redg8r

The post has been returned, I apologize as I misread the post mistaking that the offer required an additional purchase, which violates our forum terms of use. We removed the thread, then offered M-F a complimentary graphic ad slot (made by us) as a token of appreciation for thier exclusive offer to you, our site members. I needed approval from M-F before we use thier logo on our site and are awaiting approval, currently without a reply, however the banner ad was accidentally & prematurely activated for a couple of hours and again, I apologize. The original thread has been restored & you may take advantage of the offer thru this thread: http://www.tackleunderground.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=6189 I would rather have companies interested in offering exclusives & promotions to contact us (TU) before they post, as we often cater to help. if we were contacted prior, we could've set a formal ad slot, set an expiration date, tracked the campaign effectiveness, etc. We appreciate M-F's participation & value their input, from them, and every other component supplier, as they are critical to our hobby/business & we want to accomodate & keep them active in the community. As it stands now, once the offer is over, M-F should announce it in the thread, or contact a mod to have the topic removed. if anyone responds to the offer & finds it expired, please inform us (TU), as we're getting no response thru PM or email from M-F. Thank you for understanding, Jerry "redg8r"

Sorry, that add ran prematurely clemmy. we're awaiting approval from MF before we run the banner, for reasons like jim stated above. sorry about the confusion.

Both, depends on the mix ratio.

we'll have it in the supply shop very soon. send me your postal (privately) & I'll send you a sample.

I think most people avoid epoxy as a moldmaking material because of the higher cost. epoxy is a widely used mold material, what are your thoughts to using epoxy over, say, poly-resin?? less shrinkage for mating the halves?? anyone made one?? im curious too, thats one project I havn't run thru the lab

Hi Rico, Matt is correct to an extent, its always a good idea to avoid using silicone to silicone, it readily bonds to itself even after cure, ive stacked a couple cured molds on top of one another to find them joined a few days later. However talc & other designed mold releases will help tremendously. Anyone that makes a 2-part silicone mold needs to know that you have to use a release between pouring the 2 halves to prevent bonding. A few of options: 1) Mann's makes a variety of releases for RTV I use the 800 universal & it works well. If you talc or lube the mold VERY well you might get away with it, but if you ever miss a spot, your RTV mold will most likely be trashed. 2) If you're nervous about destroying your existing RTV mold, I'd recommend making a positive cast of that mold & duplicate it in urethane or polyresin, then use that new mold to pour your RTV baits from, a good result from using this method is that you wont need any future mold release. 3) consider casting (pouring) with urethane rubber instead of RTV silicone. its cheaper & they make shore ratings in the same neighborhood as RTV. I'm almost sure that RTV silicone releases naturally from urethane rubber, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

you didnt offend me... & your post way back on crank angles is one of the most comprehensive topics on here, you put alot of thought into it & it obviously benefeited the group Whats bothering me with this topic is that its gone off topic. And the person that keeps being brought up hasnt the ability to defend himself here. I havnt really had the chance to compare & even so, its speculation. Were always discussing how tough it is to come up with a "Truly" unique bait that dont mimic or resemble something already in existence, whats the difference in this case? I, myself feel differently & try alot of unconventional and wierd shapes, but this has been a common discussion, especially in regards to patent issues. Im not defending someone who would do that, but again, this person in particular cannot defend himself here & its unfair to him. Take it up directly, or in another forum where he has access. Lets get back on topic now

I think basskat made a typo, he meant to say, according to rockhopper (hes an inventor & our site patent advisor) It is Illegal even for personal use. The chances of Bagley beating down your door to serve papers on your personal stash of baits..... well you get it.

I see both sides here, regardless, BB is a TU member & deserves some common courtesy, regardless of any affiliations. I dont wanna shoot TU in the foot, but if theres any information you dont want to be made public, then dont post it, or use a generalization instead of your exact pattern. We (the mods) cant forsee & judge each member on thier "alleged" use of ethics, so use your own judgement in what you share. I have a sheet of patterns I was gonna post as a page for practicing paint schemes, its not exactly informative, but they are shape patterns. Good luck.

Astounding Scott :!: We're gonna lock this thread, however the same photo is in the gallery, comments & votes there are surely welcomed. Hardbait Gallery

I could imagine...... Seems alot of work to get the surface prepped smooth enough for plating. I recieved a PM from a fellow member tony simpson Who uses the mirrachrome from Alsa corp. He says its good stuff. He offered his phone number out if anyone is interested, however, click on his name above to email him first.

For a crankbait, unless the bait is fabbed from metal, it needs a metallic coating to conduct electricity before it will accept a nickel or chrome finish. A local company here called caswell plating sell small kits for plating. They sell copper paint that is used as a basecoat, good on wood & plastics but pricey, then you can take the steps to plate the lure. heres the link to caswell Caswell Inc. Most plastic parts are vacuum metallized, I used to have a link to the process demo, but cant find it, its very similar to powder coating & used alot for chromed plastic. Theres another company that offers a chrome spray but havnt heard any results, likely because its very expensive: Alsacorp If you try, please post your findings, TU member,Coley showed a chrome-type finish using silver glitter that resembles a heavy metal-flake automotive finish, its a recent post in the hardbait s forum, sorry but I dont have a link handy, someone wanna help me out? (im lazy today) Thanks.

A quick announcement to welcome Skeeter into the mod group!! We've been trying to get him on for a long while, he's recently found the time to commit, so lets give him a good welcome. He replaces Tim Hughes, who has a flourishing business to tend to. We wish them both luck & thank them both for thier time. TU will likely be accepting more moderators soon, so if youre interested in helping the site, you can apply Here. Thanks, Jerry "redg8r"

Theyre probably nickel plated brass, stick with stainless, stronger.

I was wondering what he was talkin about Devcon is packaging syringes with a premix tip? -L-I-B- :idea: Yeah Gary, if you run out of syringe tips just dispense equal amounts onto a sheet of paper or a dixie cup, whatever & use a toothpick, or similar to mix it well, then use a brush to apply. if youre quick enough you can clean that brush in some acetone & reuse it awhile. Check the knowledge base for a tutorial on clearcoating with FlexCoat: Click Here its a different epoxy, but the process is the same. Oh yeah & stay away from the 5min version for clearcoat, its fine for an adhesive, but will yellow over time. use the slow set (30 min) for clearcoating.

:oops: Correct, I shouldve asked. I was going thru the gallery looking for colorful baits, It was hard to choose out of all the fantastic work, but that one in particular kept slapping me in the face, I still cant figure out that masking scheme, but I'll leave that to you. We'll change out the background on occasion with new pics, jus so everyone knows. Thanks Chris

I think your thinking of silicone baking pans. the ones you can roll or fold up for storage?

other than chemical compatibility, a bigger worry should be HEAT. remember you'll be adding plastisol to that cup at the same temperature as grease in a deep fryer (@350) I dont know too many plastics that wont melt under that temp. Polyester, nylon & teflon are the only ones I know. regardless, spring for the borosilicate (pyrex is a brand name) glass. i know its a shame you wont be able to use the nifty spout, but it might save you some serious burns.

:grin:

Devcon epoxies are an adhesive first & foremost..... it just happens to make a durable clearcoat also

polymer clay is great for sculpting masters from for moldmaking. Maybe small ice jigs or inline spinner bodies, other than that, not much use. definately not for crankbaits. I entered the contest, submitting a popper (which did float BTW just to see if it could be made to float, however the clay is to brittle to rely on. The owner there, runs a ton of other sites, all selling info on CD-rom, everything under the sun. I spoke to a few chaps who purchased the CD & considering I never recieved that prize, its no big loss.

Sam's sugar flakes arent actually "sugar", I think they're a fine clear plastic, used to add weight as an alternative to salt.

for the topcoats used by most here, the 5-6 will do fine.

give this link a try: http://www.tackleunderground.com/photos/upload.php

if the plastic is polyethelene, you'll have trouble. I use a 12' BassTender out back & tried patching with marine gd. silicone & later, epoxy putty. neither worked. I saw some info somewhere that polyethelyne boat repairs usually need heat welded, but its tricky beyond my skills. Id like tips also if anyone has advice.