Willy

Try to put a little oil on the cavity of the mold before you pour. Mineral oil or baby oil works if you dont have any worm oil. It works for me on POP molds, but I'm not sure about rtv. Willy

I think the material is called 'vinyl plastisol'. At least that is what one bottle I have says on it. You can always melt down torn rubber baits you've usedand re-pour them, but I 'm sure you want to do better than that. Making your own is where the fun is. Best of luck, Willy

Anybody that can post a pic got one to show off? Willy

Sock, do you use an adjustable heat level hot plate, or does it keep an even and hot enough temp? And would you heat the plastic in the microwave first then transfer to the hot plate? Thanks, Willy

They look good One Sock. Your pours really impress. Plus the bait they sent is more of a matte finish, and yours are soooo shiny. That can make colors appear to be dofferent. I have no idea how you get your bait so shiny but it really turns me on. Willy

Ah, so you are doing your flukes as a one piece mold then. I assume that is what you mean by 'glue them down in the mold form', upside down at the bottom of the form. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Please understand I learned how to make molds from no one and may be doing it totally different from those in the know. From the look of your baits you are both an artist and a craftsman. So the production mold you make has a POP seperator inside the flukes, made from scooping in the POP with a spoon. And you don't have a problem with those breaking off? One last question, what do you seal your POP with? I use nail polish, but that is time consuming and degrades under the heat after a while. Sorry for so many questions, and I really do appreciate the help. Willy

Hey Nova, just a couple of questions here... BTW I used a metal piece and exopied it in, worked like a charm... When you make the production mold, do you epoxy a piece of metal into all of those fluke bodies in the mold? Or do you insert the metal into the flukes and put that down into the wet plaster? Thanks for the great suggestions, Willy

I have both Anchor and Pyrex. It seems the Anchor cups heat up faster and the Pyrex heat slower, but Pyrex hold their heat a little longer. Its most likely the integrity of the glass. But I feel the pouring spout on the Anchor cups is sharper and allows a thinner stream. Willy

Hey Pete, Wal-mart has anchor cups. They have a nice little 1 cup one that is great for small color pours or putting a couple of different colors in different cups in at the same time. I'm just learning swamps plastic shuffle, but it isn't as tough as it sounds. BTW there are a few funky swimbaits in the mail for you...somewhere, for plastic samples. Good luck on your first pours, Willy

Bucket...So you put this metal piece in when the plaster is still wet and you are making the mold? I'm gonna try to slip in a piece of brass sheet metal I have left over from making a speargun into a POP mold i made where the seperator piece has broken already. I hope it will stay in, otherwise I'll just have to try ti place it into a new mold. Nova... production mold? so you make a one piece mold, then pour a few baits and use them to make a multi slot mold, or production mold? Sorry guys I'm still a total newbie here. But each pour is getting a little better. Thanks for all the info. Thanks all, Willy

Swamp, I'm talking about the hook flap seperator, but that little tail piece it a nasty little fella too. But sealing it does the trick, you're right. Nova, Great suggestion, thanks I'll try that today. BTW I love the soft baits you pour. The pics in the gallery make me drool. You've got some skills. Bucket, notches, great thinking. I'm planning to do the same thing. Is your piece removable from the notches? Or did you glue/epoxy it in place like Nova? RTV would be the trick, or aluminum, but I'm cheap, and I can get the POP almost free at the base PX here in San Diego. Thanks all. Willy

I tried twice and am having trouble keeping the really thin piece that seperates the fluke 'flaps'. It is so thin that it quickly breaks, sometimes when I remove the original fluke, and always after I pour the first one. I was thinking about inserting a sheet metal or plastic piece into the mold, cut to shape, but I havent tried that yet. Any experience or ideas? Thanks all, Willy

Hey Pete I got some plastic from another company called Janns netcraft, but I think it is lurecraft plastic but I don't know for sure... Anyway, I got the middle strength of the three and it wasn't so soft. On my swimbaits the tail had very little action in the water, unless I reeled it as fast a possible. It was tough stuff though. I took hits and landed several large calicos and a halibut before the swim tore. But the action wasn't what I wanted, especially for Mission Bay's calmer water, so I reordered from MC and got the soft stuff. I don't know what you can take from this except probibly the 'saltwater' stuff is really tough. And stiff. Like Matt said, if you're pouring, softer is better. They may not last as long but the action will be much more satisfactory. I'll gladly send you a sample of one my swims if you PM me your adress so you can guage the toughness. But I expect you'll want to order your plastic sooner than that. Good luck with your decision, Willy

Great! I'll try those things tonight. You're right about both the temp and the bubbles. I try my best to stir out the bubbles, but sometimes I just can't get rid of 'em. I'm using stainless to stir with. It does feel like the stuff cools just too fast. I can't tell if it is from sliding down the pyrex out to the spout, or if my mold is cold or what, but I'll try the center pour for sure. Thanks Del Willy

From all I have read, worms and sticks should be the easiest to pour! But everytime I try, they come out hollow from halfway up to the top and my mold overflows mid pour. I have done my research in depth on this site, but still I struggle... Heres what I have tried so far... I make my own plaster molds..I made a two part mold with a couple of 5 inch worms... I use a microwave, pyrex, and whatever plastic one gets from Janns Netcraft. The cavities are coated with enamel, and oiled before I pour... There is an air exit hole at the tail of the worm almost the same size of the worm... I have heated my plastic to different temps, sometimes so hot i burn it, but always in 10 sec intervals... I always pour as thin a stream as possible before the stuff cools mid air... I've tried to pour one half with the mold open, then the other... I've tried to pour the whole worm with the mold shut... Still my worms come out hollow, or in the case of the one-half-then-the other pours, one half is good (the first half), and the other half (which I pour with the mold closed) plugs up and is just a string when I open the mold... I have poured successful swims, and craws and such, with one part molds, but even when I try grubs and such in the two part mold they often come up hollow as well, although I have had a little success with them in two part molds. So I tried to do worms as I understand they are easier. Bah! HELP?! Thanks all, Willy

Thanks Del. I appreciate your input. I'd just assume order from Del-Mart as you're on here helping folks out and part of the community. BTW, is your worm oil scented? Or do you have anise scent to mix with the oil if it's not? Willy

Couple questions from a rookie here. I have some plastic from Janns netcraft. I assume it's LC plastic? My problem with it is it's too stiff when it dries, and tough to pour (too thick). It's their regular stuff, not the saltwater or the soft. But my swimbaits have no wiggly wiggly in the water. 1. Can I buy any brand softner from say, Del, and mix it with what I have, or do I need the same brand softner as my plastic? 2. Can I buy some softer plastic, say Del's, or even the super soft stuff, from M-F, and then mix the plastic I have into it? 3. Does softner make the hot plastic easier, thinner, to pour? 4. What plastic of the three major brands is the softer? I couldn't tell from the recent poll, it just left me confused. Thanks all, Willy

I know this is a little off topic, but as we know anise scent works well and is popular. I found some pure very strong essence o fanise on some hippie website for a good deal. As with the fishy oils, homemade or not, can you thin the stuff down with mineral oil? The vaseline idea is a goodie, it must stick well, but mabye to my fingers too. Does anyone know if mineral oil would work, or is there somthing better, besides vaseline? You know, to put in the bag with the lures. Willy

Hey Rocky, I saw on one of the recommended scent sites they have a ghost shrimp oil... I've done well in the past using ghost shrimp in the kelp and in the bay. I made some Ghost shrimp oil in the bed of my truck once, I left em in a tupperware and forgot about em for a week or so...the stinky oil really does rise to the top. Don't tip the container though, or you'l have birds following you around for weeks. Willy

Hey nutty, I use all sorts of things from the 'real' world to make molds...AAAbatteries, toothbrushes, pens, chopsticks of various shapes, golf pencils etc. I even used a USB plug for the body of a craw chunk. I just look for thin things with interesting shapes and go from there... Problem is it's making me a little crazy, the wife too. I will be at the store looking at a vegetable and say "hey that would make a cool worm." Now everything I see is in the context of lure making... I'm a total rookie at pouring, but I enjoy the moldmaking almost as much as making the lures. Willy

Two Months! Wow that must be a sweet looking swimbait. I'd love to se pics of how it turns out. I kill it in Mission bay with swimbaits more than any other. Mabye if you paint the wood with nail polish? Good luck Pete. Willy

I'm with ya here Pete. I was thinking the same thing. Smashed crabs? Blenderized ghostshrimp? Emulsified Mackerel? Making a scent would be cool, cheap and fun. And as most scent makers don't divulge what their scents are made of, water based or not, it's a risk adding a premade scent. Us salties need love too! And scents! Make sense? Two cents? Willy