acklac7

Check the spring issue of infisherman...All sorts of good info on why those Ca largemouth get so big!..One of the reasons is due to the fact that they are constantly in cooler water..Searching for those trout!...The cooler water triggers there pre-winter metabolism...Which means that all that fat gets stored up!..Picture yourself sitting at home on the couch eating wendy's triples (mmmm....fatning) for 12 winter months on end....Your gonna get FAT...lol

Thanks for the tip!!! I have one of them foodsaver vaccum-sealers.. Would that do the trick if I put the mixed the rtv in a jar,placed it inside a bag then vaccum sealed the bag?

Thanks for your help!

Thanks for the info...I will agree with you on the bubble factor of the 1:1 stuff...However for the price im willing to deal with it...for now. Once I begin mass production of my molds I may reconsider. Did you have any problems with bubbles with the US Comp RTV? Also any ideas on how long RTV should last? (# of pours) Is the longevity of RTV fairly the same? or do some brands last longer than others?

Im currently using the 1 to 1 stuff..Not sure if it is the same 1:1 you were using, but it works fine for me! How did you like US Composites product(s)? I'm in the market for some bulik RTV and came across there site...I believe I can get 10 gallons from them for about $450.00 w/shipping...How did there RTV hold up? would you purchase it again?

Update: I received my RTV from M.M.....stuff is great..nearly identical to the stuff l.C. has....M.M. also carries alot of neat stuff for your average hobbyist...Great site! Thanks bassnfool!

Nice mold..Im thinking of trying something similar with a dead shad I got in the freezer I'm sure micro-mark RTV sales have increased about 10 fold in the past few weeks lol!...That stuff is great! and at a good price to boot! bassnfool is the one to thank..He turned me on to the stuff

http://www.tackleunderground.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=7202

Funny your pouring plastics for flatheads...I caught 2 on artificials last year while fishing for Saugeye (one on a jig, the other on a crank)...Know about 4 other people who caught them on accident last year too...As robbor said they prefer live bait...So why wouldn't they hit a jig?. I had some similar thoughts about pouring a big plastic swim for flatheads. Actually I got the idea from an In-Fisherman article a few years back entitled "artificals for flatheads" or something like that. As I recall they used big chub-immitating soft plastics worked slowly in current...They said it took some practice but they did catch a number of big,big flatty's on jigs. The only issue that arrizes with big soft plastics is your tackle...You would probably need a heavy action 7ft rod...And maybe 3/4+ ounce jig head to accurately work a 6-7" soft plastic, especially in deeper water w/current. Even then a 3/4 jig and a 7" swimbait weighs a ton...Probably would take some adapted skill to work it correctly.

Im going to be purchasing some RTV in the coming days and was wondering if anyone has some info on where to find cheaper RTV. My past two purchases have been from LC...But I just can't afford to spend $33.90 per 8oz kit...There has to be a cheaper option...right? Someone else noted http://www.smooth-on.com, however they have a plethora of different products/compounds..Not sure which one(s) to buy. Anyone else know of any suppliers that have cheap RTV (or some other flexible mold-casting compound)? Thanks!

I also am in desperate need of cheap(er) RTV!!! please pass on the info!!!

thanks guys...exactly the responses I was looking for

Bondo has worked great for me (I'm pouring grubs/twisters)....Only drawback is the ZERO flexibility factor...Basically this means that the top of your bait must be completely flat (which means the top of your mold is completely open)...Otherwise you can't remove the bait from the mold. With RTV (& some skill ) you can get a fairly well rounded top, it won't be completely round, but it will have some curvature...I am currently working on a 2-part, multi-pour, hybrid bondo/RTV mold... I produced one and it worked fairly well!...The grub almost looked like it came from an injection mold (all sides were completely round)..If only RTV was just a tad bit cheaper!!!!...RTV experimentation costs a TON!! Anyone know where to get cheap RTV?

Ok, so I have talked to a local tackle shop in town and they have agreed to sell my products. Im in the process of incorporating (EIN,taxes,etc), and my next step is to purchase equipment...However I am having some concerns about my current production "facility". I am planning on using the shed in the backyard for most of my production. Only problem is there will be neighbors within 10ft of the shed, at times. Currently I am pouring calhoun's with pirex..And the stuff stinks pretty bad. I am planning on running an extensive ventilation system, but even with that I am afraid of "odor complaints" from neighbors. So I got a couple of questions for the business guys: I intend to purchase stay-warm pots...do they emit as much smoke/odor as pirex? If so is there some sort of filter I can attach to my vent line to reduce the odor?(like a carbon filter?) Anyone else run there business from home? If so how close are your neighbors? Where do you vent? Ever get any complaints?...Thanks for your help!!! Trying to pull all this together by mid March...Going to be tough but I think I can do it