mark poulson

Wow, I can see why you don't like it. But, seriously, I've never had anything like that happen. And I don't worry about finger prints, like I used to with epoxy. I do use latex "throw away" gloves, that I typically don't throw away until they tear. But contamination is nowhere near the same problem. The worst thing, other that one lure that clouded when left overnight on wet carpet, is that the EM9300, their exterior polyurethane, has chipped where the joints hit each other on jointed swimbaits. But, even then, the paint scheme is fine and doesn't peel like the lure in your picture. The EM9300 does actually bond with the paint, so, when it chips, it exposes the white primer. I can touch up the white primer that's exposed with a sharpie, and just keep on fishing. The only time I've had anything like that happen is back when I used D2T, and it cracked off in big flakes, after I'd "rock tested" it. On purpose, of course. I know Dean says that DN bites into the paint, and so is a much stronger bond. I'm sure it's a great top coat. But for my lure making needs, the hastle of handling, storage, and the long time between dips, has kept me away from DN. As I said before, since I switched to PVC and SC9000, I can build and prime a lure one day, paint and dip it multiple times the next, and fish it on the third day. I have lots of lures that I've done that with, and they're still fine. Maybe it's an LA/left coast thing.

I poured up a couple of batches of the 4/2/1 Ikas. They are definately softer than the GYCB Ikas, but that isn't a bad thing. It's easier to set the hook, because the softer plastic lets the hook move more easily. They seem to weigh the same as the original Ikas, 11 grams with the skirt, but I put a nail in the butt anyway, to stiffen the lures a little. It can't hurt the casting, either. I wasn't able to get out to a hobby store to look for sand, but I am going to pursue that, too. If my sciatica lets me, I'm going to throw some tomorrow. Sucks getting old. Fingers crossed.

Whittler, I'm starting to think I'm crazy. I don't experience any of those problems with the SC9000, either on PVC or plastic lures. I also heat set the SC9000 a couple of times during the drying process, once it's skinned over enough to stop dripping and feel "dry" to the touch.

I actually have that saved on my computer, and refer to it from time to time. If I have time today, I'll play around with the GE Silicone, and let you know how it works out.

I'll check out the sand the next time I'm at Michael's, our closest hobby/craft/art supply store. If I can find some interesting colors, it may be a neat way to add weight to my plastics.

Husky, I have a few tubes of GE clear silicone. Will that work for making molds? Can it be speeded up by adding water?

I think the reason for the dark top/light bottom schemes is the contrast when the lures roll as they're walked. I do clear lures with irridescent backs and shoulders, and they catch fish. Probably because they are hard to see well, but the commotion they create when they're retrieved attracts the bass, and they have no negative cues from the paint scheme.

Thanks a million for all the great advice. I'll try the 4/2/1 mix tomorrow, and let you know how it turns out. I'm using Del's fine salt, softner, and heat stabilizer. I did notice one batch of clear/black flake came out yellow. I must have overheated it. Right now, I just heat the plastic in one minute bursts, stirring and checking as I go, and try to reach the consistency of water, or close, before I pour. What's a good infrared thermometer to use, and what temp. should I be looking for when I pour?

Here are some pictures of the two molds I've made so far. They both work well. One is for plastic tails for my QT swimbaits. The other is for fat Ika bodies. The are both made from either POP or 20 Smooth Set drywall mud. Both work well. I didn't have any more hinges when I made the Ika mold, so I use 16D finish nails, cut off, for locaters. I actually like that system better. I won't bother with hinges in the future.

A thinner, taller profile will also reduce roll. The flatter sides provide more water resistance (that's why walking baits are rounded on the bottom) and the taller profile lets you keep the ballast lower in the lure.

One more thing. If you're making lures for sale, you really need to find a "foolproof" system that works for you, so you don't have a ton of service issues. If you are making lures for yourself, and your friends, it's not as critical to achieve "perfection". Don't let the hunt for the "perfect" anything get in the way of actually building lures and fishing them. I've been a carpenter and contractor for over forty years, and can build anything I can see. I am as comfortable using hand tools as using power tool, and have found, over the years, that I can finish a job with only hand tools faster that if I have to roll out cords and break out power toos. Over the years, I've belonged to wood working clubs where some guys get so caught up in which type of sharpening stone is best that they never actually built anything. I'm afraid that is probably true in lure making, too. So I'd recommend just building and fishing, and changing methods as you learn and grow as a luremaker. The more you build, the more you'll learn what works best for you.

I've used both the SC9000 and EM9300 for lures, and had no problems. I make both one piece lures, and jointed swimbaits, and use both finishes on them. The SC9000 will cloud up if left on wet carpet overnight, because it's an interior finish, but I have swimbaits that I fished for a year that have held up just fine. If I get clouding, I just hang the lure up to dry overnight, and the finish is fine. And the SC9000 is so clear it doesn't take away from any paint job. Even metallic paints. I've found the EM9300, the exterior finish, is harder, and less clear, than the SC9000. In fact, it is so strong that it will cause a fine crackle effect on the Createx paint job. I dip once in the SC9000, to protect the paint, and then twice more with the EM9300, for lures that are fished in salt water, where the fish have bigger teeth. For one piece lures, like cranks and gliders, one dip in the SC9000 is fine for me. I've found that no top coat will provide waterproof protection for jointed lures. There are just too many potential point of entry. So waterproofing the lure before painting is key. I use PVC decking, which is waterproof, for most of my lures, so I don't worry about water intrusion ruining my paint job and top coat. With any jointed lure, rounding the edges of the joints to minimize sharp edges that might chip is critical. But I have lures with chips in the SC9000 and paint, down to the white primer, and they still work, and the rest of the finish is fine. It's nice not to have to "retire" a lure for repairs because I hit it on the rocks. I just keep on fishing it, even with any chips and dents. That's the beauty of PVC. One other thing. I "T" my trebles, like the trolling guys do, to minimize hook rash.

I would if I could. I'm still trying to figure out how to attach photos. Maybe when my youngest comes home she'll help me. She's 15, so she knows everything about computers, and everything else for that matter.

I actually like the slow fall of my Ikas, which are a gram or two lighter than the GYCB fat Ikas, but they don't cast as well, especially into the wind, which is where the original fat Ika shines. I am also concerned that the sand would move to the bottom of the bait, because the Ika body is so thick that the plastic stays hot and molten longer than with a worm body. That happens to me now if I add too much black flake. Now, for casting, and for the backup action of the Ika, that might not be all bad. It's worth playing around with. As it is now, I put a 4D finish nail into the bottom of the Ika to add weight for casting. Is scenic sand clear, or white like silica sand?

What brand of floured salt?

What brand of salt do you recommend?

I am pouring fat Ika bodies. I'd like the plastic to be a little softer, but just as heavy. Right now I'm using 1oz fine salt for 4oz Calhoon's plastic. The bodies come out soft, but not as heavy. I'm thinking of trying 2oz of salt, and 1 oz of softner. Has anyone already figured this out, so I don't have to reinvent the wheel? Also, what effect does heat stabilizer have on plastic, other than keeping it from scortching and smoking? Thanks in advance for any help.

I've mad a couple of POP molds that work. First, I made a box, with a 3/4"X2" pine frame, and 1/4" plywood top and bottom. For my latest Ika mold, the box was 3"X12" inside, 4 1/2"X13 1/2" overall, and 2" deep. After I made the box, I cut it in half lengthwise on the table saw, so I had 2 4 1/2"X13 1/2"X 1 1/4" halves. I put the halfs back together, and drilled a through hole at each end for 16D nails, which I use to align the halves. I put a row of drywall screws through the pine into the cavity, to act as keys to lock in the POP, and cut strips of fiberglass drywall tape to lay into the cavities to reinforce the POP. Then I mixed up the POP, filled one half of the mold, and layed in 12 fat Ika bodies so they were embedded half way, spaced so they were tight to one side, and had about 1/2" between each Ika body. I used a putty knife to try and smooth the POP around the Ika bodies, and a fine artist's brush with water to wash the POP off the Ika body parts that were exposed. The POP set in about 1/2 hour, and then I put it, with the Ika bodies still embedded, into my oven, set at 170, and let it dry for another half an hour. Then I sprayed the POP with spray Pam, trying to keep as much as possible off the exposed Ika bodies. The Pam dried quickly, in another half hour, since the first mold half was still warm from the oven. Then I filled the second half of the mold with POP, leaving it a little less than full to allow for the Ika bodies. I brushed some POP onto the exposed Ika bodies, to be sure all the details were covered, and then set the first mold half down onto the second half, the one with the wet POP in it, and used the 16D nails to align them. I clamped the two halves together, turned the mold over so the wet POP was on top, and tapped the mold with a screw driver's rubber handle to help any air bubbles move away from the Ika bodies. The POP had squeezed out of the sides a little when I clamped the halves together, but I wanted to get as many air bubbles away from the Ika bodies as possible. In another half hour, the second POP mold half was set, so I separated the two halfs with a screwdriver, and put the second half into the oven at 170 degrees for half an hour. While I was waiting for the second half to dry, I used a drywall knife to cut air vent grooves from the Ika body cavities in the first mold half to the pine mold sides. They wound up being about about 1/8" wide. Once the second half was dry, I removed the Ika bodies from the first mold half, and brushed carpenter's yellow glue, cut 50% with water, over both the mold halves. I used a soft brush, because the details of the molds were still soft at this point. It's important that you clean the mold halves before you glue them, because the glue will make whatever's in them almost impossible to remove. Once I'd covered everything with the diluted glue, I tipped the molds up to drain out any extra glue, and used compressed air, gently, to blow any excess glue out of the mold cavities. I let the glue dry overnight, and the next day I used a dremel to grind out spru holes for the Ika bodies, and to extend the vent holes through the pine. Then I put the halves together, aligned with the 16D nails, and clamped them again. I heated my plastic, and, VOILA!, I was pouring. Take your time building the mold box, and getting the plastic masters clean after you've embedded them in the POP. Lay out all you materials and equipment ahead of time, and walk through the POP process dry first, because, once you add the water to it, you only have a short working time with the POP before it gets too hard. Use cold water. Hot water will set it off too fast. And use clean water. Dirty water will also accelerate the POP. Good luck.

Very nice! How about some details, like size, weight, materials?

Incredible!!

Pine also works well for Punker-type lures. Strong, buoyant, and semi-hard. And it carves/shapes easily.

That type of belt sander, where the belt is run with the grit facing inward, and the work piece is on a table inside the belt, is called a stroke sander, and is used in cabinet shops. Or, at least, it used to be. I don't think a sander like that would be very usefull for lure building. If you don't want to buy an occillating sander, you can just clamp a belt sander on it's side to your work bench, and use it that way. The advantage to a dedicated occillating sander, as opposed to a conventional belt sander, is that both ends of the occillation sander are exposed, so you can use the radius at each end for lure shaping, and not just the flat belt area. Typically, portable belt sanders have the ends either partially or completely covered. If you decide to make your own sander, one tip I'll give you is to put a couple of wraps of electrical tape around the center of each spindle. That makes the belt track better, because each side of the belt is trying to climb the bigger diameter in the center. It's the same reason bandsaw wheels are crowned, to draw the sawblade up onto the wheel's center.

You can also cut small pieces of clear, or matching color, plastic drinking straws, and thread the worms through them. Then pass the wacky hook through the straw at right angles, so it penetrates the straw on the way in and the way out. You'll get a lot of fish on one worm.

I would if I knew how. There's something about me and posting pictures here that just doesn't seem to want to work. I'll ask my youngest to help. She's 15, and knows everything.

Really nice! Are you sure you never painted before?? You're way ahead of me, and I've been trying for a while now.