Hi Don...welcome! Sorry it's taken so long to respond...my "day job" has been busy lately! :)

I actually don't have much experience with lathe duplicators, but looking around online, it sounds like Vega makes some good ones at a good price. For the lures you described, you could probably get away with buying the smaller versions in the $300 range.

There are many suppliers who carry the metal lips...but unfortunately not all of them are exact matches for the lures you described. If you're okay with getting a lip that is "close" than you might try Stamina Inc and LureMaking.com (see Helpful Links section for their websites). If you want an exact match, you might actually be able to contact the manufacturers (Bagleybait.com, etc.) and ask them if they'll sell the lips to you wholesale. You'd be surprised...many of them will.

The trick to getting a good paint job on the lure is actually to get an Airbrush and a compressor. While spray paint from a can is okay, you'll be limited because you can't really control the pressure of the flow...and you can't usually find "semi-transparent" paints in a can. To get the really good paint jobs, you'll want paints that are semitransparent so the lower layers of color combine with the outer layers. That will give you the best colors.

To seal the baits, you could start with Flex Coat Rod Coat. Simply mix it up following the instructions, and then paint it on your lure after your done painting. While the coat is still wet, run it about 3 inches above a flame to heat it and get the bubbles out.

Good luck...let us know how you make out!

Hey Don, I read your post on "how to begin". I use a wood lathe that my grandfather made using an old Model-T water pump housing for the head unit. (I have modified it for modern uses). But as for a duplicator, I feel that trial and error are the best way to go. You're only going to get better in the long run. As for paints, I use plasti-kote xylene based paints. They're fast drying, can be thinned very easily for shadow scaling and are compatible with most of your quick drying clear coatings. I use Champion brand clear spray, which I pick up at the Family Dollar store for about $2.75 a can. Minimum of 3 coats is what I use. It's critical to use the same type of paint with the same type of clear coat so the paint on the lure doesn't wrinkle and peel.(I've had to scrape and refinish a few lures myself when I first got started over twenty years ago.) I remember when I first started I thought I could use water-based model paints because they were so easy to use and keep the air brush clean. Big mistake. When I went to put the clear coat on (thought I'ld try Minwax Helmsman Spray) I ended up scraping the whole lure down and starting over. Actually about twenty lures to be exact. Hope this helps a fellow lure maker.

welcom to our heritage, the good ole topwater, instead of expensive lathes try a belt sander get some dowels the size you want and sand them to form. it does not take but a 1/2 hour not months.

propbait