Getting Started With Balsa

[tidewaterfly 0]

Awesome!

[Mike West 0]

I enjoy making bass poppers to. Out of anything, If I can put it on my dremel. Or I plug out flip-flops, or wine bottle corks. I just use fine sandpaper, paint, then dunk a few coats of Minwax polycrylic from lowes or home depot on it. I like mine shinny. Its not fast at all. But when the bass snub me on the water, I have fun with the bluegills and crappies. Try this Jelly Bean, it works good. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/062606fotw.php

I tied some of those...little bigger but they are fun to do and work well.

 

 

 

[Mike West 0]

I find foam way harder to get smooth verses Balsa wood or Cork.

The fuzzies foam have are hard to get rid of for me

[heronwheels 0]

I really like those Mike West, awesome paint job! What do you use for top coat? I seem to smear my paint job (unless I strictly use the acrylics) with anything I use for top coat. I tried Loon Soft Head on my lunch break to coat a double barrel soft foam popper that I used black Sharpie on and it smeared it a little even though it's water based. Do you dip instead of brush?

[Philly 0]

Wow, nice poppers. I just don't have the patience or the industry to shape them out of balsa. Like Mike, I prefer a semi-quick tie and stick mainly to soft foam popper bodies, Probably takes me a bit longer since I like to color and coat them. I do at times sand and shape foam cylinders for example to make a hula popper or glue a couple of the soft popper bodies together and shape them into something like a needle fish plug or the salt water version of a pencil popper. Kudos to you that can shape balsa wood into works of art.

[Mike West 0]

Thanks for the props guys

I use arcrylic paints and inks with an airbrush.

Once I have them sanded smooth I give them a couple coats of water-based poly and then start painting them once they are painted a coat them with Sally Hansen's or Liquid Fusion.

When doing the eyes each layer gets a coat of Sally Hansen's that way if I

mess it up I can just wipe it off without messing up the first layer

[heronwheels 0]

First balsa bluegill popper. I used Sally Hansen as top coat on this and I'm much happier with the finish than the last one.

 

[mikechell 0]

Yep ... that one turned out very nicely.

[Flat Rock native 0]

Very nice.. What does your hook gap measure out on this little water-pusher? I may need to copy, as Spring beackon...Thanks for posting...

[DrippingSprings330 0]

I broke down and ordered some balsa round drowels from a shop in Colorado. I tried whittling, turning square blocks into round dowels, and finally realized my whittling skills need mucho improvement. I am trying now to carve with my Dremel two,pieces if mesquite I got from a custom sawmill close by and hope they turn out better. Much harder wood but beautiful grain and just plain purity.

 

Will post some pics of first couple of round dowel balsa bugs. Bought 1/2 inch diameter dowels.

 

Good luck y'all!