smallmouthaholic

Precisely!!-providing you can prove the date of origin and initial sales date.Unfortunately,there is no honor amoung thiefs - especially in the lure manufacturing business.

Good for you. I don't have patents and have had two of my ideas and products copied. What goes around hopefully comes around w/these characters that lack integrity. Yes- I was referring to the knock-off bandits and the quarterly,10% excise tax on gross sales. Many fly under the I.R.S.radar screen thinking big brother won't bother them w/ their small business.. Then on day for whatever reason-"Knock- knock, I.R.S." and then a nice hefty fine and penalties are assesed.

You may wish to check w/ your attorney but I believe your patent is only good in the U.S.A. I also believe they are trying to get U.S.A. patent protection from foreign countries. Good luck when japan,Korea and/or China see something they wish to copy. That's fabulous that your attorney will defend your patents @ little to no cost to you.( I'd get that in writting for sure) I had a trademark and patent attorney that wanted 20K to fight a trademark application objection that was filed on the last day before approval 20 + years ago. Patent infringement cases that end up in court can be prohibitably expensive. It would be interesting to know if these manufacturing/ bait copiers are paying their quarterly 10% excise tax on gross sales

You'll have to use an expensive section of 10" flexible duct (Grainger carries it ) Not sure on the side of the building exhaust- google it and see if an appropriate one is available. Not everyone carries 10" vents. Edited to add-here ya go Mike- http://stores.hvacexpress.com/-strse-Z.-Products-by-Size-cln-10-Inch/Categories.bok?_kk=c14c19c2-6b75-4677-b72f-6d279f687afb&_kt=4377943475&gclid=CMDByIO3nK4CFULd4AodVX5qew

SHK- you seem have all the answers to operate an in-epensive soft-plastics bait business w/o custom CNC molds and exhaust systems for hand injecting. Free advertising-!!! .Amazing and impresive!! I pay the 10% excise tax since I live and work in the U.S.A. BTW- check your pay pal statements for their charge % of gross sales processed. You stated that air conditioning and heating is not necessary to produce baits.Really??- in my locale outside air temps range from upper 90's in the summer and winter lows of 5 degrees. I'll refrain from responding to any additional posts from you.

This has been an interesting thread.You can save considerable $ buy bying plastisol and other necessary soft-plastic materials in bulk BUT- you must also factor in 1-Shop w/air conditioning and heat 2-Compressor, exhaust fans/booth 3- Electrical requirements 4-Injection machine 5- Custom CNC injection molds (you think plastisol is expensive!!) 6-Packaging including labels 7-Office overhead and office supplies 8- C.C. processing fees,soft-wear and P.I.A. addendum bank fees 9- Domain name protection 10-Advertising 11- 10 % excise tax(quarterly form #720) on gross sales receipts All of that said,if you're producing/selling the same baits as Bass Pro Shops Cabela's and Zoom ,then you'll have to undercut their retail prices to become establised. (Good Luck- )Then you'll need to eiher contact Carolina Mike or purchase your own Zorn machines. Now let's figure the total gross cost of your baits,adding in all fixed expenses before adding a mark-up margin.

Amen on your 1st sentence. I warned a buddy about the Okuma reels w/ all their bearings he purchased about 10 years ago. He threw them both in a trashcan within 6 months of purchase They had too much slop and wobble Try M.E.K. in a small ,glass enclosed jar to clean your bearings.( use M.E.K. outside or in an exhaust booth) Hotsauce binds to the metal-switch to ardent reel butter bearing oil and you'll really notice a difference in long term smoothness.

Mike - This will do the job but requires a 10" exhaust duct. Then you 'll need a roof mounted exhaust stack for 10" diameter duct. Close in the two sides of your booth if you want it to pull fumes properly http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/BROAN-Exhaust-Fan-5C057?Pid=search

Invert 1 gallon and 2 1/2 containers of plastisol and look @ the bottom under a bright light to detect pastisol hard packing.I always stir the 2/12 and 5 gallons pales w/ a drill attachment. You can see the sticky ,hard pack hanging on the end when you lift it up. Keep on stirring! If your colorant is very sticky and thick ,add some cold plastisol to it and shake.

All that work to be disapointed- although somewhat expensive CNC aluminum molds cannot be beat for 2-part precision , durability and the advantage to inject into thin appendage designs. They save time and $ in the long run.

Good point I overlooked and have done for 20 + years

I believe another person on this board had an experience w/ exploding Pyrex I'm happy for you but remeber you're playing w/ potential hand grenades but- to each his own. You can purchase Borosilcate measuring cups here- http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/foodPrep/measuring?productId=10000652 I was stirring mine after removing it from the microwave 3 years ago.. Same deal as you for two years w/o a problem. Fortunately i was holding it @ waist height and stirring it when it exploded with a loud boom sending glass schrapnel and hot plastisol all over my hot-melt gloves, pants,boots and shop. I did some research and haven't touched Pyrex in 3 years. I value my eyes,skin and body much more then the cheap price of a Pyrex cup. Borosilcate cannot take the banging around,physical shock and hard stirring w/ metal spoons. I use plastic ,heat resistance( to 400 degrees) .resturaraunt spoons and haven't cracked one since. BTW- open Pyrex w/ plastisol on a griddle emits plenty of dangerous fumes. I would personally have that set-up in an enclosed,exhaust booth-even when you hopefully switch to borosilcate lab glasses

You may wish to read this in it's entirerty- http://www.snopes.co...nings/pyrex.asp

Here's the ones I use. I guess my use is more intermitant then I realized. I only use them now when i paint w/ the new booth and exhaust system http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/PPESafetySolutions/PPESafety/Personal_Protective_Equipment/Product_Catalog/~/3M-Half-Facepiece-Disposable-Respirator-Assembly-51P71-Organic-Vapor/P95-Respiratory-Protection-Small-12/cs?N=4294875688+5011378&Nr=AND%28hrcy_id%3AGSNBRKXK35gs_2WQP5QZGV9_N2RL3FHWVK_GPD0K8BC31gv%29&rt=d

I sprayed pesticides for 20 years-tree and turf-Respectfully they'll last longer then 8 hrs. I used them when I had a smaller booth, poor, inadequate exhaust fans and they lasted 2 weeks- not sure why you had only 8 yrs of use unless you were painting cars. Now if you're using them over a smoking plastisol pot ,then I can see them having a very short life. Even w/ a mask,plastisol will burn and even hamper your eyesight w/ out use of an adequate exhaust booth-been there done that years ago.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/21385-cancer-causing-plastic/page__st__20

Just because no one is wearing one doesn't mean it's safe. There are plenty of fumes associated w/ hand pour/injection operations and Presto pots. http://www.gemplers....rch/respirators Any HVAC technician,tin knocker or a fabricating shop can make/or have one made out of galvanized sheet metal duct work. They had to be supported in the front corners to reduce sway and mounting a shelf in the back helps too. The minumum fan required is a 360 CFM w/ 10" duct work. Then you'll need seperate wiring from you fuse panel to run a microwave,Presto pots and lead melting equipment together. A certified electrian can provide this service. Fan blades should be cleaned and waxed for maximum performane monthly-especially if you air brush paint in the booth. Melting lead around fumes in absolutely dangerous. Have you lead blood levels checked. I'm simply amaized @ the number of folks who try to avoid an adequte exhaust booth. Yes they cost money to set-up properly-up to 1k if you do it properly(on a small scale) w/ a stand,booth, exhaust,lighting and switches. I realize this is a hobby w/ many but it's cheaper to buy your baits then spead all the $ to do it properly w/ CNC molds. BTW- I live in an area that can see winter temps go to 5 degrees farenheit for low temps w/ high temps in the teens and 20's. Open the garage door?? you've got to be kidding.With all due respect,I do work 12 months of the year making baits/jigs and heated/ air-conditioned/insulated the shop so when outside temps go extremes I'll be comfortable. Your safety and respiratory health should come 1st Edited for spelling

Wear the respirator or build a booth w/ adequate exhaust. and avoid permanent damage to you respiratory system Example of a small,adequate booth w/ an open front- 25"H 25" W 36" depth w/ a 360 cfm fan located in the center ceiling of the booth BTW- plenty are still using/heating pyrex cups which are hand grenades w/ glass schrapnel when they explode. I speak from experience.

Direct exposure will cause shortness of breath. Burning or boiling the plastisol will release hydrochloric acid fumes. Plastisol gives off oily vapors when it smokes. Use an organic vapor respirator and/or build an enclosed booth w/ adequate exhaust Edited for spelling

Spot on advice there Mark.I run a small company too and my philosophy is: Be accurate stating your delivery schedule w/ your customers and tell them the truth- 99.9 % of them respect this and will be return accounts for sure.Some custom orders can take up to 2 weeks to get out w/ the spring rush If you don't take care of your customers ,someone else will for sure. Two,well known CNC shops have lost 15K + in business from me due to their extremely poor communication skills and promised delivery schedule.

I've used 5 different brands of plastisol over the past 5 years. My summation as follows- 1- Some hard pack 2- Some smoke more 3- Some smell more 4-Some bubble more then others 5- Some yellow faster then others 6- Some baits are more stickier for 24 hrs. 7- Some are just simply priced out of consideration for those in business 9- Then is is the proverbial "bad-batch" for whatever reason from a respected brand Re-heating(in a microwave oven)- light colored plastiol-unused and cutoffs,(clear especially,) will cause a color change and yellowing reguardless of additional heat stabilizer w/ all the brands I've used. The presto pot w/ stirrer is your friend for the aforementioned problems. The dependable heat control is basically very accurate. I've NEVER had plastisol bubble in a Presto Pot. All that said, it's up to the idividual as to what he's willing to "put-up with" for the price,performance and aggrevation with all the various brands of available plastisol. Edited for punctuation

Not sure why there seems to be such little difference in your price comparisons but I'm in Pa. so a 5 gallon pale of Pourasol is $120.00 deievered and Caney Creek is $176.00 That's $24.00 per gallon vs. $35.20 per gallon respectively which comes to a difference of $56.25 per 5 gallons. That's a considerable difference . My choice is obvious w/ the change going towards precision CNC injection molds.

I have the silicone cups but never fill them over half way due to their extreme flexibility. I use these 95% of the time- http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/foodPrep/measuring?productId=10000652

You may want to read this as you now have three hand grenades waiting to detonate- https://www.google.c...lient=firefox-a This "caveman" had a pyrex explode while holding it @ waist height after removal from a microwave 3 years ago. Yes ,we all thrive on personal satisfaction but turning a profit is foremost in business- if you wish to stay in business. Now lets see- what do 5 bags of Aaron's magic plastic worms cost ?? I don't need a CPA certification to figure which side of risk/reward i want to be on.

I'd buy the worm from Roboworm before i wasted time and equipment trying to replicate it. Two-color injection has enough caveats but 3 Lee,hand pour, plastic scorching pots-no way! Much cheaper and a lot less aggrevating to buy this specialty worm- if I even wanted it.