Making your own poppers

[Ken Y]

For any of you that make your own popper heads for Bass, what is your method or tips? I have a lot of wine bottle corks( from dad) and Balsa. Ive heard of using plug cutters to cut sandals, but I can't find any plug cutters. Thanks.

[gqualls]

Ken,
I much prefer using foam over balsa and cork primarily because they last longer and float better. You can get a set of whole punches for about 7-10 bucks by looking around stores that sell lots of tools (Harbor Freight is where i got mine). On my set of whole punches I took the three largest bits and had them milled where they would fit into my drill. I also use a Dremel tool to shape the piece of foam once it has been drilled.

Good luck,
Greg

[kengore]

There are several methods...

1. Purchase pre-made popper bodies like these...
http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/bug-popper-bodies/

2. Make your own from balsa wood. Buy a square stick from the hobby store, like a 1/2" X 1/2" X 36" balsa stick. Using 100 grit sand paper round over the edges until you have a round dowel of the right size. Using a pencil sharpener (or the sand paper) point one end of the dowel. Cut the point off at an angle. A round sanding bit in a dremel tool can be used to form a cupped face, if desired. Using a small hacksaw blade make a slot in the bottom for attaching to a thread wrapped hook with super glue or epoxy. Paint with spray paint or brush on acrylic paint. A sharp piece of brass tube can also be used to punch dowels from a balsa wood block, just be sure to cut in the same direction as the grain. Balsa takes paint well and is very easy to shape with sand paper.

3. Make your own from foam sandels. Use a small section of brass tube to punch plugs from foan flip-flop sandles. The brass tubes are available at the hobby store, they come in many sizes 1/4" to 1/2".
You can sharpen the end with some silicone carbide (wet/dry) sand paper or a metal file. The foam cuts very easy, so it's not much work to cut them by hand. Use a wood dowel of slightlty smaller size to push out the finished plug. If you have access to a drill press or power drill you can chuck the brass tube in it and punch lots of plugs fast. When using a drill press I like to set the depth to cut about a 1/16" short of the bottom edge, this way the plugs stay in the foam block and I don't have to stop the drill to to get then out. I later release all the plugs by slicing off the extra 1/16" inch with a sharp razor blade. Foam plugs can be further shaped with sand paper. Some folks make a mini-lathe out of a dremel tool and turn them to final shape (do a search on 'dremel bug') Foam comes in many colors and thicknesses, you can laminate various colors together with contact cement for a stripped effect. Attach the finished bodies by making a small cut on the bottom surface, glue to a thread wrapped hook with super glue.

4. Small corks can be purchased at most hardware stores or can be cut from old wine corks and shaped with sand paper. I don't like cork because of the extra work needed to fill the voids before painting. I prefer to use balsa wood.

5. Larger hardware stores sell 'foam backer rod' to be used to fill large gaps prior to caulking. These are foam rods 3/8" to 1/2" in dia. made of a soft foam. These can be cut with a beveled end and glued right on the hook with super glue. They don't take paint very well.

6. Learn to spin deer hair. Spun deer hair bodies make excellent poppers which are light, durable and easy to cast.

[DarrinG]

I tie flip-flop poppers alot (I call `em the Flopper Popper, lol). I use a piece of copper tubing that I sharpened one end on my bench grinder and a round file and knock the tubing thru the flip-flop sole with a hammer. A nice round foam cylinder is the result. Just beware, you'll get funny looks in the store while you're looking at cheap flip-flop shoes while talking to yourself, asking if this color or that color sole will look better on the hook....LOL....

A recent tie that looks crude but catches fish.


Caught these and more last week on the popper above:

[Ken Y]

I'll try to get the copper tubing. It seems like very good idea.

[James Smith]

I also prefer foam over cork or balsa. I use bullet casings to punch out the poppers. You simply drill out the primer, slip in a 3/32 inch bolt and tighten the nut down on the back of the shell casing. You now have a punch that fits into any drill or drill press. To shape the poppers, I use the Dremel method that you can find here in the article written by Jim hatch. It is called Dremel bugs. You will soon be knocking out very nice popper bodies in under two minutes. I hope this helps.

I added a few photos, just to show what you can do with the Dremel bugs. Sorry about the poor photography, I'm not very good at it.







IMG]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i164/Jimws100/Slider.jpg[/IMG]



Jim Smith

[dixieangler]

Making Foam Plugs for the Foam Sandal Popper

CLP Cheap Little Popper

CLP (Cleap Little Popper)

[ducksterman]

If you use tubes you can cut a side window in it to facilitate removal of the plug.

Also note in Robert's link the difference in smoothness between drilling and not drilling.

[CoachBob]

Okay folks,

After years of experimenting, I realized that most folks were going at shaping poppers backwards, using a dremel tool as a lathe rather than as a hand held grinding/shaping tool. What I am about to explain I have demonstrated in numerous conclaves and have so far made about a thousand flies -- obviously some better than others, but almost all better than most I see recommended on pattern sites. This approach is good for small panfish flies up to large tarpon flies. You get a smooth finished product.

If you want any details I don't explain below, don't hesitate to message me.

If you go to http://www.flytyingforum.com/pattern6910.html you will find what is likely the ultimate solution to popper making. I tried to provide as much detail in the instructions with that pattern as possible.

Note that super glue changes the chemical composition of the surface of closed cell foam and joining two pieces of foam with super glue creates one piece -- in other words, it's permanent.

Note also that if you go to Harbor Freight or www.harborfreight.com and buy a "9 Piece Hollow Punch Set" you can carve out cylinders of foam in 9 sizes for $5. You can shape the cylinder after punching with the dremel.

DO NOT try to make poppers out of flip flops. The interior foam is not dense enough to make a satisfactory fly. See foam buying instructions in the referenced pattern.

[DarrinG]

DO NOT try to make poppers out of flip flops. The interior foam is not dense enough to make a satisfactory fly.

Nice poppers and a very nice tutorial Bob. Much appreciated!
However, to say DO NOT try to make poppers out of flip-flop soles is, well......a wee bit crazy.
I readily admit punching foam cylinders out of flip-flop soles and not smoothing them up with a dremel tool do not "look" as nice and slick as the foam poppers in your tutorial, but what do the fish think? Or is the nice, lovely finish for our eyes and not the fish?
For the last several weeks I've been really smackin' river smallmouth bass with poppers I've tied from flip-flop soles. Gritty smallies on the end of my fly line, with a flip-flop popper in their lip is proof enough for me that they WORK!

Just my $0.02.