Senkosam

Thanks Merc. Maybe they have a distributor in the U.S. The search continues for dye (other than LC). If I invest $4,000 in glitter, I wonder if there will be a demand, even at honest prices? Sam

According to LC, heat stabilizer will help, as well as slowly heating the plastic or not overheating it. If I microwave, I use 30 second zaps on high to get the plastic to the different stages leading up to a total liquid. Stirring is always very important. I start my Lee Pot on 5 and work up to 6 or 7 when pouring multiple baits fast. Del should be able to help you since he uses Calhoun and sells it at a good price. Sam

A worm maker from another site suggested I go to Color Technologies for a paste dye. Anyone ever hear of the company or an alternative to the usual dyes? Sam :

Ditto, Kellure.

It's strange that the most used deepwater plastics have a slim design and are 6" or less and the shallow water baits (jigs included) can be bulky and fall faster in 4' or less. Being a shallow water officionado, bigger is better but length is less overall. Shallow water fish are there to feed or hang out and the reaction strike comes into play when just hanging out. Who knows why reaction strikes occur? Could be opportunity-snacking, territorial aggression, meanness, curiousity, irritability or just it's reflexive nature (like a Venus Fly Trap). I could flip a 1/8 oz. bait all day in heavy cover and not catch half as many fish as on a heavier, bulkier lure. This applies to lowland lakes where I fish, that have at least 50% of the shore being wetlands. (The average depth is 10' or less and very unlike your waters and deep Calif. or AZ impoundments.) I use a large 5" grub (like in the pic) like most people use spinnerbaits over shallow areas, adjacent to weed lines but in open water, and near stumps, rocks, and stickups. Ditto for a jerkworm. Work it fast or faster and cover primary cover areas. For deep water lakes, I've never heard of dropshotters and finessers using anything but finesse plastics when vertical fishing. I kind of relate it to ice fishing in the n.e. where a small tube, tiny curly tail or pork strip, attached to a small vertically jigged, Swedish pimple, will catch far more than larger artificials. Yet medium to large shiners used under tip-ups will catch more fish than small minnows. Strange. I've been spoiled on shallow water fishing for too long to prefer deep structure fishing. One of these days I'll be in a boat with a good vertical-technique angler to demonstrate how it's done. Sam

Haven't used them yet. I'm still going to try a plaster sealer first with an acrylic top coat.

Chris, have you ever tried spray epoxy paint or large-appliance, tough and hard enamel spray paint? (neither of which is epoxy or enamel) Sam

from a post I wrote on www.tacklemaking.com (which is back up)I would like to add my own observations to the above, stated under soft plastic lure theory, Bite Retention article. The theory of 'the softer the lure, the more retention', does have a noticable exception. Many manufactured soft baits are loaded with salt, making them harder or at least much less firm than previous soft body lures. I began pouring my own early this year and, and since I usually have enough salted plastic left over from pouring sticks, I pour grubs and trickworms with the surplus. The bait is much harder than using just plastisol, but I've noticed no difference in retention time. But being "bite sized" has a time and a place, especially when a fish's aggression-level is less than super or drop shotting is used for deep fish; other wise size matters as it relates to action-profile. (Many of us have caught 7" fish on 10" worms, 5lb. bass on 1.5" shads and deep bass on drop shot, 6" straight tails. Their inherent and imparted actions made all the difference!) Concerning "natural taste", many of us knows from experience that a lure having no taste or scent, can be held onto for just as long as one with scent or built in flavor. Scent, like color and realistic shape, will always be controversial factors, but since many anglers buy lures for those reasons, those of us that produce lures for sale, try to incorporate what is considered semi-copies-of-nature elements. If I smell a lure and it smells like a crawfish, I will chose it over an unscented bait based on the knowledge that fish can smell and, "it can't hurt". But does it really affect catch ratio? Probably not nearly as much as the all-important factors of faith and confidence. In my experience, size, shape, vibration and color supersede all factors affecting the strike-and-hook set, (plus a few other factors associated with old age. ) If they can see it and feel it (and the moving lure pushes it's buttons), these alone are enough to allow me the two seconds of time I need, once the strike is detected. The fish can munch the bait around in it's mouth all it wants, but my hook will strike home in no uncertain terms! It can savor the flavor on it's own time! Shape and size may go hand in hand, but how? When we think of size, we think length. But consider the most current proof that length is not the primary factor of size. Girth is! What I mean by girth is the maximum diameter of the body in relation to it's ends (front & back). The Senko proved beyond a doubt that the center of gravity (so well discussed in the article under Soft Plastics), is a key factor of the lure's success. The action is located in both tips or ends, which affects the entire body. The thickest part is distributed towards the center and that part has the highest amount or weighting of salt. The unique horizontal fall has made Gary Y a rich man, and caused many of us to remortgage our homes to be able to afford his baits (before we figured out his secret). Therefore, a stick built this way will catch any size fish whether the lure is "bite-sized" (4") or 6". Size matters only in how it affects action, the same as in crankbaits, but slim-and-fat are important factors. Sight factors go hand in hand with size and texture/hardness factors. A muted color will not be as sight-provking as a bright or flashy color unless it's size is larger. I've used a black spinnerbait blade in conjunction with a black skirt and trailer because I wanted the entire action-profile to be black. So, in a sense, a black profile can be as sight-provking as a smaller nickel blade and a white skirt. I have never used a black blade with a light colored skirt because I want profile-uniformity over the entire bait. Both flashy, bright or sight-provoking, are needed for different reasons concerning available light and filtering. Black, muted and *natural colors can work well in any water as long as the action profile gets the fish's attention. *(Natural is just another color scheme, not meant to imitate.) One final thing, as was mentioned under the bait-action factors, (again well written in the lure-action article), was how tail action affects the entire bait. The tail of a soft bait gives action to a bait just like the bill of a crankbait. The ratio you might want to consider when pouring grubs, can be taken from Kalin and Fat Albert grub designs demonstrating fat is beautiful! But, a big butt is just as important, which causes the body to rock-and-roll and wag. My curl-tails are wider and poured thicker to move that obese body back and forth. Mr. Twister once held the entire market in it's hands with their segmented slim-bodied grubs and tails, until Kalin blew away the concept that thinner is always better. Fatter along with exaggerted action, stimulates the lateral line as well as being, 'a sight to behold'! LOL Talk about 'bite-sized', what about a mouthful?! According to the lazy-economical-expenditure-of-energy theory, fish want to gobble the largest food item their appetite will allow. I pulled a 7" half-digested carp out of the throat of a 14" pickerel, who still grabbed my Yozuri! (I have witnesses!) So if it's a choice between a minute-steak and a fat, juicy chunk of prime rib, give me the latter anytime! Something to mull over in the winter months ahead. Sam

I'm going to buy a spray can of masonry paint by Kilz or an oil base coating-brush on. Will report results. Sam

The catolog I received didn't make that clear. Volume means nothing for solids that are almost as light as air or, at the very least, micro or mini plastic materials. To receive 2 oz. of glitter that weighs only 1 oz. (or less) is deceptive, especially when you do get actual weight when ordering larger bagged amounts. Flake amount should not be advertised in fluid sizes that are not equated to either troy oz. or in grams. Again, if the flakes have settled, you are getting less than an oz. for the 2oz. price. Del, your plastic is cheaper per gal. than LC's when ordering 5 gal. amounts. How does S&H compare when ordering from you in AZ to my 12586 zip. I've told a friend who operates Bear Paw Hand Pours and needs more plastic, but has been getting his from LC. I told him that two luremaking sites prefer Calhoun over 3G and LC plastisol and to contact Calhoun for a sample. There's no reason not to buy from you if the plastic is superior and the total cost for 5 gal or a 50 gal tub is close to LC. Sam

I ordered 2 oz. of a certain color from LC. I decided to see if the 2 oz. was volume wt. of a jar or actual glitter weight. The jar was half the weight of the total weight, which means that you are getting 1oz. of glitter when ordering two oz. (The lid weighed .75 oz. by itself.) In a few cases, the glitter did not reach the top of the jar (80% full) which means less than an oz. was charged at a 2oz. price. Should you be paying for volume or weight? I weighed a plastic ziplock bag and it weighed 1/10 of an oz. I assume that if I were to sell glitter by weight, 2oz. should weigh 2.1 oz. or a little more to be safe. Sam

While the plaster is setting up, place popsicle sticks (as shown) in the firm plaster. You only need 2" of embedded stick. Use vaseline to smear the sticks and entire top half of the mold, once the bottom half is solid and dry to the touch. (Depends on room humidity and water:plater ratio, but usually 1/2 hour is enough for the second pour.) Put strips of aluminum along both sides for fool proof separation of the halves. Pour the next 3/4" of plaster. Inset thin straight edge screw driver and turn. (The aluminun defines the edge of the halves.) Slowly work the parts apart ( the sticks will slide out of the top half slits and serve as an exact guide. In fact, only one stick is needed, but two are nice.) Coating the top surfaces of each half with Mod Podge, allows for a slick surface which prevents plaster from sticking to the plastic or vice versa. Using epoxy is permanent, but expensive. Using spray-on stone-sealer (craft or Home Depot) is the way I seal the mold. I always brush on some worm oil (Original Fish Formula - anise) into the cavities for a slick surface, every 3rd pour. I've poured over 100 lures from my first plaster mold made in 3/03 -(Senko copy) and occasionally recoat. It's nice to have fully rounded baits since a full profile may be seen better at different angles. (Angler preference, not the fish's, necessarily)! For smaller diameter worms, one part molds are fine and you may only want one textured side. You're the boss, you decide. Sam

Judge for yourself. The worm in the forground is the penworm with grooves made with a soldering iron and recast again with plaster. Both smooth and segmented worms work as good as a Senko. Sam

Depends on the detail of the master-form. Simple, less detailed forms just have to be oiled up with vaseline before sitting in plaster. Clay must be dry and hard, as well as oiled, or the water in the plaster will react with it and turn it soft. But, if that happens, just pull out clay pieces to free the mold cavity. Sometimes 2 part molds are easier to work with when form parts are deeper than the main axis of the form (shad). Sam

Too bad you can't use 5 gal. 5 gals Soft hand pour from Del is $75.00 or $15/gal. plus S&H. Sam

For the new mold maker or for making prototypes, plaster of paris is the way to go. 8 lbs cost 5 bucks and can easily make at least 25 molds. The containers can be anyhting, but I chose to use 3-for-a-buck Al foil baking tins, which are reusable. two part grub mold

The company is sending specifics as to sizes that hexagonal versus square come in and the number of sizes (8 minimum). Mixing colors in a customer dictated ratio would be a no brainer and would still be offered at a simple price per ounce. The company, in fact, said they could offer any color flake ever produced for soft plastics and special order it, as long as I ordered in 10 lb. increments. Again, once I figure out my overhead cost (i.e. my S&H cost for 300-400 lbs. and your minimal S&H costs, I'll post the price per oz. I'm moving in about a month and must make sure closing and moving costs are covered, but this will take place after the new year, if not sooner. Sam, the GlitterGuy

Back again, to update everyone on the 'Glitter Guy's' findings. I found a few companies that will sell glitter to me at a price that will allow me to sell to you cheaper than from LC. One site has 47 colors to chose from and many size categories. The coated polyurethane can cook in temps up to 375. In order for me to get a decent price, I must order in lots of 10lbs. per color/size. Since there are at least ten standard colors we use and 3 basic sizes, I would have to invest in at least 270-300 lbs. of glitter to start. If the demand continued, the variety would increase. I usually run out of various colors of glitter long before I run out of plastic, so paying high S&H for a few a few colors or sizes of glitter, is not my idea of economical. The colors I would invest in are as follows: black, silver, gold, green, chartreuse, purple, red, blue, copper and orange (holograph if enough demand) sizes: .008, .035, .062 and string Price per oz. would be less than any source you currently have, plus S&H would be less due to cheaper packaging and mailing due to weight reduction. (plastic bags versus bottles; mailing envelopes versus boxes.) My only question before I invest in this is, is there a demand? Do most of you sell enough lures to warrent a change in glitter suppliers, especially if: 1. you get what you need at a cheaper price 2. you don't worry about getting ripped off (being sent something you didn't order and being told to send it back for credit) 3. you can order any amount of any color/size for a set per-ounce price Your preferences as far as size, shapes, other colors, amounts usually needed, etc.? Sam

If you want bright and opaque, add white. If you want gradations of dark and semiopaque, add black. Of course salt will make the plastic opaque regardless, especially if ground fine. Sam

Thanks, I couldn't haven't expressed it any better. I'll give it my best shot and try to make it work. As they say, "competition is good". Next time I need plastic, Del gets my business. (Hope you can expand into dyes. Even at LC's prices, you'd still get my business.) Sam

The price list will give me an idea as to how much I can offer at the get go. If I find the demand high enough for a component that's offered at a cheaper price and with lower s&h rates, I'll keep expanding colors in all common sizes. I should have the price list and samples by early next week. If the break down comes out cheaper to you, it's a done deal; if not, not. Even if I have to break even to undercut LC, I'll do it. Specialization makes for better economics and quality usually. The number of guys that pour their own may only be a handful, in which case I may have a couple of hundred pounds of glitter on my hands for quite a long time. So be it. It's my commitment. Sam

I figure it this way, find alternative sources for all other supplies (ie. plastisol - from Del, dyes, heat stabilizer, hardner, softner from M-F, and glitter from me) and, until there is a better source for dyes, LC. If you purchase 5 gal. amounts of plastic, you have to pay extra S&H anyway. If you don't mind glitter in heavy duty freezer bags, shiping will be minimal. (I'm not sure about N.Y.S. tax for N.Y. residents.) Glitter can be a large component of soft plastics and hopefully the pricing will make this doable. Regardless, I'll post a breakdown of all overhead and get everyone's opinion. Also, I'll heat the plastic containing the flakes to be sure its up to our standard and post pics of clear sample plastic drops containing various colors. The big expense is buying many colors of different size flake and hoping no one gives up the hobby. LOL Sam

POLYESTER JEWELS This is a top of the line premium glitter that shows more brilliance than any glitter in our line. This is manufactured from a .001" thick vacuum metallized PET film. The color coat is a thermoset crosslinked epoxy system and is available in the widest color offerings of any of our products. It is suitable for a wide variety of applications including, but not limited to, such diverse items as cosmetics, adhesives, plastisols and fiberglass gel coats. Standard size range for this product is from .008" to .125". CRYSTALINA This is a unique specialty line of iridescent glitters. These glitters contain no metallic element, but rather get their color shifting and sparkling appearance from the optical properties of the layered polymer film from which they are made. While there are distinct color variations, the films used to manufacture this product are essentially transparent. ALPHA JEWELS This is among the finest glitter on the market. Holographic products, like the iridescent, obtain their colored appearance because of the optical properties of the flake, rather than any pigment or dye. The base film (PET) is embossed prior to metallizing, which gives it this unique appearance. Hope the price per 10lbs. is within my means. I've asked for a retailer discount.

The product info I received states that the polyester is heat resistant. Aluminum flakes are also available, but I'm not sure if a problem in a microwave. Probably not because of distance from the sides and small size. I see it as the comparison between Sam's Club and LC, except you don't have to buy in quantity, but have a greater variety. Free samples of odd colors and color combos will be sent on request and/or also thrown in, free of charge from time to time. For example, I add all the colors needed to copy Zoom's margarita (ie. the green sticks and grubs I made for the swap). I would premix this combo and offer it as a standard color. I use a bass-mix (fine green and copper, medium gold, black, and silver flakes). I use other standard mixes, which I would also offer premixed at a set amount per ounce. Pearl powder is my next search. The internal reflection is amazing! Sam

To clarify, a minimum of 2 oz. of a certain size flake would be charged at say, x$/ oz. To order 1/2 lb., you would multiply x$ times 8 oz. If you only wanted 6 oz. total (i.e. 3oz. red, 3oz. gold), the charge would be x$ times 6 oz. Once I get a wholesale price, I'll break it down to reflect container and flake price only. S&H extra. (If you have a jar or your own container, there would be no charge for the container - a heavy duty freezer bag would be used per color.) I'm not sure, but standard rip-off S&H price charts might not apply because packaging costs may not be that much. (i.e. A mailing envelope of flake may not even come close to a box containing flake containers, for minimal orders.) So ordering flakes, as needed, may cost only around $1, depending on USPS. UPS may charge more for smaller orders because of their minimum. Overnight is charged extra, of course. I'm not doing this to supplement my income, but few companies offer the service, variety, price. If I can expand to other components, (dyes, powders, and maybe pots, etc.) I will, depending on demand. Let's see where this takes us. Numbers have to be crunched and my tax id established, though I could use my wife's. Sam