Troul Hawk

Very well done, and the video is very cool. Would you mind doing videos repeating the comparison of various swim baits. J/K of course...

Normally I am on TU to read and gather info( aka LURK ), but this might be something I can help with. TU gave me the courage to try pouring last year and I am hooked! I was able to make some great molds last year. I think this year I will try to use the high tensile strength RTV, because mine degraded after some time. I got my RTV from Micro-mark, they have all sorts of cool small tools etc. as well. One of the most helpful tutorials that read somewhere had a hint/tip that I used and it was GREAT. (I think it had to do with creating model parts for trains or even small diorama sculptures).....but anyway here it is. Use the standard Lego's bricks to create the walls of your mold. I was lucky in that my son is a Lego nut....Anyway, I used the green sheet/base, and built up a two tier layer of Lego's. This allows you to size and scale the mold to fit your baits well. Paint the base and sides well with the RTV mold release agent (wax dissolved in a solvent). get your baits ready that you want to create the mold for. Mix your two parts and pour a solid foundation (two bricks high is sturdy and allows room for the "keys"...I'll explain that next). Paint the baits with the release agent (helps with bubbles too) Gently lay the baits in place, and if need be, push them 1/2 way into the RTV. I like to lay them down from one end slowly to the other, sort of the way you would apply a decal....etc. Get some extra Lego's(usually four), I used the four dot square ones most often, but the two and six dot work as well. Paint them with the release agent. Then in the corners of your wet Bottom RTV. Push them UPSIDE DOWN, into the RTV. Not all the way, only about 1/2 way down as well, but deeper "keys" help more. Let your first layer of RTV cure. Then carefully remove the four "keys", in that first layer. You will see they left impressions of the "dots" and nice square holes in the bottom layer. Paint the entire surface with release agent, make sure to get in all the nooks and crannies of the keys and around the 1/2 submerged baits. Add a second row of Lego's to the top. Essentially doubling the thickness of the mold. Paint them with the release agent. Mix and pour the last layer of RTV to fill the mold. Once it cures carefully pull all of the legos away from the walls, and the two half's should come apart easily. Notice how the "keys" have filled in and you have a perfect match top to bottom. You can then carve out a pour hole in the end of the two part mold (1/2 hole in each side).....and your good to pour. One bait I was making is obviously inject by the factory. It has claws on thin "arms"....hmmmm..let's just call it a ....Pack-a chunk I made some AWESOME hand poured versions of this that are every bit as action filled and are in my colors and glitter. Flotation in the claws even......Woo Hoo. Because I was having a hard time getting the hot plastic to flow down the thin arms, I solved it this way. lay the baits in the first layer ( I did four in a row) and let cure. Cut a McDonalds straw (magnum size) into two inch sections. Then I glued(white glue worked for my purposes) one straw to the body vertically. One to each "fat" part of the claws vertically. Lots of straws and stuff to paint with the release agent, but hey, it works....LOL. Then CAREFULLY and SLOWLY add the top layer to your mold. You should be able to see the baits through the straws. What you end up with is a mold that you pour while it is laying flat. There (for a four bait mold) will be twelve holes in the top. Eight claw holes and four body holes. Lo-and behold you can have a bait with different colored claws, salted body, etc. Once the plastic is cool, you simply trim away the columns of plastic that are left in the pour holes and recycle. The dots that are left don't detract from the action at all. I hope this helps, I need to take some pictures to share with the group.

Here is a site dedicated to it, with some cool tutorials as well. http://www.realisticflytyer.com/

Jigfisherman, where 'bout in TN are ya, I am in Knoxville. Anyone ever find a dye that would effectively change the living rubber color?

Looks like you get as excited about bait making as I do.

Same here, Paul is super nice and if you call him it helps the process. Speaking of which, has anyone else been frustrated with the green? It just doesn't split like the other colors so easily. Another question, has anyone ever dyed this stuff before? Would love to get "Highly Experimental" with some striping and dots.

I can see other threads with posted images. And can view the photo album OK, just can't see this pict. Cookies are allowed, and everything else seems to be in order. Maybe he pulled the picture from his site...? Can anyone else see it now?

I did a search, looked in "My account" and still can't find the answer to this question. Why is it that I can't see the images posted in the threads, even tho the box is checked in my account to view images. Any ideas? Any help is appreciated. I feel like I am missing some cool picts.

Is that mold available for purchase? I really like the look of it. Does it have the same action in the water as a Paca? The claws look like they have that triangle edge and lighter weight arms to make me think it would.

Kevlar is awesome, but know that too much pressure can indeed cut through the hair.

Awesome jigheads! What kind of wire are you using for the keepers? Any sources? Thanks!!!

Well, I have been "lurking" around the site for almost a month or so, and have decided to finally register and say 'HI'. I can tell you that a bunch of information has already helped me, and I look forward to ~maybe~ being able to help others one day. Awesome site folks!!!!!! I have a few questions, but will try to find the appropriate thread to post into. Anyway, Thanks for letting me aboard!