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Posts: 17
| Just finished. She looked good in pool over the weekend. Won't get it over fish for another ten days. Body is mohogony, legs are silicone caulk from a wood mold. Body was soaked in super glue after setting hardware, then painted, set eyes, then coated with Raka epoxy I had left from a boat build. She is built tough, but finish is only a 7 on a scale to 10.
Hope is she appears different to Esox at my local lake. Water has extreme clarity and much pressure. Fish get accustomed to the usual presentations.
Edited by vmikev 5/4/2010 9:51 AM
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 frog99.JPG (57KB - 212 downloads)
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| really good idea,please post a video asap |
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| Great looking bait, I like it alot. That should get bit.
Silicone caulk in a wood mold - very interesting. |
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Posts: 17
| Do a little diggin online for pattern making info. As in patterns used in castings, prototype molds etc. I did a few year stint in a prototype pattern shop making patterns for aluminum casting used in new engine design.
Prior to all the fancy multi axis CNC machining centers patters were made by hand and for many many years, mohogony was one of thier first choices in wood.
Most any medium can be used to make a mold, surface prep is the key. Fill the grain with paint/etc then sand till smooth. Then apply an appropriate release agent.
Another neat aspect of wood, you can carve or stamp features into the wood. Scales, fins etc.
I will try to submit some of my STUFF when i have time. Life has been interesting the last two years to put it milldly. 2010 is my fist year back hunting Mr Esox! |
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Posts: 17
| Well, the old frog did well first time out. Had two small fish follow/lockjaw. Down side, legs started to tear after 100 or so casts........ Replaced them with large rear tire agriculture innertube material. Too heavy, popper face of lure was below water.
Currently working on laminating thin nylon material into the silicone for strength. Initial test sheet came out well, just too thin. Will build a proper mold to get the desired thickness when striking off mold.
Interesting idea came up after first sheet cured. Unlimited sizes/sheet can be made, and any desired shape can be cut. Curly tails etc. It's also very durable. Updates in a week or so. |
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Posts: 351
| The bait has a great profile.
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Posts: 17
| Chocolate Milk! With all the rain we are having lake clarity went for 10 plus feet to a few inches. Didn't fish over weekend but did dunk the frog again with it's new legs. Everything looks good, just need some stable weather.
New legs: Wide putty knife, swatch of nylon material/loose weave, tube silicone, release agent. Strike off rails if desired.
Strike off rails are used to swipe desired thickness. Simply, rails that putty knife slides across.
Release mold or alternate smooth surface. Swipe a thin layer of silicone on surface, swipe one side of nylon. Lay nylon silicon side down on first swipe in mold/table. Apply last layer on opposing side of nylon. Wait to cure then cut desired shape. Try to add enough pressure with putty knife to get silicone forced into the material.
Messed aroud a little with this same concept but with rubber worm plastic. Need to refine my process but concept works. Reinforced plastic baits.
Both of these ideas came out of my need for the frog legs. Also cut a large curly tail out of both types, nice action in water. This winter hope to try making realistic tails/fins for hard baits with the reinforced silicone. |
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