Newbie Mistakes

[Nightprowler]

Here's a few tips that might help.

1 Dont powder coat the jig hook, below where your material doesn't cover it up. (just extra work scraping it off)
2 Clean out the hook eyes before curing powder paint.
3 Don't cure your jig heads to long or to high of heat (unless you want cone-head jigs)
4 Drill bits work good for making pretty round eyes. (label the good ones)
5 Be sure and let one coat of paint dry, before adding another color.
6 Clean up your paint tool immediatly.
7 With Hard-as-Nails you only get one or maybe two stokes with the brush before your eye paint bleeds. I'm using enamel paint for the eyes. I'm going to try putting on eyes before curing the powder paint next time and see if there more durable (might not need top coat??)
8 If paint bleeds onto Hard-as-Nails brush, clean the brush each time. (used dryer sheets work great and have no lent...don't use kleenex)
9 ALWAYS COVER YOUR PAINT WORK AREA spills are just waiting to happen. I use a lid from a plastic storage container NOW! lol
10 check local dollar store for tying materials. I got tons of synthetic hair at Halloween and some braided tubing in the Christmas isle.
11 Carry rubber gloves and heavy cutters in truck. You never know when you'll spot a squirrel that doesn't need it's tail any longer.
12 Check with your local deer processor. This is the time to stock up on FREE TAILS!!!

Hope this helps and saves you a few headaches. If you made learning mistakes along the way and want to help us avoid them, this is the place.

[flatfish46]

excellent ! idea prowler. I'd like to add in there also that if your powder coating you can break asmall pc. of tooth pick off
in the eye don't push in to tight I did this when I was dipping in the jar and after you cure it not above 300 deg. you can pop the tooth pick out and the eye is clean!

[Ol JohnnyBoy]

Great Post. I might print these out and hang them by my tying station.

[fowlmood77]

My favorite :D

11 Carry rubber gloves and heavy cutters in truck. You never know when you'll spot a squirrel that doesn't need it's tail any longer.

Bad thing is, I can picture some people doing it. LOL

[Ol JohnnyBoy]

My favorite :D



Bad thing is, I can picture some people doing it. LOL

Hehehe...can't say that I haven't considered it. And I always see chicken hawks and owls that have been run over.

[Sandwich Maker]

Nightprowler64,

I've found that if you paint the eyes over powder paint, place them in the oven for 2-3 minutes and turn it off. After they've cooled, bake them the whole distance. The short burst of heat seems to set the eye paint and it will hold up better.

I also like the eye dotters that Stamina sells. Like Qtips with foam tips, you can dip them and paint a lot of eyes before reloading. When you're through, just clean them with thinner or Goop and they'll last a long, long, time.