SHARP EYE SWIMMER

[striperswiper]

I just got a sharp eye swimmer kit and am suddenly feeling a little out of my league on this one. How should I finish out the shape? should I carve it or sand it? should I leave the head be wider than the lip? do i need about creating, or ruining a keel? Please! Help me!

[Salty]

Before you do anything have you read the pictorial on the website? I suspect not because it has an overlay on how to finish the shape.. I've tried to make this as easy as possible...

You can carve it or sand it to shape it's up to you. Either way works. But look at the pictorial please before you do anything so you get a good swimming kit out of this. Not a real hard kit to do. Keep everything inline with everything else is the most important part. Don't make it paper thin at the tail or it will be weak.

[striperswiper]

as a matter of fact, I have looked over the pictorial, and found it to be very vague. I understand that i should use the guide for the general shape. what concerns me the most is having the shape come out crooked, as a result of having taken too much off of one side. is there any technique or specific tool that you'd recommend to do this with. I hate to admit it, but due to a lack of access to a table sander or a dremmel, i was planning on using either my angle grinder with a sanding wheel, or taking my belt sander and put it upside down in the vice

[Salty]

Ok good. Not sure what you think is vague.There's been hundreds sold so far and no-one has complained, the only feedback I've seen is how nice they swim. If there's something missing there then tell me so I can add it pse. That pictorial took the longest out of almost all the kits. I always try to make sure it's not "vague" so there's no trepidation  This is however not a regular turned kit, it's as I show on the site...for "advanced" builders. It does require some thought and time put into it beyond what many of the kits on the site are. The intent is to give you the "jumpstart" you need by giving you the shaped body through drilled etc so all you have to do is shape the sides.

There is a guide there to get you to shape, trace it on top and on the bottom and then sand to the line.

Easiest way I've found to shape them is with a flap sander and a drill press or drill. There isn't any "specific" tool to do it. It's meant to be done with a sharp knife by whittling or by sanding with progressively finer sandpaper. If your a wildman and take too much off then there's nothing I can do to help that

Seriously take your time, eyeball it so it stays symmetrical. As it says in the pictorial I do not recommend you change the bottom, that is through drilled and the through hole is very close to the bottom existing shape. You should only be changing the vertical shape on each side.. It will swim in the block shape it is right now...anything you do to change the shape (keeping it similar to the pictorial) is only going to lighten it up and make it swim better. Just take your time and go slow.

[handyman]

hey striper swiper.....heres how i did my kits.......take a belt sander belt cut it so you have a long lenth of it now take that long piece and cut 1" long stripes aprox 21" long .....i take the swimmer and put it in a vice tail first be careful not to crush the plug(wrap it with a rag)...now work the sanding belt strip back and forth shapeing the swimmer......its a good lat work out......remember the swimmer should be faceing in and upward direction and turned to get an even shape flipping the plug from top / bottem and turned 180* to do the bottom half............ill post a pic to help ya out.......the bass on saltys site showing the swimmer that was my first kit i did......and it was my first cast that nailed that bass right in the wash thosae kits are awsome

[Salty]

striperswiper how you doing is it a jointed swimmer yet?

[johnny ducketts]

A jointed would be pisser.

[Salty]

LOL not if he went animal on it

[johnny ducketts]

True, but I may take some of those blanks I got from you and see what happens.

[Saltyshop]

I could see it working on the I drilled blanks but not the kit because of the ctr drill. Keep the back around 1.25 to 1.5 and I bet it would swim very nicely