I haven't found a lot of information on the lure building sites about Ipe, but I do want to share my experience:
- This wood is dense...incredibly dense. I buy my wood at Highland Hardwoods in NH and I believe this is the densest wood they have in stock. It is sold as decking material (you wouldn't believe how much a 8', 4/4 plank of Ipe weighs).
- As you might imagine, the wood is hard on cutting tools.
- The maximum width I have found is 15/16".
- It turns and sands beautifully -- very crisp edges.
- It's tough to drill -- you have to go slow and clear constantly, but bits don't tend to wander too much along grains.
- I've had the best success sealing it with thinned epoxy (I use ESP 155, which is a Xylene-thinned epoxy that penetrates very well).
- One big issue is tannins; If you heat your plugs before sealing you'll see them come to the surface, and the epoxy sealant will look like tea when you're done pouring it back and forth over your plug. The tannins will bleed through paint starting at about 85 degrees, which it is sure to see sitting in a Plano box in your truck on even a warmish-day.
If anyone has any positive or negative Ipe experience I sure would like to hear it -- especially any tips on controlling tannin bleeding.
A great wood for sinking lures...but right now it seems I can only use it if I'm painting them black.
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