nova

Worm oil might work as well Jim. www.novalures.com

Happy Ho Ho to everyone at TU. www.novalures.com

The way that I preheat molds is I take old unsalted plastic(plastic that I use for making masters)and I melt it down then pour it into the molds and let it set there until I get my fresh plastic ready to pour. This gets the molds plenty warm to avoid cold cracks. www.novalures.com

I'm sure Kim at Lurecraft will sell you empty bottles so you can transfer from the flat top bottles. www.novalures.com

Have you tried plumbers teflon tape instead of aluminum foil? Nothing sticks to teflon. Just a thought. www.novalures.com

Has the old plastic you are melting been used? If it has you will run into a lot of "foaming/bubbling". This is due to the moisture that has been sucked into the old baits. This will be very bad if you are melting baits that have salt in them. Also Berkley baits will foam due to the additives they put in the baits. Whatever you are melting these baits in should not be filled more that half full or you will have an overflow and one heck of a mess. www.novalures.com

Any 2 part epoxy will work. You don't have to spend a bunch of $ for it. I use dollar store 2 part epoxy; works just fine. I can pour the POP in the morning; dry it; seal it with 2 or 3 coats of epoxy and be pouring baits by 3 PM. The best tool in your kitchen for making molds is your stove's oven. Use it to dry the POP and the epoxy. www.novalures.com

Frank; what was wrong with the video that stroked some folks against the grain? I didn't see anything upsetting in it. www.novalures.com

I have had three cups go on me. The first one exploded because I set the hot cup on my cold SS table. This was quick learning curve; scared the beans out of me. The next one was also my fault. Pouring in the winter, set the hot cup down on a silicone pad that I use and opened a window right behind it. This time it just cracked. The third time was with a split cup. When I made this cup I put the metal divider into the cup and sealed it in with JB Weld; by doing it this way you can see the bare metal through the glass and this is where it arched which cause the cup to crack open. Now I paint the cup with JB Weld where the metal is joined to the glass and then install the metal sealing it in with more weld. Long story short; all of these were preventable with a little more knowledge. We all learn through mistakes and this is why TU is so important. It allows us to pass along these learning curves to each other. www.novalures.com

There is one very important item you guys are missing. I see you are in Austrailia and if this shipment is leaving one country and going to another there is the customs search in both countries. I have ordered product from the US to be shipped to me in Canada and waited as much as 4 weeks due to a customs hangup. www.novalures.com

To put it simply a splitcup is a pyrex cup with a piece of tin glued in as a centre divider with JB Weld; and you can pour 2 colors at the same time. This will allow you to get all kinds neat baits right from nice two color baits to swirl colors. All depends on how you pour the baits. If you so a search for split cup you will find pictures and instructions on how to make one. Some advice at this stage is that you should not get too far ahead of your abilities. First learn how to use your micro and learn how to pour basic baits. I'm not trying to hold you back; just trying to save you from information overload. www.novalures.com

Looks pretty good. It seems to have a granular look to the color; or is that just my old eyes, lol. This could open up a whole new avenue for colors. www.novalures.com

I'm pretty sure that's all I have. The trick is that you get used to using what you have. Once you find out what you can do and what you can't do with your micro you will be off to the races. When I do 2 colors I use either my split cup or I utilize my hotplate. If you don't have a hotplate you should get one. They are great for reducing the moisture in the salt by heating it up. www.novalures.com

Happy Birthday to you. Have a good one. I remember that year (55) lol. www.novalures.com

I like it, they look good. www.novalures.com

Don't be intimidated; just remember that at one time we all were where you are now. I've been doing this for over 25 years and there are some guys here that have been at it a lot longer than that. I still see some things on here that make me say" why didn't I think of that?" If you have questions try the search feature and after that if you still don't understand simply ask and someone will help I'm sure. By the way all my eyes come from Lisa and Ed as well. www.novalures.com

Not far off the mark. lol www.novalures.com

Good for you Mike. Onward and upward. www.novalures.com

First question: is that plastic the same as we use? Observation: I'm pretty sure those holes are there to put the parts of the lure together inside of the plastic bubble. www.novalures.com

I don't think it will work. I don't useually say that to folks who are thinking outside the box; but the plastic has additives in it that will settle and clump up. Remember,I'm not saying don't try it. www.novalures.com

I used VMC hooks for years and I have no complaints. Nice and sharp. I also use Gammies which I find just a little better but they cost more as well. Go ahead and try them; I don't think you will be disappointed that you bought them. www.novalures.com

I've never tried what you are attempting to do, but you will most definately need to dry and seal the POP. The resin will stick to most everything. I would assume the glue will not work. In boat building they use a release agent which I assume is some type of wax compound. Do some research into fiberglass boatbuilding and you should be able to find out what they use. www.novalures.com

My old tourny partner is like that. It's kind of neat to watch him do deadstick fishing because he shakes so much; catches fish with it though. His shaking gets even worse when we have a nice bag of fish. In other words, he shakes all the time; lol. Nothing wrong with "nutty ideas" because they're only nutty if they don't work. You've come up with some really good ideas. I like someone who thinks outside the box. That's how progress is made as far as I'm concerned. Keep up the good work. www.novalures.com

I would expect it's all the same formula. One in three out; lol. www.novalures.com

I thought saltwater but I didn't think of the spinnerbait for a large tube. My first thought was where would you get a 10/0 EWG; lol. www.novalures.com