Delw

All floresant colors should be added before you heat the plastic, you dont have to but you will get better results and a brighter color.

304 316 work harden very easy, you can cut them with a griner extreamly easy just like in a lathe or mill. however you need the correct wheel. shop I worked at years ago we did tons of 304 and 316 on grinders making lead screws and other precision threaded pieces, I like cutting 303 it doesnt work harden but is very grainy and prone to cracking. 17-4 -15-5 dont work harden they are not true stainless steels either like 300 series , they have chomoly in them. you generally harden them to cut hem as they are extreamly soft and gummy. They tend to rust when heat treating them. a true stainless will turn blue like nickle alloys when heat treating them..

Are you talking the flour type stuff that is used in fiberglass work? Ive tried it it does help but really makes your baits cloudier than using the a small amount of microshreres I look at it this way. if you have a sheet of ply wood laying flat on the water its going to float, if you have the same sheet of plywood on its side on the water it will sink. more weight distibutions per square inch, just like Ghosts 2lbs of plastic if you poured it out only a 1/2" thick its going to float more also due to it will actually trap air underneath it.

BBK I wish I did but thats the real tricky part as all the companies dilute there hardener to make it easy to work with. if the hardener is thicker than elmers glue than it is NOT diluted it pure, if its thin in vicosity like normal plastic then its diluted. Of the thick stuff( undiluted( I wanna say its 2-3 oz per 5 gals and you have to use a paint stirrer while pouring it in. Don't quote me on that though as I am just going by memory of the thin stuff like mf and lurecraft I always used a capfull per cup. but I havent used it in a few years as I would rather mix it down than up as its more consistant that way. I never did like playing with hardener due to it not being consistant from batch to batch. Delw

Hard to med 8oz of softener to 5 gals of plastic med to soft 8oz of softener to 5 gals of plastic soft to super soft, depends bigtime on what plastic your using like BBK said. my edjucated guess is 2-3oz of softener to 5 gals of plastic med to supersoft would be 10-11oz of softener to 5 gals of plasticmaybe 12oz but definatly not 16 oz. The company who sold you theplastic will know the forumla, as there the ones who make it. Delw

Tommy this believe it or not is a tricky question and heres why. Plastic is made of basically 2 compounds, hardener and a softener. Hardener is heavier then water and softener is lighter than water. when the 2 are mixed they become close to the same weight as water or a neutral boyency so to speak. if you run a hard plastic it will weigh more and sink, likewise if you run a super soft plastic it will be lighter than water and float., Ie soft plastic has more softener than hard plastic making it lighter. then you run into the type of frog shape your useing, a flat frog like a ribbet frog will pretty much float do to its thin and wide, were as a zoom horney toad will likely sink more cause its thick and and narrow ie more weight less surface area. to answer your question NO no plastic will float a frog correctly with out microspheres in it for floation, all you need is a very little ( correctly being the key word). the 3m bubbles will make it so any frog will float with any size hook even a treble for a stinger on the bottom and a 4/0-5/0 on the top. Get some 3m bubbles aka microshperes and you will be fine, with out them its a crap shoot as you can run super softplastic in a frog to get it to float but they get torn up in the bushes, run hard plastic and they sink. Just a pinch of microbubbles is all it takes and with a small amount like that you wont ruin transparent colors, if you add alot of micro bubles your plastic will have more of a opaque look. Also you can add enough micro bubbles to a horney toad(for example) and float a 1oz weight on its back. the stuff is a great additive to have on your bench. Delw

you will need a bi-metal blade and lots of coolant, coolant is oil or soapy water to keep the blade from heating up and lubricated. use a slow speed NOT FULL SPEED Its best to cut the stuff sandwhiched between 2 pieced of thin plywood. Get a fine blade also. Speed is what kills when cutting Stainless. I have cut ss material on my scroll saw years ago doing this. I have a varible speed one that I kinda mickey moused up for blade speed. a bi metal blade is the most important item. them lubrication and speed. Delw

the problem is generally caused by oils in the mold or a release agent if you sprayed it on. it happens in RTV molds quite often. try wiping the mold down, moisture along the mold can cause this as well, moisture builds up along a rtv mold if the humidity is high and you have a hot mold. you can do a few things, Wipe the mold down, Bake the mold at a 1-200 geree temp for an hour or so and wipe the oils out of it. its also known as sweating another thing its called is fish eyes ( liek what auto painters get, the oils on your fingers push the paint aside. use a paper towel to wipe the mold down before you pour. one other thing that could cause it is if you use a scent in the plastic that is water based. Delw

For years there has been pressure pots, I believe lurecraft still sells one, thats the best way to go for production. The vaccumm idea has been played with By me and a bunch of other guys on this forum for years as well. Alumin molds dont work really well with vaccum do to the heat that is disapated via alum. Pop and RTV work far much better.. big multi cavity molds I would rule out on vacumm. However I never tried it will a real vacumm pump that was large and had lots of storage. they generally go for 1-5k . We used a vaccumm pump that we used for A/c work and a canister out of a 69 rsss camaro ( as I had a few laying around the house from my car days). you can make your own pressure pot very easy and prett cheap. all american pressure cookers are the only ones to use and they come in a bunch of different sizes. they run about 125-150 bucks and there built out of thick alum and have NO plastic parts and a very stout locking lid. heating bands can be bought online as well. if you knwo what your doing you could build one for as little as $400 if you dont know what your doing and have some friends thats helps keep the cost down. I got 2 here that I have had for a while just for my own dicking around, one of these days I will post up some pics and part numbers so people get the idea. when using pressure pots like anything else you have to be VERY carefull. as pressure and 350 degree plastic dont mix. a POP OFF VALVE ( which is supplied with pressure cookers) is A MUST and Also your compressor you have you MUST buy a REAL regulator and REAL Guage not this garbage that comes from china on a home depot compressor, you need a 0-20 or 0-30 guage with a fine adjustment regulator.( quality automotive paint supply houses sell them, I like the devilvess(sp) ones) Pressure pots are still the way to go, you just open the valve fill up then close valve. you dont have any air sucking problems because the plastic is at the bottom of the pot. with a pressure pot due to you can shoot very fast you need to have more molds to allow for cool down Usually about 1-1.5 mins if that, it doesnt make any difference if its a 1 cavity mold or a 100 cavity mold. Unless you run water cooling ports on a mold then your going to have molds get pretty warm in a production setting. some guys use pc case fans on molds of have slots cut into them for heat sinks to keep the mold cool. Again these are on production levels not a guy pouring a few hundred or even a thousand baits after work, but guys that do this 8-12 hours a day 5-7 days a week with employees. the big key is you need to be set-up for your circumstance's. Delw

Most people have a hard time Justifying the cost because its more of a hobby to them. even the guys selling baits its still kinda a hobby, so trying to spit out 8-30k for a mold doesnt seem right.. the guys that do nothing but baits FULL time dont even bat and eyelash at the price, most dont even ask how much they only say build it ,ship it, and send me a bill when its done. This is the reason we keep on hearing how Nasa spend $600 on hammers, number one people just dont understand manufacturering and what it actually takes to make something. Not to mention the price of the machine tooling software material and all support equipment. they look at mexico,india, china and every other third worls country and see the junk at the low prices and automatically think hey if they make it for a buck you should be able to make it for a buck also. the other reason is teh person buying the products dont have to pay for the machines it takes to make the product, they just see the end result

20 cavity stik molds work fine, you will need to use a suction gun from Napa which cost a whopping 12 bucks, they have changed the cup washers to a non heat resistant type, so you will need to convert it to o-rings, or you use a pressure pot( thats the best way) When using LARGE injection molds you MUST use a press, or a vise with a plates on it That cover 75% of the mold. YOU DONT USE NUTS and c clamps wont really cut it. . Most guys use an air press with a large plate on both ends or a vise, this allows the plates to be held closed FLAT 2 pins are used for alingment. one mold wont cut it you will need a min of 3 to keep a rythem going. the baits can be taking out of the mold while the inside of the bait is still jelly or liquid. you just need to hang them and the wont get dents. and yes you can shoot 20 faster than you can 4 5 cavity molds, put the molds together in a waffer and you can shoot 100 at a time with no problems. Pressure pots work best for anything over shooting 40 5 1/2" stick baits at one time I do have a few customers shooting 60 at a time with there home made injection guns. . The problem with MOST bigger multicavity molds is the way they are clamped and how much pressure you push dont on the injector.. you have to be careful with the molds so you dont get DINGS on the side of them, doing so will give you bad results and you will pull your hair out trying to find the problem. The other big problem people have is sucking air in the injection gun before they shoot, on little molds its no biggy but on the larger shots its very important that you dont get lots of air, Another reason for a pressure pot. One thing to remember these hand injection/suction guns have been used for years by bait makers that supply lots of the big stores in there own brand. its work for sure, personally I would rather go with a zorn machine than sit there shooting baits all day. Ask Mike he will tell you but like anything when you want to produce lots of baits very quickly there needs to be money spent. and its alot easier to fork down a few 1000 bucks vs 40k for a machine. but you also have to work harder. Delw

What ct bass said Plus If there is a patent number on the bag of baits then look up the patent number and read what it says, For example paca craws have a patent on the wings in size and some other things, so if your using those wings your violating the patent. Strike king also has a patent on one of there baits that pertain to the claw tips If there is NO patent on the bag of baits then its pretty much a crap shoot and I wouldnt worry about it until you get a letter with a patent number. I believe( but not 100%) they have to list the patent info on the bag or say patented on the bag somewere. every bait is different on what they patent, also just because it says patent number XXXXX doesnt mean the bait is patented. It just means something in that bag is patented , like a scent, or a divot( zoom has a patent on divots in there baits ( jigv trailers/ chunk) but it has nothign to do with the shape or size of the bait just the bumps/divots . Dont read the patent once and be done with it, Read it every day and then when you think you have it figured out, give it to a friend ( not a wife grilfriend of Boyfriend or family member cause there opinion is biased as well) that has nothing to do with BAITS, they will have a non biased opinion on what is covered, Anyone who fishes or makes baits will have a biased opinion on the bait being a patent infringment. When people want to do something they will let there minds tell them its ok by tweaking this or that, when in fact it isnt, but to them they have there mind set on producing something so any change is going to be justifiable to them. Its human nature thats how we all think, thats why its always best to get someone who has no clue about what your doing and get a second opinion. then if your still in doubt hire a patent attorny Delw

If you have a small drill press grab a 1" -1 1/2" wood hole drill bit( spade bit? ) grind the point off of it and chuck it in the drill press turn on slow. you can also mickey mouse a cordless drill for the same purpose, use a rubber band or zip tie to adjust the RPM. I belive a the 11/2" fits right to the bottom and miss's the pour rod thats angled, its been a long time. Delw

what defects are you talking about in factory baits? I used to buy tons of factory baits when I was fishing alot, I never noticed any defects. I bought them from zoom, robo worm, berkley, yamamoto etc etc. Delw

gary, This is a good question and always had me wondering. what is NOT good about factory baits, reason I am asking is from a bait stand point I dont see anythign wrong with them. what I do see thats Different ( not wrong) is that hand pour guys can pour different colors and use different Plastic for a different feel of the bait. They can put different additives to help with a faster or slower sink rate, different scent etc. I personally dont see any bad baits out there from the major factories as they all work, there may not be colors that I like or that I feel confidence in but for the most part hand pour and injection are all good baits. also every bait out there has caught a fish and most who fish for bass know that you can catch them on just a plain piece of plastic there not taht picky when they are hungry. so what consitutes a Bad baits vs a good bait. Delw

The machines are not the problem its the Liability issue and the liability insurance that goes along with it.. Many guys have made them in there garages, most have worked extreamly good. I think carolina mike had a few as well, he could tell you the dangers and do's and don'ts.. One screw up even if its a customers fault and your going to get sued. Also when a Machine is used for production in a company I believe Osha comes into play. Making one for your self doesnt get Osha involved as in buying one already made from the way i understand it. Delw

Jim your absolutely wrong big time. I dont remember the thread 100% but you could pm it to me I would be more than happy to let you know what happened. I am guessing it was about injectors that Dak Started Dak likes to stir a bunch of shit. read the thread with an open mind. instead of a tainted one. I dont come on here ever to promote my products I only come here to help people with questions. I been doing it for nearly 10 years and before I even made molds on another site., not to mention I have helped people on this site with anyones products, i dont know why some of you guys have a dasination with me but its kinda flattering I dont have friends or customers post my products either on this website never had. i send friends and customers over here so they can get help with questions they may have. , things have changed over the last 2 years, seems like alot of cheerleaders come on to promote products and very few help anyone anymore and when they do help someones jumps down someones throat about it. Delw

Jim your absolutely wrong big time. I dont remember the thread 100% but you could pm it to me I would be more than happy to let you know what happened. I am guessing it was about injectors that Dak Started Dak likes to stir a bunch of shit. read the thread with an open mind. instead of a tainted one. I dont come on here ever to promote my products I only come here to help people with questions. I been doing it for nearly 10 years and before I even made molds on another site., not to mention I have helped people on this site with anyones products, i dont know why some of you guys have a dasination with me but its kinda flattering I dont have friends or customers post my products either on this website never had. i send friends and customers over here so they can get help with questions they may have. , things have changed over the last 2 years, seems like alot of cheerleaders come on to promote products and very few help anyone anymore and when they do help someones jumps down someones throat about it. Delw

Heres a so so answer its the best one I have found so far the way to find out is goto a bait store and see what bait is closest to yours and then on that package should be a patent number, if there is no patent number on the bait or on the package then Its more than likely NOT patented. you can do a search however you will need to know the name of the person who made the bait. very very rarely is the company name on that patent as or the bait name. if you feel like searching through thousands of patents you can type in fishing bait in there search engine, it will bring up literially thousands of baits. you can also try searching for unique features, but you need to know whats unique and whats not. Sometimes a bait patent is decieving as well. for example zoom is pretty good for this. they will have patent # on some baits however the only thing that is actually a patent on that bait is bumps the bait itself has no patent, just the bumps in the bait are patented. you can make that exact bait 100% identical and leave out the patented bumps and you break no patents. its pretty much a crap shoot finding a patent unless the # is on the bag in hopes your not breaking it. Delw

had them for 4-5 years( about 8 months after I posted how to make the insert for them on the basstrix baits) just not on the shopping cart, they are pretty expensive to do CORRECTLY with the correct tail and the was some customers want them, oh yeah and they were both hand pour and Hand injection, the big 10 and 12" ones are used in California, some on the east coast and austraila for saltwater. there the sought after ones. see now I giot sucked into this dumb thread thanks Delw

It works really well, we been doing it for years with soft plastics. what we do is mix in white pearl with black, the amount of pearl you add makes the difference in how silver or chome it will be. you can make anything from silver to chrome to black pearl. you can do the same with higlight colors as well and get blueish chromes red chromes etc etc. Delw

woooh dude back the truck up, keep me out of this one. I think this thread is funnier then Crap " its Like the "POT calling the Kettle black" Delw

That would be pretty cool if something like tht could be done. the only draw back I can think of is the plastic would cool to fast and the plastic is too light, I dont know, would be interesting to see if it could be done though, you would have to use rubber molds as alum molds built for one of those machines in a curve would be quite expensive. just to keep the machine balanced. the molds would have to run solely on a 4th axis. Delw

Not injection pots,, even if you bought my libility insurance way too many things can go wrong when stuff is automatic. people get lazy, not page attention and things get taking for granted way to easy. I leave that to Zorn molds. hope this sounds right Building something for yourself is completely different as the people who build them thereselves have some mechaincal knowlege and understanding on how things work. Delw

Pressure pots have been around for years, they are very easy to make and pretty cheap to make, you can make them for as little as 400 bucks and sky is the limit. Fishgetter lures( thinks tahts his name used to make and sell them for 2500-7500. there was guys on this forum and the one before this one that made quite a few of them. there is only ONE pot worth a crap for pressure pots and thats a all american pressure pot. they are the only pressure cookers left that are make with NO plastic parts and the alum they use is thick not paper thin, they have a aluminum ocking lid as well. DONT make one out of a presto pot that is very dangerous and foolish as the presto DONT have a locking metal lid. yeah I know guys that have tried. a all american pressure cooker has everything you need, all you have to do is add 2-3 bungs for air in and air out and one for a mixer if you wish and your pretty much done, it also comes with a pressure relief valve which is very very important. Heating bands can be bought almost anywere anymore for next to nothing all the way to hundreds of dollars. remmeber one thing you get what you pay for. the most important thing for a pressure pot, wether its hand made or store bought is the air going into it. most guys have shop compressors they have 80-120lbs PSI and a standard pressure regulator on the side made from china, YOU MUST buy a quality pressure regulator with a small scale, meaning it doesnt go from 0-200 or 300 on the dial it goes from 0-20 MAX, the best I found was a devilvus(sp) paint pressure regulater for a paint gun, I think they run about 20 bucks. they will regulate air pressure per 1/4 lb very easly. have that feed of a seperate line from you compressor going to the pot. never USE more than 7 LBS try to keep it around 3-4 llbs. a pressure pot is only rated at 7lbs max. if I remember correctly, the all american has 2-3 relief valves with it. I have a few NIB at the shop that we put together for some guys years ago, these were for myself. for the mixer use a double lipped seal that can be bought at any napa store or mc master carr, they are pretty cheap just a few dollars each. a O-ring works as well, I have a few different set ups I might post if i remember ie part numbers and how toos and were to get the stuff. to make them perfect you need to get 4 items aluminum welded, you dont have to but it makes it better. most of the pressure pots if not all can be made in your garage with simple hand tools and some back yard ingenuity. Delw