Jimmy, I also remember a mail to the list some time ago that someone was making them from the Corks in wine bottles. I have thought about giving them a go but do not have a lathe. Maybe some day. I have enough "stuff" at the moment. I'm not sure you could turn Cork, but I'm sure with some heacy grip paper you could wear away what is not needed and get a similar effect. Also cork is very light and bouyant.
Just a thought, Kev -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Jimmy D. Moore Sent: Friday, April 23, 2004 5:09 AM To: *Hill Country Fly Fishers Subject: [VFB] Making bass poppers Hi Gang, I have a little something I'd like to share with those of you who fly fish for bass, perch, bluegills, etc. We were discussing foam bass poppers, etc. in the chat room, when one of the guys mentioned making them out of balsa and basswood. I think he was using a dremel tool to shape them. This got the old brain in gear and since I'd recently bought one of those mini-wood lathes from Harbor Freight to turn reel seats, I tho't why not turn a basswood popper. Worked like a charm. I bought a two foot long 1/2"X1/2" stick of basswood and cut it off every 2 1/2" inches. Took the 2 1/2" long piece and chucked it up in the lathe and was able to turn two poppers at a time. After getting the piece rounded, I proceeded to turn the left hand part into a 1/2 elipse and at the 1" point started cutting straight down to form the head of the popper, but not all the way through the wood. Then I turned a second 1/2 elipse just like the first one and at the 1" point cut straight down again, but not all the way through. The result was two 1/2 eliptical popper bodies, one right after the other, but still fastened together. At that point I took a piece of 100 grit sandpaper and cut it into a 3" strip about 1/4" wide and sanded the two poppers. When I got them smooth, I cut through between them and separated each and chucked them, one at a time back into the lathe and turned/scooped out the head so that it was concave which would enable it to make a little "pop" when slightly jerked in the water. ( You can use balsa also, but I think basswood is easier to work and is not as adsorptive when priming and painting, i.e. you can get it smoother and thus get a slicker paint job. All that was left to do was to cut a groove for the hook, epoxy it in and when dry, paint with primer, let dry then put on what ever color enamel I want. When dry, tie in deer hair or feathers at the back of the popper and add eyes. You can get stick-on eyes at any hobby shop. I couldn't believe how easy all this was. After a couple of false starts getting the lathe pressure just right, I was able to turn 6 popper heads in about 5 minutes. I'm sure as I get more used to the process, the time will be less. The upshot is that my popper looks as good as any I've seen in a store that sells bass poppers. I will also probably turn some big chugger spook type Chunking and Winding lures for bass. I really liked tying with foam, but after the success I had this afternoon with basswood, the majority of my future bass, crappie, perch and bluegill flies will be made from basswood. JIMMY D -- ======================================================== Jimmy D. Moore - Retired Scout Executive, BSA, Moderator Fly Fishing World Email List,Member VFB, HCFF, GRTU, FFF, NAFC - Life Member. Contributor - Texas Fish & Game Magazine. Outdoor Humor Writer. Author of "MOON HOLLER MISFITS" Click URL for info. http://home.earthlink.net/~rayado/rayadoflyfishingflypatternstips/index.html "Being able to read trout streams is just as valuable to a fly fisherman as the ability to read a defense is to a Quarterback." ======================================================== --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.659 / Virus Database: 423 - Release Date: 4/15/04 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.659 / Virus Database: 423 - Release Date: 4/15/04
