Ranger Embossing Powders - You can find embossing powders in just about any craft store in the world and they're also available through many online retailers. But beware, all embossing powders are not created equal (a lesson we painfully learned after destroying an otherwise beautiful paint job). This is especially true when picking a powder for use on fishing lures. You need to get one that will fair well underwater and can withstand being banged around the bottom of your tackle box. You'll also want to buy a powder that won't "clump" on your lure and ruin a paint job that took hours to perfect.

What's the Difference in Brands of Embossing Powder?
Unfortunately, we don't really understand much about the science behind embossing, so we can't provide much insight into the chemical compounds used...but we can give our opinion based on trying out a few different brands. We tried out products from a Stamp'in Up catalog. Those were really good, but you can only buy them through a demonstrator, so we had to keep looking. Next we tried embossing powder from a local hobby shop and a big craft superstore. The superstore version didn't impress us very much. It chipped almost immediately and appeared clumpy. The hobby store powder looked great, but also chipped easily. The Ranger brand caught our eye because it comes in versions that contain holographic flecks and sparkles (perfect for lure eyes). So we tried it, and we liked it! It hardens to a smooth, raised, and rounded surface. It holds up well after being banged around. It also holds up well underwater.

What Colors Should I Buy?
Ranger makes many different colors of embossing powder. For our lures, we haven't really found much use for anything other than the glitter, pearlescent, iridescent, or sparkle colors. Our favorite is the Black Sparkle, but we also like the Silver Pearl, Snowflake Tinsel, Holographic and Clear Superfine.

What Else Will You Need to Buy?
1) You'll need to buy a good tacky ink. We like using embossing pens for this, as they're easy to control and don't require any stamping skill. You should pick up a clear pen and a black pen. Here's the set we recommend: Ranger Embossing Pens - 2 embossing pens - black and clear. The clear pen provides a great resist ink when you want to highlight the color of the powder, while the black pen creates a fantastic base for pearlescent and iridescent embossing powders as well as clear, sparkle, and glitter embossing powders
2) You'll also need an embossing heat tool (see image to the right). Unfortunately, a hair-dryer won't work for this because it will blow your embossing powder everywhere. Here's the one we recommend: Uchida Embossing Heat Tool. It's inexpensive, easy to handle, and works well. You'll also be able to use it to heat the bubbles out of your epoxy to get a glass-like finish when coating lures or rod wraps.
3) If you're planning on embossing on metal (i.e. blades), you'll need to use a different type of ink, as the embossing pens listed above are better suited for wood and plastic baits. To emboss paints on metal, get the Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink Sets. This special ink is designed to adhere to slippery surfaces.

Tips for Tackle Makers Who Want to Emboss
Our first tip is to make sure the paint on the rest of your lure is COMPLETELY dry before you apply the embossing powder. The powder will stick to anything wet, and you'll ruin your paint job if you're not careful. Next, we recommend placing a piece of paper under the lure before you apply the powder. Then shake the powder slowly over the wet area you want to emboss. When you're done, lightly fold the paper and pour any excess powder back into the container to use later. Lastly...the heat tool will work pretty fast to set the embossing. Once it's set, remove the heat tool quickly to prevent damaging any paint around your embossing area.

Where should I buy this?
The Ranger brand of embossing powder (and the other tools we mentioned) are all available at a discount price at MisterArt. To avoid confusion, we've provided the links below to take you to the exact products we're recommending.

Suggested Vendor: MisterArt.com: The world's largest online discount art & craft supply store!
Link to the Exact Embossing Powder: Ranger Embossing Powders 1 oz. black sparkle
Link to the Exact Embossing Pens: Ranger Embossing Pens
Link to the Exact Epoxy Powder: Uchida Embossing Heat Tool
Purchasing Tip : Remember, the embossing powder isn't any good without the ink and heat tool!