smallmouthaholic

I spent a great deal of time and frustration learning to use sand in the mix w/ salt & plastisol.Adding copius amounts of salt to obtain a better sink rate never made any sense to me.You want the whitest,dryest and finest sand you can buy. Forget sand trap sand used in golf courses,bar sand and general purpose sand- it's all too course and off white.. Sand can and will change some of your colors. You need constant agitation or it settles quickly to the bottom of your pot. Sand is like salt in so much as the finer the product ,the easier it is to keep in suspension.Mix both salt and sand in a seperate container thoroughly ,then add it slowly to to hot plastisol w/ agitation from a stirror. You will need to add softener to the mix as both salt and sand stiffen up your finished product.

I've been using a salt/sand mix for 7 years in various baits.One has to be willing to break away from the pack -think outside the box so to speak and not be afraid to experiment until they find the correct type/color and the ratio to salt & plastic for specific baits and sink rates.

I can only speak from my own experience. You would have to consult a trademark lawyer for accurate ,legal advice.

Using yopur own name requires nothing. Usually,a ficticious name has to be registered w/ your state to obtain the necessary tax # and checking accounts w/ a bank. If you develop a tricky/catchy ficticious name and logo ,then you'll want to consult a trademark /patent attorney to protect the name from being copied.Sometimes the U.S. trademark office will tell you the name is clear but another company can object and this can run into additional and expensive legal fees.

You make be sucking air w/ your injector. Change the rubber "O" ring and withdrawl the plastic into the injector slower.Make sure the interior of your injector is clean by removing the end and cleaning out all the minute pieces that by-pass the "O" ring. Lubricate the interior of you injector w/ Pam cooking spray for ultra-smooth operation and remove excess before drawing up your plastic.You should also remove the tip of the injector ,push the plunger down so the interior "O" ring on the plunger is exposed and wipe off the "O" ring that can accumulate plastic. You can also carefully drill out the existing diameter( inside the tip) to reduce the long,narrow interior induction column but-don't go past the inside taper of the tip( last 1/2'' of the tip) or you'll end up drilling out the side of the tip.This is best performed on a drill press w/ vise grips to hold the tip securely. You will have to gradually enlarge the induction hole w/ graduated drill bit sizes.Apply oil to keep your bit cool.. edited for additional content

I'm shaking my head w/ this thread. You want free dross- for what possible purpose? Knowledgeable manufacturers clean the dross from the top of their moltden lead before pouring. There are specific products available to help the dross and impurities float to the top of molten lead to be skimmed off before pouring "Dross is a mass of solid impurities floating on amolten metalor dispersed in the metal, such as in wrought iron. It forms on the surface of low-melting point metals such astin lead, zinc or aluminum or alloys by oxidation of the metal(s)."

You are correct.The quarterly excise tax is the manufacturers responsibility- not the accountants.The I.R.S. does not mail the quarterly forms- again the responsibikluty of the manufacturer to download them and mail them quarterly.They can get you your Federal E.I.N.# , any State tax requirement number documentation and Form #637 from the I.R.S. The I.R.S. will call you when you file for form #637 Accounts usually deal with- 1- gross income 2- supplies and materials deductions 3-Depreciation of molds and other equipment 4- mileage for business if you have a log book 5-Real estate and property tax deuctions 6- Capital gains/losses 7- Business related utility deductions They determine you net,taxable income on your Schedule C- profits and losses from business.Then they complete your form 1040 @ which time your accountant wants a check and so does the I.R.S.and state. It's so much fun being in your own business- especially the low profit tackle manufacturing business. The more you expect your accountant/C.P.A. to do,the more you will pay them. Remember we're talking about a small tackle business here. Now if you wish to become a Zoom or Gary Yamaoto( w/ mega bucks @ your disposal), then you'll need a payroll service that drops off payroll checks every Thursday . They also file returns and debit your account for quarterly F.IC.A. & Federal witholding taxes,un-employment and annual federal un-emploment forms and taxes. Baitjunkys mentioned re-investing 120% of your profits and Driftwood mentioned 12 hr. +days. They speak the truth for sure. i can remember moving during the summer of 2008,and setting up a temporary shop in the garage full of boxes and the boat in the driveway.I put in long days of 12-14 hrs. w/ 1 large floor fan,two small fans and a roof fan that brought the inside temperature down to 108 degrees when the outside temps. reached 97-99 mdegrees.- w/ the garage door open. I worked my butt off to a be able to make the $ necessary to have the shop partitioned w/ a door,a large exhaust booth plus heating and air-conditioning. I'm sure others in this business have made many sacrifices to be able to hopefully see the end of the continuos inancial expenses required during the 1st 5-7 years in this business. You have to love it to stay w/ it.My excuse- I'm retired-(or so i thought) and hate day time TV. I still work 50-60 hrs. per week during the busy season. It will be 4 weeks since I've been out in the boat. Hopefully Carolina Mike will participate in this decussion. He has most certainly paid his dues.

Gangel, Pardon me for being terse but this is not a pissing match or getting all wound up. It's the business world-hard ,cold and cruel The successful business world does not subscibe to the philosphy- If you can't baffle them w/ your brilliance, then blind 'em w/ your B.S, I speak from 30 years as a self-employed contractor-and 10 years in the lure manufacturing business. I stated facts not fiction-if you can't handle the truth then button up or butt out. You profess to know a great deal ,yet by your own admission,don't operate your own tackle business.Heresay,Dock talk and Cowflop walks-money talks! BTW- there are plenty of accountants and CPA's who handle small businesses- you just have to be willing to spend the money to obtain their services.Quit making excuses and berating those that have paid the price to be in their own business. You have to walk the walk before you talk the talk. JSC- you're accurate w/ the promotional costs-thanks for posting.

"Man, nothing like scaring people to death. I've looked into all this, and people who get "nailed" aren't doing a couple bucks here and there... If you make a couple hundred jigs, and have 150 in your tackle box yet that you made, you're not getting hassled. It's the guys that make 100 of something and have 2 left in their personal tackle box they go after. " 1- Operating your own business is not a 40 hr. a week job. You must be willing to continually re-invest the profits back into the business for many years- sometimes 99% of the profits Don't quit your day job for the 1st 5 years and then have retirement $ to live off of. The gimme-gimme ,el cheapo,free hand out crowd will drain your small profits with their false promises. 2- You are incorrect- the I.R.S. will check-out the the small manufacturere that has not paid excise tax. Just advertise your website and you may be investigated. A jealous competitor and/or a disgruntled customer can also tip-off the I.R.S. that you're operating an under -the table business. Then comes the knock on your door to which you better be nice and receptive. "When I was in High School, I took a starting a small business class. One of the things the teacher said that stuck with me is "You have to bealmost stupid to start a business". The basis for this statement is the fact that so many fail, so many people end up working 120 hours aweek, and the risk to reward is so huge. That statement alone has keptme from opening a business. Take it for what it's worth, it's freeadvice. And you get what you pay for." Your teacher was inncorrect I.M.O. You need the inner desire to succeed, start -up capital of 15-20K plus the intestinal fortitude to overcome the caveats through experience. The tackle business- for the small manufacturer( who wants to produce custom products) has very high costs compared to the profits for the 1st 5-7 years. Then ,the profit/cost equation should reverse itself.Most cannot stay the course simply because they refuse to spend the continued investment necessary. Setting up a complete shop and office can be expensive but no where near the cost of custom,multi-cavity CNC molds.Website construction/updates,credit card /Paypal expenses, and accounting fees must all be taken into consideration. The 10% excise tax on gross sales takes the icing off of the cake but it's a necessary expense to be in the tackle manufacturing business. Many hobbyist don't realize the long-term cost of their tackle manufacturing dreams so they attempt to write off their expenses by declaring it a business. This usually results in failure and a fire sale to sell all their equipment @ 50-70% discounts. Basic hobby expenses can easily reach $2-3 K and that amount buys a life-time of baits w/out the hassels and frustrations of trying to make your own baits. Talk to someone w/years of business experience, determed the amount of start-up capital ($) you are willing to spend/borrow) then ask yourself- do i really want to take this financial chance? Good luck and success to you! Let no man ridicule you if you try honestly to suceed and fail

CNC aluminum molds

Chris, I gave you Bojon's complete tube dvd and tail cutter along w/ the one I made when I changed over to injection tubes.Too many caveats for me associated w/ the inconsistencies of cutting tube tails.I've never looked back. Edited for additional content.

A bullet style head will work through brush better then a wide style Arky jig sipmly due to the head design.That said, you must finesse the jig through difficult Y brances and resist attempting to rip the jig out of snags by yo-yoing the jig through the difficult areas of the brush.There are friendly brush piles and others that will eat most jigs due to the complexities and type of brush.I'd also recommend a good, fluorocarbon leader.

Some plastisols bleed oil and can create an oily mess after 4-5 months in the bag- which i have experienced 1st hand from 2 different manufacturers of plastisol. I personally don't want to rig an oily bait ,then wipe it on my shirt /pants.Now my hands are oliy and they must be washed w/ soap and water to remove the slimy mess. Scent impregnated baits w/out the oily mess gets my customers vote of approval .

I don't have the time to even consider become a backyard,plastisol chemist. The equipment,time, knowledge and materials would end up costing you more then buying the finished product with the end results you desire.

Frank, I use their old plastic paint applied through an airbrush.The smell dissipates quickly. That said, you should have an exhaust booth and mask when applying since M.E.K. is involved. It does not require a PVC topcoat and stays on the plastic.It's dry to the touch in minutes I'll talk to Bruce and order some to try in the future. It is better to eliminate solvent based materials whenever possible. Thanks for posting. Al Edited for aditional content

There is most definitely a market for custom,CNC lead molds. Most hobyist however,may cringe @ the cost of multi-cavity ,lead -CNC molds. Do-it has been very successful w/ their low-priced,sand-casted ,production molds.It seems,@ the present time,Do-it Corporation does not want to enter into the custom CNC market place. That may change in the future as younger management enters into this field. Didn't they purchase Jason's CNC machine when they purchased his company?

You need to read the temperature of your plastisol w/ an IR gun.

I'll list my experieces w/ various palstisols 1- Lurecraft- hard packs and has a definite odor 2- Chemionics/Spike-it Pourasol- bubbling problems and poor,long term heat sensitivity for white and pearl colors. Spike -it and chemionics has minimal hard packing. baits can be sticky for a day or two-especially in cold weather I just received a new ,1 gallon sample of Spike-it to test to test for bubbling 3- Calhoun's- poor heat sensitivity,no hard packing but sticky for a day or two 4-MF - Excellent heat sensitivity,no hard packing ,no smell and finished baits are not sticky

MF manufacturing has a good selection of non-bleed colors contact Jeff @ 817-281-9488

That's the solvent type epoxy made by Component Systems.II will keep your paint from peeling and blistering when your finished ,painted baits come in contact w/ plastic lures. Their 2 part, water base expoxy does the same . The backing on 3-d eyes must have some sticky capabilities or glue is necessary. Lock-tite gel is user friendly w/ the ability to apply a small dot in the center of the eye cavity.

Register.com

Vinegar wash prior to powder painting

Bruce MacElroy Spike-it plastisol 912-225-4533 # 106

I don't keep a log book so no deductions for that are made. That said, accurate measurements (sq.Footage)of the office and shop are maintained. The % of that against total home sq.footage expenses-including real estate taxes are deducted. Btw- Money Magazine (1995) did a comparison cost of ownership,insurance,vehicle maintenance/repairs and replacement costs for SUV's. The 1995 Ford explorer was .55 cents per mile-that's 18 years ago

I was told by my accountant( who's been to many I.R.S. audits) that I must produce an accurate and detailed long book to deduct any related mileage for sales,testing and promotional related expenses. Point blank- she will not even consider entering the mileage deduction on the tax return w/o the log book since the I.R.S. will throw out the deduction on an audit. If the I.R.S. dertermines you're playing games w/ errneous deductions, they can make your life miserable. Edited for spelling