Vodkaman

Thanks Redg8r, good information. Oomoo 25 seems to fit the bill, 15 min pot life, 75 min cure and shore hardness of 25. Oomoo 30 has a cure time of 30 min, but the cure time is 6 hours and a shore hardness of 30. I don't think I have the patience for that cure time. Hawk, good luck with your project.

I can see how that would be discouraging. 16 hours does seem excessive, the stuff I used was solid in less than an hour and I could throw the second half of the mold after two hours. I can see how a softer RTV would give clamping problems, as I did experience some of that myself. This is a good enough reason to go for a firmer product. So, an additional question: What are the normal set times that other members are experiencing?

Before I make my next purchase of RTV, does anyone have any opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of the hardness of the compound or have any preferences. Also, which brand do you prefer. My first purchase was thixotropic RTV, it mixes to the consistency of a thick paste. I went for this product in light of all the threads discussing the expense of RTV and how to cut down the cost. Thixotropic RTV goes where you put it and usually ends up the shape of a cow pat. With a little practice, it makes a reasonable mold, but clamping the two halves together is a nightmare, so never again, I would sooner pay the extra.

It sound to me that every time you make a special effort, the problem occurs. The prototypes worked fine, then you made a dozen to use in a comp, problem. Then you made a bunch for charity, problem. Every casting is going to have some flash type deformation at the mold joint and will require a certain amount of finishing. My guess is that in your attempt at preparing for the best finish possible, you are removing too much material from the raw casting and clipping the top off some of the bubbles. The bubble fractures are not large enough to allow the primer coat into the bubble void, thus preserving a weakly contained bubble of air. Once in service, any direct sunlight will be soaked up by your colors and the air bubble expands. The solution is to address the problem. Remove as little material post casting as you can get away with. Still assume that some of the bubbles have been compromised and seal accordingly. A very thin sealer with a low viscosity would probably be favourite, maybe propionate. Maybe heating the casting in a low oven for five minutes before applying the sealer would help by expanding the air. As the air contracts with the sealer application, the sealer will be drawn in. I'm not convincing myself on this one, warming the sealer might help too (no open flames!!!). Before moving onto the next phase, why not test the results under a 50W bulb for 30 minutes. If the problem exists, this should reveal it. I have only the briefest of experience with foam, so the above is not from personal trials, just common sense and engineering. I will bow to experience here, should it conflict with the above, as I too need a solution to this problem, as I am thinking of going over to foam myself.

We had hail stones a few weeks ago. I thought it was stones from the car in front at first, but there was no other traffic and some of the hail stayed on the hood. It was all over in seconds. The taxi driver didn't even notice. Apparently Kuala Lumpur is the most lightening struck city. I can believe it, seems like every day, in reality more like one in two. Couldn't find any snow fall figures though.

You will be lucky if it works first time. This process usually involves a bit of testing. I am fortunate enough to have a lure testing facility (swimming pool) on the apartment grounds. If you are not that fortunate, you might consider taking a few tools with you, so that you can trim the lip at the waters edge should it not work. Even take a selection of lips and bodies. I bought a battery operated dremel just for that purpose. I start off with the lip too big and trim it back until it works. Other than this general obtuse advice, without a picture, we cannot really help you. Having said all that, I really hope it works first time for you.

Bruce. I used to be a connoisseur of British ales, but after working abroad since '94, I found that my acquired taste for warm beer had deserted my palette. I feel I am a true journeyman and look forward to testing my constitution with the more traditional Missouri offerings, which KC is sure to administer.

I can just imagine the chaos in that house. The fear in the animals eyes tells it all. There must be S+P all over the place! My guess is that they will let it go back on the Sydney Road. Pete, how about calling them up for a progress report. Tell them that people all over the world are waiting with baited breath for news of the outcome. Did they find the owner???

Everything above reads fine. A weight in front of the lure will indeed increase the depth, as has been mentioned in many threads. All that happens is that the lure will swim at a line angle relative to the weight. The larger the weight, the deeper the swim. I cannot think of a way of calculating the increased depth for say a 1/2oz lead, I guess it will have to be down to experience.

Ice cold guinness sounds good, I hate warm English beer! Cider to go with the guinness and a bottle of JD in the freezer for emergencies. The thing I liked about my stay in the US was, when you ask for ice, you get it. In English bars, it is one lump or two?

I'll disagree, but we can still be friends!

That article was highly theoretical and was an attempt to provide logical explanations for a few of the anomalies that were being reported or claimed. Until someone actually does some controlled lab tests on cranks of various materials, we will never know. Such theories are pretty empty as far as usefulness goes, presented to merely satisfy the mind and answer questions posed. As for your first question. It will make very little difference whether the crank is a floater or a sinker. Once it is moving, it will swim at a certain angle to the line. This angle depends on the forces on the lip balanced against the forces on the body. If you use a sinker and let it drop below its maximum depth and then start to retrieve, the lure will swim at this angle to the line. Due to the steepness of the line, the lure will be swimming in an upwards direction in order to keep its balanced condition.

Great read. So, your a rod builder then!

I have to say that I don't know much about the different formulae of US racing, but I do enjoy racing of any sort, particularly F1. I was hoping that Schumacher was going to follow the money and go the Nigel Mansel route. But I don't think that he could cope with being told, "Mike, you have to let them passed, your not allowed to block them"!

You realise that this poor 'do gooder' is going to get claims from all over the world, from lure designers looking to try out possum hair on their jigs.

Lawle102, I've forgotten what free time is. There is just not enough time for everything that I want to do. I'll be glad when this work contract is over, then I can get back to some serious leasure (lure making) time.

Rhahn427, I read it the same as Mark, so I am glad that intrepidation was not an issue. I myself have been happily putting off the paint side of things for a long time. Busying myself with design testing, exploring materials and, of late, messing with molding techniques. I even wandered over into the soft plastics arena for a play. Anything but paint. However, the day is looming when I run out of things to test and I will actually have to finish something. One of the main reasons for going to the TU meet, is to get together with KcDano, an acknowledged master of the airbrush and try and get some first hand knowledge and enthusiasm going. Good luck with your new purchase and blow me away with your pics.

Making aluminum molds is a highly specialised process, requiring MAJOR money to outlay for NC machines. Even with the equipment, you need the know how. This only comes with years of experience and a lengthy apprenticeship. (I expect a free mold after this sales pitch Del). Aly molds are generally bought off the shelf, or you can get what you want specifically made. Your best bet would be to do some searches on molds and read about PoP (plaster of paris) and RTV (room temperature vulcanizing) rubber. Then decide if you want to go further or just buy some aly molds. Sorry to be so negative at your obvious enthusiasm, but this is the way it is. PoP and RTV make very respectable bodies and give you that extra buzz because YOU made it happen.

The natural elasticity of the line will also have a damping effect. But that would affect all depths, not just deep divers. The more line out, the more elastic damping occurs.

I too find this hard to believe. As stated above, it's only 20 feet. Consider a diver, swimming 200 feet down, we've all seen the documentaries. Never have I heard mention that moving around is more difficult at depth and they look fairly agile to me. It was an interesting point though and I have thought about it in the past. The pressure is from all around and is therefore self cancelling (pressure from the back is cancelled by pressure from the front). I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned the damping affect that the line has. This is more likely to be the correct explanation. The line is the limiting factor when it comes to depth. This is due to the line curving down to the lure. Once the curve angle reaches the lures tow line angle, the lure swims horizontal. Before the lure reaches this depth, the line is straighter to the lure and any 'pull' is felt strongly. As the line bows, any pull is damped out by the belly of the line pulling across the water. Hope this makes sence.

Can't, I tried!

I love NASCAR. I am an insomniac. Five minutes of NASCAR and I'm sawing logs for England.

Lock wire pliers, I remember those from my aircraft apprenticeship. From a quick search, they are also used on motor bikes. A very useful tool if you are doing large numbers. Not sure about this application though, they might have a better application for the hard baits forum, for making screw eyes etc. http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cht167-professional-lock-wire-plier/path/pliers-snips-cutters

Mark, I did a search for flip flop and came up with half a dozen. This link was just the first. Happy reading. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9646&highlight=flip+flop

Thanks Tater for the straw tip. I modified the design, as the paint didn't taste too good, also it promoted an excess of saliva, which affected the even coverage (bit patchy). I took the cap off a HP sauce bottle, drilled a fine hole in the bottom and superglued it to the straw. I completed the gravity feed mechanism by extending the hole into the straw. To control the flow of paint, I tied a sewing needle of suitable diameter to the piercing ring in my eyebrow and insert the needle in the hole. To increase the paint flow, I just looked surprised. Conversly, to reduce the paint flow, I just frown. This takes a little practice, as you have to control your emotions. Pleasantly surprised at how well the spray job was going, I accidently flooded the straw and splattered the paint job. I pride myself with comming up with innovative solutions, but this time it's hats off to Tater! Hope you all try this one out, it really works! Have fun. Lawle102, welcome to the mad house.