Here is something I did this weekend that I probably will not try again, I used a 14" piece of stock to turn (2) 5" stubby needles on the same piece leaving 2" between them and an inch on the ends. Cutting the stock down to the nose of 1st needle and the butt of the 2nd went fine, but due to the stress in the middle it would have been same amount of time if I had just cut the stock in half. Def. risked snapping the stock and ruining 2 lures.

Side note my friends have already started the hoe-train and I haven't completed a thing.

matt thats the problem when stocks get long. the deflection of the material. with baseball bats, i used 2 heavy duty steady rest to support the piece. on your two in one turning, keep the larger diameters in the middlei.e. butt to butt noses on the end. isn't it FUN?

a lot of fun! tied a couple trout flies then went to the dungeon and donned the shields of plug building
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Update:

Got to the point of sealing, used Spar Urethane cut with Min. Spirits I bought a 2' piece of 2" dia. pvc & 2 end caps glued on let dry for a day then cut it so I have one piece for small plugs and one for longer plugs, I figured if I made a batch of all 9" plus needles then I can use the longer side, and if they were all 5" or less plugs use the shorter PVC to save on urethane material. This Tuesday night the plugs will have been drying for a week so hopefully I can get around to weighting/priming later in the week. Here are some pictures. Check out the old furnace, came with the house for free! :smash:

I'd like to add a sincere thank you to everyone on here for helping me get to this point. All of the feedback has helped for sure, articles/ schematics received in the mail, shop time at other's places, sealing/wiping plugs outside, safety tips & materials, and tool advice... good stuff!

looks official Matt.

Nice work matt. Learning fast. One tip I would like to add when i seal I don't let the plug stay in sealer longer than the time to release bubbles from the trhu wire hole. Use to do longer(1 hr) but i cut apart a sample and saw no difference. I thoroughly wipe down the plug once out of sealer than hang to finish dripping. With spar/turps combo, you should be ready to prime in a day or two pending air temp. One way is to take some 220 grit paper and sand plug. If the sanding grit leaves white dust , your dry.

Mistakes can end well
 

I painted this needle and had several paint bristles in it, then I accidentally bumped the tacky paint, then tried wiping it off which made an even bigger mess! So I let it dry, sanded the mistakes out and repainted. The green flecks on the bottom of the plug are from the original green base paint. Left-over one part top side boat paint thinned down 10%.

Nice. I bet is works as it kinda an eel color

Thanks Paul.


If anyone over the course of the year orders stock materials, AYC, soft Maple, etc (i'm not looking for a ton)... keep me in mind/ PM me. willing to pay shipping, pickup, or meet for fishing outting. Thanks

Does anyone have bottle darter/swimmer specs they are willing to share, I turned the one on the top free hand... literally wung it.

Digs in fine but doesn't have the wiggle I'm looking for.

Caught 1st 2 fish on silver stubby in pic above! Great feeling, better than 1st on own fly.

Nice going Matt. Did you make the other stubby? Looks familiar.

Yes, it's same dimensions as SS, but only runs 1' down on slow retrieve, i'll have to play with weighting this winter... going to make some casting eggs and more importantly try to keep my boots wet.

I have a weight scheme for those stubbys and also a niche version.

gee..... :think: if Only we had a man cave forum :devil2: