First strike lures...bad blade finish.

[Fishonshawn84]

First let me say i really like everything else I have ever ordered from FSL. But... several months ago I put in a semi large order of some spinner bodies and different blades. One of the packs of blades I ordered was the white matte silver. What i got was not what I expected. I've ordered matte silver from other places that is literally silver that just isn't polished to a high shine, but these blades just look kinda painted white. I figured eh..ill keep em anyways. It's a weird looking finish. There was a note in there saying how hard it is to do this finish and how they will tarnish and whatever but I didn't think it'd be that bad...well I tied up 3 spinners and just set them on my shelf. I didn't even fish them last winter. For context, I have spinners and spoons all over my office.. I have boxes and boxes of components and a whole shelf loaded with fishing gear. It's literally a mini sportsmans warehouse in my office. So it's not unusual for me to build spinners or tie jigs and not use them for...years.. i just do it for fun...well, while getting my summer steelhead box together I see the spinners on the shelf and im blow away...they were literally brown. They never saw water...nothing. built them and they sat on a shelf in my office. And they are trash. Worst part is they weren't cheap and I got like 50 of them... I just dont understand what this finish is for...even if you fish the spinner it's going to tarnish pretty quick and then what... id leave a review on the site but I dont see where I can. Now I gota figure out what to do with the other blades I still got..maybe strip them of this crap finish and try to get some metallic paint for them....anyways this is just a warning to NOT order this finish blade from FSL. Here's a photo of what a new blade looks like compared to the spinners I built a few months ago but never fished. I hate getting burned and im pretty irritated for buying so many of these. Think ill just keep ordering from fishermans shack, who btw has actual matte silver finish. Don was just out at the time which is why I ordered these...

 

[infoPoint87]

Oof, that’s rough. Appreciate the heads-up — I was actually considering picking some of those up. Crazy they tarnished that bad just sitting dry. Might be worth trying to strip and repaint like you said, but yeah, definitely a bummer when you spend good money and end up with shelf rust.

 

[maxwyatt]

Maybe some steel wool can clean them up and then hit them with some clear coat to keep them from tarnishing again?

 

[Snopro]

I wonder if an ultrasonic cleaner would knock it off.

 

[Fishonshawn84]

Maybe some steel wool can clean them up and then hit them with some clear coat to keep them from tarnishing again?

You can see on the clean blade a little bit of the finish is kinda scratched and some silver is showing through. Every blade is like that
whatever the finish is, it's thin..so even if I hit it with steel whool I think that would remove most of the white finish on it... which I'll probably end up doing anyways.

 

[Spoonplugger1]

Tarnish will come off without using anything abrasive, it's an oxide that can be removed chemically, my mom used a shallow ceramic serving dish covered in aluminum foil, baking soda and hot, boiling water to remove tarnish, the pieces have to have direct contact with the foil to work. Any container that is aluminum or wrapped in foil will work. Sulfate vapors in the air from smoking, perfumers and other beauty products will tarnish your silver faster than normal. Your other blades may have a clean finish and these don't.

 

[Flokisfish]

Hey FishonShawn,

I too have fallen victim to the Spinner Addiction. Many years ago....Jed Davis was my idol!!! HA!

So when these hit the market I ordered some, little hesitant but what the heck. Same disappointment, not exactly as I thought they should be. Mr. Spinner Maker Guy informed me that I was living in false perception of what a HIGH END SILVER PLATE should be.

Tried TarnX and was watching the silver particles float around washing off the fine plate. Weeks later in the garage I found an old jar of Mothers Polish and decided to give that a try. I was thinking it would completely remove the silver plate.

I was pleasantly surprised. Will post an image shorty.

 

[Fishonshawn84]

Hey FishonShawn,

I too have fallen victim to the Spinner Addiction. Many years ago....Jed Davis was my idol!!! HA!

So when these hit the market I ordered some, little hesitant but what the heck. Same disappointment, not exactly as I thought they should be. Mr. Spinner Maker Guy informed me that I was living in false perception of what a HIGH END SILVER PLATE should be.

Tried TarnX and was watching the silver particles float around washing off the fine plate. Weeks later in the garage I found an old jar of Mothers Polish and decided to give that a try. I was thinking it would completely remove the silver plate.

I was pleasantly surprised. Will post an image shorty.

Nice! Yeah this is definitely not your typical matte silver finish. Its pretty bad.

 

[Flokisfish]

So, sorry about the wait, tons of stuff going on.

One under inside lighting, other in the dark with flash. I might add for comparison I used a UV coating on these after polishing.

 

[Flokisfish]

1

 

[Flokisfish]

Tried inserting multiple times, ah Im not a publisher.

Best I could do for now ....

 

[gcstump]

Hello Shawn,

Sorry for the delayed reply on this...I just read it this morning. I have a few questions for you.

- Why would you be surprised to learn that a blade that is called White matte silver was actually white? The word "white" is right there in the title and a picture of a very white-colored blade is right there alongside! Matte silver & white matte silver are two completely different finishes. Matte silver is a plating that is less glossy than polished silver. "White" matte silver uses a different plating recipe and results in a finish that is (you guessed it)...white! It is by far the fishiest plating you can put on a lure (IMO) but (long story short) was a total pain in the ass to get the current platers I have worked with to get it right. Countless time, energy and money went into this last batch that actually came out pretty decent color-wise but had almost no anti-tarnish properties. I could have scraped them, wasted over a year's time and several thousand dollars or sell them and trust that people who purchased them understood what they getting. I chose the latter, they sold out and this thread is the first complaints I just happened across. I get requests to make more almost weekly, even with the durability issues.

- All of the white silver blades sold with this last batch were shipped with a note that included the following..."this plating is...by no means the most durable finish. It will scratch easily and is porous so it will soak up dirt and oils from hands. These blades will discolor with use, especially if used in saltwater. We recommend handling them carefully and keeping these and all of ourlures in their original plastic bags until you’re ready to use them". We ask you to keep the blades in their plastic bags because they will oxidize and soak up dirty fingerprints just like in your picture. You mentioned that you built spinners, didn't fish them and sat them on a shelf, presumably for an extended period of time, and then they tarnished. Yep...that's exactly what I would expect them to do.

See these blades in this pic above? They are 2 1/2 years old now and they look fine...because they've been kept in sealed bags.

- Lastly, why would you post a complaint on social media without ever contacting the business you are disparaging and allowing them to resolve the issue? That's just common courtesy man. My cell phone number is right there on the website. There are numerous contact links...right there on the website. My email address and cell number are also...right there on the order confirmation email. The fact that you wanted to leave a negative review without contacting me first when you have so many ways to do so is exactly why I don't allow one way reviews.

I'm sorry that you feel you were "burned" but you ordered "white" matte silver blades; you were advised that they are not durable and would tarnish if not protected and you didn't bother to reach out when you weren't happy. For all of these reasons I think your post was unfair.

Sincerely,

George S
First Strike Lures

 

[Admin]

Hello George,

Welcome aboard!
I understand your feelings. But I guess a post "your white blades are white!" can't hit your reputation. Shawn also indicated that he really likes everything else he has ever ordered from FSL. So he actually kinda promotes your business.

You could gift him with something for it.
May be a blade?
I guess we know the color he would like.

 

[Flokisfish]

Ok so let say Unfair is a Eye of the Beholder issue. We all grew accustomed to what Jed Davis and others sold products as Matte, or White Matte silver with no labels on their products. R and B lures, BC Tackle, Oregon Tackle.

I would have ordered more of these had they been in stock??? Shot ya restocking question and waited a week. So just placed the order for stuff you had in stock.

You are due an apology, I am sorry. More explanation for the consumer or better education in the plating world is due. I....Do.......hope you are not discouraged by this with current silver prices and the whole "Who's" ever it is economy problems that are in play.

I......AM......catching fish with your product. I get out at least twice a week and toss spinners across the Oregon and I would like to see you succeed in the future, consumers like myself are dumb to an extent of our own knowledge and experiences from our "false" or limited time on planet rock.