Ocean Star No. 36 (Amateur Deep Clean)

[Tiddlerbasher]

Amen to that Flipflop

[FlipFlopRepairShoppe]

Sorry if I got alittle preachy.  It's just annoying being surrounded by an entire age bracket that has no idea how anything around them functions, outside of their smartphone.

Today I'm going to post pictures of those lures painted up and rigged.  I'm going to try to emulate Yozuri's colors.  I don't have their exact shades, but I do have a couple of blues that should enable me to do a fade into a white underbelly, pretty easily.

[FlipFlopRepairShoppe]

I learned that inletting is alot easier once you've done a couple of lures.

First, I flattened the weights that I had available (for me, cast lead balls for an old cap and ball rig). Then, I sawed them with my little Dozuki saw, and used my hand miter saw to enlarge and deepen the cuts. After that I reamed out with my dremel tool.  Once I had a weight pocket, I reamed the forward side to accomodate a swivel on the through-wire. I went back after reaming and cleaned up the channel with alittle hand saw action. I did a bimini twist on one end of the wire, laid it in the channel, popped a swivel on, pushed a weight in on top of the wire, and then made sure they fit together well.
 
Once I did one, it took less than five minutes per lure for the other two.  I superglued the weights in place, then cheated and used wood glue as both a bonder and a filler for the inlet channel.  It's probably not orthodox at all, but I'm a rebel without a clue.

[sdlehr]

Not only is split-cane rod-building labor-intensive, but the initial layout of equipment makes it nearly impossible to dabble in this. I think one either has to go big, or go home. I'd love to go big, but realistically, I'm going home.

[FlipFlopRepairShoppe]

I was watching a man on youtube split the cane by hand with a knife, much like a froe.  That didn't look so bad, however he lost me as the technicality of building cane rods goes super deep.  Unless fiberglass becomes a hyper rare commodity, I believe that I'm going to stay away from this art.  Much like rocket surgery, it's beyond my capabilities.

[handi2]

I'm in the Florida Panhandle and will hook you up with whatever you need. You still need the Carbontex drag washers and Cal's grease? PM me your address and its on the way. I will build you a care package to help you along. No problem at all.

I will make the ones you need and send you a 1mm thick sheet so you can make your own when the next one comes along.

Keith

[thorhammer]

Keith is a straight up dude; hope to meet one day. Sid, I've met. Jury's out on him unless I happened to need a Vgc 9/0 spool for free 😜.

Sid, that build hopefully will get wet in the next day or two if wind lays. Thanks again!

[FlipFlopRepairShoppe]

Keith, I appreciate your help! 

Tiddlerbasher has cut the washers for this particular reel and they're in the post. 

I refuse to accept the help that has been given by you incredible human beings without giving something in return.  I'm going to continue building lures and refining my craft, so the minute you gentleman see one that you like I will pop it in the mail ASAP.  Please don't hesitate! I mean it.

[FlipFlopRepairShoppe]

Oh, I forgot to mention, no sir, I do not have any drag grease.  I honestly had never heard of it before this forum.

Thorhammer, I am anxiously looking forward to that post on rod building.   I'm going to start shooting paint on those lures tonight.  I found a deal on white and black cheap enamel spray paint so I'm taking your approach and shooting a couple of coats of that.  I was fretting about how to fill and smooth the lure lines and then it dawned on me............I have a hot glue gun and glue sticks.  Cooled hot glue doesn't sand well.....ask me how I know that.....but it does cut wth a razor knife.  I bet I can get a good smooth fill with it.

[Swami805]

I putter a bit restoring old glass rods, post what you need when the time comes, I have a bunch of old stuff sitting around. Nice to see old capable rods back to life. Sheridan

[thorhammer]

Use what you have fish won't care. Otherwise a $4 can of plastic wood or even silicone caulk will do.

You already grasp the most important tutorial of this forum. Pay it forward. I sent Sid a spool a couple years ago he needed and he repaid recently (with a much better piece to me btw). Keith and many others send parts around as needed and get in return. It's how it works. I could start listing folks that have helped me out and I would see the sunrise.

Biggiesmalls blessed me to post the rebuild I did fir him recently so will start there. He hasn't finished the reel build yet but I told him we had a member interested in this subject and he was all in.  

[swill88]

FFRS, Like Daron said, "thanks for bringing us along on this project"

You don't owe a thing... but one of these days you'll get a chance to share with someone else. When that day comes...

Guess we're Godfatherish on AT.com

Very nice woodwork btw. 

Steve

[FlipFlopRepairShoppe]

I am honored by the help, everyone.  There aren't words, other than it's incredibly humbling walking into such a warm welcome from near perfect strangers.

I do not reccomend the hot glue as a filler.  Yes, it will work. Caulk is a much much better idea.  I'm going to go get some tomorrow.  I haven't had good luck with wood filler around marine environments and I'm not sealing with a thick layer of epoxy, just alittle polyurethane so I'm afraid that it might swell or pop out.  I did stumble onto something that works well in a pinch, tonight.  I had a roll of nylon masonry cord laying around and it was the exact size of the saw channel.....I applied superglue and will sand it flush tomorrow.  Superglue sands well, I find.

[FlipFlopRepairShoppe]

Steve, thank you for the compliment.  I literally got into wood working two weeks ago.  My fiance's father gave me a big crate of power tools from the 70s and inside was a router......what an eye opener a router is.  Between that, my cheap harbor freight port-a-band that I made into an upright bandsaw, and my two belt sanders, I find that if I can think of it, I can try to make it.


Swami805, Thorhammer had mentioned taking apart older glass rods and building them into newer rods.  This is an art that I'm definitely interested in.  I love taking old things and making them like new again.

[Midway Tommy]

Here's a couple of tips for you as you get a little more into the lure making.
1. Try cedar rather than pine. It is a little lighter, more buoyant and repels water a little better than pine. It's very easy to work with. A
    large number of early lures were made out cedar.
2. When you cut your lure blanks cut them so the grain runs length-ways rather than cross-ways. Cross grain breaks or snaps easily. Also,
    linear grain shapes and sands better, plus it will be easier to get a smooth finish in the end.
3. If you through drill for wire, drill in from both ends and meet in the middle rather than trying to drill all the way through from one end.
    It's easier to keep a shorter hole going in the right direction than a long one.
4. Regular wood glue dissolves in water. Try a urethane glue like Gorilla or Elmer's, they are pretty much waterproof. Urethane glue will
    expand so it will fill voids but you should use a little less than if you were using regular wood glue. Urethane glues will sand if they
    expand too much and weep a little.
5. You might try melting your lead and pouring it into the weight cavity rather than premaking the weight. If you do that bell the hole by
    reaming it so that it is a little larger up inside than at the surface. That will help prevent the weight from falling out.