Vodkaman

Rofish, very good explanation. Dave

Starter kits are always a good idea. Try an advanced search with the text "starter kit" in double quotes, lots of good reading. Equipment wise, the easiest is a second hand microwave and a few pyrex jars. If you like pouring, then you can get more advanced with pots with stirrers, infra red heat lamps etc. You could also consider making your own molds from plaster of Paris (http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/10363-custom-http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/3086-how-many-worms/page__pid__19460__st__0entry19460 Dave

CC, I suggest you start a new thread and explain what is going wrong. I'm sure the TU membership will be able to help you fix the problem. No point in struggling on alone with a resource like TU at your fingertips. Dave

Jamie, I do wander in there occasionally. My favourite gallery poster is Jaraal. His work is always of outstanding quality and very innovative. His work belongs in an art gallery, not a tackle box. Jaraal rarely posts in the forums, but posts to the gallery regularly, a doer rather than a talker, nothing wrong with that. I have no idea how to isolate his gallery pics in the new system. Pity, as it is worth a look. Dave

Such machines obviously do not have a huge market, so they are not mass produced and therefore carry a large price tag. Dollar figures mentioned in past threads vary from $13,000 to $30,000. They do not come up for sale very often, but there was one in the classifieds section dating back to March: http://www.tackleund...__fromsearch__1 not sure if it is still on the market though. A number of members are or have been working on such machines, including myself. However, none of them have been brave enough to offer one up for sale, the primary reason being one of safety. One cannot always rely on a customer having common sense, but guaranteed he will have a good attorney. I am reluctant to mention the search tool as another new member has just chewed off a section of my rear end, so here is a link to the main thread on the subject: http://www.tackleund...__fromsearch__1 But there are plenty of other discussions on the subject. Not sure how you are going to find them though! Welcome to TU. Dave

Man! I thought I was being helpful. You missed my point completely. First off, answered your question with EIGHT proven solutions previously offered up by the TU community. I demonstrated how I used the search engine to achieve the result. I made a suggestion for future searches, to obtain more information and I enchouraged you to stick with the search engine, as it takes a bit of getting used to in order to get the most out of it. Ideas here on TU generate more ideas, that's the way it works. You will find more original ideas per page than any other lurebuilding site on the web (JMHO). Sorry if you didn't find anything useful in my reply, which I took time out in my day to research for you and help. Welcome to TU!!!! Dave PS, I'm feeling a little better now too.

Plaster of Paris (http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/16783-diy-aninstant-12-rd-rtv-silicone-mold-for-under-a-buck/page__hl__silicone__fromsearch__1 Dave

I totally agree with your statement. I saw that patent too. Fortunately, the internal slot or embedded tube is a much better solution and is available to all. If I think of any other solutions to your problem I will let you know. Dave

Clothes pegs, embroidery hoops, pin curl clips, bulldog clips, badge clips, hinged frames, forceps, spray glue. These are the ideas I found with my search "hold the netting" in quotes. You can search on these individual ideas and may come up with even more ideas, as that is how it works here at TU. Stick with the search function, it just needs a little practice to master. This should get you started. Welcome to TU Dave

Not so sure the pin retaining idea is even patentable. I'm sure the idea has been used many times in industry, but I cannot think of an example at the moment. If TT do not claim a patent for it on their web site, then the chances are that it is not patented. I would be inclined to run with the idea. The worst that can happen would be a cease and desist order. I am not telling you to copy anyones work, in fact I am dead against such practice. But some ideas are so simple, basic, obvious and in use in other industries, they should not be allowed to be patented. I did a quick search and could not find anything relevant. But this search is by no means conclusive. Dave

I think the adjustable ballast idea is do-able. Some kind of embedded tube/container. It does not need to by dry or sealed. A simple pin to stop the weight from falling out would work. Other ideas on the same theme would be adjustable ballast location rather than adjustable mass. This would be a threaded S/steel ballast, riding on an adjustable screw. Either adjusting fore/aft position or top/bottom position. At the end of the day, these ideas would make nice projects for your own use/gratification, but as saleable products, I am not so sure. The user would select the best mass/position and stick with it. Might as well do that for him and fix the position. As for the patent! What can I say!!! Another do-able home project, just for fun. The patent claims that it replaces the skill required by the angler! Not too sure about that. As far as I can see, the lure has no action or wiggle, but simply stops and starts in a straight line or slight curve, controlled by a rudder. A simple lipped crankbait would have more action. I can think of several improvements to the patent. Firstly, battery technology has come a long way since 1985, so the 9V battery can be discarded. I would include a socket so that the battery could be charged. I would replace the manual switch with a resistance sensor, so that it switches on automatically when in water. I would also vent the water jet out of both sides, with some kind of flap valve to direct the flow, to give the lure some movement. Not so sure it was worth the expense of a patent. Haven't seen it in the shops yet. Thanks for posting, it was a good read. I could actually understand the patent, as I am messing about with 555 timers at the moment. Dave

Jerry. My mode of operation is to 'view new content', right click on all the 'unread posts' markers and open in new tabs. By the time I have opened them all, the first one is ready for reading. After reading each one, I close the tab. But when on completion, I select 'view new posts' again, there are always a few of the read posts still carrying the unread marker. I let each thread completely download before closing, suspecting this was the problem, but it still happens. It is a strange problem, as it does not happen with every post, I would say about 20%. This is not a major problem, just a little itch. I use firefox. I don't recall this problem on the old system. Any thoughts? Dave

http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/16184-1st-attempt-at-pop-molds/page__pid__122925__st__0entry122925 This is a recent thread, to get you started, but tons of reading available with a few well chosen search words. Dave

http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/17503-heat-setting/page__fromsearch__1 This thread about covers it. Dave

I too require my weight where the eye is. I split the weight just each side of the eye, it works just fine. The perfect solution is to mount all the lead in one place, but too messy for me. Dave

We should talk about the thickness of the plexy for this process. I mention this because the couple of times that I have tried plexy in heat processes, I had significant warping. I was only using what I had available in my shop, which was way too thin and wasn't really expecting anything more than I got. Dave

Every big store on the high street has sales. They take a cut in profit to generate new business. If the customer is happy with the mold, he/she will come back for more. Good business sense, nothing to do with excessive mark-ups. Dave

Read up on 'heat setting' while you're at it. Very important. Dave

Could it be residue remaining from the release agent that you are using? Dave

You are probably right, the thinner mold would be the problem. It dries out quicker and then heats up faster. The water in the mold would prevent the mold from over heating. But once the moisture is gone, it heats up. Once the majic temperature is reached, it does not mean your mold is instantly ruined, but the deterioration process begins. I could not find any information on time scales involved in the process. There is a lot of information on this reversal process on the web, which is where I got this information. Good luck with your molds. Dave

Sounds like you have got it all covered. The only tool I would add to this is a drill press. Like the other big tools, you can manage without, but since I bought mine, I have been very happy with the purchase. Dave

BGL. There is a temperature limit for PoP 150C (302F), beyond this temperature, the gypsum (cured mold) is converted back to plaster of Paris, resulting in a powdery mold and is spoilt. I suspect that this is what has happened in your case. Reduce the oven temperature to its minimum, also, try wedging the door open an inch or two. The maximum weight of water removed from the PoP is close to 35%. If you weigh the freshly poured mold on kitchen scales, multiply this figure by 0.7 (30% weight loss), this new figure is your target weight. Just take the mold out of the oven occasionally and monitor the weight. Cooking the mold beyond this figure is pointless, as you found out. When you pour plastic, you are exceeding this temperature limit. But you have sealed the mold with elmers or some other product. This has bound the surface together and prevents the crumbling. Other than the surface, the rest of the body of the mold does not get that hot, as PoP is a very good heat insulator. If the problem persists, consider the PoP dryer project that I posted a few months back. Not as fast as the oven, but fast enough to be convenient and perfect molds every time. Dave

LOL, I think you got that right Pete. It was worth my while practicing though, while doing so I discovered the 'splat' effect. I was thinking of applying for a patent/copyright for it. Dave

Thanks Clemmy. Safety is right up there on my list. I will be totally enclosing the business end. If I can find some thick polycarb, then great, but visibility is not required, once the thing is working. The only time the cutter will be open is for video and then I will be standing well back. The object is hands free automation, press the go button and wait for it to stop automatically. If anyone other than myself is to operate the machine, then the shield will be micro switch protected. Pointless for my own use though. The additional circuit is already designed and easily installed. Dave

To perform sea water sink/float tests, you can always create your own sea water equivalent. Find a homebrew shop and purchase a hydrometer. Add plain salt to your bucket of water, until the spacific gravity reaches 1025. Dave