Vodkaman

Nick. Nice try but no cigar. The mould was cast vertically from one point. Although it is a two piece mould, for this test, I closed the mould with 3mm thick plastic. The spider was poured from the end of the abdomen. This means that the plastic in the rear four legs flows upwards. The plastic was just beyond melting point and the mould at room temperature.

Thankyou gents. Other than here on the pages of TU, I have never even seen a plastic bait let alone fished one. So these are unlikely to be used. I did these experiments for TU members. The large vents and huge sprue are only half the story, can anyone work out how it was done before I write the tutorial?

Thanks Longhorn and Senkosam. Obviously, the worm was not that impressive, so I tried to push the boundaries with the next one. I had a few problems, did not mix enough mould material and it was a bit leaky. The body did not form, but that is just a small modification in the learning curve. The photo is not my best ever, but I wanted to get this out to you now, not tomorrow.

Open a photobucket account or similar, it's free. Upload your photo's. Once done, display the photo you want to use. Right click in the photo, copy and paste into your TU post. This is how I do it anyway, good luck with it.

Please don't judge the worm, it was modeled, along with the rest of the pattern, in plasticine, in five minutes. It's all about getting all the legs to fill. It is cast from a two piece mould. The second half was a slab of plastic, just for this exercise. The legs fill every time and the pour takes 5 seconds or less.

Senkosam, my interpretation of the foil application, is to reduce the contact area of the plaster. As long as you do not get too close to the mould cavity, otherwise a 'flash' gap would be introduced. I now bake the first half and seal it. I pour the second half the next day. No foil, just petroleum jelly or pam spray.

Please don't judge the worm, it was modelled, along with the rest of the pattern, in plastacine, in five minutes. It's all about getting all the legs to fill. Almost forgot, it's a two piece mould. The second half was a slab of plastic, just for this exercise. Redg8r, sorry, I posted on the wrong forum. could you possibly move it? Ta.

Nice wheel idea. Nice lab too. Looks like you dipped your toe to test the water and fell in!

Looks great! Don't rush the sealing process, if you can, give it over might. You don't want to spoil it now.

My tips would be to look after the background. Try to make it mildly interesting but not distracting. Try to include something that will give the viewer scale or you will be asked, "so how big is it then?".

It is probably just condensation as you guessed. a cooler object will cause condensation if the humidity is up. My guess is that it occurs at sun up. Because plastic is a good insulator, it takes longer to warm up than the surrounding air. Subsequently, the condensation occurs on the plastic surface. I could be off track with this, but take a glass out of the fridge and observe.

I've read a lot of posts on this subject and always the power or torque is questioned. I am not convinced that this is an issue. Check this article out, about the Falkirk wheel. http://www.falkirk-wheel.com/faq-s-on-the-falkirk-wheel/how-much-power-is-required-to-turn-the-w.html An eight storey high boat lift, driven by 22.5Kw!!!! Also, it may be worth testing the wheel out at 1rpm before going to the trouble and expence of modification. I know at least one other member with the same speed and he said that it worked fine. I don't think anyone has really tested this rotation speed thing objectively. Many have said that a particular speed works, but no one has ever said that another speed definately does not work. If anyone has tried speeds and proved that it is too slow or too fast, now is the time to speak up.

Welcome. This should be too easy after fixing F-16's.

Rofish, that'll work. Should be able to knock 50 of those out in an hour, with a bit of organisation. With the wing nut clamp as close to the eye as possible, the clamp should be plenty strong enough. Could also be used with the jack plug, electrical or audio as Fatfingers suggested.

You may not be using enough alu foil. Just in the corners is not enough.

This is where the skills that you learn here come in. Think of the satisfaction and christmas pleasure you will get from this gift, when you get them all to swim perfectly with a little tweak or two. Enjoy!

The action of inserting into the jack could be the clamping action. Lots of possibilities with the jack.

Pete, another great solution to a problem. Nice one! Pete also informs me that the hemo's are available quite cheaply, so my post may be irrelevant to most, but I would still welcome any ideas.

for one off or very low volume, the methods stated above are practical. But I see a need for a design of an 'easy to make' tool for runs of a dozen or more lures made at a time. Two 'clamps' to remain attached throughout the art process and fit the drying wheel, providing total hands free conditions. I have given this some thought time in the last few months. Something on the lines of 6mm dia dowel, slotted to make a jaw and tapered to enable a collar or even a split ring (hook ring) to be used as the clamp. The aim has to be (a) very cheap, ( very easy AND QUICK to manufacture. Has anyone else any ideas for this tool?

My lure testing facility. Sorry, couldn't resist!

Nawt wrong with a Yorkshire lass for that matter! Eee by gum! Did I tell thee I used to play for Besses o'th barn?

Bruce is right, Husky is the main man for this type of construction. Do a members search and read everything that he has written. Then ask a few questions and you'll be an expert in a few days!

Your only forgiven because you finally come clean. I think everyone has a lure building story that they were too embarrassed to share, I know I have!

When I first joined TU, everyone was still talking about the previous one and looking forward to the next. Then it all stopped after the crash. Unfortunately, all those threads were lost. I was only jesting about Malaysia, but seriously, it would be an excellent venue. Lapala runs a lure constructors web site here, through this, the locals could become involved. They could show us all the best fishing venues. An international fishing competition. Catch some wierd and wonderful fish. Then we could take PhilB to meet the girls! Nice dream, but in the real world, 95% of the membership lives in the USA, common sense dictates the venue.

I believe it's being held in Malaysia next year! There is usually an anual gathering, but it didn't happen this year. Hopefully it will happen again one day.