redg8r

Gettin your hands on some transparent paints is the best bet, Createx has a line of transparents, Wasco taxidermy carries transparents, among others, but Ive got a lil home recipe for transparent paint: Get a can of water based clear polyurethane & put some in a cup & add a lil food coloring. you can thin it with water if needed. If you spray heavy coats the poly may apper "cloudy" at first but once its dry you'll have a nice transparent coat & be able to see thru the bait.

What was the cure time? Thanks for sharing.

Ive heard of UV cured epoxy but didnt realize it cured that fast. I think you need some heavy duty light also, maybe sodium halide? I dont know, Id like to see more info too if anyone has it.

Agreed, theres a few ways to do a thru-wire, since your bait is already shaped, you might find it easiest to use a dremel with a carbide wheel tip to carve a channel from nose to tail. That makes it easier to place the belly wire without "snaking" it through the holes. You can also add some solid lead peices in the channel if weight is needed. After thats done you can take some strong epoxy filler like (Loc-tites "wood-for-good") or epoxy putty & fill the channel. Ive even filled with sawdust & then soaked the channel with super glue. Works just as well. Sand smooth & prepare for sealer/paint.

Nope I'm using the same scheme, Thank goodness my Mrs. Clause loves to fish (& be naughty) :oops: Thanks Ken, your the best & thanks everyone for everything,..... Basskat, seems you AND the boy have been good this year Happy Holidays Fellas, Jerry

Glad you got it sorted, For future reference, there is a "LiveHelp" button on the top-right hand corner of every webpage, you can use this button to contact me for questions & issues. Thanks,

I havnt seen any info on these baits, but my thoughts are if this is a "true" food product, it has to be glycerin based, thats the only food product I can think of that even remotely resembles soft plastic.

Tops, Coley, Tops..... Thanks buddy Happy Holidays Fellas.

Who makes solid ABS lures? Ive never heard of one. I'd think theyd be pretty heavy baits ABS can be injected & even thermoformed, but I cant see an easy process for pouring a solid body. It would be so thick, it'd take awhile to cool enough to demold. If youve seen one on the market, let me know, I'm curious now

as long as your not thinning your devcon with any solvents, try a micro-tip Sharpie.

Hi Mike, I've yet to cast resin in aluminum molds, but It's done all the time. A proper mold release would be important, I suggest "parfilm". I talk with alot of casters & this is the most recommended release for urethane resins.

Yeah the cybershot is a good size too, not too big, not too small. My folks have one & like it. it uses a sony smart card (removable)

I use a sony mavica also, the floppy disc storage is great & easy to use. Only downside is that its a larger camera & has no viewfinder (LCD only) I have seen a new camera made by olympus that is water resistant, perfect for boating & fishy hands. Almost all cameras are now 2 megapixels or better.

"Bumping" threads arent permitted here, but to help with your question: Alot of harnesses are made like a "through wire", anchored [or cast] in the leadhead, or hard section of the swimbait. The ones that dont use split rings likely have clearance in thier molds to allow them to pre-rig the treble to the wireform, cast the leadhead, then fit it in the soft plastic mold for injection..... treble hook, jighook, leadhead & all. I recommend adding a split ring to the wireform so you can change out your hooks, if need be. Some manufacturers even use a heavy mono instead of wire. Hope that helps.

Hi Kingfish, Make sure your logged in as a member, before you try your upload. Thats all I can see that would be preventing you from uploading pics.

Tough!

Well, Congrats are in order! Wes I agree with BTDT, have him check into Western union. international money orders are available also, but I think they incur an extra fee when cashing them in to your bank, you might wanna contact your bank for more info also. Good Luck!

Id look into your clearcoating process. A properly cured epoxy coat should resist hook scratches & abrasion for a good while. I know cold weather can wreak havoc on us trying to work in a cold workshop. give us some detials on your clearcoat process, maybe we can figure it out.

Have you already been paid? If not dont worry too much, sometimes foreign kids play around with shopping carts looking for a vulnerability. I would wait for the customer to contact you via email. Just My opinion.

I think hes using the wax for the one time molding process, he'll probably be pouring lead for the actual lure body. Just a tip, if your using wax as the master in a water putty mold, vaseline or any other mold release isnt necessary. Wax releases well from most materials. Actually, many mold release sprays are made from a diluted wax mixture. Good luck, but you should be fine doin what your doin. thanks for sharin

Correct & correct.... With no one else stepping in, just mail out 4 molds. I'll package them accordingly. As to basskats question, yes, paypal or or send check or MO along with your molds......the address is posted previously in this thread. As you near completion of your molds, post back in here & let us know. If we finish early, we can mail em out early, sound good? thanks

Heres my tips on hillbilly photography: First check your camera documentation for a "macro" setting. Macro will let you get the lens right up to the bait without losing focus. lighting: My wife does alot on eBay & she takes pics outside in the morning, in the shade. the ambient light before noon works well on light or dark backgrounds. I shoot in my shop under flouescent lights, dark backgrounds tend to wash out details, light backgrounds work better on small details. If your baits have "neon" or "flourenscent" paints on em, break out your blacklight from back in the 70's, mix it with normal lighting for nice effects. Avoid all incandescent lights (light bulbs) they yellow, although I did find a nice bulb from GE, cant remember what its called but the bulb looks "light blue" but shines a nice white. Last resorts are webcams, & scanners... webcams are usually grainy but focus well, & scanners are the simplest but tend to put a "rainbow" effect on some clearcoats. Oh & spraypaint an old umbrella "silver" on the inside if you need a reflector. A camera tripod makes a great stand for it too. good luck, you'll be a bait photographer in no time

Looks like 6 to me, if Mercury is in. As to cavities, Id like at least 4, but 4 different baits on one mold would be even better IMO, but not required, do what your comfortable with. Changing your routine would just make it harder. Plaster, resin, RTV, aluminum, anything....as long as it works. Make sure you package the molds carefully & mark em "FRAGILE", or "GLASS", especially if your sending plaster. I'll take the same care when they go back out. If at anytime you decide you cant finish the swap, or will be delayed, contact me immediately. if theres still enough time, we'll take in a repalcement for you, no questions asked. So work for 6 molds fellas, if Mercury wasn't wantin in, well take one more, until then..... Signup is over 1) Ryno Plastics 2) Basskat 3) Big Splash 4) robert (BTSBaits) 5) Mercury 6) red-g8r Awesome, cant wait, but have to until the week of 12/27. Happy pouring!

Im in the same boat, PM or email me when you make progress, maybe we can collaborate & share production tips. later

I can do 5 or 6, but if you wanna run with 4 just say the word. I agree with the mailing date. lets set a date at 12/27/03 lets have em in the mail by then. Lets do $7 bucks to cover shipping, whats left over will take care of extra needed to get the molds to big splash up in Canada. Paypal Click Here Postal check or money order to: Jerry Goodwin 2201 44th Ter SW Naples, Fl. 34116 USA