[BobP]

McMaster-Carr also sells polycarbonate and G-10 circuit board sheets for a decent price.  I use their 1/16” thick polycarbonate and the 1/32” G:10 for bass baits.

 

balsa:  yes, it can be pricey especially if you specify medium or high density balsa from a provider (which are the densities favored for balsa baits).  If you get it from a hobby store, you “get what you get” as far as density goes.  That’s not a big deal if you are just building a few baits and don’t plan to make it a hobby or build baits for sale.  But if you are, it is important to use a consistent density of whatever wood you choose because using various densities of wood introduces complications in how you build, reinforce, and ballast your baits.  And consistency in materials is one thing that allows you to build future baits that perform, well, consistently.  You’ll find building GOOD baits is a challenge.  They must be carved to a good L/R symmetry, have the right ballast amount in the right place, have the right size and angle of lip installed straight, and the line tie in the right place.  It really isn’t very easy to do unless you take your time and measure and mark everything you can to eliminate asymmetry. It requires more exactitude than you might think but building a bait that swims well and catches fish makes it all worthwhile.

[Munkin]

Have you considered using PVC trim board? It is made as a wood sustitute and can be found at Lowes. 

 

Allen

[Bass'N'Bluegill]

My birthday is on the 29th , so I'm probably going to be able to get some lure making materials then.

 

If your interested, here's a link to a youtube channel that makes some beautiful lures: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCa-xsrfvLmgaUfPFE1TK7OQ/videos

On 7/11/2018 at 5:15 PM, Munkin said:

Have you considered using PVC trim board? It is made as a wood sustitute and can be found at Lowes. 

 

Allen

Have you ever tried it? If so, how did it work out?

[Munkin]

On ‎7‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 11:24 AM, Bass'N'Bluegill said:

My birthday is on the 29th , so I'm probably going to be able to get some lure making materials then.

 

If your interested, here's a link to a youtube channel that makes some beautiful lures: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCa-xsrfvLmgaUfPFE1TK7OQ/videos

Have you ever tried it? If so, how did it work out?

 

Made a few D-Baits out of it but haven't tried them yet.

 

Allen