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BK lures - Bio and photo's

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CaptainCranky View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CaptainCranky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: BK lures - Bio and photo's
    Posted: 26 Jul 2010 at 10:20pm
B K Lures were started by Bruce Kilpatrick.Bruce lives up on the Atherton Tableland.
He made his first lures at school in 1973 and proceeded to make them for friends and family right up to 1993.
He told me that in the early days his lures were quite crude but still caught lots of Barras.
He used to cut them out of Cedar or Beech with a jigsaw then hold a drill with sanding disc attached between his feet and sand them good enough to then finely handsand for painting.
From 1993 onwards till 2002 he made lures commercially for shops and markets.
An airbrush was used in conjunction with Auto paint.
His early lures had Gal twisted wires and all the latter ones Stainless Steel.
His early Market lures had Stainless Steel Bibs which were hand cut and the latter ones were all Alloy.
In 1997 bruce made a bib Press that cut 2 alloy bibs of 2 different sizes at the same time.
Bruce also made a few Bluewater deep diving Mackerel lures  as well as only about 20 large high speed bibless lures.He also made a range of poppers from small to quite large with a very unique spinning blade technique.
All his flat sided lures were made using a spindle moulding machine which he made.
These flat sided lures were first cut out with a band saw then put into the moulder after which a linisher was used to make them ready for painting.
In 1998 Bruce made a copy lathe to create many of the other shapes he had.
In 2002 Bruce stopped making lures.Due to good timber getting harder and harder to locate and overseas imports flooding the market he found it increasingly difficult to make a living from what he loved to do.
Hope you like some of the lures of Bruce's that I have posted up on the next page.
 
 
The Journey is the Reward


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CaptainCranky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Jul 2010 at 10:55pm
4" Shallow Eliminator below
These are 4" D/Diving Eliminators above
 
These are 3" D/Diving Eliminators
 
4" Shallow Eliminator
 
Deep Rebel
 
 
Deep Tadpole
 
4" Sallow Eliminator
 
3 Different bibs.
 
 
His 3 Cards.The white is the earliest.
 
Some alloy bibs from the handmade press and his cards that he used to give people that bought his lures.
 
Some bluewater lures.
 
These are some of Bruce's Spinnerpops.
 
 
Here is a Large Rat,Little Rat,Shallow Mouse and last a Deep Mouse.
 
First 2 are 6" Minnows.Black one is a 6" whopper Stopper,Red Scale is 6' Minnow,Red/White and next one down are 5" Whopper Stoppers,Gold one is Proto type and Green one is a Better Bomber.
 
These above are 4" deep and shallow Whopper Stoppers.
 
Green one is a Proto Type Backwards Rat and nude is a deep Rat.
 
 
 
 
 
Some very early BK's
 
3" Eliminator D/D
 
 
Bruce with some of his lures.
 
 
Spindle Moulder
 
 
 
Wire twister.
Bib punch
 
 
 
The end result from the bib punch,
 
Part of the moulder profile.
I will put name on some of the lures at a later date.
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bassnbob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Jul 2010 at 11:31pm
AWsome barry i dig the bib cutter very cool........regards bobClapClapClapBig smileBig smileBig smileBig smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote simon bruce Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Jul 2010 at 1:53am
Another top effort Barry.
 
Great info and photos.
 
Some interesting lures there and great paint jobs on them.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote puglee62 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Jul 2010 at 2:13pm
great idea for a bib punch,that looks like a proffesionally made die for a powered press with
a handle bolted on top,genius,sheer (forgive the pun)geniusClap
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tooch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Jul 2010 at 4:46pm
Hi Barry , Nice lures I like em and good colours too ..How long has he been making lures for????ClapClapClapClap....Pete.
I'd rather be fishing with





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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tony Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Jul 2010 at 8:46pm

Fantastic as usual Barry, thank you for taking the time to meet with Bruce and share your findings with us, you are a champion Clap

p.s. I merged the 2 BK Lures posts (Bio post and pictures post) into this one thread Thumbs Up



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tooch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Jul 2010 at 9:42pm
Hi Barry , I didn't get to the bio till after I read your post. thanks for putting it up for us to see....ClapClapClap...Pete.
I'd rather be fishing with





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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hazmail Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Jul 2010 at 10:33pm
Thanks Barry, it's great to see the progression in Bruce's lures over the years, also the typical ingenuity shown in some of his machines/jigs etc-
In varying ways I think we must be all the same, personally I sometimes enjoy the challenge of making new tools /jigs more than actually making the lures.
Pete
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Brolly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jul 2010 at 9:51am
G'day Barry,thanks for the info as i often wondered about this pair of weird spinner creations i had hanging in the shed.
FISHING JUSTS GETS IN THE WAY OF MY LURE COLLECTING
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tony Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jul 2010 at 11:00am
Very nice Brolly  Clap


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote simon bruce Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jul 2010 at 12:05pm

It's not a shed it's a bottomless pit of carded lures.  Very nice brolly.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bassnbob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Sep 2011 at 7:27pm
I dig these lures they look awsomeClapClapClapClapClapClapClapClapregards bob
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote edinburgan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 2011 at 10:32pm
Great work mate. Also impressed by your bib press. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote goldtrev68 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jan 2012 at 9:03pm
It took me a little while but I did get it
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jigmaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Mar 2012 at 12:24am
Very nice lures and information.  And of course love the Japanese safety boots!
Life is like a box of chocolates - so why do I keep losing fillings on the hard centres??
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nativeman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jun 2012 at 8:04pm
Thanks for taking the time to gather this information, I find these topics very interesting...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote steiny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jun 2012 at 8:37pm
Nice Bio...thanks Cranky!
cheers steiny
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote amdoubleu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jun 2012 at 11:37pm
Originally posted by hazmail hazmail wrote:

Thanks Barry, it's great to see the progression in Bruce's lures over the years, also the typical ingenuity shown in some of his machines/jigs etc-
In varying ways I think we must be all the same, personally I sometimes enjoy the challenge of making new tools /jigs more than actually making the lures.
Pete
Pete, I have a mate that builds jigs for just about everything he makes. Bloody ingenious, some of the stuff he comes up with. I'm sure his enjoyment lies more in manufacturing the jig than the end product.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote amdoubleu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jun 2012 at 11:40pm
Great article Barry. Guys like Bruce have got to be an inspiration to all us "whittlers". Love his work.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote shaunkeenfisher Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Dec 2012 at 1:30pm
Awesome article!! Would anyone know how much the 6" Minnow is worth? Any replies are greatly appreciated, thanks. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tony Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Dec 2012 at 2:12pm
Originally posted by shaunkeenfisher shaunkeenfisher wrote:

Awesome article!! Would anyone know how much the 6" Minnow is worth? Any replies are greatly appreciated, thanks. 


Hi Shaun

It can be difficult to put a price on vintage lures, although in short the answer is "what someone is willing to pay".

A few things that can affect the value are scarcity, and condition. Given that these have not been made for around 20 years and were made as much as 4 decades ago there is a definate collectable and scarcity factor to the BK Lures

The earlier versions of a particular lure model generally tend to be more valuable than the later due to the scarcity and "collectability", even though the later models might be in better condition (and possibly with a better overall finish). i.e. The rough looking hand painted models are far older and scarcer than the more attractive later models and can possibly carry even more of a premium due to that scarcity and age.

I hope that helps a little Smile


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Red Hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Dec 2012 at 2:57pm
what a great post , and great looking lures . Thumbs Up
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Thanks heaps!!! Lots of help. Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tony Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2013 at 9:18pm
I recently put aside a little time to get this old BK Lures sales display (thank you Barry) set up so I could get my BK Lures out where they can be enjoyed Big smile

It needed replacement rails to hang the lures on and I decided to do as minimilist a restoration as I could to make it usable again (I've watched Grand Designs too much I think lol). The cup hooks are screwed into the original screw holes that Bruce used, so it's easily reversible with no damage.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CaptainCranky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2013 at 9:53pm
Nice to see you getting them out Tony and onto the display.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote micknq Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 May 2013 at 10:27pm
Hey Tony , any chance you could whack up a pic of the blue lure ( red stripes ) that is sitting atop the box , it looks to be the same shape as my latest couple of unknowns , please . Cheers Mick .
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tony Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2013 at 12:57am
Here you go Mick







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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote micknq Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2013 at 6:57pm
Much appreciated Tony , unfortunately my mysteries have a chin of sorts , still think they could be BK's though , maybe LOL .
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote steiny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jan 2014 at 9:58am
What age are the lures in pic 6 Barry...guessing mid 80's?
cheers steiny
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CaptainCranky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jan 2014 at 5:11pm
Steiny those in the pic I think were his early ones for family and friends so definately before 1993 but not sure when.When I am up the hill again I will try to catch up to Bruce for better timelines.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote steiny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jan 2014 at 5:14pm
Thanks Barry!
cheers steiny
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