The "Big Boy' trolling plug

[mmayo]

After making almost 150 4"-6" cedar plugs it was time to try something bigger.  I complained about the scarcity of dark bloodwood on a woodworking site and was rewarded with some very rare DARK RED bloodwood.  The result is a 7" heavier plug that will get trolled soon on the Barking Spider 8 Day on the Royal Star.

It all starts with the wood.  The man who had this wood had only a limited supply of "old growth" bloodwood and sold me all he had for a premium price.


Here it is compared with the current stock of wood turned round.


The larger wood required a larger weight so a 6 ounce egg sinker was my choice for now.  For my other cedar plugs I use a 4 ounce egg sinker shown on top.


Here are a few newly turned 6" plugs in assorted woods and the "big boy" in the rare deep red bloodwood.  The two plugs on either side of the 7" plug are the currently available bloodwood.  It too is very pretty.


Rigged for action


Just finished on the  lathe

[handi2]

That is true art and way to pretty to fish with..!!

Are any for sale?

Keith

[mmayo]

That is true art and way to pretty to fish with..!!

Are any for sale?

Keith

Three of this wood will be available and many more using other woods more easily purchased will be made. The old growth bloodwood will have to sell for $25. The wood is rare and I paid quite a bit for it. Other wood species like new growth bloodwood (still very pretty), padauk and other woods in the 7" size will sell for $17.50.

I will not be able to take orders until July 7th due to a fishing trip next week.  Sorry for the delay, but a guy has to fish.

[Reel 224]

Do you make any other stile plugs? Or would you be interested in making plugs for Stripe Bass using the same wood?

[fIsHsTiiCkS]

These are rigged with a through line system right

[Bryan Young]

We need to make you a lead mold for your plugs.  I've been meaning to experiment with Bondo molds because it's easy, cheap, and works fairly well as I'm told by my buddy Eric.

[thorhammer]

That is true art and way to pretty to fish with..!!

Are any for sale?

Keith

Three of this wood will be available and many more using other woods more easily purchased will be made. The old growth bloodwood will have to sell for $25. The wood is rare and I paid quite a bit for it. Other wood species like new growth bloodwood (still very pretty), padauk and other woods in the 7" size will sell for $17.50.

I will not be able to take orders until July 7th due to a fishing trip next week.  Sorry for the delay, but a guy has to fish.

i would cry if a wahoo cut that pretty plug off....

[thorhammer]

We need to make you a lead mold for your plugs.  I've been meaning to experiment with Bondo molds because it's easy, cheap, and works fairly well as I'm told by my buddy Eric.

ok you have my attention!!!! how about a how-to thread on this mold building process?

[Tiddlerbasher]

Mark have you considered using 'stabilised' wood for your plugs/lures?
Stabilised using this type of process:

http://www.turntex.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=121

A piece of curly birch, 5 x 1 1/2 x 1 3/8", weighed 7 1/4oz when so treated. It is waterpoof (incl. the salt) cannot rot, split or warp. It is also much tougher than natural wood. Looks like wood, feels like wood but much more dense - it sinks like a stone Virtually any wood can be stabilised - I recently did some heavily spalted beech, so soft you could easily dent the surface with a finger nail - but once stabilised rock hard Machines just like dense, close grained timber and buffs/polishes with no need for varnish . The process can also use different dyes to permanently dye the wood throughout its structure.
I don't do any trolling but I may even make a few lures myself
Chris.

[mmayo]

We need to make you a lead mold for your plugs.  I've been meaning to experiment with Bondo molds because it's easy, cheap, and works fairly well as I'm told by my buddy Eric.

You make it and I will give it to my lead guy Charles Schuler and he will pour them. You will not have to twist my arm on that. Thanks

[mmayo]

Mark have you considered using 'stabilised' wood for your plugs/lures?
Stabilised using this type of process:

http://www.turntex.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=121

A piece of curly birch, 5 x 1 1/2 x 1 3/8", weighed 7 1/4oz when so treated. It is waterpoof (incl. the salt) cannot rot, split or warp. It is also much tougher than natural wood. Looks like wood, feels like wood but much more dense - it sinks like a stone Virtually any wood can be stabilised - I recently did some heavily spalted beech, so soft you could easily dent the surface with a finger nail - but once stabilised rock hard Machines just like dense, close grained timber and buffs/polishes with no need for varnish . The process can also use different dyes to permanently dye the wood throughout its structure.
I don't do any trolling but I may even make a few lures myself
Chris.

I can make a plug from any wood that is sold with a size of over 3/4"x3/4"x5". Usually when wood is stabilized it warps. That warp needs to be cut straight after drying so one should start with 1"X1"x6" to be sure or 7" for the big boy model. I have turned many pens using stabilized wood. Oh, it will cost more, much more per plug.





Both of the above pens were made with stabilized wood.

[Bryan Young]

We need to make you a lead mold for your plugs.  I've been meaning to experiment with Bondo molds because it's easy, cheap, and works fairly well as I'm told by my buddy Eric.

You make it and I will give it to my lead guy Charles Schuler and he will pour them. You will not have to twist my arm on that. Thanks

Let me do some playing and let me see how it goes.

[Tiddlerbasher]

mmayo I wasn't suggesting buying ready stabilised wood - I agree its too darned expensive. I was suggesting do it yourself. Highly figured wood, that I use for knife handles and such, would be £20 - £60 per blank. I very quickly decided that was too expensive. So now I do all my own stabilising (and some for other people). Your point about the wood warping is not completely accurate. The stabilised blanks do not 'dry' they are cured in an oven at 90 deg C for approx. 1 hour ( I usually do about 10 at a time) this turns the stabilising liquid into a solid. If the wood was not sufficiently seasoned before starting (as in bone dry) the process is not so successful but still works ok. If you have seen warped blanks it suggests poor seasoning or cooking at too high a temperature. I usually start off with a blank slightly oversize and then cut to size & shape after stabilising. It is an easy process and saves a small fortune if you are using a lot of wood

[jcool3]

We need to make you a lead mold for your plugs.  I've been meaning to experiment with Bondo molds because it's easy, cheap, and works fairly well as I'm told by my buddy Eric.

Sorry, not trying to derail this thread, but is Eric the EricG that used to post on Humbolt Tuna Club.
What happened to him?  Is he still posting somewhere?  I also made bondo molds like he posted.
(Moved on to silicone molds ...way better)

[Cortez_Conversions]

I'd be willing to help out. If you have a similar mold, I can use that as a model for a different size.