nova

I would have thought that baking soda and cold water would have done it. Maybe one of those oxi cleaners might do it. How long did you let them soak in baking soda? www.novalures.com

Pickling salt is 100% pure salt. I use it as well. It's very coarse salt and must be floured before you use it. www.novalures.com

Just look on the package and if it says 100% salt then it's ok to use. You would be surprised what is added to salt by differant companys. Take a look at the ingrediants sometime; even sugar is added. www.novalures.com

Welcome to the TU. www.novalures.com

Not sure what to say. That's a long time to let it go. Do you have a phone number for him? If so, give him a call and explain your case. www.novalures.com

The resin you pour into the resin mold will simply fill the cavity and become part of the block of resin. I don't think you will be able to get it out because of the shape of the bait. www.novalures.com

I used to make a lot of molds from resin. Very good for detail. The downsides I found are if you pour a lot of baits at a time the resin will give off a smell which gets into the baits. Also as the molds increase in temperature they will soften and can warp slightly. www.novalures.com

Don't get excited; I'm only kidding. www.novalures.com

The dollar store is one of my favorite stores. The shelves are full of things that can spark your inventive mind. Somtimes I stop in and just walk the isles. I have spent as much as a couple of hours in there looking at everything except underwear;lol. Somtimes just the shape of a handle on a kitchen tool will inspire an idea. The best part of the whole thing is that it's just a buck so if it doesn't work out you're not out a lot of $. www.novalures.com

Try the Dollar Store. If they have it, it will be a lot cheaper than anywhere. www.novalures.com

I have a large bottle of it; but you don't make enough money; lol. I use it for making several of my "special" colors". I've never tired to copy it but it I'm sure it has black in it. The greenish color I'm not too sure of. www.novalures.com

Welcome to the madness; lol. www.novalures.com

Sorry; my puter went down for a while. BassBoys got the answer for you. Just add softner to counteract the firmness that salt gives the bait. www.novalures.com

Table salt is a no no for any plastic bait as far as I'm concerned. There are too many additives in it, even sugar sometimes; check the lable. Pickling salt is pure salt and fouring it in a coffee grinder will give you the best suspension in the plastic. You still have to stir it, just not as often. www.novalures.com

Jim, I bought some regular white glue from the dollar store just to try it. Worked great at 50/50 mix. www.novalures.com

Same thing I do. Once the plastic starts to turn yellow I remove it from the pot and add a dark color; like black. That way the plastic is not wasted. www.novalures.com

What you are really looking for is someone to make a mold to pour this worm. I don't think you will find anyone whose has one right now(could be wrong though). To make a master, then a mold and pour a few baits could be quite exspensive. www.novalures.com

Go to an aluminum pot instead of steel. You will find the steel will scorch the plastic quicker than the aluminum. www.novalures.com

No, I haven't made spinnerbaits or buzzbaits(other than Buzz the Mouse which doesn't require licking,lol), for about 15 years now. I found it took too much time away from pouring plastic; which I really like doing. I did "lick" them for about 10 years though. Like I said, I made thousands of them. ( I still have a lot of Do-it frames left for spinnerbaits and 1/8 buzzbaits if anyone is interested), www.novalures.com

I've done thousands of buzzbaits and spinnerbaits over the years and breaking the sprue off with a pair of pliers is the best way to go. It leaves just a small imperfection as opposed to cutting it off which just makes a mess.(my opinion) I had a very large file which set on my bench that I would pass the head over to smooth it off. (only took a couple of passes) As far as heath hazard goes; I would lick the head of the baits at the collar so that the skirt would slide on easier. Then, with all the flap about lead poisioning that was going on years ago, I became concerned and went to my DR. Blood work was done and the results were negative for lead. After licking thousands of them I showed no abnormal amounts of lead in my system. That being said, I'm not suggesting that you should overlook any safety procedures or that everyone should start licking bars of lead,lol. www.novalures.com

There is a cookbook sticky in this forum. It has many recipes in it. Check it out and I'm sure you'll be happy. www.novalures.com

There is some very good advice already posted here. My take on this is that once you have gotten your pouring down, so that you aren't making too many mistakes, what you should shoot for first is to just be able to cover the costs of this hobby. In other words you should try to break even at this point. If you are going to try to make a living then you should be prepared to invest some big bucks on injection machinery like CarolinaMike did. If you decide to do that then you had better have some sales contacts lined up before you spend that kind of money. Don't get us wrong here; I'm sure no one is trying to talk you out of this if that is what you really want to do. We're just trying to share our thoughts and experience with you. www.novalures.com

Try a zip knife (thin blade), heat it with a micro torch till it starts to turn red. Then with the two pieces touching each other where you want them to join; pass the hot knife between them quickly. The plastic will melt on both pieces and join together once the knife passes through. If you move too slowly the plastic will melt too much and make ridges that you will have to deal with. I suggest that you practice on an old worm before you try for the finished parts you want to use. www.novalures.com

You should not expect to be able to pour those baits right away. you will only set yourself up for frustration. Start with something simple and learn how to pour plastic. It's not as easy as a lot of people might think. Get some basic, hands-on knowledge before you attempt a complicated pour. Remember that whatever plastic you pour, it can be re-melted and poured again. That way you won't have to waste it while you learn what you need to learn. www.novalures.com

Whatever salt you use make sure it's 100% pure. Table salt has iodine, sugar and other additives in it. I use pickling salt. www.novalures.com