Leaderboard

I usually say stay away from Rustoleum 2X clear like the plague, but they have a matt finish clear that I have used that looked OK. Knowing that if it touches plastic, plastisol, vinyl and or some silicones is can react, melt and start to make a sticky mess. I haven't sprayed the spray can version of KBS, but dipped and sprayed the quart stuff and it's very glossy.

Yep i have to let my aluminum cnc molds cool when i get on a roll & make a bunch of baits in a hurry. I have put half of another mold on each side of the mold i was injecting. If injecting several i will put a half on each side of them all & clamp down tight. It's enough of a heat sync that i haven't had any problems like this.

Couple suggestions since I've used quite a few "alternatives to aluminum" mold materials in my time here on TU.... plaster, silicone, FDM/ABS, HDPE urethane.... 1. Everything deflects (warps) under temp - some just deflect more than others. Even aluminum deflects with enough heat - we usually don't get them hot enough with plastic - but pour some lead sinkers in a thinner mold and you'll see. 2. Bolts and clamps work - the more the merrier - but at some point the molds just holds too much heat after repeated injections and aside from using a hydraulic press that would likely crush the rapid prototype molds to some degree - you'll need to wait and cool the molds. I use urethane - and on hot days after repeated shots - I have to just let them sit with a fan on them to "undeflect" or I get flash as well. Even aluminum will deflect - that's why production company's use big presses so the can fill those molds with a lot of cavities (that contain alot of heat). 3. The size of your bait vs size of the mold is a HUGE - HUGE - HUGE factor... the size/amount of baits vs molds size is a factor you can control - and can really help. Most of my molds are 5" x 8" to fit in my CNC mill. That mold size with little 2" craw baits will NOT deflect noticeably.... but the same mold size with 4-5 fat swimbaits jammed in there starts deflecting after a few shots. So monitor how many cavities / size of bait you use vs your mold size and you can really help your cause. 4. Related to above - at first I was a cheap guy trying to minimize every square inch of my mold material. It works - but after years of doing that I now have dozens of molds that are all different sizes.... 3x5, 3.5x6, 4x4, 5x8, 6x10 - you name it - I got - LOL. So while I saved a few bucks here and there on my small molds.... clamping is now a pain in the a$$. Being all different sizes I have to use multiple clamps, some I have to just bolt together on their own. Since I altered my thinking to making nearly every mold 5"x8" unless it needs to be bigger - I can put 5-6 molds in a couple bar clamps and crank them down.... so with 2-3 clamps I can hold a bunch of molds nice and tight.... that's a alot faster than bolting/clamping every mold together on its own. Wish I wasn't so cheap to start as some molds I don't even use because of the hassle. So come up with 1 or 2 common mold sizes and stick to them.... in long run it will be helpful. 5. I've found Bench Wood working vises are also helpful.... because they usually provide for a 4"x6" faceplate from and back - they keep things help evenly and are friendly to use. Hope that helps. J.

I would be best to seal with superglue, polyurethane or clear coat. I have molded all three with no issues. Clear coat is the best, but washes out the details.

I do like using hardwoods for glide baits though, explicitly because it takes so much less lead to balance it. I tried making a couple subsurface gliders out of redwood (which is crazy boyouant) and it took something like 10lbs of lead to get them to slow sink...

You can stiffen almost any wood enough for detail carving, after getting it down to finish shape, by coating it with runny super glue. Just be sure to use sharp tools.