Tools Of The Lure Building Trade.by"Fatfingers.."

I wanted to share some of the tools I commonly use...stuff that is almost always within reach at my finishing bench.

You don't need all of these, but then again a few are almost indispensable for lure building.

Lets take a look. Please ask questions about anything that comes up...

First, I always have goggles and something to keep the dust to a minimum. Protect yourself. If you build a lot...and you probably will because it is addicting...you will encounter a lot of dust and flying debris at your bench over time:
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Now, in no particular order, here are some of the things I use on almost every bait I build...

Lets next talk about the rotary tool, which is commonly referred to as "The Dremel". Actually "Dremel" is a brand of rotary tool, but there are a number of brands out there. Some can be had for a few bucks or you can find them at garage sales at times.
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As you can see, I have two that I use. The larger one is the standard rotary tool. The thin one is actually an extension hose that attaches to it. The "hose" attachment allows you to use a smaller more hand-size tool. Its seems to allow for more precise work, so I end up using it about 99% of the time.
You simply turn it on and it spins. You can adjust it to go faster or slower depending on what bit you're using and the material you're working on. This is an invaluable tool to have for cleaning, and grinding, and even carving gills and other details. Can't really say enough about it and I think it would be tough to build baits without it really.


Here are some of the bits I in the rotary tool:
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See that little wire brush at the very top of the picture? I use that on every bait to clean the excess epoxy from the hook hangers. Also on the left you see a small sanding drum. I am constantly using that to "rough up" the polycarbonate lips before gluing them into the lip slot on the bait. And of course there are other attachments and drill bits you can use. There is even a "cutting wheel" shown in the picture. I use that when cutting off stainless steel wire after "through-wiring" a bait. It makes a nice clean cut and it is easy to use. It is MUCH easier than trying to cut wire with a pair of side cutters.

This is where I store those little "bits" and attachments for the rotary tool. I use magnets and just stick them to the overhead lamp on my work bench. That way they're close and I always know where they are (lol, or should be):
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Next, a few tools, I'm constantly reaching for:
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I use the razor knife for a variety of things, including a sharp tool for cleaning the epoxy from the screw eyes. I used the awl for creating pilot holes for the hook hangers and line tie, and the small "vice grips" I use to hold the baits while painting and while applying epoxy. The vice grips make a great handle for holding the baits and they can be had at Walmart in the hardware department for LESS THAN TWO BUCKS! Can't beat that!



And it seems there is always some "plumbers putty" on my bench. This stuff is great! You just cut off a slice of it and mix it until the white and the gray form one color and stick it on bait to fill in holes and any other mistakes or aberrations. When it dries (about 20 minutes or so), you just sand off the excess. Easy to use and the stuff is also waterproof! Can't beat that. I use it to fill in the holes after I've drilled the bait and stuck some lead in the belly for ballast.
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Of course, I keep toothpicks and Q-tips around for a variety of uses, such as wiping excess epoxy glue off the lip, or adding a tiny dab of paint here or there. No end to how you'll use these two:
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Now for installing those screw eyes...
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Actually, I have two drills on the bench. One is a standard electric drill, the other is the cordless drill shown in the picture. A cordless is nice because it frees your hands up to move around the bench, but most importantly, is allows you to dril SLOOOOOOW. By drilling slow you won't screw those screw eyes in too deep and strip out the hole. Of course, you can install those by hand with a nail or small screwdriver, but over time, I went ahead and paid the $10 for a special bit to install them. *(I've read about guys using a large screw installed in a drill...they use the slot in the screw head to insert the screw eyes into a bait....pretty slick! And cheaper too!)

For touching up any painting errors and also for "signing" the baits, I use these:
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It seems that these are like having a cell phone. You DO NOT need them, but once you have them, you wonder how you ever got by without them.
NOTE: IF YOU USE STANDARD MARKERS TO SIGN YOUR BAITS, YOU MUST CLEAR THE AREA WHERE YOU PUT YOUR SIGNATURE WITH A CLEAR SPRAY ENAMEL BEFORE APPLYING EPOXY....otherwise the epoxy will make your signature smear and 'run.' No big deal, just sign it and spray a shot of clear enamel over the signature...then clear your bait as per normal.

Maybe some of the older builders will add to this thread to show some of the things I may have missed, or things they like to use?

Questions?

Excellent post fat fingers.....Thanks for sharing. SBO Rocks!

awsome now i see the tools it takes u artists to do your magic cool

I just started using the markers to dress my tailhooks,,, love them,

awesome tut, kudos fatfingers to you for doing this

Etch

VERY COOL VINCE...... I DONT THINK ANYONE HAS EVER DONE A POST LIKE THAT........ WAY TO GO! AWESOME!

great thread! thanks fatfingers!

Very helpful, thanks.

Thanks, guys. I think I might take the camera to the basement and show a few of the tools and gadgets down there too.

Only thing is I'm afraid the basement will scare the horses and the children.

Here's another tool that is invaluable to my lure building fun...the bench-top belt sander:
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As you can see, I use it to round off the edges of the crankbaits and I also use it to smooth the sides of the polycarbonate lips that I make for the crankbaits.
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I also use it to shape my musky jerkbaits and for a number of other tasks such as making the rear props on the Fatfingers Torpedo topwater baits:
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I even use the edge of the belt sander (the round part where the roller spins the sanding belt) to shape the baits:
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affraid

WHOA........ THAT TOPREDO TOPWATER BAIT??? HOLY SHIZZY BATMAN!!! THAT IS FREAKING SICK PAINT BRO!!!

drool drool drool

Love the magnetic tool holder!!! Great Idea for a thread.

Bluesfish

If any of you guys has tool tips and techniques of any sort, please feel free to jump in here and post 'em.

We can all learn from each other.

fatfingers wrote:If any of you guys has tool tips and techniques of any sort, please feel free to jump in here and post 'em.

We can all learn from each other.

I have been putting some things together for this thread, very cool..
I will start with my favorite carving tool, very sophiscated, it is by far the one I most use when carving....
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my custom trimmer....lol

Skip, what type of carving do you do with that?

I use an Xacto knife to make a deep cut near the edge of the gill plate, for example...then I come back with the dremel and plow out the wood on one side of the cut to make the gill appear.

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skippy wrote:

fatfingers wrote:If any of you guys has tool tips and techniques of any sort, please feel free to jump in here and post 'em.

We can all learn from each other.

I have been putting some things together for this thread, very cool..
I will start with my favorite carving tool, very sophiscated, it is by far the one I most use when carving....
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At this point, The boxcutter has done all the bulk work, and I cleaned it up with an exacto knife, a little bit of sanding, and I got a gator head, no power tools so far, next we will wire....

My wire tools,,,,,,I try to keep every size jewellers pliers, they can be used to make rigs, hangers, splitrings, and even springs when you need to make your own,,, my wire of choice is.050 316ss.......
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Very interesting thread, thanks guys.

That is a beautiful line
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A clean bench is the sign of a frightened mind.

This was taken a few years ago, but only a few things have changed. I've actually added another light. I don't think you can have too much light in your work area.

In a way, lighting is the single most important tool or element in the process. I use "daylight" bulbs for a number of reasons. I like being able to see the colors on the baits in the same spectrum within which they'll by used. In other words, natural light as opposed to florescent lighting, which has a greenish cast to it. Mostly I want to be able to see without straining when doing close work and bait building is just about all close work.

I try to keep the tools I use constantly very close and within reach at all times. I keep a vacuum sweeper nearby for clean up after drilling and sanding at the bench and I keep a trash can nearby too. Seems like there's always a lot of waste to be disposed of.

I have the heat gun there on the left for removing bubbles from and smoothing the epoxy finish when I'm clearcoating, which I also do at this same bench. (I do most of my sanding in the basement; only occasionally tweak something by sanding it at the bench).

You can see the rotary tool on the left also. I use it an awful lot too for cleaning out the screw eyes between coats of epoxy and for preparing the diving lip for installation and so on.

In the center of the work area on the bench top you can see a set of small drawers where I store drill bits, screw eyes, Xacto knife (razor) blades, etc. It seems there are always a lot of little things that you need to have handy to build our toys.

I also do my foiling at this bench, although I've gotten away from foiling baits as much as I used to.

I guess the number one thing I'd like leave the younger builders with is the idea that you should try to set up a work area where you can have what you need when you need it. I would also add that you should probably strive to do your painting away from your sanding/carving area and do your assembly and clear coating (putting on the epoxy finish) in an area away from where you sand/carve and away from where you paint.

The area in which you apply the clear coat does not need to be dust free, in my opinion, but it needs to be relatively clean and dry.

In this respect, I'm lucky. I have the basement for carving, shaping, sanding, and drilling the baits, I have the paint shop out behind the garage to do my paint work and I have the bench area you see above for all the other stuff like clear coating adding the lips and screw eyes, etc. It is also nice to have a stereo or at least a radio in these areas too. I have my computer to the left, just out of frame, near the workbench you see pictured above.

This is my place. I love this place. I wish I could spend more time there than I do, but I truly enjoy the hours I spend at that bench. Hope this helps you get some ideas how you might set yours up.

As always, please feel free to jump in and add to all of this or even show your tools and work areas. We all learn from each other.

As my wife would say,,"This is where the magic happens"
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nice everything at an arms reach like it