Richard Prager

Had a feeling that was what you were using. It has been my experience using Calhoun, to keep an eye on when it reaches the gel state. 20-30 second nukes from there. Stir in between blasts, but stir SLOWLY. Once it thins out and you still have some bubbles, nuke for 12-15 seconds. The plastic should be thin enough to allow you to stir with the bubbles rising to the top. Prior to pour do not shake vigorously but rock the container back and forth. make sure you keep your container closed tight at all times. Hope this helps.

What plastic are you using and how much are you trying to heat up at a time?

How are you mixing your plastic? For most plastics, all that is necessary for mixing prior to pouring is to rock the container back and forth. If you are vigorously shaking the container, you are creating bubbles before you even start. Try heating a little bit slower. If you heat too fast, some plastics will froth up like a beer. If you give us more information it would be easier to help you.

If you mixed your plastic well enough, then too much softener is the culprit. If you reheat the plastic and add more salt to compensate, you should end up with some nice sticks.

I don't add salt to by baits other than sticks because I want the tails to float upward. Salt is what makes the bait sink. You can start with 1/2 teaspoon of salt for the 4oz and see if that's to your liking. Stir it real good so it is disrpersed evenly. You can also put it in a coffee grinder of blender to "flour" it. This will keep it suspended in the plastic better. The downfall is, it clouds the baits and will need up twice the colorant. Flake and/or highlight powder will also toughen up a bait a bit.

You can also use the pigments made for making wax candles. They are about $1 per color block

I find that the only baits that stay slick for an extended period of time are the ones without salt and with very little flake. Salted baits and bait with a lot of flake become pourous not to mention salt absorbs everything.

Longhorn pretty much sums it up. You will be able to do a lot more with open pour molds. I use the microwave but that's just a matter of preference.

Nice job, Tyler!

Why don't you just give him a call? He makes the open pours that are already done the way you want it. They are not on his site. There is also a 5 and 7 inch up on ebay like that right now that he made.

Salt will stiffen up the baits. That's why most use a little softener when pouring sticks to compensate for that. Flake and highlight powder will also do that but not quite like salt does.

I recommend using salt that doesn't have any iodine added. It tends to cloud the bait. You can pretty much use any salt and put in a blender to achieve the size crystals you prefer. If you plan on pouring quite a bit, you can get salt from any feed store. About $9 for 80 lbs.

There are also many variables to consider. One of them being salt. The finer the granules, the easy they suspend. On the other hand, the finer the crystals the more opaque the bait will be. I suggest you start using the search engine using keywords relating to what you are looking for. There is a wealth of information up there. I would advise, sitting down and taking the time to familiarize yourself before you start pouring to avoid getting frustrated. Understanding a few of these things prior to starting will make you life easier. Trust me on this!

If you didn't have bubbles in the plastic before you poured then you need to seal the cavities in your mold. Most use a 50/50 mix of Elmer's glue and water. You can also use 2 part epoxy thinned with denatured alcohol. I suggest you use the search function above and read everything when you get a minute. There is a wealth of information up there that literally will save you years of trial, error and frustration.

Your best best is to go to a k-mart or walmart and get a 1 cup size Pyrex or Anchor brand cup and grab a teflon pot holder to hold the cup. Cut the worms into small pieces and like and earlier post stated, nuke it slowly and stir often. When remelting the store bought plastics, make sure you have a fan or something blowing the fumes out. The store bought worms really stink and smoke awfully bad but most have started out this way. Other than being able to make a bait that way, there is no comparison to using the plastisol that our supplier carry, so don't get discouraged. If you're married and you want to stay that way, don't use your wife's microwave!

Why don't you just send them back. They're pretty good about that. They have 7 x 4's

Here's a link to one Bears Baits

One of their salesmen contacted me 2 months ago offering to send a gallon each of three different grades. A week after that, he called back and told me he wanted to double check to see if he got (what I wanted) it right and three gallons were going out in the morning. Never heard back or received anything. Maybe just as well. It might be a great product but this has been my experience with them.

Better check your baits too. They might be selling your stuff at the local corner bass hangout! :DSorry but you walked right into that one! Good luck.

I know it was about getting the bags quickly. I've called Kim plenty of times for a small order on a Monday morning and had them Wednesday. Sorry for any confusion, I was just trying to help.

Why don't you just call Kim at Lurecraft? I'm sure she'd throw what you need in a flat rate envelope and get it right out. Sure beats running around town to buy cheap bags. Just a thought.

Everybody that has contacted me, came through my website so they already know what I make. I send them out a Vendor Price List that I have. Any other details is discussed through e-mail or phone.

I would think if you direct them to your website, that would be fine.

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