RSNeely,
I would go into the local stores and see what the big dogs are doing in your area. Then I would do at least the same. In this area, it doesn't hurt to do more than the minimum. It only takes a little room on your label to be safe.
I add varying amounts of pearl to my plastic depending what effect I want. I have never experienced anything like that, but I don't use hard.plastic. I would call spike-it and run it by them.
Usually If I am trying to match a color, I start with 1 to 2 drops at a time until I get the color I want. If you asked for a watermelon formula from twenty guys on here you would get twenty different versions.
Can you adjust the flow on your pot? That is one of the first things I look at when this problem arises. I also push the gate up against the nozzle so the lead does not cool as much when exiting the pot. If that does not work and I've done what was mentioned above. I place the hook in the cavity and wave a mini torch over the hook for a few seconds. close the mold and pour. It takes more time. but it works for me.
Even if it out of warranty, you can send it back with a check for one half of the purchase price and they will completely refurbish it and issue a new 2 year warranty.
Kayak,
Yes you turn the mixer off when filling the injector. The spout or ball valve is for top pouring molds. I have some top injection molds that I can still top pour. This is also used for open molds. I stopped using my micro years ago. As I understand it you can use only one pot or the other for a single color.Hope this helps. The Shooting Star doe not require you to turn tha mixers off when filling.
Looking at it from a soft bait manufacturers point of view, if a bait is too durable it won't sell as many as one that tears easily. I manufacture baits for other re sellers and I had one complain that my worms were too durable. He wanted me to make them softer so that they would tear more easily. So from that perspective you will never get those big companies to bolster their baits.
You might want to paint your jig green pumpkin and bake it. Then put your eyes on and add a little purple hi-lite to your epoxy and coat your jig. That will give it a purple sheen and not effect the base color too much.
Redfish,
That is due to shrinkage, As the plastic cools it shrinks. That is common with large body baits. One thing to try is to hold pressure for a few seconds before taking the injector away.