rock

Dye and alumidust will work with these rubber urethanes just fine. The bottles should have come with mixing directions, but Alumilite has good customer service . Give them a call and they will help you..

Sorry for the upside down pics. We used waterslide decals for these. Patterned the shape of the lure to coordinate with the decal. Airbrushed the tops and bottoms. Good thread on this on TU, and we followed it closely. Thanks for the compliments! Lots to be learned here on the site. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/23137-photo-finishing-with-waterslide-decal-paper/

I agree with Pete. My guess is you will be very disappointed trying to get the pieces out of the mold and the mold won't last long. RTV is definitely you best option. Here's one we've just completed with a silicone mold. Even have the joint slots molded and the screwy eyes location so it's ready to go with just a little tweaking after it comes out.

I always add some denatured alcohol to the epoxy. Really helps thinning it a bit and helping it flow. Cleans up the brush too. You have to experiment a bit on how much to use. A little goes a long way.

I made a few for myself. Traced a few Colorado blades on a brass sheet, and cut it out, smoothed the edges and drilled a hole in the middle. Bend the edges a bit, and it spins just dandy.

Scottymac, I just started double making my large spinnerbait heads. A very noticeable difference in its hardness after the second round. It can take away a little luster, but I add a coat of epoxy after that, so no worries.

Double, If you have any Suicks, or Reef Hawgs, you can see how they use the cotter pins. Drill a hole for the pin to slide through snugly. Cut one side of the pin to the depth of the bait. The other side ends up sticking above the bait when you push it through. Bend an "L"'shape at the tip of it and bend it over and pound the tip into the top of the bait so it is flush.

This is a product that was recommended in a previous thread on the topic. http://www.caneycreekmolds.com/HD-Sinking-Additive_p_386.html I am going to give it a try this year, but have no personal experience.

Lots of options with the plastics. Alumilite shells with lightweight foams inside, alumilite with microballoons, or just closed cell polyurethane foams. I have made a few out of 15 lbs closed cell foam and like the density and toughness. Do your research on the vendors sites and decide what buoyancy you want. You can usually buy smaller amounts to experiment with. Rock

I used both. For screw eyes, I wrap thin brass wire around the ends into a ball before putting it in the mold. It resembles a chicken leg, but it's not coming out after the foam hardens over it. One bait has through wire, but is a rotating head topwater bait. I have no qualms recommending the screw eyes if you reinforce them a bit with the extra ball of wire.

Wayne, Another option for you is rigid foam. http://www.smooth-on.com/Rigid-and-Flexible/c10/index.html I just cast a few muskie lures with the 15 lbs foam and am anxious to paint them up. Solid stuff and just the right density I was looking for with a floating lure. I used to slush mold with alumilite shell and 6 lbs foam, which worked well enough, but this new single stage process is going to get a try for simplicity. I have tried alumilite with micro balloons, but felt it was a bit harder to mold. The mix ends up thicker and doesn't pour as well into the mold. Baits turned out ok, but the pour hole needs to be bigger to account for the thicker goop. I have no experience with feather lite. Good luck with your project. Rocko

A couple of tips with the silicone. I have had better results mixing it with acrylic paint instead of water. It cures better and you can tell it is mixed better with a colored paint. Cheap acrylic craft paint in a bottle works good and is cheap. You don't need a lot and and sorry but I don't have an exact amount to use but a little goes a long ways. To get better detail, do it in stages. Make a small batch and coat the master with a butter knife or similar tool. Just spread it on in a thin coat and let it cure. Then you can make a bigger batch for the mold, and the silicone will adhere to itself and you will get excellent details. Give these a try and you will be very surprised at the quality of molds that you can make. Rock

Check out the way Mepps makes there H210 double tens. I have been making them the same way for a number of years. They simply add the first treble to the split ring on the hinge, and the extra lead is added to the wire between or after the flashabou. I like the hinge a lot for keeping fish from getting leverage when shaking their heads and they don't bend up as bad. Second tip is to add a small sleeve of shrink tube on the that first treble and fix it towards the bottom of the shank. It really helps to keep the flash from sticking between the hooks in the bottom of the treble. Good luck, it's fun to make them, Rocko