Mercury

I tried it with the cups, but also got a chatreuce vein down one side, This way I didnt get a vein.

I use LC's garlic but thats because I have it. Chris @Al's worms turned me onto PRO-CURE a few months ago. The threadfin shad is a great product. But anyway, LC's Garlic is strong. I add 5 drops to 6 oz of plastic. You do it just before you pour to keep as much of the scent in the plastic as possible. ( so you dont cook it out of the plastic) Just be warned, it will fill the garage with garlic odor. But you can also add it to the finished product. Its a prefrence thing. Added to the plastic it cant wash off. Even after hours of fishing I could still smell the garlic in the plastics.

Well I have a few questions, A: did you burn or scorch the plastics when you were melting them? B: were you re-using other plastics to make them with? Or was it fresh "un cooked" plastic? c: and if so, from what company did you get this from? But to answer your question about scents, you can add it to the plastics just before you pour them. Garlic is a cover scent, not a attractant. Otherwise we would use garlic cloves to catch fish. Try crawfish, Or go for the PRO-CURE threadfin shad. But if your married, or have that someone special, use the garage or do it outside. It will smell pretty bad inside the house. And about the hollow top part, I take it that you have one of Dels 2 part molds? If so, the plastic will "shrink a bit when cooling, and in doing so give you this tube affect. All you do is watch the top of the mold, when you see it starting to be sucked down just add a bit more to the top.

Mix the plastic/salt to how you want it, tip the mold slightly to one side, then SLOWLY pour the plastic in. This way you get no trapped air pockets and the mold fills to the top. Del makes them with a verry large opening to aid in the pour. It takes just a verry little practice. But then once you have it down you can click through a bunch of baits really pretty fast. TIP 2 color senko's::if you do have a production pot, the nipple fits easialy into the opening of the mold. Lift the handle 1-4 seconds to get your first color into the mold, then follow up with the main color. I use a chartreuce/watermelon that I truely love. The tip shines like a beacon on cloudy days. See the pic below.

They look pretty good from a picture. But how does the finished product look?

Any mold that Del makes is machined well, and the 2 part molds are mated perfectly. He really is talented and has put alot of time into his molds. I have4 of the 4.25" 2 reapers, and the 5,25" mold as well as the 4.5" finess worm molds.

How much softener and heat stabilizer should I put in a 5 gallon bucket of Calhouns? To make the calhoun plastic soft enough for the really small molds I add 3/4 cup per gallon of plastic. (1/2 cup works, but 3/4 cup made it perfect for me) Heat stabilizer is 2 oz per gallon. But many people say that calhouns has enough in it they dont need it. But when you add salt to the mix it does get hotter than if their is no salt.

Oh yeah Ive used it, I still have some. That is if you are talking about the Lure craft pigment. I just use a mini mag lite, hold the item in my hand and turn it on for about 30 seconds or so. It does glow for a glld while. But If you have a small lazer or the new LED lites just a few moments should be all that is needed. It does make your lil critter glow green for a while.

My oxblood is mixed with the violet, and the smoke is mixed with blue, and black grape, with several drops of black and green hi lite is nearly a junebug color.

Most local sign shops make them, Herculite is the most common backing. I would start their.

bubbles and poping are generaly signs of water or excessice moisture. If you continbue to cook the plastic (after you let it cool down for a while) and reheat it the bubbles should "cook out" I wouldnt heat it past the consistancy of syrup. You have agood chance of burning the plastic, changing the color etc.....

Isnt that about the truth, You can get 5 gal of calhouns for the price of 2 cal of lure crafts, that does include shipping too. By the time you figure in some softener, its still way cheeper.

THats one thing I will say about calhoun plastic. Keeping it mixed is SO easy compaired to Lure crafts. I added 5 thinck flat washers to the jug so I can mix it up faster. Even then it takes 10-15 min's to get the plastic mixed the way it was supposed to be.

aluminum pans will spread the heat out and have more uniform dispersion. They are cheep go to good will/salvation army depots, or any 2nd hand shop. steel pans create hot spots that will burn the plastics, etc.

ebay, got several about 10.00 each.

Just currious, but did you get the plastic mixed ALL the way? If not you will have verry soft worms to start then they get harder the closer you get to the bottom.

Honestly, Dont know. I havent heard of anyone trying that (liquid glitter) Depends also on what its made out of. The only way is to try it and see what happens. Take a small ammount of plastic, heat it, add the glitter and see if it melts.

I think my pots just shot. Dont even have to touch the knob and it will take hot plastic to the point it will set up. then it over heats. Its only 3 years old. I have been using the microwave to heat it up before using the pot. But since it is such a pain I am thinking of trying the stawarm pors like bruce and srplastics are using. But man 500.00 is a good bit of money. But if it works it will pay for itself shortly.

LOL, turn it down to 6? It never gets above 4.5! anything less and it just sits their and does this blank look. Now I do evreythign with a micro and pyrex cups. I can change colors as fast as I change molds. More than likely its a bad thermocouple. But its cheeper to chuck it than get one for that temp range.

Set up is fast, under a say 4 min, depending on the size of your mold. I buy a gal or more at a time, Costs too much otherwise, yes, just nuke the plastic, it can be re-heated, Dont know how many times, but I have done it 4/5 times easialy. IT gets harder, the more times you melt it. I guess you could add softener and keep going and going and .....

Del is cool to deal with, and his molds are flawless, Enjoy, your starting out with the verry best stuff possible. Not many get to do that.

If I'm not mistaken, this is a single cavity mold right? Unless you are making the baits for yourself, it will cost you too much in time to make 1, then let it cool, dissassemble re assemble, re heat the plastic, inject 1, and repeat. Most of us have only "open face molds " and several 2 part molds for the stick baits, I like to pour at least 10-14 items at one time. It would cost too much in labor to do it otherwise. But if its for yourself, shoot go for it. But I will warn you. Be cautious around PLASTIC injectors/syringes. I was doing this and found that the heat softens the plastic of the syringe, and when preassure was added to the plunger made it fire back directly between my fingers and cause a NASTY burn. Be verry careful. 300*+ will burn so fast, and will not come off the skin until cooled.

Im getting ready to chuck my lee pot. It will go from a liquid to a solid and then scorch the plastic all without changing the setting.

Nathan @ fireball lures is trying to finish the mixer for the lee's 20 oz pot. To keep it mixed while pouring, Keep a look out for this major developement.

Like chris, I found out their are some nasty things in the plastics. I went to Lowes and found a 280 cfm range hood, mounted it over my work space, and now I have tons of light from 2 50w halogens, and no problems with fumes or vapors. The hood cost me 22.00 or so, (on clearance rack) and about 10.00 for the pipe to run it outside. For the price, and safety I feel it was money well spent.