Balsa Bodies

Here's one way to make balsa bodies.

Take a short (6" to 8") piece of copper pipe or tubing and file the outside edge as sharp as you can. Then use the pipe to round off square strips of balsa you can get at most hobby and many craft stores (Hobby Lobby, Crafts2000, Michaels etc.).

After rough rounding the balsa, sand to a more uniform cylinder(balsa dowel). I then sand to shape starting with tail of the body being the tip of the dowel. When I get the general length/profile, I cut it off and final sand by hand. (in the picture the top left body has been turned around after cutting off and finishing. you can see the angle I cut it off is the general angle of the face.) For a slight cup face, wrap sandpaper around the appropiate size pipe and sand a 'cup' in the face.

Using a thin kerf x-acto type hobby saw, I cut a shallow slot in the bottom for the hook. For kinkshank hooks(reccomended) to deeped the slot where the kink shank bumps up press the rounded end of a small paperclip straight in. Between the kinkshank and epoxy, the body will never roll on the hook. Here are some stages of the rough rounding, and some finished bodies, flies and kinkshank hooks.

i got a cut just looking at that sharp stuff :D:D

cool idea :!:

The copper is so soft it files easy, but that also keep its for holding a very sharp edge. The hard part is making a round edge sharp, AND even all around, with a file. The smaller the diameter it becomes even harder to keep even. The graininess of wood can grab the edge of the copper and gouge if you're not careful, the but once you get a couple of inches in the pipe it runs fairly straight.

Here's some I've been working on. The smaller hooks are Mustad 33903 #8 kink shank. The larger are #2 kink shank saltwater "Perfect Popper" hooks from Wapsi.

Instead of the strips of balsa I use a 2x2 inch block 12 inch long from the hobby store. If I want pencil poppers I cut a 3 inch length from the 12 take my brass tube of whatever dia I want and use a golf ball to push the tube thru the length of balsa. Use a pencil sharpener to trim one end. Get about 10 bodys from each 3 inch peice. You can use any dia tube and any length of balsa for poppers,size 12 on up. The golf ball is placed on the push end of the tube to help the palm of your hand. I use artist sealer paint for the first coat then either model store paint or spray. BILL

I sharpen my tubes on the inside with this tool...can be done in seconds...smooth edge and very sharp

A little spendy but I use it for golf club making also.

http://www.golfsmith.com/products/79...ee_Countersink

I use the same tool but from walmart in a package of 3 sizes and i use stainless tubing to make cutters... to push out the peices i use a length of dowell with a wooden ball for a handle... never used balsa but thats a good idear im gonna have to try... ive allways used cork, foam or part of a sandle... how well does the balsa float ?

To sharpen the inside of the tubing you could also use a cone shaped grinding stone like the ones that come with a Dremel tool kit. Just a thought...

I have never used one but I'll bet you a metal golf club shaft would be an excellent cutter, chrome plated steel with several stepped down sizes available. I could kick myself I left on lying where it had be discarded a couple of weeks ago.

Umbrellas with metal shafts are also good.

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Originally Posted by bugman

I use the same tool but from walmart in a package of 3 sizes and i use stainless tubing to make cutters... to push out the peices i use a length of dowell with a wooden ball for a handle... never used balsa but thats a good idear im gonna have to try... ive allways used cork, foam or part of a sandle... how well does the balsa float ?

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Balsa should float at least as good as cork I would think, but probably not as good as the styrofoam that commercially tied poppers are made of, but I'm not sure about that last point.

Greg

Hi All,

Being a chemist, and no spring chicken, I use a tool at work every now and then that is ideal for cutting the popper bodies from balsa.

The tool is the cork borer. They are available in power models, ones that look like a tiny hand driven drill press, and in hand models.

They borer part is typically brass, or nickle plated brass. You can buy a cork borer sharpener that is made specifically to sharpen them.

The brass is still relatively soft, but is much harder than copper.

An old set that runs from 1/8th inch to 1/2 inch (and several sizes in between) can be bought for $20 or so.

Go to Ebay and type in "cork borer."

Regards,

Gandolf

I tried sharpening the inside with a round file and it worked ok, but sharpening the inside makes the initial O.D of the 'plug' bigger. The deeper you go in the product the tighter the plug gets. This probably isnt as much an issue in a flexible foam but somthing less flexible gets compressed, the deeper you go, the harder it is to push thru.

Balsa floats like cork, but will eventually absorb some water if not sealed. I seal with epoxy before painting.

Gandolf,

Thanks for tip. I've never seen those before. A brief 'net search showed set on Amazon from $13 to 30 for the few sets I saw. Also the Sharpener runs about $7. It appears the sharpener cuts the outside edge, and the cone just stabilizes it. Is that correct?

A homemade dowel plate should also work well with the balsa (but not with the foam). It's an old woodworking technique.

Hi Bass Bug,

That is correct, the sharpener sharpens the outside, and the cone portion stablizes the inside. You have to be careful using the sharpener, though, because if you are not careful you can bell out the inside of the boring tube, rather than keeping the inside of the tube at a constant diameter.

I like to use the sharpener to get the angle about right, often using the results as is, but if it is really critical sometimes use a small very fine file. A small round file that again has very fine teeth is also handy to clean up the inside edge after sharpening.

When you use the sharpener, use only minimal pressure and use it to cut slowly rather than force it to cut as quickly as possible.

Regards,

Gandolf

http://hipwader.com/2003/balsa-popper-pattern

Ron

Hi Bass Bug,

Also should have mentioned, I use one from work (the hand power drill press type) to cut foam flip flops to make foam popper bodies. It works pretty well.

Also, pick up some glycern from the drug store to use as a lube on the tubing cutter. It has been used as a lube on cork borers for at least 50 years, and I wouldn't be surprized if it has been used for 100 years.

It works well as a lube, and is water soluble, so after you are through cutting foam popper bodies, water will wash the lube off of the foam.

I decided to add this after seeing the post on the foam poppers.

Regards,

Gandolf

Hi Gandolf,

Chemist eh? I sent you a message.

Thanks,

Jeremy.

I was wondering if you could get the dowel rods and use them to make the bodies? Seem to have a hard time finding balsa wood.

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Originally Posted by raiderhunter

I was wondering if you could get the dowel rods and use them to make the bodies? Seem to have a hard time finding balsa wood.

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Model air plane stores have all sizes of balsa -- read my post on the first page about bying a 2x2 block that will make hundreds of pencil and small poppers. The model store also sells all sizes of tubing for the cutters. The cutters can be used for foam bodies. BILL

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Originally Posted by raiderhunter

I was wondering if you could get the dowel rods and use them to make the bodies? Seem to have a hard time finding balsa wood.

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You could, but its harder to work with, and heavier. The way I cut slots for the hook, I don't think you'd ever get them deep and straight enough in dowels, unless you have a band saw (but that seems like it would be very dangerous). If you have any dowels or scraps, give it a shot (not the band saw), and see what happens.

Every Hobby Shop, and most big craft shops sell balsa wood. Basswood is closer to pine than balsa in density (but a tighter finer grain) and is also readily available (sold as 'whittling blocks'). Jann's Neftcraft and many lure making sites carry basswood, never seen it in dowels though.

You can use western cedar for bodies also. I will cut with a steel tube in an electric drill and use a coping saw or something similar to cut cross the grain. If you pull the cylinder partially out of the tube and tape it to the edge of the tube you can then sand it to shape with the drill and the abrasive material of choice.

I make the vast majority of bugs from foam (flip flops and children puzzles and whatever odd item I happen upon) because it is partically indestructible. I used to credit myself with creating the Nike bug which was a popper with a body the intersole of a old running shoe.

Hi Raiderhunter,

Hobby Lobby there in Amarillo used to have a good supply of balsa, I bought much of mine there.

Regards,

Gandolf

Went to Hobby Lobby this morning and found some balsa wood. I purchased a 1" x 1" block that is 12" in length. How do i get that into round bodies?

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Originally Posted by raiderhunter

Went to Hobby Lobby this morning and found some balsa wood. I purchased a 1" x 1" block that is 12" in length. How do i get that into round bodies?

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You can get the brass tubing from a model airplane store and make yourself some cutters of different sizes--cut the basla to whatever length you want and start punching out bodies. Or you can cut the length and width you want the poppers to be slot the balsa glue in the hook and using a razor and sand paper finish the popper. BILL:tieone:

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Originally Posted by raiderhunter

........How do i get that into round bodies?

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That's the main topic of this thread. Start at the beginning and read all the posts. You should find more than a few posts that will answer your question.