Amazing colors

[TheDreamer]

Ran across this seller on ebay (no it's not me) and I can't for the life of me fathom how they make the colors and patterns on the lures they sell. Here is an image of one of the baits I found:



Have a few ideas on how this could be done but no clue as to if they would work.
Idea #1: Dipping the lure in HydroGraphics then clear plastic over after the eyes have been placed.
Idea #2: Airbrushing the lure then clear plastic over after the eyes have been placed.

If anyone has any information on this technique please write me here or in private, I would love to know. The colors and patterns on there are amazingly realistic and I have yet to come across any other soft plastic that looks like this.

[Jason]

My gut would be paint...  but I don't know that for sure.  They look like Bogs Baits.  Good stuff!

Jason

[TheDreamer]

They are Bogs, I didn't want to name the seller as some kind of advertisement post lol. Would really love to figure it out, have some great ideas for this style. I'm certain that if you ever come up with the hard plastic molds we talked about, the HydroGraphic process would be great for it.

[Jason]

No worries.  John's a good guy and we do business together.  You might drop him a line and see if he would be willing to get you pointed in the right direction.  Just remember, this is how he makes a living so you can't realistically expect him to share to much info.

Jason

[TheDreamer]

Yeah i'll shoot him an email and see if he will give me the just of things. When livelihood is involved, asking a man for his secrets is like asking to take his boat out for a week. You just get that awkward stare lol.

[Jason]

My boat...   

Well, ummm, we also have a couple kayaks and you are more than welcome to borrow one.   

[TheDreamer]

LOL, don't tempt me.. even only a day on the lake with no children or wife in near silence.. pipe dreams just don't exist.

[pjmcla]

I believe that airbrushed paints specifically for plastic baits were used.  There is an under color, then one or more stencil coats and maybe a little freehand work.  It appears the eyes are attached and the heads are dipped in clear plastic.  On other forums; people have said this type of paint has special requirements for it's use.  If I am correct in the paint type;  there are a lot of volatile compounds involved in it's use.   

[TheDreamer]

Going to apologise for trying to take the easy road and asking before doing any research. Did not expect to have the free time today but I have found the paints, although these are extremely delicate (and by delicate I mean EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE), not to mention you must have ventilation and a respirator just to open the containers. After searching for about an hour I came across a different solution. Although this route does not look as persice as the photos above this is a much safer method for anyone with the same curiosity I have. It is called Alumidust, a powder you paint into your mold before the pour. Below are three links that I have found for anyone who is interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK1xZ62HzQs
http://alumilite.com/images/Alumidust%20High%20Res%202.jpg
http://www.makelure.com/

P.S. I do not support the lack of safety in the video.

[captian chaos]

SAFETY

[Muskygary]

Of course the big question is do they catch more fish? They defintely catch more fishermen!!

[pjmcla]

Catch more fish?  I would think in a heavily fished environment on "slow days" they would produce a bite or two more than a comparable plain Jane bait.   I believe the bass on Wheeler can identify every rattle trap type lure and tell you what size BB's are in the sound chamber   .  Over saturation of use in many lakes could be a reason some of the companies are coming out with their "Silent Series" of trap type lures. 

[Denny Welch]

Several years ago I tied up a bunch of poppers and other subsurface "flies" for use on El Salto.  I carved the body out of balsa wood, embedded a hook in the lower body and filled it over with wood filler.  After sanding, I spray painted a base coat on the popper.  After drying, I wrapped the fly with material know as "bridal vail" and sprayed it again with a different color.  When the paint dried and the bridal vail came off, whatdayaknow, my fly now had scales.  Some dead animal part were then tied onto the shank of the hook, eyes painted on, and I was then the proud owner of a fly anglers version of a lipless crankbait.

My baits looked nothing like the Bog Baits.  Those things are from another universe.  But I bet the painting techniques were somewhat similar.