jigmeister

I have hade this happen too from using too much hardener (catylyst) and had some molds roll up on the edges during the heat of the summer that were perfectly flat when made . I have had good luck setting the warped molds out in direct sun light during the summer and clamping them between two pieces of wood with C-clamps . after they're warm just clamp down and let them cool and they will be flat again.

HMMM heres what I found http://www.paulowniawood.com/characteristics.htm

with a hard master the best thing to use would be 2 part silicone molding agent . The shrinkage is minimal and since its soft and flexable you'll be able to retrieve your master without damaging it . The down side its the most expensive method to use for making molds .

OK here is my fix for the same problem........I took a centering punch and and lightly "peened" the edges of the wire slot (at the head end and where it exits the top of the mold) to displace the metal into the slot so it would firmly hold the wire form in place while pouring. Haven't had to do this with hook slots but I'd imagine it will work for that too........

I am looking for someone to pour me a limited number of 4" brush hog type baits (for purchase) to try out for a particular application (10-20 baits) Maybe someone out there with a Delmart mold? I am wanting to try some light smoke with large silver flake but Zoom doesn't make that color. Any takers? thanks,Jigmeister

BorderBasser , I was the one who posted the idea about using a vacuum chamber made from a 5 gal bucket a couple of years back. It will either take vacuum or pressure to completely fill a two piece mold such as you describe. I came up with the process to make a copy of a "Madman" craw ( 2 piece mold with insert for hollow center) . It was about the hardest mold making experiment I had ever attempted . The vacuum method allowed me to completely fill the mold through stratigic placement of venting. I also tried using an automotive siphon gun (used for filling /extracting fluids form transmissions and rear ends) . Its like a big metal syringe of something like 20 oz. it has a threaded hole in one end for the hose fitting . I changed the original plastic hose bard fitting to a brass one . Heat your plastic ,put the hose barb fitting in and pull the handle back filling it up with hot plastic . Push the handle forward with the hose barb facing up till hot plastic just runs out to purge any air . Now place the hose barb into the sprue hole in the end of the mold(s) and inject the plastic. You should strive to expell all the hot plastic while hot to minimize clean up . Both ends unthread and come off for clean up. Either way you go its a pain to pour a 2 piece mold without expensive injection molding equipment but it is possible...........Jigmeister

since you're not contending with cold water temperatures you could try plexiglass . also fiberglass circuitboard ,aluminum or stainless steel plate will all work ..........

most of the craws out here where I live are actually transplanted Lousiana swamp craws that have taken over from the original native species. From trapping experiments I have reached the conclusion that most of the craws 3" and below are a green pumpkin color with some orange on the tips of the claws and a small amount on the legs as well . After they get bigger a reddish color "oxblood" or smoke with red flake matches them good in the adult red color phase. They are very adept at different color phases to match the local conditions with blues, black, reds,purplish ,and green shades posible hope this helps -jigmeister

finlander, I usually apply the foil in halves to each side of the bait leaving about a 1/4" gap on top of the back and also on the belly . Burnish the foil edges real good with a spoon to flatten out . I then take a small paint brush and paint the gap between the foil halves with a thin coat 2 ton Devcon epoxy just lapping over the foil edges . This fills in the gap so there is no foil edges and also anchors down the the foil so it cant lift up. Hope this helps -Jigmeister

I think Tap plastics sells a kind of polish like that for plastics

Thanks all for the great suggestions ! Looks like I've got to go buy some more supplies...........jigmeister

made a plug (douglas fir) primed with kilz ,outer coating of devcon . Outer coating got cracked from an impact and water soaked into the wood splitting the paint /epoxy all over. next attempt : made a plug (basswood this time) sealed the bare wood with devcon ,painted , then sealed the plug with outer layer of devcon over the paint. this one seems to be holding up great but I am still concerned if it gets a ding it could split . bought some boiled linseed oil to seal the lure body but after reading some comments about paint adhesion problems with linseed oil it has me wondering . I was planning on using the devcon as a final clear coat even with the linseed oil . Any comments or suggestions? Its just pretty frustrating putting all the time in creating a lure to have it split on you . maybe I should have stuck with making jigs and plastic worms ............Jigmeister

if you're tying bass fishing jigs with living rubber or deer hair you can go to wally world and pick up some nylon upholstry thread in black or brown . its thicker and stronger than other threads and you can really pull on it without breaking. I have been making so many jigs the last few years for some tournament fishing buddies of mine I modified my jig mold to pour a 4" piece of annealed black bailing wire into the jighead. this makes everything go much quicker without fooling with thread . put the living rubber on the collar,make a couple of wraps with the wire,snip off the extra wire and your done !

I have made a few molds out of Durhams and it does work but you have to make sure all the moisture is baked out or you'll end up with an eruption like a volcano out of the sprue hole after the hot lead goes in . Its good for making making some prototypes to test but not very durable . I am going to pick up some GE 2 part pourable hi-temp silicone (RTV #60)and try making a 2 part mold the same way as with the Durhams

They may be close in size but they are different hooks for sure . The Gami's may be sharper but the premium Mustad's are stonger and less prone to straighten out at the bend . Also the Mustad's point is more durable .

Overkill , Great job on this perplexing problem I think you have done it!!! I went surfing around the net after reading your post about the seat painting and found both the vinyl prep and adhesion promoter for sale at the same place and after reading the descriptions/uses it sure sounds like this is how the big guys are doing it . Of course you may be found dead with a big plastic trout in your mouth as a warning to others after this but great work :0)

polyester molds shrink slightly when setting up are very rigid once dry . If your original/model being copied is a hard material you will have a heck of a time prying it out of the cavity and will most likely destroy the master and or the new mold . 2 part Silicone molding material works well with hard material prototypes .

If you're aiming at pouring your own try using tin instead of lead . Cabela's sells a lightweight "resin " jighead with a big hook for swimbaits but I wasn't happy with them because the bait tends to roll over on the retrieve due to the light weight (but they look good)..........Jigmeister

Hmmm? mine seems to be getting the supplies I order in a timely fashion . As soon as I send in an order I come up with another idea and realize I should have included those items in the order I just sent . Stamina has the stuff but their service as of late seems a little spotty.

Joshua, You can copy (make a mold) of any swim bait easily if it has a flat side on it . Typically most swimbaits will be flat on the back . I think Lurecraft sells a mold like you're looking for if you don't want to make one . For a multi colored bait you just pour the lighter belly color in first and then gently pour the darker back color in over it . You don't want to wait too long or you can have problems with the two layers not bonding together well. As far as painting baits afterwards theres a big thread going on that one right now ..................good luck ,Jigmeister

I'm not Ohio Mike but I did make a low cost vacuum chamber to aid in pouring some two-part molds I made . Get a 5 gallon plastic bucket (a square one works best if you can find and some laundry detergent is sold in these) . You will also need a shopvac to pull the vacuum . Drill a hole in the side of the bucket the size of the attachment wand on the end of the shopvac hose just above the bottom of the bucket. Instead of the lid I cut some plywood slightly bigger than the outside dimintion of the bucket out of plywood . Put some foam weatherstripping tape around the bottom of the new plywood lid to form a seal to the bucket. Drill a hole thru the lid that will line up with the sprue hole in your mold . You can use hi-temp silicon to make a bead on the bottom of the lid to seal between the lid and your mold . You will have to devise a way to clamp or attach your mold to the lid with wood, straps, etc. depending on the configuration of your mold. Get everything set and heat your plastic after lubing your mold cavity(s) liberally with Pam. Turn on the vac and pour . After cooling gently pry the mold halves apart . If you have any bubbles or voids in the finished bait scribe a fine line in one of the mold halves around the void area to the outside edge so the vacuum can pull the plastic in . Its a trial and error thing just be careful not to make these vents too big or the vacuum can suck about all the hot plastic out while pouring . Hope this helps ...jigmeister

I just finshed testing an AC type plug a made and it swims great with no ballast weight . (just have to paint it now) I finally got the round preshaped wooden bodies I ordered that I have to lay out and cut and was wondering if ballast weight will be required since this one will have a lexan diving lip on it? Thanks-Jigmeister

I just bought some full round lure bodies from Stamina and just like I've seen discussed here many times I had to figure out a way to cut an accurate lip slot in the lure. What I came up with was to use a block of wood wider than the OD of the lure body . Next I drilled a centered hole (slightly smaller than the widest part of the body) with a hole saw,vise, and drill press straight thru the side of the block . Size the lure body in the hole after drilling and the tapered shape should wedge the body firmly in the hole perfectly centered. Figure out what the desired lip angle is and trim the end of the wood block to that angle . This will have the lure body nose up at the proper angle and held securely. You can lay the block on its side for a table saw or standing up for a chop type saw . I put top ,bottom ,and side reference marks at 90 degree intervals on the fixture for marking the lure body for true accurate lines in relationship to the lip slot.

In the new Stamina catalog for 05 they have just what you're looking for (chartreuse w/ red flake) called "splattered blood skirts" Item # 392-10

Looks to me to be a "Scrounger" jig head that was made around the late 70's -80's . The plastic hood thingy was actually like a lip to make the jig swim back and forth ........