Sat night surfchat....week 7,,,,"IRON LURES"..........

Okay back on track, big thanks to Needfish and Smitty for hosting the sat surfchat last week..
This week our "Monster Builder" host,, is Corey from Iron Lures,,, as always we will give out some lures,,and share some great conversation.....looking forward to hanging with ya'll....peace,,,
Welcome.... Corey

missed u skipp see ya on saturday bro ...

lookin forward to havin corey luv his work ....

First off, I'd like to thank Smitty and Skippy for the opportunity to do this build for everyone. Its always interesting to see how each of us build our lures. Most of my techniques and knowledge were learned from hours on online research and tons of trial and error. I have give the props to the originators of wooden plug building, musso, pinchey, gibbs, etc., these guys built fish catching machines with little or no one to learn from.

My build is going to be my Slugger popper. Ill start from 4x4 beams and finish at the completed lure. My objective in the build is to give you guys some insight into my process (which is pretty simple) and hopefully inspire you guys to make some wood chips! So lets have some fun!

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I buy my AYC in different forms, 1.5" balusters, 2x6, or this example 3.5x3.5. I then rip it down into either 1.5" square or 1.625" (1 5/8) depending on what lures im making. The Slugger uses 1.5" stock as do most of my lures. Thanks again to Louis for the lead on the AYC.
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After the wood in ripped into the desired stock, it must be cut to the length needed. I usually do my plug bodies in batches of 25-30 units at a time. I write the stock length on each of my templates so i know how long to cut them in the chop saw.

The next step is to mark the center. I use a cheap 3 dollar centerfinder and always mark on all four sides as sometimes the wood isnt exactly square especially when buying it already in baluster form. The final step before going in the lathe is to mark the centers with an all.
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Heres a pick of on one of my templates for the vega.
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I like to write the stock size, and weight sizes, and any other info on the templates with permanent marker.

Next stock goes in the lathe. I recommend upgrading the steb centers, the better ones hold the stock with more contact points which help lower the chances of the wood flying out of the lathe. Always where a face shield, and respirator.
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I line up the follower with the marks on the templates that indicate the eyes,belly weight, and hook. I then mark the plug with a pencil while the plug is spinning.
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Heres a pic of the plug at this point in the build. Also the sand paper i use. I like the durability of the plumbers paper, plus it vents of the sawdust thru the holes.
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The next step is to drill all the appropriate holes. I use fostners as much as possible. I built jigs for each of the size stock i use. The jig is centered directly under the bit so the weights and eyes are perfectly centered in the blank. I dont hydro orient as its not feasible with the amount of lures i make, plus i dont find its worth it on a lure that has a bellyweight.

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Now the lure goes to the next jig in the chop saw. This jig ensures the poppers are cut all the same, and quickly.
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awsome tutor on how u build a slugger

hope I can make it....COREY does some awesome work!

great tutorial to us all Cory.

To continue...
Prior to cutting the end off the front of plug, i center drill the plug body about 1 inch deep to give the cove bit something to center on once the end is chopped off.

next i set up the cove bit in my larger drill press and carve out the popper face, making sure the the plug body is securely gripped in my hand towards the bottom of the plug. Having the square end on the bottom really helps right now. Also note that after doing a few of these, the cove bit gets extremely hot, so be careful when removing it.

Now i put a 1/2" fostners bit in the press to clean up the center of the popper mouth. you only need to kiss it to clean it up. At this point the popper face will be in pretty good shape, but not perfect.

Lastly i wipe a thin layer of cheap elmers wood filler in the popper mouth. I use cheap easily sandable wood filer, as this has to be done by hand.


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This pic was actually taking after the fostners bit cleaned up the center. The filler also covers up the center mark from the cove bit since this plug is off center drilled.

next i use the band saw to cut the end off the plug.
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So now its time to thru drill the plug. This plug is off center drilled, meaning the the line tie is located below the centerline of the plug. I use Morris bits that are designed for deep drilling. they are brad point bits without the "wings" of standard brad points. I do my drilling on the lathe, and only drill a small amount at a time, clearing the chips frequently. Heres a pic of the bits i use...
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Next step is to glue in the belly weight. I use 2 part epoxy, then wood filler epoxy to cover it over...
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heres the stuff.

Ok next step, sanding and sealing. At this point i sand out the front of the popper with 220 to make a nice smooth surface. Also i soften around the eyes, belly grommet, belly weight, and tail area.

Next they get a bath in sealer. Opinions vary on sealer, but there are alot of good products on the market. I recommend minwax satin spar urethane, waterlox, or val oil. I let them dry for 48-72 hours or so in a drying cabinet. My drying cabinet stores 96 lures at a time and has a filter on one end and a brushless fan on the other to draw fresh air across the wood.

Once there out from drying i give them a quick scuff with 220 then onto metal rods. This is the last time hand touch the plugs. Next is a dip in primer. i bang the stick on a piece of cardboard to remove excess paint, this helps from getting drips around the eyes and belly hole. I let them dry another 24-48 hours, and finish with a quick sand.
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I glue a 3 inch piece of vacuum tubing to a welding rod and hook with epoxy. I find this works the best for me as they fit perfectly in my painting stand and rotisserie.

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So now your ready to paint. Heres a pic of my paint booth. My paint stand rides on an old skateboard bearing and metal shaft. The advantage of this is since the stand rotates you can paint both sides with netting dressed over the plug without disturbing anything giving you perfect scales.
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Ill go over paint on Saturday night as i dont have time to get any more pics taken till then. Thanks guys.

Another reason why I love this site. Welcome back Skippy!!

Beautiful tutorial by Iron Lures. Great Job and thanks for taking the time to post and share.

You builders are the best!!!!!

corey awsome job bro ....


your tutorial is realy great ......thanks for sharing with us


sbo builders are truely the best of the best ...SBO ROCKS ...

Corey, Great Job!'
so how do you make the metal rods that the plugs are on?

That popper looks great!!

,,,,Great job Corey,,really enjoying the read

Sweet Cory

SBO rocks it out...!!!!

I am learning new stuff every build thanks guys...... :read:

Lbifisherman429 wrote:Corey, Great Job!'
so how do you make the metal rods that the plugs are on?

That popper looks great!!

You can buy the rods in 3 ft lengths from any welding supply store. I cut them in half. You actually buy them by the pound, not per piece.

awesome awesome awesome...
i just got a few new ideas for my shop lol thanks cory...

great info for sure

Killer: LBIFish

Iron Lures, from left to right
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1st: oldsalts
2nd: bennyraw
3rd: murph
4th: stevel
5th: gremlin

So, now its time to paint this bad boy... im painting a jointed lure because ill my slugger bodies are already painted.

First step, paint it white, i use creatix paint mostly.
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Next i paint my base colors, this isnt as critcal as the final painting, because most of it is going to be covered up once the netting is layed over the plug.
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Next lay your netting over, in this case i use a fine netting from joanns fabric.

I paint the sides with a custom mixed green color, then turquoise from from the top blending over the green.
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Next and final paint step, i switch to my fine airbrush, not sure the model Iwata, i think its a HP-C .2 mm. I paint a line from tip to tail on the top of the lure in transparent black. At this point i adjust the rear knob on the brush so that the brush will only paint i thin line and i do the maceral stripes starting from the black line down the back. Finally just a light fade around the eyes for detail.
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now take the netting off and it should look similar to this...
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Now epoxy glue in your eye, lip, and belly grommets.
Then time for top coat!