reel doctor Posted October 30, 2010 Report Share Posted October 30, 2010 How would I get started reproducing a crankbait or make a mold ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted October 30, 2010 Report Share Posted October 30, 2010 How would I get started reproducing a crankbait or make a mold ? How many of this bait do you have in hand? Do you prefer one material over another? If it isn't an expensive bait I like to sacrifice one to get measurements and weighting. If you carefully split it you can then trace to get a side profile if you are wanting to reproduce the bait from wood. One can also just use calipers, ruler, and trace the bait and get a good measurements for reproduction also. Molding isn't a hard process either. Make a clay bed to embed the crank in so only 1/2 of the crank is showing. Make a mold box and use a mold release and cast the first half. Pins, allignment keys, sprue, and venting should be added at this point also. Once the first half is made place the crank into the formed half and cast the second half. RTV works about the best but POP and durhams can be used also relatively easy. The RTV just last so much longer and easier to demold baits from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted October 30, 2010 Report Share Posted October 30, 2010 Doc, it depends on whether you want to reproduce the shape only, or need to actually reproduce the lure in its original material. Molding works great if you want to copy a shape but the molded bait is rarely the same weight and buoyancy as a wood bait used to model it. That isn't necessarily a bad thing but you're unlikely to get a molded bait that performs like its wood model because the 2 bodies will have different weight distributions. If you want to copy a wood bait in wood, you have 2 choices: hand fashion a copy or use a wood duplicating system. Duplicators aren't cheap or simple. Unless you want to get into it as a hobby or business, you'll probably need to hire an expert with the equipment. If you measure carefully and have a knack and the patience for working wood, you can come quite close to reproducing a wood bait with simple tools. It's the low cost alternative but you are trading time/effort for money/equipment. It's a craft; Love it or leave it! Lastly, if you want to duplicate hollow plastic baits, all I can suggest is you visit a plastic molding factory to see how much it will cost you to do a few thousand. Don't forget copyright and patent laws unless you're doing it for personal use only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly1 Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 If you are trying to reproduce a plastic hollow body bait try and sacrifice a lure and split it down the center. then make a mold (pos. and neg.) of both left and right sides this is how I get a hollow plastic bait then add weight and rattles or what not I hope this vid helps it sure helped me 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 (edited) Hillbilly, Is that you? If it is, that video was great! You Dah Man! Seriously, you make it look easy, which it is not, and that is a credit to your building skills and techniques. I think you could make a video of how to do it, and it would sell, big time. Thank you for sharing with all of us. Edited November 7, 2010 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhockey11 Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Any idea on what kind of epoxy would be adequate for the type of molding in the video posted by hillbilly? I am hoping to give this a try over the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProP-JunKie Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Larry Dahlberg has some great vids on recreating lures.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 That is a fun video to watch. Thanks. Larry Dahlberg is always great to watch, and makes things simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly1 Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 (edited) Any idea on what kind of epoxy would be adequate for the type of molding in the video posted by hillbilly? I am hoping to give this a try over the summer. I use alumilight or you could use Feather Lite. To me the feather lite seems kind of soft but will work sorry about that I generalize when it comes to 2 parts to me every thing that has a A or B is epoxy For the bills I use a Clear Polyester Casting Resin if you use the polyester resin follow the safety precautions and then some the stufff is nasty and will cause all kinds of heath problems. Edited April 21, 2011 by hillbilly1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Hillbilly, great video. About a year ago, I decided I wanted to start making my own lures and ran across your video on youtube. And I thought wow, that looks really easy.......holy cow wasi wrong. However you made your molds is very impressive. Some day it would be great if you made avideo on how you made the molds!!!!!! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly1 Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Hillbilly, great video. About a year ago, I decided I wanted to start making my own lures and ran across your video on youtube. And I thought wow, that looks really easy.......holy cow wasi wrong. However you made your molds is very impressive. Some day it would be great if you made avideo on how you made the molds!!!!!! Thanks The mold will make you or break you I think it took me almost six weeks to get the first multi mold fixed the way I wanted it and boy it was a pain. I did the test molds in several different ways trying to figure out which is the best way. The only one I found that I could get the seems almost perfect was to lay a bed of silly-cone about 1/4 inch deep let cure.Then I made a little wire harness for the bait half to stick in the silly-cone bed after leveling all the bait haves I poured more silicone in till it was just about to run back in the the bait haves then let cure. Then I just trimmed as little as I could get away with. The top half is a breeze just leave everything the way it is and pour. The wire helps hold the haves down so I could keep the seems even and so the bait wouldnt float up. Like I said it was a pain if I had to do it over again I think I would take up knittin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 The mold will make you or break you I think it took me almost six weeks to get the first multi mold fixed the way I wanted it and boy it was a pain. I did the test molds in several different ways trying to figure out which is the best way. The only one I found that I could get the seems almost perfect was to lay a bed of silly-cone about 1/4 inch deep let cure.Then I made a little wire harness for the bait half to stick in the silly-cone bed after leveling all the bait haves I poured more silicone in till it was just about to run back in the the bait haves then let cure. Then I just trimmed as little as I could get away with. The top half is a breeze just leave everything the way it is and pour. The wire helps hold the haves down so I could keep the seems even and so the bait wouldnt float up. Like I said it was a pain if I had to do it over again I think I would take up knittin LOL.......I guess that's why there is no video on the mold making. Still a great job on the molds thoug. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhockey11 Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 I use alumilight or you could use Feather Lite. To me the feather lite seems kind of soft but will work sorry about that I generalize when it comes to 2 parts to me every thing that has a A or B is epoxy For the bills I use a Clear Polyester Casting Resin if you use the polyester resin follow the safety precautions and then some the stufff is nasty and will cause all kinds of heath problems. Thanks hillbilly. So, from your post I am gathering that the material in the video IS alumilight? if it is, have you ever had any problems with strength due to the the thin walls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akriverguide Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 If you are trying to reproduce a plastic hollow body bait try and sacrifice a lure and split it down the center. then make a mold (pos. and neg.) of both left and right sides this is how I get a hollow plastic bait then add weight and rattles or what not I hope this vid helps it sure helped me Your video left me with a bunch of questions as well as some answers. Would you mind posting how you made your figure 8 wire posts, how about just the portion about making the bills? I have been waiting a year to see more since the crankbait bug has bitten hard. I live in Alaska and there are not too many crankbait fisherman where I live, it is hard finding answers to some of the questions that arise when trying to build your own baits. Any and ALL help will be most appreciated. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly1 Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 Thanks hillbilly. So, from your post I am gathering that the material in the video IS alumilight? if it is, have you ever had any problems with strength due to the the thin walls? The walls are 3/32 of a inch were as the high end builders use polystyrene or I think its poly-sumthin and they can get the wall much thinner. So far most of them have held up but every now and then I get a batch that for some reason the walls stay flexible and spongy I think that is just a short between the keyboard and the seat. Your video left me with a bunch of questions as well as some answers. Would you mind posting how you made your figure 8 wire posts, how about just the portion about making the bills? I have been waiting a year to see more since the crankbait bug has bitten hard. I live in Alaska and there are not too many crankbait fisherman where I live, it is hard finding answers to some of the questions that arise when trying to build your own baits. Any and ALL help will be most appreciated. Kevin Ill start with the simplest first. The bill mold was done with a master model I had a friend do in CAD then shape on a CNC or you could just pull the bill out of a DT-10 or some other bait from there I just made a single bill 2 peace mold and poured 5 bills then made a 2 peace mold of a set of 5. Then I put a 1/32" x 1/2" 18-8 Stainless Steel Cotter Pin (for the line tie) in the mold held in by through pins from one side of the mold to the other the cotter pins need a 45 degree bend at the eye to keep the eye out of the polyester. Its a lot of trial and error for the most of it. As for the 8 hangers, Now I use the same size cotter pin as the bill just bend in the shape of a T and trim to fit. I can get cotter pins (half way made 8 hangers) a hole lot cheaper than a roll of brass wire (sometimes). Or you could use the Zinc cotter pins which are cheap cheap but strong. My source for C Pins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akriverguide Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 The walls are 3/32 of a inch were as the high end builders use polystyrene or I think its poly-sumthin and they can get the wall much thinner. So far most of them have held up but every now and then I get a batch that for some reason the walls stay flexible and spongy I think that is just a short between the keyboard and the seat. Ill start with the simplest first. The bill mold was done with a master model I had a friend do in CAD then shape on a CNC or you could just pull the bill out of a DT-10 or some other bait from there I just made a single bill 2 peace mold and poured 5 bills then made a 2 peace mold of a set of 5. Then I put a 1/32" x 1/2" 18-8 Stainless Steel Cotter Pin (for the line tie) in the mold held in by through pins from one side of the mold to the other the cotter pins need a 45 degree bend at the eye to keep the eye out of the polyester. Its a lot of trial and error for the most of it. As for the 8 hangers, Now I use the same size cotter pin as the bill just bend in the shape of a T and trim to fit. I can get cotter pins (half way made 8 hangers) a hole lot cheaper than a roll of brass wire (sometimes). Or you could use the Zinc cotter pins which are cheap cheap but strong. My source for C Pins Thanks, that solves that problem.. I know I am asking a lot, but how about some high end photos of the mold making process. Is the crankbait body that you make a copy of another or did you CNC a master and then go from there? Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bass Man Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Awesome video Hillbilly!! Can't believe I have never found this one. Thanks for sharing it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
