Vodkaman

My guess would be that you were not asking a technical question that the picture was relevant to. Displayed work has to be posted in the gallery, this keeps the forums clear for technical discussion and problem solving. Here is an excerpt from the rules, relevant to your question: 3. Each registered member is permitted a defined amount of upload space in the forums to display images or other attachments. This free offering is for technical use & NOT for exhibiting your work or for gaining feedback on your work. We require you to use the photo gallery instead to exhibit your work, which requires a Club Membership. Our gallery has no current storage restrictions (try to get that from any other photo host) Also, members can comment, critique & even rate your work there, just as they would in the forums. The Forums are intended for technical Q&A discussions, please use the gallery for Showcasing your work. Any & all posts made simply to display photos/images is prohibited in the forums unless your photo lends some insight to an existing question or discussion, otherwise will be removed without notice. Dave

You need to wash the baits with warm soapy water and dry before gluing. Quite a few threads on this one. Do an advanced search on "soapy" in the soft plastics forum, some informative reading. Here are a few links: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/16238-problem-with-bondoresin-mold/page__p__123200__hl__soapy__fromsearch__1#entry123200 http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/13769-1st-attempt-at-creating-a-resin-mold/page__p__102691__hl__soapy__fromsearch__1#entry102691 http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/647-making-my-own-molds-out-of-bondo/page__p__3674__hl__soapy__fromsearch__1#entry3674 Dave

Forgot about that one Jim, even better, shock absorbent and a good seal. Dave

There is no doubt that PoP makes a good mold. This is one of those rare occasions when the old phrase, ”you get what you pay for”, does not apply. Yes, if you drop it, the mold is trashed. But why would you only make one mold, I would have made at the very least, ten. If you are going to be a commercial bait producer, yes, aluminium molds are the way to go. This thread is about injection molds. The only problem with PoP for an injection mold, is chipping and damage where the injector is inserted. So, if I was to make an injection mold from PoP, I would solve this problem by fitting a reinforcing insert. The chances of being able to buy such an item in the stores already made, is probably remote. My solution would be to cast my own inserts from polyester resin (fiberglass resin) or bondo or a mixture of both. Dave

You know you are doing great when the above quote is your main problem, LOL. Congrats on a successful lure. Dave

Their are no motors on my dup machine (yet), it is all driven by hand (crank wheel). The maximum speed that you can turn the stock, without the cutter jumping is approximately 120rpm (two cycles per sec). But this number slows down, the deeper the cut, as the cutter is trying to climb while cutting more wood. So at the start and end of the run, I go a little slower. I use a standard 1/2" threaded bar, to drive the saw cutter across the stock. This is about 15 tpi (memory). I gear down the stock and master 2:1, so this gives me 30 cuts per inch. Here is a link to my machine with pics. The machine photographed uses a router. I was not happy with this and later modified to take the grinder. Post No23 shows the grinder results, with the cutter marks. Far from perfect solution: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/17541-vman-rocking-beam-duplicator/page__p__132910__hl__duplicator__fromsearch__1#entry132910 Search through homebrew tools forum. Quite a few machines that others have been working on. Dave

I believe it is a regular 6" diameter saw cutter. BUT, be careful, these cutters have a maximum speed of 8000 or 9000rpm. If you plan on using an angle grinder, these run at 12,000 rpm. You will have to slow the grinder down some to maintain the safety limits of the machine. Also, if you examine the cutter blade closely, the cutters should 'step out' from the disk, alternately left and right. This is essential for the duplicator machine to work. Not all blades have this step. My machine uses a 4" diameter blade, designed for the angle grinder. But the maximum depth of cut that I can achieve is 22.5mm. This limits the size of lure body that I can cut to that from a 40mm x 25mm stock. The circular saw also leaves 'ridges' on the final body. Some extra time is required on a flap wheel in a drill press, to clean up the body ready for accepting a seal coat. But I am still able to cut 100 bodies in a day. I did thirty yesterday afternoon and plan to do 60 more today. Dave

Here are two descriptions of the properties of the two types of hemlock: http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/hemlock_eastern.htm http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/hemlock_western.htm Seems a reasonable choice of wood if handled right. Prone to splitting, solved by pre-drilling all screw holes. Prone to decay, solved by a good sealing strategy, to prevent water ingress. Density 0.43 (water = 1.00). Here is a chart for comparing densities of popular woods.: http://www.csudh.edu/oliver/chemdata/woods.htm Hope this information helps. Dave

Personally, I like very light woods, but what Mark says makes a lot of sense. The important thing is to get a few successes under your belt and by removing many of the wood problems, you increase your chances considerably. Dave

I like "the tree ornament series", sounds like the stuff I use. Dave

Topic is just fine Diemai, all relevant information. I had a look at my shower scrubber/ball thingy. The mesh is very similar, a welded mesh. But the material is very fine, compared with the photo in post No1, but might be what you are looking for. Dave

Every brand of epoxy is different. You have to try different brands and compare.D2T has a good reputation for lure building, as does etex, even though they are very different animals. You were right to stay away from the five minute epoxies. They yellow very quickly and are not completely water proof. OKey for gluing hardware, but no good for top coats. If you do try a different brand, then post your findings here, we would all like to learn. Dave

Probably your best bet would be to ask on a Swedish fishing site. Here is one to get you started: http://www.fiskesnack.com/forum/ Most Swedes speak English and they would gladly help you out. The furthest north I have fished is Trollhattan. Lots of trout and pike, but not very helpful for your intended northerly location. Post some pics after your trip, beautiful place to fish. Dave

Sounds reasonable to me. The 20 - 40% estimate may be stretching the imagination some though, if the gas expansion theory is to hold good. When I was working with resin and MB's, after mixing vigorously, I would spread the mix up the sides of the cup. I found this forced the bubbles to the surface and I was able to eliminate more this way. The only true way to eliminate the air is with a high vacuum, but unless you are making 50 casts every day, it is hard to justify the expense. Dave

20 - 40% expansion! This does not sound right. When you add microballoons, they DO have volume and probably account for the numbers that you are talking about. Dave

1/2% shrinkage is very small and is what casting suppliers are striving for. This would only be a problem if you were trying to cast this material in a 'hard' mold, like PoP or Durhams. The chances are that you will never get the cast out without damaging the mold (been there, done that). The general rule is 'hard cast - soft mold'. These resin materials are best cast in RTV rubber molds. Using RTV, I doubt you would notice any slight expansion, which makes me want to ask the question; How did you come across or notice this expansion in the first place and is it causing you a problem? As for the microballoons, they should not affect anything. They do not take part in any chemical reaction, just like adding stone chips to a concrete mix. Dave

Try one pour with a 'G' clamp in front of the hinge. This would confirm. Dave

Welcome to TU. Your first question is a big one, that we are all trying to find an answer to, so far not successfully. Many members solve the problem using aluminium foil. Glue on and smooth out the wrinkles with a spoon handle or wooden tool. Just to get you started. Dave

Try local model shops, phone them first. Better deals available on line. Dave

Now too, I understand. A very clever solution. A very high standard of lure building too, as we have come to expect from our Finnish friends. Dave

Some use polycarbonate (lexan), some use molded soft plastic. My choice would be molded gelflex, it is a re-meltable rubber, a bit stronger than the plastics that the softbait guys use. Dave

Good question. First thoughts would be no, because the paint is water based, it would dissolve into the droplet. But you have to think deeper and understand the paint. My guess would be that it has a chance. The paint pigments are solids, so such tiny fragments should not pierce the surface tension of the droplet. I hope you try it and report back. I could be totally wrong. Dave

Wasn't easy to find: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/2594-hard-bait-cookbook/page__st__20 post No 32. Here is a vid that was posted by Spoopa: different technique, with a slightly different effect.Dave