zip pow Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Making some crankbaits any suggestions. On what materially to make the bills from or should I just order some if so what's the best supplier thanks for info in advance _ Quote
BobP Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 You hear all sorts of stuff used as crankbait lips - CD's, clear plastic from various sources, etc. If you want a durable lip - don't use them. The best 2 materials for lips are polycarbonate (aka Lexan, a GE brand name) or circuit board. Polycarbonate is clear and very tough. Circuit board (aka Garolite, G-10, FR-4, Micarta) is very thin, very stiff and durable,and comes in various colors (the most popular being an off-white color for crankbaits). You can design and cut out your own lips from Lexan or circuit board or buy ready-made lips from several tackle suppliers like Jann's Netcraft. Jann's and other tackle suppliers carry a few lip types and sizes; whether one of them is the shape and size you want is the question. Both materials are sold in sheets of various thicknesses by McMaster-Carr, who carries the circuit board in its online catalog as "Garolite". Most bass baits use 1/16" thick polycarbonate or 1/32" circuit board. I prefer to cut my own lips, using a pair of tin snips and a Dremel sanding drum to finalize the shape. Quote
zip pow Posted September 30, 2011 Author Posted September 30, 2011 You hear all sorts of stuff used as crankbait lips - CD's, clear plastic from various sources, etc. If you want a durable lip - don't use them. The best 2 materials for lips are polycarbonate (aka Lexan, a GE brand name) or circuit board. Polycarbonate is clear and very tough. Circuit board (aka Garolite, G-10, FR-4, Micarta) is very thin, very stiff and durable,and comes in various colors (the most popular being an off-white color for crankbaits). You can design and cut out your own lips from Lexan or circuit board or buy ready-made lips from several tackle suppliers like Jann's Netcraft. Jann's and other tackle suppliers carry a few lip types and sizes; whether one of them is the shape and size you want is the question. Both materials are sold in sheets of various thicknesses by McMaster-Carr, who carries the circuit board in its online catalog as "Garolite". Most bass baits use 1/16" thick polycarbonate or 1/32" circuit board. I prefer to cut my own lips, using a pair of tin snips and a Dremel sanding drum to finalize the shape. Thanks a bunch that got me started in the right direction Quote
jbass Posted October 2, 2011 Posted October 2, 2011 The Lexan is much thicker, will add weight to your bait depending on how big it is and is very durable. Don't use plexiglass, in cold temperatures it will break. Light weight and very dependable is the circuit board material. I get mine from Jann's and I change the shape with my belt sander or Dremel. Quote
zip pow Posted October 3, 2011 Author Posted October 3, 2011 What is the best way to attach eyelet to homemade bills? Quote
Kevinator1 Posted October 4, 2011 Posted October 4, 2011 whatever you do, don't use whatever Rapala uses for the DT series crankbaits. The material is so thin and I've broken so many of those lips banging the rocks that I quit buying them. Went back to Bombers and Normans. You can't break the Normans unless you run over them with a dump truck. That is if the dump truck is full. Quote
BobP Posted October 5, 2011 Posted October 5, 2011 What is the best way to attach eyelet to homemade bills? Zip, most guys drill a hole in the lip and push a hand-made screw eye (pre-bent to 90 deg) through, then anchor it in a groove in the lip slot under the lip. You can bed the line tie under the lip in epoxy if needed for rigidity. There are variations on the theme, but that's the basic pattern. Some use a heavy wire untwisted, some drill two holes and run the wires separately to the body, etc etc. Quote
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