Senkosam

Still, not bad and the fish could care less about the tiny details. Should work in the right color.

Great advice Mojo - you should be a pro photographer! Good advice from all. A few of my observations: Sunlit pics come out very natural looking and shadows can be pronounced depending on sun angle and whether indoors or out. Use flash if you need to get rid of shadow or on an overcast day. Sunset light gives nice color, but you may need to also use the flash to fill in shadowed areas. When using a flash, don't place the object on a shiny surface (flash back). Macro setting, timer and tripod, as stated, a must! The higher the megapixel, the finer the detail. 2 mp might not resolve .008 flakes for example, which is the finest resolution ever needed. .015 flake rez is usually all that's necessary. A magnifying glass can be used if the background light or white artificial light is used and it's resolution will give a different effect than camera rez. Always make sure the lens is cleaned of all smudges or blurred pics will result. Set the camera at the highest resolution and then downsize the pic later. My pics will come out 20"x20" and I then reduce them to 4.5-5" jpegs. Gif format may lose a few colors. To demonstrate translucent colors and texures, suspend the lure in front of a white florescent bulb. The flash will not come on and the exposure will be proper. I use a hook and mono. Light lures - darker background; dark lures, lighter background. Wood or stone is a natural and neutral background for any lure color, as is a woods, grass or weed background. A white background is good in case you want to copy the object to other backgrounds or for packaging, but I prefer muted backgrounds that aren't as stark. Good luck and post a few. Here are a few of my creations and hybrids: http://senkosamsothercreations.blogspot.com/ http://morecabinfevercreations.blogspot.com/ http://senkosam.blogspot.com/

LC molds? Good luck fishing them.[/b]

Appearance and action are essential parts of lure creation, with neither factor being dominant. 99 % of all lures ever sold do not have the action of the real thing, angler imparted or otherwise, whereas around 70% are similar to a prey species and the remaining few are exact copies in form and function to the real thing. Mad Man craw tubes are a prime example in that it exactly copies form and action when the bait rests on the bottom. It is the most exact copy of the real thing ever made, except it is made from plastic. Fin S fish and finesse worms require no action imparted, yet have the exact action of a darter, swimming in place, when used with a drop shot rig. Both might be patentable, but not under your definition. Is duplicating a natural form enough or must form and movement be incorporated to fall inside of patent law? Again, every Rapala ever made, looks like the basic shape of a minnow floating on the surface, yet Rebel minnows were different only in material used, not action. How come Rebel never had to get a license from Normark nor any other company making jerk sticks (a cigar shaped lure with a lip)? Again, there should be at least one example that comes to mind of a soft plastic lure (not salt impregnated), that was infringed upon and law suit filed and won. Lures do not fall under the category of art, but they are artistic creations that have form and function. They will never have a lure-hall-of fame or be exhibited in a museum of most famous artistic lures ever made, but to appeal to an angler's sense of lure catchability, you have to design function(action) to follow appearance much of the time, in order to sell it. Copyrighted lures do not exist, just their names are copyrighted or can you name at least one? If he never patented the Senko, it's too late anyway. He would have had to file to establish a date of invention (or did he?) That's what we are discussing and because it goes both ways - a big company stealing one of our designs or one of us stealing a corporate design. Same thing in that, unless the individual has the time and money, he's screwed either way and ethics walk, but only if a case can be made. LC has duplicated over 100 lure shapes, but none exactly (except lures that has one flat side). Most of his copies are those of discontinued lures made over 15 years ago. A lure is always three dimensional to the patent office and it seems that when three veiws are presented to the patent office, all three views are depicted exactly in picture or diagram from. If Lurecrafts Sweet Beaver molds creates baits that are similar in one profile, but very different in others, I wonder if Reaction Innovations could file a suit if someone sold this crude copy of the original, assuming the name was totally different. If not, Dave can't be, for trying to pass off poor substitute molds. Again, just about all of LC's molds fall into this category and I wonder if Dave is covered just by the fact that his molds lack the many of the details of the originals he has copied, as well as for any lures where the patent expired? If what you say is true, it would apply to DelW far more than Dave's lures because of exact detail duplication in all views for many of his molds.

Please interpret. Where did you get this number? How many of these were for soft plastic lures? A few examples please. A lure doesn't fall into either category - intellectual property or into a copyright category. My reference to lurecrafting as an art form and our lures as art, many times differentiates it from mass produced products. A person who custom paints crankbaits, whether he made the crankbait or not, has artistic talent and the product cannot be patented. If someone improves or slightly modifies the Sweet Beaver design, at this point he cannot be sued for infringement, though a member on this site was warned by the company that they could sue him. Not required to know that the Stik-O is sold by the thousands under that name and this is the fourth year. There are many similar cigar shaped worms that have the letter O after the name and the packages have no licensing number. Out of curiousity, what law school did you graduate from and what type of law did you study? If a patent has expired, then many of the companies making copies aren't infringing and therefore anyone can make them. Many soft plastic lure companies have been duplicating Mr Twister worms and grubs by the millions for years and are still going strong. Ethically speaking, yes. Realistically speaking, doesn't happen unless you have the time and money to sue after having spent the time and money to get the patent and copyright protection for your creation. How many on this site have done so. If not, they have no room to bitch and that is the harsh reality of the corporate world, like it or not.

It's interesting you brought up mold making companies. According to Dave from Lure Craft, anything that attempts to duplicate nature is unpatentable. Pretty much all lures fall into this category. I suspect he's blowing smoke, but only know of the process and result of salt in plastic, that was patented by Gene Larew. Very few lures are patented. Regarding copying, the plastic worm has been around a long time and redesigned by hundreds of companies. Some designs have been copied exactly, but given a different name. Others have minor changes, but are still straight lengths of plastic with a hook inserted. Just about every commercial product has been copied and then changed a wee bit to avoid patent infringement. Of course we sell copied or modified designs of others. A swim bait is still a Sassy Shad, except the jig head is molded in. If you didn't design the thumper tail and attach it to a slab body, you copied it and Storm's swimbaits. Personally I see lurecrafting as an art form and art cannot be patented. When you come up with a super realistic color pattern (Matt's), you have created what some would consider a work of art. Some famous fly tiers have sold their fly's for hundreds and these will never hit the water, being collector's items. Many of my laminate color schemes have never been made or sold, but I would be flattered if they were copied and sold, knowing I couldn't do a d**n thing about it and that my unique scheme may have already be originated by someone else - the same as most plastic designs here or elsewhere. A color scheme doesn't make it different. How many of us have sent a royalty check to Larew after selling our salt impregnated soft plastic lures when his patent was still in effect? If the answer is no one, then none can take the high road. Stik-O sounds a lot like Senko and is perfectly legal to use, as is the cigar shaped design. Mr. Twister designs have been copied by hundreds of generic companies and I doubt any has ever had to pay a penny in royalty fees. Personally I like the competition, and if I can offer a better product that's cheaper and custom made, my conscience is clear. I would not copy anyones unique design on this site - I have 150 of my own and prefer to offer my art versus someone else's. Sam

Will U. poured one from a metal mold - better than the original Beaver!! All details came out along with perfect flaps. Maybe he has some tips. I saw the picture of the lure in LC's cat. and wasn't impressed. His ribbed creature bait has the same problem - half-ass flaps and double tails that lack action. One flap cavity is too narrow to pour into.

Agree with Charlie - a smaller cup with smaller pour spout allows a small stream of plastic versus a flood. For Del's and Bob's Senko molds, I count the seconds it would take to fill the mold 3/4 of the way up with a straight down pour. I fill all four cavities to 3/4, then go back and fill to near the bottom of the funnel. I allow it to recede (if at all) and then fill the funnel. I repeat the same for the next three cavities and rarely need to reheat the plastic. If there is an air bubble in the last 20%, open the mold, cut off the bubbled plastic, place the stick back into the mold and repour the rest of the way. Good as a single pour. A candy thermometer from Walmart is a good guide to prevent underheating or overheating. Globs result in the former, plus plastic layers on the cup, while searing results in a drab color and destroyed glitter. 280-300 is all I need for a four cavity pour. I don't use the wing nuts or fasteners for the molds, but instead find strong plastic handled clamps ($.88 at Big Lot and Walmart) work fast and hold the halves tight together, plus I have a handle to hold the mold with when pouring.

The higher the temperature, the greater the tendency for flakes to lose color, size and shape. The more plastic is reheated, the more clear plastic will yellow. The more glitter of one color used in clear plastic, the greater the tint effect, which is different than a tint from bleed or dye. Tint is not always a bad thing and can be useful to tint smoke or give worms a pale color without the need for dye. A violet tint added to watermelon gives a irridescent two tone apperance (known as chameleon) where watermelon is seen against a bright overhead light, but looks like light, STP oil when viewed on a light surface. Tint is not noticable in same-color or complimentary colored plastic. Amber is fine in chartreuse, motor oil, pumpkin and green. Light blue or light maroon is fine in violet, grape and purple. Flakes should be the last item mixed into hot pourable plastic and temperature should be maintained below 300 degrees. Glitter can be stand-alone colors in clear plastic. For example, florescent colored flakes do better in clear plastic solo. Medium or dark silver flakes can be used to make smoke-with-a-sheen. The difference is that the color is seen at a fish's eye level or at an angle, but not looking straight up. A mix of two sizes of flake give a different visual affect as does string glitter in opaque lures. Yellow gold or gold hologram is more striking in chartreuse or light motor oil. (Del has the best motor oil.) Lures dipped in clear plastic with glitter, show off the glitter better than just having the gliiter in the plastic. The effect is more 3-D. A clear plastic lure with a very small amount of glitter may work better in clear water or any color water.

Durham's is pretty good for detail (much better than plaster). Fish n Fool gave me the low down. The prototypes I plan to mold are the soft plastic hybrids I posted in the hybrid forum - no hard stuff. Mostly grubs, finesse worms, craws and slider grubs. No creatures or beavers or anything with fine appendages. Thanks again.

They are works of art! Superb detail and coloring. Bet you'd make a great taxidermist!

Thanks Jake I plan on making 2 doz. molds and $25/ gal. seems more economical. I'm talking small molds, single pour and a few double sided.

Thanks. We have a Micheals Craft opening next month and I know they sell resin kits for making copies of jewelry. I have some protypes that I must mold for the coming season and need the detail which plaster lacks.

Can resin molds produce the same detail as aluminum?

After a season of ice fishing with juicy wax worms and artificials (homemade), I have to go with scent for the slow bite. I found this out by catching a few on worm/spoon or 1/64 oz jig and then dropping an unsalted drop of plastic with hair and #6 hook imbedded and tiny flashabou jigs. The worm more or less turned the bite completely on once one fish took the bait. After that, no scent was needed and the artificials got hit with gusto until the hole dried up. I compare it to plotting an aggression curve, starting at zero and going up from there once the first bite is triggered. Some holes produced with no live bait, most didn't, and the largest fish were caught on unscented artificials once other species started attacking. Ice fishing reminds me of a conveyor belt - turn it on and they come to you one at a time. Sam

Like Del said about core plastic and bottom plastic heating faster. Even though the cooler top is still a solid skin, the bottom is hot liquid and needs to be poked into the mix. Lee Pots are okay for mass production single color baits (one color per pot), but they're slow and not always easy to clean. Reheating in a Lee Pot is much more time consuming but safer for the plastic. I don't have the patience and hate to clean them, especially after baking reheated plastic on the sides.

Thanks Charlie. You're right - the percentage of clear flake to plastisol makes a difference in drop rate, with less effect on softness. I should have sent you over an oz. for proper testing. At least you were able to increase the sticks drop rate, and with a wide gap hook the lure will fall twice as fast. Frank

What Robert said, plus reheated plastic doesn't take as much time to turn to liquid so you have to be careful of heating time. Even if you microwave, the best way would be to look at the cup of reheating plastic as if it was in a Lee Production Pot. The chunks will slowly turn to liquid from the heated liquid plastic it's immersed in. The similarity is that you zap 15 seconds - stir and let sit for 5 seconds, zap again for 15 - pause and stir, until the plastic is uniform. Letting it sit while the chunks melt, is the best way to prevent overheating the liquid part. If you try to zap without giving the chunks time to liquify, the liquid plastic overheats -killing it's color and flakes. Slow is the best method for reheating! If the colors aren't as vibrant, add a few drops to refresh or more glitter to replace any damaged glitter.

I stir it well and divide it up into fuit drink plastic bottles (1.5 liter - HC, Ocean Spray, etc.) They also can be shaken to mix the plastic before heating.

Fish_N_Fool, floured salt is still the best way to go and it's white merges with the crystal white. It's possible that crystal salt may suspend a little better with cystal flakes, but I haven't tried it yet. Keeping a bait soft is the primary goal and adding salt for weight requires much more softener to keep it soft. It's priced the same as regular colors and small gold holo.

bass4cache, the flakes are clear, but when grouped together, look like sugar. When put in clear plastic, you can't see the individual flakes and the color is that of sugar - an off white. The baits feel no different than straight plastisol lures. I didn't want to call it white glitter since it would be inaccurate and maybe confusing.

Weight is comparable to a salted lure and the same difference (approx. .1 oz.) between it and an unsalted lure. Thanks Shmang for testing this for me and reporting your results. I'm beginning to think that the Stik-O by Bass Pro uses the same stuff because some light also passes through their baits and yet are salted. They don't fall as fast as a Senko, but are soft and light colors show up better, especially in their laminates. The clear flakes come in different sizes from .008 - .090, but I only carry .015 for Lee Pot pouring, as salt tends to clog the spout and settle, giving a unbalenced salt weighting, even when stirred. The milk white appearance in clear plastic isn't bad when you don't want the bright opaque quality of white dye. (The belly's of fish are usually pearl or off white anyway.) Thanks again for posting your results. There are 5 others who've gotten samples and I hope also give us their findings.

Stay away from pearl amber. It's really pearl copper and no one at LC will admit that amber is yellow and copper is copper! The same for purple. There are many hues in the purple category and what is offerd is blue grape, not violet or maroon and doesn't stand out except in light colored plastic. Price don't seem much different and a few molds have been added. I'm still buying my dye and plastic from Del. At $38/ gal plus shipping for a poor quality plastic, I'd just as soon stick with Del's Calhoun pl. The molds he sent were great - just what I was looking for and worth the wait.

I don't care what kind you use, salt is a pain. See previous reply. Those who are testing it ,will report their findings and I'm sure will came to the same conclusions I did.

Like Joe said, plus the handle of a metal spoon or fork. I've even made a flying lure from the broad handle of a table spoon, by dipping it a few times and slicing the back into a skirt! (I W-D'd the handle so it would slide off easier.) Never caught fish with it, but what the heck.