nova

Heard about it up here today. I only have one thing to say: Tall tree; short rope; big party. www.novalures.com

I use clear polish to coat my masters to make molds after I carve them but I don't think that it will hols up in water. I think that it will turn "milky". To try it, coat a piece of dowel with several coats and put it a pan of water for an hour to see what happens. www.novalures.com

Don't give the guy a hard time. lol Don't all baits contain some portion of other baits? How many ways has the lowly worm been done? I design almost all the baits I sell. I don't have a zillion dollars to patent them; so why worry about it? Do the mail thing. I also started a website which can be time and date tracked(don't know if that means anything but it won't hurt). www.novalures.com

I used to use resin for my molds(good detail retention) but if you don't get the mixture right the molds can warp and crack. Resin costs a lot more than POP. I've also had a couple of resin molds that didn't set completely.(what a mess). I thin the epoxy down with acetone to a watery mixture. I put 2 or 3 coats of this mixture on and it soaks into the plaster really well. I put the molds into the oven at 150 for an hour. Then I make another mixture of epoxy thinned down with about 1/2 the amount of acetone I used first time, and apply a couple of more coats. Then back into the oven. When it comes out if it's not smooth enough, I put another thin coat on. This works for me; it may not work for others. It will rob the finer detail but what I do is "over-do" the detail so that it shows when I'm finished. Hope this helps. www.novalures.com

Sometimes I use clay and other times I carve it out of wood. www.novalures.com

Ian; thanks for the visit to the site. I make all my molds out of POP and seal with epoxy.(can't get water putty up here) www.novalures.com

I like it Ian; I'm partial to finese baits. I like the "hairy" look the string glitter gives the bait. How long is it? What do you make your molds out of? www.novalures.com

If it smells that bad and evaporates, you might want to consider wearing your mask. I saw pictures some years ago of a company I used to buy from in Alabama. They were spraying the backs of swimbaits with paint in a booth and the guy was wearing a mask. www.novalures.com

Same thing happened to me only mine were silver. lol I guess that sometimes the quickest way is not always the best way. www.novalures.com

Those village idots breed like rabbits. lol www.novalures.com

I'm not a "tube dipper" but I don't think it will work with wood as well as it would with metal. I think that the plastic will stick to the wood even with the coating. Get yourself a piece af aluminum and carve your dipper with a dremel tool(if you are only using these for yourself). If you are selling them it would be better to get them done on a CNC machine. I think that the heat the metal absorbs from dipping helps to allow the bait to be easily removed from the mold. These are just my thoughts; I could be wrong. www.novalures.com

Your sculpy clay master is a one time thing. You will have to dig it out being careful not to gouge the sides of the mold. Then you clean up the mold; seal it to a shiny surface and let cure. I use the oven set at 125 to cure the epoxy. This is your "master mold" from there you use scrap plastic to pour out as many baits as you need to make the size mold you want to work with. Make sure all the baits look the same(detail). Then you make your working mold with those baits. Do not destroy your master mold; put it in a safe place after you identify it with a marker in case you break or wear out the working mold. This way you can re-use the clay. POP is cheaper than sculpy clay. www.novalures.com

I'm with you bassnfool. I don't use heat stabilizer. You just need to pay attention to your time and power settings. Heat from the handles is not that bad(everyone does not have the same sensitivity to heat) and if it gets too be too much I use the rag that I clean out the cups with but it's only for 1 pour then the handle cools enough. Oh yes; you will burn yourself sooner or later. It's just a matter of when and how bad. I pour with 1; 2; and 4 cup pyrex depending on the size of the order. Each one will heat differently and that is something that you have to experiment with so as to understand your own power settings and timing. The one thing to remember is that no 2 people pour exactly alike and you have to take the "rules of thumb" and fine tune the rest to suit the way you pour. Also, it is a progressive thing. As time and your experience goes on you will discover little things about pouring. You have to remember this is an art form; and no 2 artists paint alike. www.novalures.com

Silicone.

Just be sure to angle the mold for the second pour ensuring the side that already has plastic in it is on the high side. Plastic for second pour has to hot and you have to pour slowly. Good luck. www.novalures.com

Yes; it allows the extra plastic to run off and into the main body of the bait. Plastic has to heated to the max to work properly(careful not to burn it). Lizards are the hardest due to 4 legs and a tail. It takes some practice but it has to be done smoothly and quickly so you don't wind up with cold cracks. www.novalures.com

I've got a 55 gal drum in an unheated garage. No problems at all. www.novalures.com

I think what will happen is that the "powder" will simply clump up into a bunch of little balls. I thought about it some years ago but didn't try it for that reason. I'm sure that someone somewhere has tried though. Anything is worth a try. www.novalures.com

Has anyone tried taking the spring out of a ballpoint pen; stretching it out a little and cutting it. Should be able to get 3 pieces out of it. Attaching it with a small SS staple and epoxy to the bait. Then just screw the plastic onto the spring. The spring being quite light should empart a pretty good action to the plastic. www.novalures.com

Brian; Went to your site; looks good; but I coudn't find the "coffee" jig. lol www.novalures.com

I'd have to pay the over-weight charge because I'd take everything I had. LOL www.novalures.com