Getting Started With Balsa

[heronwheels 0]

Hi all,

 

I've been spending a fair amount of time over the past year, learning how to prep, pain and tie poppers (bass and panfish). Until now, I've primarily used the Wapsi Perfect Popper hard foam heads. The other day, I decided I was a glutton for punishment and picked up a couple of different sizes of square balsa wood dowels (are they really dowels if they're square?) from the craft store. I carved/shaped my first balsa head the other night on a size 2 Mustad 33903 popper hook and another last night, same hook model but in a size 8 for panfish. I'm pretty happy with the shapes I ended up with but I'm looking for input/suggestions/critiques to set me in the right direction as I move forward in the learning process. The topcoat, Loon Hard Head Pearlescent, ended up a touch more sparkly than I hoped for and I'm a little bummed at how rough it turned out!

 

Final shape on the larger of the two heads.

 

Base coat and eye

Final head with sparkle-tastic topcoat

 

Panfish head - unfinished

 

Stacey

[Bimini15 0]

Crazy 'puter...

[Bimini15 0]

It is not my kind of popper because of all the extra time and prep compared to the soft foams I use. I am into quick ties.

 

But I hope he does not mind if I bring up Cream's three part video tutorial on wood poppers on Vimeo:

 

https://vimeo.com/33245541

 

https://vimeo.com/33931001

 

https://vimeo.com/34255974

 

If I one day decide to start making wood poppers, that is what I am doing.

[Bimini15 0]

Double post

[Bimini15 0]

Triple post?

[Mike West 0]

When you say rough what do you mean the finish of the popper?

If so you have to fill in all the grain and gaps in the balsa wood.

[Stippled Popper 0]

For the roughness issue, try a finer grit sandpaper when the shape is basically set. Next apply a wood sealer such as

Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer. Once the sealer is finished drying, lightly give it another fine grit sandpaper touch up.

I find I can get a pretty smooth surface with 150 grit sandpaper and have some 600 grit on hand I've also used. Are you

following the grain of the balsa in your sanding?

 

The sealer will make the surface of the popper slightly harder and the paint won't soak in as much making for fewer coats

of paint needed.

[mikechell 0]

I played around with balsa back in the 19, um ... several years ago.

I hated it. You have to sand it with 600 grit paper or finer, and then that clogs up too quickly, so you go through a lot of it to get a finish on the wood itself.

So then I went with filler/primer aerosol, and that made it a little better. But the sanding time still took too long.

Then I tried really thick coats of paint, which then looked like really thick coats of paint on badly prepped wood.

 

I finally went the "Match" route. Burned up all the balsa and went with something else. Actually, that was about the time I quit trying to make pretty flies and just started tying flies that fish will hit.

[Mike West 0]

Just shape them as needed then hit them with some 600 grit sandpaper and then 2 coats of any kind of water poly or liquid fusion and done deal

[stabgnid 0]

I would personally sand up to about 600 grit paper then seal it and lightly sand again then primer & paint thats the way I did it when I built model rockets .. The better prep you do the better the paint job ..

Steve-stabgnid

[tidewaterfly 0]

Hey Stacey! I know you from our FB discussions!

[bass master 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

[Ed Gallop 0]

When you say rough what do you mean the finish of the popper?

If so you have to fill in all the grain and gaps in the balsa wood.

 

Balsa needs a filler to get a smooth finish. I used to make balsa lures. Still do when bored. After shaping (you did a great job) you can fill and sand down to at least 600 grit. Then insert the hook, fill and sand the gap, and spray paint with enamel. I use Vaselineon the hook to prevent painting it.

 

Sometimes I go to extremes that are not necessary (abnormal mental condition). I have used coats of CA (Super Glue) to get a thin smooth clear hard shell to deter chips and dents but it is time consuming. You can put a variable speed drill in a vice on the slowest speed and turn the popper as you apply about 3 to 4 coats of thinned CA with a lint free rag to make a hard shell. Be careful not to put on too much CA or you will be sanding and sanding more. I used CA on lures with a lathe but it would be harder with small poppers. Use blue surgical gloves or you will have a hard time cleaning fingers. I also use the CA method for making ink pens on a lathe and getting an extreme gloss (mirror) finish with friction polish.

[flytire 0]

Heron

 

That popper looks just fine as is or maybe a coat of clear poly

 

Finish off the tail and add rubber legs and catch some fish

[heronwheels 0]

Wow, thanks for all the great info! This is the process I used on these first balsa poppers. After getting the desired shape, I filled the hook slot with white wood filler and sanded with 150 grit after dry. I then took the same wood filler and smeared a thin layer over the entire body, thinking it would fill the voids in the balsa and sanded very lightly again. I followed that with two coats of Delta Ceramcoat All-Purpose Sealer, three layers of acrylic, eyes, then two layers of Loon Hard Head pearlescent. I think next time I'll use my standard Sally Hansen topcoat or epoxy. It looks like I need to stop and pick up some 600 grit sandpaper! I tied the larger of the heads last night after work, I don't typically tie in feather tails on poppers, so that was a little dicey (and lead to a bit of swearing). I'm curious to see how it floats in the water.

 

Hey tidewaterfly - thanks for the advice over on Facebook!

 

Final tie on the first poppers

Stacey