Is this the Place?

[the greek]

We got 30" of snow yesterday so I spent last night digging out. Was hoping we didn't loose power as I had a bunch of plugs on the spinner. Got some stuff wired but still need paint and epoxy on a bunch of stuff. Looks like it's been a winter of procrastination for everyone. I have to tell myself to stop turning stuff and finish what I have. Finished up my plastic needles I did for a swap over the other place and some small flaptails. I had some tails cut from stainless that were making them sit a little deep in the rear so I swapped them out for some colorado blades.

[BigFish]

Ted those Flaptails are smokin' nice! Man I just love those!!

[pbadad]

Finish the epoxy on the original armada and the contest plugs. I did 42 in 3 hours. Mixed 12cc total 5 times. Ran the heat gun over them and hung them to dry on an old foldable clothes hanger and flipped 3 times. Moved them in front of furnace to finish curing. I wired them first. That was an neverending task. Ran out of swivels and 200 wires are down quite a bit. You never realize how much e-tex gets used. I started with an eight oz. kit and there is a third left. I won't have to worry about it going sour!

[Backbeach Jake]

That never happens...
Yesterday I started to paint some plugs, and my OSJL Special airbrush for 6.99 , decided to be broken. The trigger would only work if i pushed it in just right and I couldn'r figure out what the h it wanted.
Soo I rattle canned them. Not too bad, just not the finer control that I'd have liked. I used Krylon. Wide selection of colors and candies. Experimented with layering colors. Just had some fun. A whole 'nuther look this year.
One of my goals in plugbuilding this year is to get organized. My shop looks like a bomb hit it and is generally inefficient. I also want to make a duplicator. So NEXT weekend I'll be asking lotsa questions .

[pbadad]

Good Morning to all you plug afficienodos. I'm done with with my original plan. I have a few dozen bodies to make for friends who want to finish them as kits. I too George had some epoxy problems?? You would think after a few years of doing this epoxy finish with success everything is cool. "NOT". I've been hanging and flipping . I noticed "dry" spots on 8 of the same plugs and in the same place. Mind you human hands never touched these bodies after painting. Blew them down and finished. The bellies had unusual dry areas. I recoated the entire plug. Tried to spot in the areas but you can't get the blend right. Not that the fish give a S**t. Oh well never "assume" you got it by the "balls". The demons are out there.

[Backbeach Jake]

Originally Posted by pbadad

Good Morning to all you plug afficienodos. I'm done with with my original plan. I have a few dozen bodies to make for friends who want to finish them as kits. I too George had some epoxy problems?? You would think after a few years of doing this epoxy finish with success everything is cool. "NOT". I've been hanging and flipping . I noticed "dry" spots on 8 of the same plugs and in the same place. Mind you human hands never touched these bodies after painting. Blew them down and finished. The bellies had unusual dry areas. I recoated the entire plug. Tried to spot in the areas but you can't get the blend right. Not that the fish give a S**t. Oh well never "assume" you got it by the "balls". The demons are out there.

If the flaws are all in the same spot you may be able to trace back and find what may have touched every plug there. a spot in a jig, a tool, you never know doesn't have to be your hands. I traced a similar problem that I had to a slick coating that was on the coathangers that I cut for plug hangers.

[ProfessorM]

Originally Posted by pbadad

Good Morning to all you plug afficienodos. I'm done with with my original plan. I have a few dozen bodies to make for friends who want to finish them as kits. I too George had some epoxy problems?? You would think after a few years of doing this epoxy finish with success everything is cool. "NOT". I've been hanging and flipping . I noticed "dry" spots on 8 of the same plugs and in the same place. Mind you human hands never touched these bodies after painting. Blew them down and finished. The bellies had unusual dry areas. I recoated the entire plug. Tried to spot in the areas but you can't get the blend right. Not that the fish give a S**t. Oh well never "assume" you got it by the "balls". The demons are out there.

Every year it always takes me a few batches before I get the hang of it, and I'm doing my first today so I am sure i will be posting how much I hate epoxy tomorrow. I'll do some crap plugs that I intend to fish today.

[chrisjoe13]

Mistakes I made this time:
-during epoxy sealing, dropped a plug, spilling thinned epoxy all over
-countersunk belly grommets a little too deep
-dropped (more than one) on cement floor after paint but before clear coat
-scratched tail end of a few while doing tailwraps
-dropped one while 'flipping', had 6" dust bunnies on it when I picked it up
-some tail wraps look good, others look like I've never seen one before
-painted over some scales by mistake (there is a one side scaled plug)
-and of course the mandatory abundance of dust and bubbles!

[chrisjoe13]

here a pic of my current dust collection unit.

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by chrisjoe13

Mistakes I made this time:
-during epoxy sealing, dropped a plug, spilling thinned epoxy all over
-countersunk belly grommets a little too deep
-dropped (more than one) on cement floor after paint but before clear coat
-scratched tail end of a few while doing tailwraps
-dropped one while 'flipping', had 6" dust bunnies on it when I picked it up
-some tail wraps look good, others look like I've never seen one before
-painted over some scales by mistake (there is a one side scaled plug)
-and of course the mandatory abundance of dust and bubbles!

WOW

I think you are being too hard on yourself the these guys

sounds like correctable mistakes
a good craftsman knows how to fix his mistakes,remember that

[Tagger]

When You guys (especialy Backbeach) say system 3 ,, Are you talking about mirror coat ,,clear coat ,,? assume not sb112 ?

[Slipknot]

I think they speak of clear coat

[Jigman]

Systems 3 clear coat is the one I've used.

Jigman

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by Tagger

When You guys (especialy Backbeach) say system 3 ,, Are you talking about mirror coat ,,clear coat ,,? assume not sb112 ?

Clear coat....just to sumrise I've had good success with it so far....it makes my crappy paint jobs, mismatched grommets, and warped tail loops look much better.
I'm going out to test swim a bunch of metal lips right now and hopefully they don't come in like buzz baits....they look good though Out of about 50 or so plugs I'll have maybe 15-20 worthy of gifting out if I'm lucky.....

[chrisjoe13]

"WOW you're being hard on yourself"

You're right, thats why I leave all the blemishes (no nail polish or sharpie repairs). I want to see the mistakes again and again so as not to forget and repeat the same mistakes. you would think I have two hooves instead of hands.

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by chrisjoe13

Mistakes I made this time:
-during epoxy sealing, dropped a plug, spilling thinned epoxy all over
-countersunk belly grommets a little too deep
-dropped (more than one) on cement floor after paint but before clear coat
-scratched tail end of a few while doing tailwraps
-dropped one while 'flipping', had 6" dust bunnies on it when I picked it up
-some tail wraps look good, others look like I've never seen one before
-painted over some scales by mistake (there is a one side scaled plug)
-and of course the mandatory abundance of dust and bubbles!

Bah.........you have a ways to go yet.

You still need to glue the cards into the lip slot (plastic works best), forget to mix in the hardner when you coat a dozen plugs, get so much epoxy in the hook hole you can't get the turning rod out, have the spinner/shaft connection come loose so it all sags instead, and set the epoxy on fire while flaming bubbles.

Then there is the split your plug while wiring bit, split your plug while forcing in the belly weight bit, drill your hook hole through the darter slope trick, drill your hook holes on the wrong side of the plug, epoxy in the wrong lip, sand the diving slope on the wrong side, drill the wrong size eye holes, drill the wrong size grommet holes, and cut the lip slot too thick a kerf.

Then for paint there is the spray your plug with air brush cleaner thing, forget to clean between colors thing (love those pink bellies), bubble off the paint with the heat gun thing, and my very favorite the GIANT eye spot blot trick.

Ugh.

[Backbeach Jake]

My first batch that I hydroed I drilled the marked side of the plug for hooks and weights. Put the heavy side up...they did the backstroke.

[chrisjoe13]

"Bah.........you have a ways to go yet. "

good stuff, hilarious. Forgot to mention that I did drill (2) on the wrong side.

[Tagger]

ok ... I wouldn't recommend "mirror coat" to anyone .. east to use but way to many popped finishes on plugs ..Looks good at first ,, later it pops right off the plug .. SUCs

[BigFish]

Great time yesterday and very inspiring! Amazing work there for sure! Can't think of a better way to spend the day! It went by so fast! George I was mesmerized by your plugs......nicest darters I have ever seen!

[wrikerjr]

Originally Posted by numbskull

Bah.........you have a ways to go yet.

You still need to glue the cards into the lip slot (plastic works best), forget to mix in the hardner when you coat a dozen plugs, get so much epoxy in the hook hole you can't get the turning rod out, have the spinner/shaft connection come loose so it all sags instead, and set the epoxy on fire while flaming bubbles.

Then there is the split your plug while wiring bit, split your plug while forcing in the belly weight bit, drill your hook hole through the darter slope trick, drill your hook holes on the wrong side of the plug, epoxy in the wrong lip, sand the diving slope on the wrong side, drill the wrong size eye holes, drill the wrong size grommet holes, and cut the lip slot too thick a kerf.

Then for paint there is the spray your plug with air brush cleaner thing, forget to clean between colors thing (love those pink bellies), bubble off the paint with the heat gun thing, and my very favorite the GIANT eye spot blot trick.

Ugh.

WOW - Thought it was only me. Another of my favorite is distilled water freexing whil painting plugs so you can't clean the airbrush and drop the airbrush reaking the needle and other parts of it, purchase new ones wait a week get them install and before you even spray it drop it again and have your wife just laugh (that was my weekend).

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by chrisjoe13

Mistakes I made this time:
-during epoxy sealing, dropped a plug, spilling thinned epoxy all over
-countersunk belly grommets a little too deep
-dropped (more than one) on cement floor after paint but before clear coat
-scratched tail end of a few while doing tailwraps
-dropped one while 'flipping', had 6" dust bunnies on it when I picked it up
-some tail wraps look good, others look like I've never seen one before
-painted over some scales by mistake (there is a one side scaled plug)
-and of course the mandatory abundance of dust and bubbles!

I've done all the above twice and have only been building for two months.

Yesterday, after rendering some "professional" advice with system 3, I returned to my basement late afternoon and realized the link holding my last two plugs on a chain of five plugs had broken, thus the last two plugs stopped spinning before they hardened....looks like the surface of the moon....

[wrikerjr]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

I've done all the above twice and have only been building for two months.

Yesterday, after rendering some "professional" advice with system 3, I returned to my basement late afternoon and realized the link holding my last two plugs on a chain of five plugs had broken, thus the last two plugs stopped spinning before they hardened....looks like the surface of the moon....

I have had my wife's cat attack the spinner and knock all the plugs off and have them glued to the hardwood floor as well as epoxy harden all over the cat. My friend has one of the plugs that was salvaged and we call it the cat raoe plugs, its got enough cat hair on it to be a cross between a danny and a bucktail. Yes its taken fish.

[eastendlu]

Originally Posted by wrikerjr

I have had my wife's cat attack the spinner and knock all the plugs off and have them glued to the hardwood floor as well as epoxy harden all over the cat. My friend has one of the plugs that was salvaged and we call it the cat raoe plugs, its got enough cat hair on it to be a cross between a danny and a bucktail. Yes its taken fish.

Fish that plug when the bluefish are around i bet it has nine lives.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by wrikerjr

I have had my wife's cat attack the spinner and knock all the plugs off and have them glued to the hardwood floor as well as epoxy harden all over the cat. My friend has one of the plugs that was salvaged and we call it the cat raoe plugs, its got enough cat hair on it to be a cross between a danny and a bucktail. Yes its taken fish.

Lightning has struck twice at the Back Beach residence....my linkage broke again last night creating a 3 for 5 outing once again.

In baseball this would be a great night at the plate, but this is plugbuilding and constitutes another strikeout....

In honor of my half dozen or so epoxy mishaps, I'm introducing a new line of fishing plugs which will be called the "Warthog" series.....pics to follow.

[wrikerjr]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

Lightning has struck twice at the Back Beach residence....my linkage broke again last night creating a 3 for 5 outing once again.

In baseball this would be a great night at the plate, but this is plugbuilding and constitutes another strikeout....

In honor of my half dozen or so epoxy mishaps, I'm introducing a new line of fishing plugs which will be called the "Warthog" series.....pics to follow.

Back beach, if you are having trouble spinning the plugs maybe try with the flipping method.

[piemma]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

Lightning has struck twice at the Back Beach residence....my linkage broke again last night creating a 3 for 5 outing once again.

In baseball this would be a great night at the plate, but this is plugbuilding and constitutes another strikeout....

In honor of my half dozen or so epoxy mishaps, I'm introducing a new line of fishing plugs which will be called the "Warthog" series.....pics to follow.

Forget the epoxy unless you are selling your plugs and need to attract fishermen. 2 coats of clear coat work fine and the plugs hold up just as well. Ask Scottie. he just clear coats and he does 30K plugs a year.

[ProfessorM]

OMG you should have never said that. Run fast to St. Mary's and pray to St. George or you will be jinxed

[ProfessorM]

G. I had the clumping problem last year, same exact problem, skims in cup, clumps as I applied it, and talked endlessly to Mike Fixture about the problem and to system 3 about the problem. Might want to call them direct , they were a big help. I will see if I saved the e mails from them about the particular problem. I seemed to remember I solved it but can't remember what the out come was as I forget everything nowadays.

I now remember what they told me. They asked me what the stock # was on the bottles, they have a sample of every product they sell./ They then looked it up and then mixed a few batches of the stuff I had.The had the same clumping situation but told me if you let it sit longer after mixing ,before you apply it, it will eventually un clump and the end result is good. I will still see if I can locate the e mails we traded back and forth. MIke Fixture recommend a brush change which i did as I was using acid brushes and that also helped a lot too. I found some cheap priced nice disposable brushes on line that work great and won't break the bank. I know you were using a new brush this year. I don't think the clumping has anything to do with the brush though.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by ProfessorM

G. I had the clumping problem last year and talked endlessly to Mike Fixture about the problem and to system 3 about the problem. Might want to call them direct , they were a big help. I will see if I saved the e mails from them about the particular problem. I seemed to remember I solved it but can't remember what the out come was as I forget everything nowadays.

System three begins to clump a little roughly 10 minutes after mixing. The clumps go away pretty quickly and are not an issue, although it seems kind of strange when they appear. Also, the clumps can be minimized a bit if you constantly stir the stuff and don't try to go back over the work you've done by adding more. I also applied all my finish with a popsicle stick, not a brush, and this minimizes bubbles and the like.