TheCream 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Most of my recent bass poppers have been attempts at a more realistic paint scheme (baby bass, rainbow trout, bluegill, perch), and last night I finished up a pair of these. I was going for a shad coloration: The paint colors used were: -bright red (face) -Hologram Glitter (base coat) -Quaker Gray (light gray) -Hippo Gray (dark gray) -Dark Patina Metallic (dark stippling on back) -Metallic Black (dot) -Eyes: Olive Pearl/Yellow/Metallic Black As always, the body was coated with Sparkle Glaze, then epoxied, then coated with Hard as Hull. The tailing is bucktail (white/ghost gray/black) and pearl Flashabou, wrap is clear Ice Chenille colored on the back with a gray Bic marker. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
perchjerker 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Cream... VERY NICE!!! One suggestion; put the spot just behind the eye, where they actually occur, rather than at the tail. And now for my one question: Why the coat of Hard as Hull after the epoxy? I have found the epoxy coat to be more than adequate as a 'topcoat'. Cheers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peterjay 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Excellent work, love it! I have the same question as PJ: why the Hard as Hull? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelkay 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Sweet poppers! Love them! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCream 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Cream... VERY NICE!!! One suggestion; put the spot just behind the eye, where they actually occur, rather than at the tail. And now for my one question: Why the coat of Hard as Hull after the epoxy? I have found the epoxy coat to be more than adequate as a 'topcoat'. Cheers! I always think the epoxy finish, even after curing, can be a little tacky. I use the HaH to add a slick, hard top coat over the epoxy. I waffled back and forth on the spot location, I did probably put it back a bit too far. I was thinking where I decided to out it was slightly ahead of the middle of the fly, based on tail length being the same roughly as the body length. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
catmanclark 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Fantastic, how do you get your eyes so precise and symetrical?? I have produced some really nice popper but my eye work needs help... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tidewaterfly 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Superbly done! I like the black spot near the hook point, even though as perch has said it would be closer to the eye on the real thing. If some predatory species really do key in on the eyes of their prey, it makes sense to have an "eye" near the hook. Keep in mind, that if you're using something like this around schools of the real thing, it's often the ones that stand out that get eaten, for whatever reason that causes them to stand out! Generally, if your epoxy is remaining tacky, it's a problem with having the correct proportions, or not mixing completely. However, I've had some brands remain tacky, so the top coat is the best you can do. If the epoxy is a bit old, it may also not cure completely. When I do a two color hair tail, I'll try to match the colors to the back color on the body, so if it's black, then the top hair would be black, if olive, the hair would be olive, and so forth. Personal preferences. Of course we do all this for our own amusement, the fish don't usually care, you could just as easily have left it all white, but where's the fun in that! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCream 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Superbly done! I like the black spot near the hook point, even though as perch has said it would be closer to the eye on the real thing. If some predatory species really do key in on the eyes of their prey, it makes sense to have an "eye" near the hook. Keep in mind, that if you're using something like this around schools of the real thing, it's often the ones that stand out that get eaten, for whatever reason that causes them to stand out! Generally, if your epoxy is remaining tacky, it's a problem with having the correct proportions, or not mixing completely. However, I've had some brands remain tacky, so the top coat is the best you can do. If the epoxy is a bit old, it may also not cure completely. When I do a two color hair tail, I'll try to match the colors to the back color on the body, so if it's black, then the top hair would be black, if olive, the hair would be olive, and so forth. Personal preferences. Of course we do all this for our own amusement, the fish don't usually care, you could just as easily have left it all white, but where's the fun in that! I was conflicted on that, too. The back color is really a dark grayish/blue on the body...but the best match I had for that in bucktail was going to be black. I had royal blue, purple, ghost gray, and olive, but thought black might look better if I did it sparingly. But like you said, the fish won't care. That's stuff for us to worry about! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phish 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Nice jeff but lose them. Hehe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCream 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Nice jeff but lose them. Hehe. It's a chance I take! I don't tie flies to put in a case and look at, I tie flies to fish and see the water. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kirk Dietrich 0 Report post Posted March 30, 2012 Very nice Cream!! If/when those flies see water, they will catch fish! Kirk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
perchjerker 0 Report post Posted March 31, 2012 EPOXY 101---Avery basic, and simplistic, intro to using epoxies; and why they often remain 'sticky'. If you will think of the two different (Part A and Part epoxy molecules as being 'rail cars' with a coupler on one end, and one of the Parts has the 'hand' coupler and the other the 'fist', the answer then becomes rather straightforward. Remember, both parts are 'sticky'. For a molecule of Part A to "cure", it must couple with a molecule of Part B. This 'coupling' process starts as soon as the two parts are mixed together, and continues until the last molecule of the Part present in the least quantity has 'coupled' with it's counterpart (typically within 2-3 hours). Once this coupling is completed, the epoxy has 'cured' As one cannot measure out the molecules one-by-one to get an even number of both, the alternative is to measure each part as accurately as possible (I recommend the use of hypodermic syringes for this). If, after 3-4 hours, the epoxy is still sticky, there was a variation in the amounts of the two parts, leaving a 'film' of the part "in excess" on the surface that did not get 'coupled'. It is this film that feels 'sticky'. It is futile to try to correct the problem by applying more of just one of the two components, as you have now way of knowing which one was present in the slightly greater amount. This is the only place where Sally Hansens Hard As Nails fits into my tying materials arsenal. An application of SHHAN solves the 'sticky' problem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheCream 0 Report post Posted April 2, 2012 Fantastic, how do you get your eyes so precise and symetrical?? I have produced some really nice popper but my eye work needs help... Sorry I missed this. The eyes I do totally by hand, and the trick is to get your hands as rock-solid and stable as possible. I like to brace my elbows on my knees and have my forearms against my tying bench. I use an eye drops cap as my "dotting tool." Dip the paint of the outermost circle in paint, then press the dot onto the body. I make that dot as big as I can with the cap. Then after that dries, the inner circle color I make using the same eye drops cap, but use less pressure and keep that dot inside the first. After that dries, I dot the pupil black with a slightly smaller round object, so you get a three-layer looking eye. It takes a little more time but I like the results! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
milo3 0 Report post Posted April 4, 2012 Nice job. If I may ask, what hook do you use ? milo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest rich mc Report post Posted April 4, 2012 a good friend of mine mostly uses bandit crankbaits. he believes the success comes from the black dot near the tail.do what you have confidence in rich mc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
