bogdan_alex

the problem I discovered is that RTV silicone has a great amount of shrinkage. The mold is only usable for a more limited period of time....then the differences becomes too obvious. I think that's because the core of the mold is still curing for a long time if it's too thick. And you have to be careful the RTV does not stick to your master. The molding silicone does not stick on anything but silicone but RTV does. I only use gasket RTV (+300C..the red one) to make molds for lead pouring and it's working pretty nice.

@RM3I admire your tenacity... I don't see myself doing that for a couple of lures, no way! The aftermath cleanup and the toxicity clearly pushes me away to even try it. I'm sure spraying gives a more accurate results but the cons are not ones to neglect.

I use somewhere around 30psi ( 1.8-2.2bar range...you do the math). I'm not an expert by any means but I've noticed that is better to spray at the lowest pressure the paint can handle and atomize correctly without leaving a rough finish. Spraying at too high pressure can cause the paint dry on the tip of the airbrush and that is one thing that gets me on my nerves so I try avoiding it at all costs .

make sure you also get - a pressure regulator with oil/water trap - fridge compressors runs with oil which sometimes is pushed into the air flow...it will be a pity to end up on your lure. - a one-way valve to prevent back-pressure - a safety valve ....for safety reasons

Something is not right...even if it kicks in, the pressure should be steady. This means the pressure regulator is not doing its job properly or the compressor starts too late when the tank pressure is below the working pressure. I have a 3 liter tank (less than a gallon) and although I'd love to have one bigger, it's working really nice and steady .

One more tip for ABS, hope I can find a good explanation : put some acetone in a pot/jar and suspend your printed lure over, without touching the acetone. Close the pot/jar and heat it a bit ( 60deg Celsius would be fairly optimal ). It would make the printing lines vanish and your lure shiny.

If noise is your main concern ( as it was for me too), and you're a little bit into DIY, then a Fridge Compressor is your safest bet. You really can't beat that in terms of "silence". I've built myself one with a tank from a fire extinguisher to protect the compressor from working too hard and the air coming out from the airbrush is noisier than the compressor itself.

I'd go with size 8 on the belly and 6 on the tail but any combination between 8 and/or 6 should be fine. 4 is too big I think and 10 is definitely too small...as @JD_mudbug said it resembles the River2Sea and it's even close to Rapala SSR or a model from Cabela's...don't remember the name. The thing is all of those lures use 8 or 6.

Great lures. I also had some experiences with cnc molding but didn't go as far as aluminum. ( that's maybe why the lures got stuck into the mold regularly although I used release agent ) The Urethane foams are regularly setting pretty quick. What kind do you use to have time to fill all the cavities and close the mold in time? I've played with Altropol Neukadur PU RF 150 but the results where half rewarding and didn't managed to do more than 2 cavities at a time.

So is it really worth the trouble? I mean I would surely want to test it but I can't think about the hassle of bringing it from US and why not...the costs. For instance, how your invoice looked like?

I print my lure masters with a DLP printer and even negative silicone molds. Then I cast the rest in resin. For wood carving I plan to build myself a 2.5D small duplicator and (again) the masters 3D printed. I am very pleased with the results from the 3d printer, although it's messy, a DLP printer gives you better finished product right off the plate. Software wise you could use Fusion360 or Sketchup as @Travis said. I have access to 3dsMax and I use it because I am more accustomed and move more freely.

If you paint with acrylics and epoxy topcoat I don't think it's all that important as long as it leaves you with a nice surface. I've used wood primers or even automotive primers with same result. If you use solvent based paints or topcoats then you should be more careful

I discovered that some micro-pores resulted from resin pouring can ruin my epoxy finish making my lure more prone to fish eyes, so I try to do a dip in primer witch helps me paint it better and get a better finish also.