Well, Gman got me inspired to give crankbait making a shot.  I have seen some tutorials in the past, but that was quite a while back.  I had some scrap balsa around and decided to use it.  I figured if balsa good enough for Rapala, it ought to be for me.

This was the starting block, which I cut in half length-wise.



I cut it in half like below and soon learned that I could probably get two cranks from that one half.  I also traced a basic shape.



Next, I cut out the shapes and then carved out the shapes by eyeballing.


The first one I did with mostly sandpaper which seemed really slow and not very precise.  Some thought on approaching the second one led me to try carving the basic shape with a hobby knife.  The latter was definitely faster, but more care was needed to not shave off too much at one time. Fine sandpaper was used to touch them up.


In the photo above, the one on the right is the first one that was carved.

So far, so good.  I need to figure out how much weight is needed, which I have no clue.

Any help Gman or Bill? Thanks!

-ib

those look really good.   

Weight wise.  I honestly dont know.  May want to try a weight about 1/4" wide x1/4" long.  Need a hole in it to attach the hook holder to too.

those look really good.   

Weight wise.  I honestly dont know.  May want to try a weight about 1/4" wide x1/4" long.  Need a hole in it to attach the hook holder to too.

Thanks! I am going to give it a try when I get a chance.

Nice Job IB 

Finally got the crankbait to balance with a piece of ¼” pencil lead.  The bait seems to balance well in the water.






I drilled a hole through the pencil lead for the wire for this crankbait.  I will try though-wire construction for the next one. I will look into other materials for the lip and body too.



Next step, I am going to epoxy the pieces into the bait, prime it with white and try to figure out how to paint this.

It has been a challenge but rewarding at the same time.

Not yet.  I need to patch up the area around the lip with some wood dough.

My plan is to check how it swims. I haven't checked that part yet.

Then, I will prime it with white and figure a basic color scheme since I can't paint worth a darn.  2-Ton epoxy is what I am going to use as the final coat.

Thanks. I will be sealing it soon. During the testing, it didn't stay wet very long. If the wood dough dries by the time I get home, I am going to see how it wiggles.  Fingers are crossed. I've made it this far and will be really bummed out if it doesn't wiggle at all. Don't know if it's going to be a tight or wide wiggle, but at this time, I won't care as long as it wiggles well. 

Mike, you are right.  My tests were limited to very short exposure to water for that reason.


I am glad to say that it works!  I stopped by my home lake yesterday to see if the crankbait would work.  I wasn’t sure if it would work correctly and the creeping thought that it might not work was something I couldn’t remove from my mind.

With eager anticipation, I tied the Rapala knot for their cranks without a split ring and pitched out the lure.  It made the typical plop, splash, dip and rise back to the surface that a crankbait does.  Yes!

Next, I walked along the dock and figuratively I was biting my nails as I watched the line in front of the bait become taut.  The lure started wiggling back and forth.  Yeeeeee Haaaahhhh!!!!!! That's exactly what I was saying along with a few fist pumps and Sho Ryu Kens.

It was working, and working very nicely.  It has nice and loose wiggle, reminiscent of a swim bait.  It dove down deeper than I thought it would, probably somewhere in the 4-6’ range.  Other folks on the dock thought it was pretty cool too.  Alright!

I tried a few “real” casts and it casts as well as a Rapala DT6. Ahh yeah!

I am very stoked about the how far I’ve gotten.  I primed it with white paint this morning and have to come up with a simple color scheme.  I’ll be facing my biggest challenge and weakness… Painting.

-ib

Congrats IB!!  plain white would be easiest 

Ghost color.  With eyes of course.

sweet,  what pattern are you going to paint it?

positive outlook. 

Pics?

Looks good to me, and I like the shark teeth!   

I bet it will catch plenty of fish!