criggster

Both Del at Delmart and Bob at Bob's tackleshack can do that for you. I don't have their websites memorized though. Do a search or maybe someone could post them.

I've had modest sucess in a two piece swimbait mold by first coating the mold with worm oil and then sprinkling the flakes onto the cavity. It does an OK job of holding the flakes to the sides of the bait. I don't know if it would work with a one piece mold. The best way would be to coat the outside in clear plastic after it cools. Sounds like you may be trying to catch the attention of a New River fish or two?

That doesn't even sound close to me. There is only one word that is the same. I tell you it must be a prerequisite to be a **** before you are a lawyer.

You only need to coat the mold depression, not the face of the mold. I coat mine with three coats of 50/50 glue and water. It seals the mold and keeps the baits from getting air bubbles.

I had the same problem when I started pouring. Two things solved it: bigger sprue hole and topping off the sprue as the bait cools and pulls the plastic down into the mold.

All of the major plastic suppliers carry it. Try Lurecraft, M-F, and Bears Baits.

Do you have a recommendation for a soft plastic glue? I have used Pro's Choice Glue and really liked it, but not for $14 a bottle! I also tried some el Cheapo stuff at Gander Mtn. for $3 a bottle and really don't like it! I will be using it to repair tears and rips in baits and gluing jigheads to lures.

I suggest getting some catalogs or going online to some of the sponsors: Bear's Baits, Lurecraft, Calhoun, Del-Mart, etc. You may find that you will be ordering supplies from a couple different places to get what you want. While your at it ask for a sample of the plastisols to try beforehand. Good Luck and welcome to a very addicting hobby!

Does anyone here make a shakey head jig in either 3/8 or 1/4 ounce fully round head with a 4/0 or 5/0 heavy hook? I prefer the 60 degree eye, but 45 is OK too. I have found a few but the prices are expensive. Let me know if you can be competitive with the store bought prices, also I prefer unpainted.

I'm letting them cure for about four days and sealing them two days after making them. I usually let them dry inside the house. With the heat running there is very little humidity. I just poured again a little while ago and after the initial oven heating I used the same mold repeaditly and did not have to reheat. It looks like this is the best way. Would the Water Putty be more durable for multiple oven heatings?

I have recently started pouring some 4.5" swimbaits, but my POP molds are not withstanding the heat and are cracking after a few dozen baits. I am using a two piece mold fully cured with 50/50 elmers glue as a sealer. Each half is about 3/4'" in thickness. I have to heat each mold to get the tails to fill out. I am heating in the oven at 150 degrees for a couple minutes. There are no vent, but I need to install one near the head as they have some large dimples there. I thought about getting Durhams Water Putty as an alternative. Will it hold up to the heat better than POP? Any suggestions are welcomed.

I use the all purpose white glue, but the wood glue would probably work.

The only thing I've used to seal my molds is a 50/50 solution of elmers glue and water. I seal them with three coats of glue waiting about an hour between coats and at least overnight before pouring. And, I haven't had any problems so far.

I have a pair of small cosmetic scissors that are very sharp. They work really well for trimming any kind of overfill from the baits.

I believe you would have much better success with regular clay rather than slip. I did make a prototype for a bait using regular clay and did pour a few baits with it. It was not fired, but worked OK. The problem with the mold I made was the plastic wanted to penetrate the pore spaces. I do believe that if you fired it and glazed it you would have a very durable mold. Two pieces would be trickier to make.

Thanks Bassducer! That is very kind of you. PM on the way.

One cup sizes would work as I am only pouring small batches usually in pearl or white. I'll check again to see if I can find any stainless steel measuring cups.

Do the pots need to be aluminum? It seems as though all pots these days are stainless steel.

What kinds of pots can be used on a hot plate for pouring plastic? I have been using the micro but would like to start using a hot plate too. I looked in several different stores for an aluminum pot, but can't find one. I know they are sold at LC and other places, but right now I'm unemployed and need a cheaper (Wally World?) alternative.

This past week I poured in my garage when the temps outside were around 45. I cracked the garage door about half way for ventilation and used a kerosene heater nearby. I had no problems at all! I use a piece of plywood on sawhorses for a workbench and set the pyrex cup on it.

I'm not usually adding anything to the aforementioned baits. They are swimbaits and the action I was referring to was the stiffness of their tails. It may be that I am not mixing the plastic thoroughly? I usually shake the jug for a minute or two and then pour the plastic into the pyrex. The plastic is not overcooking, and I am pouring at a temp. of about 325 degrees. I just got a sample of LC plastic to try and really like it! It seems to pour a lot better and heats quicker than the Calhouns I was using.

I have only been pouring for a little over a year, but I have noticed that as the baits I pour sit they seem to stiffen up a little. They are a little stiffer over the course of a few weeks and even seem different after a couple months. Is this the norm? If so, how long would you wait after pouring to get the best action from a bait? I have used pours a couple days later but as stated above it seems as though the action gets a little better after about two months.

One thing to keep in mind is that the majority of the heat will escape via the open top of the container. So, if you could fashion a pop lid of some sort to cap the top with you could probably extend your heat retention time by a factor of at least 1.5

I wondered why he was replying to a thread that was a couple of months old.