oatka 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 I got an order of 50 popper heads from J. Stockard last week and I've been busy getting them done. So far, I'm only through gluing the hooks in and filling the slot with wood filler. I have to sand about 1/2 of them down, from the wood filler, then it's off to get colored. I bought a Copic ABS for that job, and I hope to be able to make it work decent enough. I'll be at the fly tying symposium in Utica NY this Saturday trying to get a few of these ready to fish. My popper supply was getting very low last year so I'm excited to get them stocked back up! Follow more of this on Facebook because I'll update there probably more frequently, at least during the event! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smokinprice 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 Cool beans. I love top water and love the poppers. I usually use zap-a-gap to fill the slot on my poppers. Have you tried the wood filler before? How does it work? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oatka 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 I used to just use superglue to fill the space, but that never looked the best.....and after seeing poppers from the likes of Stippled Popper, I figured I'd do these differently than I have in the past. In the past, they were made to fish, not look good. These will be an attempt at making them look good....but still ultimately to fish. As far as the wood filler, I've never used it before, but it dries up and is sandable and does fill the slot well. I read somewhere on the forum that someone else uses it, so I figured I'd try it. It took paint fine too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kirk Dietrich 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 Cool beans. I love top water and love the poppers. I usually use zap-a-gap to fill the slot on my poppers. Have you tried the wood filler before? How does it work? Jeff, the waterbased woodfillers of today are really great. I use Elmers. I use it right out of the container sometimes but most often, I thin it out just a tad by putting a glob in another little jar and apply it with a plastic bristled brush or a piece of plastic. As Oatka said, it is easy to sand and paint takes to it real well. Kirk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SullyTM 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 Oatka...Does the wood filler enhance the performance of the popper? I'm preparing some poppers also, but have never "filled" in the slot. I could use an excuse to go the hardware store. Thanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stippled Popper 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 I use Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Sealer and keep it in a glass jar so it doesn't dry out quite as fast. When that starts to happen I too use a bit of water to keep it at my preferred consistency. Other than sanding the sealer smooth, I also sometimes sand smooth the ridge you often see on cupped hard foam poppers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigfoot 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 Are you using the wood filler on foam and cork poppers? or are you just using it on balsa and basswood popper? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stippled Popper 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 Are you using the wood filler on foam and cork poppers? or are you just using it on balsa and basswood popper? I use the wood filler with both hard and soft foam, cork, and balsa. However, some insert slim balsa in the slot, trim and then sand. I also use the wood filler to cover cork body pits. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kirk Dietrich 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 Are you using the wood filler on foam and cork poppers? or are you just using it on balsa and basswood popper? I use the Elmers on cork to fill the holes and hook slot, and both hard and soft foam to cover the hook slot. Kirk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oatka 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 Oatka...Does the wood filler enhance the performance of the popper? I'm preparing some poppers also, but have never "filled" in the slot. I could use an excuse to go the hardware store. Thanks. Sully, having me come back and say anything after Stippled Popper and Kirk have replied is almost pathetic. Those guys have way more experience....however, they didn't answer your question directly. So I will. Answer: I don't know. I haven't fished any with the filler yet. I just wanted to hide the slot since I'm going to try and pretend to be artistic when I paint these things....and for ME, I want the slot filled. My grandfather always said "that looks like it catches the fisherman more than the fish." That's what these are.....way more fancy than they have to be to catch fish, but that's ok with me. Thanks for the replies other guys! I'll just add, that adding a few drops of water to the filler is a great idea. I had read it, but for some reason I didn't try it until about the 30th popper. Thinning it so it spreads is a lot easier than trying to press it in when it's straight from the container. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kirk Dietrich 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 The little amount of wood filler does not adversely effect the popper as best I can tell. It does have negative buoyancy as I tested a dry clump of wood filler in my pool and it did sink. So, I imagine if you had gaping holes to fill on one side of the bug it could make it roll or float lower but usually the amount used in the filling of the hook slot and cork imperfections is not enough to adversely effect it. Oatka, at least your poppers aren't as pathetic as your comments - kidding. So, what kind of hook are you using? Looks like a round bend of some sort? Kirk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigfoot 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 Thanks for the help Stippled Popper and Kirk Dietrich. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stippled Popper 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 Oatka...Does the wood filler enhance the performance of the popper? I'm preparing some poppers also, but have never "filled" in the slot. I could use an excuse to go the hardware store. Thanks. For me it is a pride of workmanship issue. The purpose of filling in the slot and sanding smooth has more to do with improving the appearance of the popper. I've never seen any commercially available poppers with a noticeable slot gap. Since the wood filler is going to be centered in the middle from the front of the body to the back, it shouldn't cause the popper to sit improperly in the water. This might happen if the slot was cut at an angle and a kink shank hook would not sit right. In such a case I would throw that body away if a straight shank hook couldn't salvage the situation. I've had to do this with some of the small bream size popper bodies. It hasn't been an issue for me with larger bodies. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCream 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 What I have been using recently that seems to be working pretty well is a thin bead of Loon UV Knot Sense over the gap. I run the Knot Sense into the gap, smooth it out, hit it with the UV lamp and I can start paining in 4-5 seconds. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oatka 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 Oatka, at least your poppers aren't as pathetic as your comments - kidding. So, what kind of hook are you using? Looks like a round bend of some sort? Kirk I'm using the hooks that came with the popper heads from J. Stockard. I think they are from Wapsi. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
