"Bass Poppers" for the Delta!

[Jeannie W.]

Hi Bill and thank you! Dan and I will have to get up to the shop and show Andy my poppers! I need some more of those kits to make some more! A good Winter project!! Say "Hi" to Marilyn for me!!
Tight lines!
Jeannie

[DLJeff]

Jeannie,
I found a photo of the epoxy I've been using for the final exterior coat. This came from BeeGees Hobby but I suspect it is fairly common at most hobby or craft stores. Like I said, it is the consistency of latex paint and you get 15-20 minutes of working time which is nice because you can coat a half dozen from a single batch before it starts to thicken.
Doug

PS: These are balsa wood pencil poppers. Another little craft you can play with to make poppers. Balsa is easy to work with and cheap. Its one down side is it is a little fragile.

[Jeannie W.]

Thank you DLJeff for posting the photos! I appreciate that. Those are great looking pencil poppers! Are you using a Dremel tool to shape the balsa wood? I don't think we have Bee Gee Hobbee store down this way but next time we are up in the Sacramento area we will have to check into getting some of the epoxy. it does look like it would be easier to work with having extra time. I was thinking of making some frog poppers with articulated deer hair legs. I need to figure out how I am going to make them but when I get a prototype made I will post a picture! A couple of weeks ago my husband and I were on a walking trail near a creek and saw a ton of bass and noticed that there were a lot of bull frogs. The frogs were just hanging out in the water motionless with their legs dangling. So I thought it might be a good idea to make a frog popper with the real color of chartreuse with sub surface dangling legs! Just make a nice presentation on a cast towards the tules and let it sit and I think with just a slight movement now and then it would look really natural and the bass should go crazy!!! Thanks again for taking the time to post the photos!! Tight lines and screaming reels!
J

[DLJeff]

Hi Jeannie,
I think most any hobby / craft / model building store will have some type of "finish epoxy". I suspect they're mostly all the same thing. Just make sure it cures clear, and tack free. I don't like the ones that dry "flexible", to me they're too rubbery.

As for balsa - it is soft enough you can shape it with 150 or 120 grit sand paper or even an emory board. I do use my Dremel with a ball bit to make the depressions for the eyes and to make the concave face. But those aren't necessary by any means. Walt Holman makes some awesome balsa poppers with painted eyes. Walt also taught me another little tidbit of info I didn't know. There are different grades of balsa, typically the difference being hardness and weight. He recommends using the middle grade. The soft stuff is the most common in hobby stores, works very easily but is too fragile. And the hardest grade is more difficult to work and doesn't float as well. So if you decide to get into balsa poppers see if you can find a 2" X 2" block of mid-weight balsa. Then get a piece of brass tubing the diameter you want your poppers to be. Sharpen one end of the tubing using emery paper - another hint, only sharpen the outside diameter; sharpening the inside diameter makes it more difficult to extract your balsa blank. Arrange your block of balsa so the grain runs vertically, up and down. Push the sharpened brass tube through the balsa, I use a golf ball for leverage because it bites into the tubing and doesn't roll off. Use a pencil (eraser end) or wooden dowel to push the blank out of the tube. I make a bunch of blanks while I'm at this step. I sharpen one end in an old crank style pencil sharpener. Then I cut my groove for the hook shank using an old hack saw blade. Cut the angle for the popper face with a fine tooth craft saw or razor knife, this is the best time to get the body the proper length for your hook shank. Do a little rough sanding to smooth out the shape and cut marks. Wrap your hook shank with a layer of thread. Check the fit of the balsa blank and once you have it where you want it, glue it on using two part epoxy just like you do for your hard plastic bodies. After it dries, do your final sanding and shaping, paint, tie on the tail, stick on eyes if you wish, then apply the finish coat of epoxy. I suspect the options are endless. You could probably even make your articulated, jointed body using two balsa blanks, one straight and one tapered. Have fun. If I can help any other ways just say the word.
Doug

[lee s.]

Jeannie,
GRAND job! You artistic people create envy, you know.
One of those battery charged drying wheels gets used around here for almost all of our epoxy applies. After applying the epoxy, just stick the bug in the turning wheel and wala.....no runs and no drips.
....lee s.

[Jeannie W.]

Hi Doug and thanks for the great instructions and photos for making the balsa wood poppers! I have saved them in a folder for future reference. I have been thinking of getting a dremel tool for some other projects anyway. I really appreciate all your help! Thanks again for the pictures and instructions! It helps others that might want to try making them too!
Jeannie

[Jeannie W.]

Thanks very much Lee! Yes I need to invest in one of those drying wheels. When I started these poppers I didn't realize how much fun they would be to make and now I am hooked! I love tying deer hair bugs and last year when I caught a 6.5 LM bass on a yellow and black popper it really made me want to build my own poppers. Nothing like seeing the surface explode when a big fish grabs!
Thanks again!
Jeannie