Metallic lure

Abstract

Proposed is a welded structure ensuring sufficient strength when welding a body and an eye for attaching a fishing line or a fishhook, and also proposed is a metal lure that is environmentally friendly even when left in water or sea water.　This metallic lure for lure fishing includes a body, and an eye for attaching a fishing line or a fishhook, and is characterized in that: the body is provided with an eye installation groove for accommodating the eye; the eye is attached to the body through welding in a state of being accommodated in the eye installation groove; and the material of the body and the eye is martensitic stainless steel or ferritic stainless steel.

Description

Metal lures

[0001] The present invention relates to a metal lure used for lure fishing, and more particularly to a metal lure having an eye welded to a body to which a fishing line or a fishing hook is attached.

[0002] There are various types of lures available for lure fishing, ranging from those that swim in shallow waters near the surface to those that swim in deep waters near the bottom of lakes and oceans. Lures are used depending on the depth of the water where the target fish live, and are made from a variety of materials, from those lighter than water to metals with a higher specific gravity than water.

[0003] In terms of the water depth they are used in, lures designed for shallow waters are called shallow types, and lures designed for deep waters are called deep types. Here, shallow areas in rivers, oceans, lakes, etc. are referred to as shallow waters, and deep areas are referred to as deep waters. Lures called metal jigs, which are made entirely of metals such as lead, iron, tungsten, and aluminum, are heavy because their interiors are also metal, making them excellent for long-distance casting. Another advantage of metal jigs is their high strength and durability. Because of their high specific gravity, metal jigs sink quickly after hitting the water, and they are often used below the surface or in deep waters.

[0004] There are various methods for fixing a line eye for attaching a fishing line to a lure body. Patent Document 1 shows the structure of a lure having a resin body. It discloses a structure consisting of a resin member that corresponds to the lure body and a metal plate attached to the bottom of the body. The fishing line locking portion for attaching the fishing line is integrally formed with the metal plate by welding or the like.

[0005] Patent Document 2 shows the structure of a lure having a metal main body. The lure body 11 need only be strong enough to withstand casting, have a specific gravity greater than water, and be made of a hard material, preferably a metal material, and most preferably stainless steel, which is rust-resistant, harmless, and durable. The fishing line retaining portion 2 need only be strong enough to connect the fishing line to the lure body 11 during casting and to hold the target, and is made of a metal material such as stainless steel, and the fishing line retaining portion 2 and the lure body 11 are connected by welding.

[0006] JP 2000-245305 A JP 2015-084670 A

[0007] Patent Documents 1 and 2 only state that the line eye for attaching the fishing line is fixed to the body by welding. However, since metal lures are primarily used for long-distance casting, the connection between the line eye and the heavy body must be sufficiently strong. Furthermore, as described in Patent Document 2, metal lures are often made of stainless steel, which is rust-free, harmless, and durable. However, if a lure gets snagged on a rock or is left in the water or seawater, it can remain there semi-permanently, which is an environmental problem.

[0008] The present invention has been made to address the above problems, and aims to propose a welding structure that ensures sufficient strength between the line eye and the body, and further to propose a metal lure that is environmentally friendly even when left in water or seawater.

[0009] (1) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a metal lure for use in lure fishing, comprising: a body; and an eye for attaching a fishing line or a fishing hook; the body is provided with an eye installation groove for accommodating the eye; and the eye is attached to the body by welding while housed in the eye installation groove.

[0010] By providing an eye-mounting groove capable of accommodating an eye in the body of the metal lure of the present invention, the eye can be accommodated and held in a predetermined position in the body during welding, making the welding process easier. Furthermore, welding can be performed with the positional relationship between the eye and the body always constant. Therefore, the appearance of the welded part for each metal lure can be made uniform and a beautiful circle, and the quality of the weld can be maintained constant for each metal lure.

[0011] (2) The shape of the eye before welding is U-shaped, and both ends of the U-shaped eye have portions that act as filler metal when welding the eye to the body.

[0012] The end of the eye functions as a filler metal that joins the eye and the body, making the welding work easier and allowing for a clean, circular weld.

[0013] (3) The eye setting groove is characterized by being formed by a press die.

[0014] The eye installation groove can be made using a lathe, milling machine, etc., but by using a press mold, it is possible to efficiently create a uniform eye installation groove on the body.

[0015] (4) The material of the body and the eye is martensitic stainless steel or ferritic stainless steel.

[0016] Stainless steel is often used as the material for metal lures. This is because stainless steel is highly corrosion-resistant, does not rust even when used in underwater or seawater, and is easy to process. However, if a stainless steel gets snagged on a rock or other debris while fishing and is left in underwater or seawater, it will remain there semi-permanently, posing an environmental problem. Stainless steel comes in austenitic, martensitic, and ferritic varieties, with austenitic stainless steel having higher corrosion resistance. Martensitic and ferritic stainless steels have lower corrosion resistance than austenitic stainless steels, so they will eventually rust and disappear if left in underwater or seawater. Metal lures made of martensitic and ferritic stainless steels can be tailored to environmentally conscious users.

[0017] According to the present invention, in the production of metal lures, by providing an eye-mounting groove in the body for accommodating the eye, the eye can be welded while being held in the eye-mounting groove, which makes the welding work easier and allows the welding quality of each metal lure to be maintained constant.Furthermore, by using martensitic or ferritic stainless steel as the material for the metal lure, it can be made to suit environmentally conscious users.

[0018] Fig. 1a shows a front view of a metal lure of the present invention, and Fig. 1b shows a plan view of the metal lure of the present invention. Fig. 2a is a perspective view of a plate material for a metal lure of the present invention. Fig. 2b is a perspective view of a cut piece for one metal lure cut from the plate material of Fig. 2a. Fig. 2c is a perspective view of an oblong processed piece processed into a fish shape from the cut piece of Fig. 2b. Fig. 2d is a schematic diagram showing how an eye installation groove is formed on the side of the oblong processed piece of Fig. 2c using a press die. Fig. 3a is a perspective view of the oblong processed piece with an eye installation groove formed on the side using the press die of Fig. 2d. Fig. 3b is a perspective view of a body completed by chamfering the head and tail portions on the front and back surfaces of the oblong processed piece of Fig. 3a. Fig. 3c is a schematic diagram showing the state in which an eye is placed in the eye installation groove of the body of Fig. 3b and welded with a TIG welder. Fig. 3d is a diagram showing the metal lure before painting. Figure 4a is a front view of a metal lure according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4b is an oblique view of a completed body according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4c is a schematic diagram showing the state in which an eye is placed in the eye installation groove on the side of the abdominal part of the body of Figure 4b and welded with a TIG welding machine, and Figure 4d is a diagram showing a metal lure according to another embodiment of the present invention before painting.

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the metal lure of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0020] Figure 1a shows a front view of the metallic lure 1 of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1a, the metallic lure 1 comprises at least a metallic body 10, a line eye 11A for attaching a fishing line 21, and a hook eye 11B for attaching a fishing hook. The front surface 10-1 and back surface 10-2 (see Figure 1b) of the body 10 are shaped to resemble fish so as to function as an artificial bait, or lure, and each surface is painted with a fish pattern.

[0021] The line eye 11A and the hook eye 11B are shaped similarly to the letter U, and both ends of the U-shaped eye extend laterally before being welded to the body 10 (see FIG. 3c). These laterally extending portions serve as filler metal when welding the line eye 11A and the hook eye 11B to the body 10. In FIG. 1a, one line eye 11A and one hook eye 11B are provided on each of the head portion 10-5 and the tail portion 10-6 of the body 10. The shapes of the line eye 11A and the hook eye 11B may also be similar to the Greek letter Π or Ω.

[0022] Figure 1b shows a plan view of the metal lure 1 of the present invention. Because the metal lure 1 of the present invention is manufactured by cutting a metal plate material, the side portion 10-3 has the same thickness as the plate material, except for the head portion 10-5 and the tail portion 10-6. A line eye 11A is welded to the head portion 10-5 while being housed in the eye installation groove 15A, and the welded portion 12A has a neat circular shape with a slightly raised center. A hook eye 11B is welded to the tail portion 10-6 while being housed in the eye installation groove 15B, and the welded portion 12B has a neat circular shape with a slightly raised center. The operation of welding the line eye 11A to the body 10 will be described later using Figure 3c.

[0023] An example of a manufacturing process for the metal lure 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figs. 2a to 3d.

[0024] 2a shows a commercially available plate material 30 for manufacturing the metal lure 1. The size of the plate material 30 is, for example, 1000 mm in length, 2000 mm in width, and 10 mm in thickness. The thickness of the metal lure 1, i.e., the thickness of the side surface portion 10-3, can be adjusted to match the thickness of the commercially available product. Generally, the thickness of commercially available plate materials is in 1 mm increments up to 10 mm, and above 10 mm, thicknesses of 12, 15, 16, 18, and 20 mm can be used.

[0025] 2b shows a cutting material 31 of a size sufficient to produce one metal lure 1. The size of the cutting material 31 is, for example, 20 mm in length, 170 mm in width, and 10 mm in thickness. The cutting material 31 is cut from the plate material 30 by shearing, sawing, or the like. Shearing is a method that uses the same principle as cutting paper with scissors: the material is butted against a back gauge positioned to the cutting dimensions, and the upper blade is lowered to cut it. Sawing is a method that uses a circular saw blade rotated by an electric motor to cut the material.

[0026] The material of the metal lure 1 can be selected from lead, zinc, tin, brass, stainless steel, iron, titanium, tungsten, etc., but stainless steel is often used because it has no impact on the ecosystem and is less susceptible to rust. Stainless steel comes in austenitic, martensitic, and ferritic varieties, with austenitic varieties offering higher corrosion resistance. Martensitic and ferritic varieties have lower corrosion resistance than austenitic varieties, so if a lure gets snagged on rocks or is left in water or seawater while fishing, it will eventually rust and disappear. Metal lures made of martensitic and ferritic stainless steel can be said to be suited to environmentally conscious users. Specific examples of martensitic stainless steel include SUS403, 410, and 420, while specific examples of ferritic stainless steel include SUS430 and 410L.

[0027] 2c shows an oblong processed piece 32 that has been processed into a fish shape from the cut piece 31. In the oblong processed piece 32, the side portion 32-3, which is the thick portion, remains the same thickness as the plate material 30, while the front portion 32-1 and back portion 32-2, which are the sides of the fish body, are processed into an oblong shape that resembles the shape of a fish.

[0028] FIG. 2d shows the state in which the eye installation groove 15A (15B) is formed in the side portion 32-3 of the oblong workpiece 32 using a press die 40. The press die 40 is divided into an upper die 41A and a lower die 41B. The side portion 32-3 of the oblong workpiece 32 is placed between these halves, and the side portion 32-3 is pressed from above and below. The eye installation groove 15A (15B) allows the eye 11A (11B) (see FIG. 3c) to be welded to the body 10 at a fixed position on the body 10, facilitating welding and maintaining consistent welding quality for each lure, including the eye attachment position to the body. The eye installation groove 15A (15B) can also be manufactured using a lathe, milling machine, etc., but considering the small size of the groove and the manufacturing time, using a press die is the most efficient method.

[0029] 3A shows eye placement grooves 15A and 15B formed in side surface 32-3 of oval workpiece 32 using press die 40. When eye placement grooves 15A and 15B accommodate eyes 11A and 11B, the bottoms of the eye placement grooves are preferably wide enough to slightly expand the U-shaped eye bodies so that eyes 11A and 11B are supported by eye placement grooves 15A and 15B. This prevents the eyes from moving or falling out of the eye placement grooves during welding.

[0030] 3b shows the completed body 10 after chamfering the head portion 10-5 and tail portion 10-6 of the front surface portion 32-1 and back surface portion 32-2 of the oblong processed material 32. The head portion 10-5 and tail portion 10-6 are chamfered in order to make the shape of the metal lure 1 more similar to that of a fish.

[0031] FIG. 3c shows the state in which the eyes 11A and 11B are placed in the eye installation grooves 15A and 15B of the body 10 and welded with the TIG welding machine 50. In FIG. 3c, the portions that serve as filler metal when welding the eyes extend approximately perpendicularly from both ends of the U-shaped eye. This shape ensures that when the eyes 11A and 11B are placed in the eye installation grooves 15A and 15B, the portions that serve as filler metal when welding the eyes face the TIG welding machine 50. This state allows the arc of the TIG welding machine 50 to be efficiently focused on the portions that serve as filler metal, resulting in a clean, circular weld. A total of four welds are performed—two at the eye 11A and two at the eye 11B—to create one metal lure.

[0032] Figure 3d shows a metal lure with eyes 11A and 11B attached to the body 10 by TIG welding before painting. After this, the surface is painted to create a finished product. Painting of metal lures involves surface preparation and final painting. For surface preparation, for example, the outer surface of the lure is polished to create a moderate surface roughness or a primer is applied to improve paint adhesion. Next, for final painting, for example, a logo or pattern is painted on the surface of the lure with urethane paint, and eyes are attached with an epoxy adhesive. After painting, the metal lure 1 is completed.

[0033] 4a shows another embodiment of the metal lure of the present invention, in which the number of locations for attaching the fishing hook 22 is increased by one to the side surface 10-3 of the abdomen 10-7.

[0034] 4b shows an eye setting groove 15C for the hook eye 11C provided in the side surface portion 10-3 of the abdomen 10-7. This eye setting groove 15C has two grooves formed to accommodate both ends of the U-shaped eye of the hook eye 11C (see FIG. 4c). The eye setting groove 15C is formed in the side surface portion 10-3 of the abdomen 10-7 of the body 10 using a press mold, similar to the other eye setting grooves 15A and 15B.

[0035] 4c shows the state in which the hook eye 11C is placed in the eye installation groove 15C of the body 10 and welded with the TIG welding machine 50. The portions that serve as filler metal are U-shaped and point upward at both ends of the inverted U-shaped hook eye 11C. A clean circular weld is formed by concentrating the arc of the TIG welding machine 50 on the U-shaped, upward-pointing portions.

[0036] 4d shows a metal lure with eyes 11A, 11B, and 11C attached to the side surface 10-3 of the body 10 by TIG welding before painting. The surface is then painted to complete the product. In another embodiment of the present invention, two hook eyes are provided, but three or more may be provided, and the positions of the hook eyes can be freely selected.

[0037] 1 Metal lure 10 Body 10-1 Surface portion 10-2 Back portion 10-3 Side portion 10-5 Head portion 10-6 Tail portion 10-7 Abdomen 11A Line eye 11B, 11C Hook eye 12A, 12B, 12C Welded portion 15A, 15B, 15C Eye installation groove 21 Fishing line 22 Fishhook 30 Plate material 31 Cutting material 32 Oblong processed material 32-1 Surface portion 32-2 Back portion 32-3 Side portion 40 Press mold 41A Upper mold 41B Lower mold 50 TIG welding machine

Claims

1. A metal lure for use in lure fishing, comprising: a body; and an eye for attaching a fishing line or a fishing hook, said body being provided with an eye installation groove for accommodating said eye, said eye being attached to said body by welding while housed in said eye installation groove.

2. The metal lure described in claim 1, characterized in that the shape of the eye before welding is U-shaped, and that both ends of the U-shaped eye have portions that act as filler metal when welding the eye to the body.

3. The metal lure according to claim 1, characterized in that the eye installation groove is formed by a press die.

4. The metal lure according to claim 1, characterized in that the material of the body and the eye is martensitic stainless steel or ferritic stainless steel.

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