Hello. I am new to this forum and I live in Sweden

[Pickadoll]

Hello. I am new to this forum and I live in Sweden !

How do everyone attach the weights in the molds before casting?

I have tried to attach it to the through wire but I thought that was a pain in the ass cause I wanted the weights in the very low of the belly and the lower part just behind the middle hook and needed to bend the wire in so many places. And I felt that it was hard to get the lead to stay in the exact same position every time i Casted :/.

I have searched the internet for information about it many times without luck.

I asked Solarfall (Solarbaits) but he said that it is a secret how he do it !

I have molded lead in bars. 8mm and 10mm thick. How do I attach it to the resin-mold easy and perfect everytime?

 

[chokka 123]

Bad luck with solar fall not wanting to tell, he is a great lure maker .

I don't know much about moulding but i'm sure someone on this forum can help you.

 

[Pickadoll]

Yes. He has given me help on every question except this one !
I am testing a new method today but it is dark outside so I wont see anything of the water tonight so I need to wait til tomorrow to see if the lure works or if the weights have moved.

 

[chokka 123]

post a few pics to show us your work. I'm sure everyone on here would enjoy to see your work.

 

[Pickadoll]

This is the mold and how I did attach the weights. Will see tomorrow if it works ! As you can see I needed to move the hook hangers cause one of the hooks did get stuck on the tail sometimes. And when it did it didnt glide well.

 

[Pickadoll]

And this is how the lure looks. Havent sanded it and no paint or coat yet !

 

[benniejordaan]

You will owe me  a lure for this including shipping to S.A.

Adding the ballast to the lure is the main secret. Getting that balance between buoyancy and ballast correct makes the difference between success and failure. This is the reason it is always a "secret"

Today I will not only show you ways to do this but I will also have to divulge how I make my lures work.

Important to note. The biggest mistake lure builders make is they forget that the leader of the lure acts like a tail for a kite. It gives it directions, particularly when casting. So they add too much weight in the tail making it unstable.

When you make your first lure, start by adding a little weight right by the belly hanger only. Either behind it or in front of it. Move it forward for more action and backward will numb it a little. Too much in the back and it might spin. Too much in the front and it may cast crap. If casting is rubbish, you can increase your leader diameter which will create resistance in the air and sort your casting out.

OK, for the pics:

1 -The first one is a 160mm stick bait. It is being cast in Featherlite. Featherlite is buoyant so it only requires the ballast in the correct position. Think out the box here. All I've done is extended the wires high into the lure  from the belly in order to make space for the lead balls. A little super glue goes a long way to keep them put.

 

[benniejordaan]

Example, This is what I would try.

 

[benniejordaan]

Just remember, it is more important to have the ballast in the belly/bottom of the lure than in the tail. It doesn't have to be in the tail perse. For your lure you could try just 1 ballast behind the belly hanger, low down and it would be fine I think.

 

[benniejordaan]

2 - In this method, I'm using a foam core. In SA we have to special order Featherlite and it takes 6 weeks. So most of us use PU or Epoxi Resin. These materials are not buoyant, so we need to make the lure buoyant before we can consider ballast.

In this pic, I used a dremel router to make a half round lead mould from wood. I pour a long strip and cut it up into short half rounds to go into this lure method.

 

[benniejordaan]

I then shape a piece of surfboard foam, cut a slit down the center and fit the wire form into it. I good tip is to make it slightly over size. Add 3 drops of super glue then press it in a vice or clap until it is close to the thickest you require it. Final shape with sand paper then you can glue your half rounds onto the foam.

Man, You guys really owe me for this one....

 

[benniejordaan]

Now this is how the ballast is done in a very popular and extremely expensive lure. If you know what lure it is DO NOT SAY IT BY NAME OR I WILL REMOVE IT.

Note, it is made with featherlite (or similar) and only has a single egg sinker behind the belly hanger. I broke a piece off the back to test the buoyancy of the material.

 

[Pickadoll]

Bennie Jordan. 1000 thanks to you man! This information made my day perfect!
I am using Smooth on Mold max 30 and Smooth on Feather lite.

You should post this pictures in a thread that is always visible for everyone to find. This is some awesome information about weighting!

 

[Pieter Immelman]

Benniejordaan

I don't know any thing about this subject so I found this very interesting. I can see you are a master of the suject.

Europe coming to Africa for solutions. Magic. Bennie you make us proud !

Pickadoll. Thanks for asking the question now I have learned a lot about something I have never wondered about.

Bring it on.







:SSS:SSS:SSS:SSS:SSS

 

[benniejordaan]

You are welcome Chaps.

Pickadoll, sorry, it took me some time to get the info together and I have been extremely busy with work, lures and preparing the boat for the billfish 15000 tournament.

 

[Pickadoll]

Pieter Immelman, yes I went to Africa for answers ! I did first ask this question in European forums and then United states Muskie/Pike forums without any good answer.
Then I found this forum with great tutorials from Bennie!

Bennie, No worries man! I was a bit stressed cause the winter has come now. In 1-2 weeks all the lakes will be frozen and I wanted my new prototype ready before the ice hits the lakes so I could make some lures in the winter without be needed to test them in water !

 

[chokka 123]

You never cease to amaze Bennie ! Thanks a lot for this and everyone that reads this owes you a lure. I really don't have any excuse not to start moulding now.

good luck on the billfish 15000:SSS

 

[chokka 123]

edit : double post

 

[benniejordaan]

chokka 123 wrote:

You never cease to amaze Bennie ! Thanks a lot for this and everyone that reads this owes you a lure. I really don't have any excuse not to start moulding now.

good luck on the billfish 15000:SSS

You are welcome. I will help where I can.

My DIY goal is not to "market lures" as is the case in most other forums and hence the secrecy. Sometimes those "secrets" are simpler than one might think! My goal is to get you to give it a go and if I can help you succeed, then my job is done! Just remember, each lure is unique in shape / action requirements and will be unique in it's ballast requirements.

 

[benniejordaan]

Ballast more centered (higher) will increase the rolling action. These make good slower action lures because they tend to roll over sometimes when worked fast. Lower down and in the chest = faster action.

You really need to play around with each shape.