New to the forum here, and I have decided to make some needlefish poppers for my dad for Father's day. I have spent a lot of time reading online, but I have a few questions. I have all of the necessary woodshop supplies (lathe, drillpress, etc) Aside from the wood itself, so far in my shopping cart, I have the following: molded epoxy eyes, split rings, 11 gram belly weights, 6 gram tail weights, 5 minute epoxy, epoxy brushes, thru-wire, hooks, and rosco crane swivels. I also have Zinsser Sanding Sealer. What essentials am I missing?
A few questions I have:
1) Do I need head, belly, and tail grommets and what is their purpose?
2) How many belly or tail weights will I need per plug? How do I put in these weights and then close up the holes?
3) What finish do I want to apply?
4) How should I apply the epoxy, sealer, and finish?
5) I am not going to buy an airbrush, so what paints are best?
Any information would be awesome as it would be great to get this done for my dad. Thanks.