Bass-Boys

some times you can open up the narrow parts on the mold just a touch with a razor blade or scissors. becareful not to cut a notch in the mold, just a slight trim off the edge with a straight cut not jagged.

not sure if it will help , but they make a clear paint that maybe could be sprayed over the colors??

what about using your blending block w/ the presto pots ?? for craws? what injector did you get ?

did you get your injector ??

normal mono works. i use 25 # yes you have to tie up a harness and put it in the mold before pouring Lure Craft makes the mold to hold the harness in place

I got mine in minnesota adhesive lable co. 1-800-542-0016 they custom print. I always put um on the bags before I get any oil or scent on the bag

where @ in michigan ,, I am in michigan too ?

SHK, have you ever weighed them to see about a good consistency ? Jeff

If I were to do it over and was going to sell baits ,, you said it rite on ,, buy in large quantity and then you can make a profit.

excize taxes are another 10 % off the top..that was included in my 4.5 x material cost.. I done it for 5 years and it was not proffitable for me.. 4.5 times the cost was not enough to make any money.. with taxes 10% on excise and in shop sales collect 6 % mich sales tax & pay that to the state. then the cost of molds ,,pyrex,,,bags , lables,, postage., ect.. there was also many small items you use a lot of too.,.paper, pencils ,, paint brushes , ect... I really never made a penny on labor..

ok Mike, I dug out some of my old notes. 3--tea spoons = 1- table spoon 52 -drops of color or stablizer = 1/2 teaspoon 10-teaspoons of glitter = 2 oz. jar 1--table spoon = 1/2 oz. 8 -table spoons = 4oz. or a 1/2 cup 2 cups = a pint 4 cups = a quart 16 cups = gallon 256 table spoons in a gallon 128 oz in a gallon 640 oz. in 5 gallon -------------- prices at this time - a few years ago - includes shipping hardner -- $ 16.00 qt -- 64 tables spoons = 25 cents a table spoon scent ---- $ 55.00 qt.-- 64 table spoons = 86 cents a table spoon - very costly !!!! color -- $ 5.00 -- 2 oz bottle-- 4 table spoons -- 416 drops -- apx. 1 cent per drop glitter -- $ 15.00 -- 8 oz. bag --- 40 tea sp. 37 cents per. teaspoon salt -- $ 3.00 gallon --- 256 table spoons = just over 1 cent per table spoon softner --$ 40.00 gallon --256 table spoons = 16 cents per table spoon worm oil - same as softner plastic -- $ 150.00 -- 5 gallon ---640 oz. --- 23 cents per oz. ----------------------------------------------- so say for... top water frogs 14 oz. plastic ---23 x 14 = $ 3.22 1-- tea hardner--- 25 per. table - div. 3 = teaspoon = 8 cents 20 - drops color --- 20 cents 1/2 tea - glitter ---- 19 cents makes --26 baits 3.22 + .08 + .20 + .19 $ 3.69 div. 26 = 14 cents each frog cost for materials only add,, bags,,, elec. ,,,labor,, paper towells,, ect .. .14 cents cost x 4 to get retail bag of 6 frogs cost me to make .14x 6 = 84 cents just materials . x 4.5 for retail $ 3.78I would round this up to $ 3.99 retail if I have enough molds of the same bait I average apx. 50 baits per. hour so that 1/2 hour labor for the batch of 26 frogs I was remelting the sprues as I went & with no salt you have very little waste ------- salted & scented creature bait 14 oz -- plastic --- $3.22 4 tables salt-------- $ .05 cents 1 table spoon softner--- $ .16 cents 20 drops color---------$ .20 cents 3/4 teaspoon glitter ---$ .55 cents 1/2 teaspoon scent --- .43 cents makes 25 baits $ 4.61 cost for 25 baits just materials --.18 cents per. bait cost.. x 4.5 = retail 6 baits per. bag = .18 x 4.5 = .81 cents x 6 baits = $ 4.86 - round up to $4.99 bag salted waiste in the bottom of cup ,, but it is covered in the cost. when making baits @ your house you can not figure your electric cost.. so i just guess @ taking my cost X 4.5 = retail per. bag.. i would sell them for less in 50 ct bags.. never made very much for labor,, but had fun and still make my own baits to fish with. the larger container you buy for all products saves you money,, the guy I sold out to started rite off w/ a 55 gallon drum of plastic & saved a lot on that cost. Jeff

Here is how I used to do it. --- hand pour from micro.. make up a 13 oz batch of plastic ready to pour, ( i use a 2 cup pyrex ) 1st you have to figure your cost on all items used in the batch. it was time consumming but you only have to figure it one time ( touch it up when the cost of an item goes up ) figure plastic cost by the liquid oz. ( 128 oz in a gallon ) x 5 for 5 gal. include cost & shipping all items figure salt in table spoons glitter in tea spoon-- if buying by the 4 oz.. I tea spoon the glitter out in another container and checked how many teaspoons color by the drop ( this is not exact ) but close, figure high. see how many drops in a table spoon and how many table spoons of water fill a 2 oz. bottle scent by the tea spoon softner by the table spoon hardner by the tea spoon ect. see how many baits you can make from that batch .. divide how many baits ( from each mold you pour ) in to cost of batch.. end result cost per bait.. ( just materials ) for example cost .10 cents per bait.. times 4 = .40 cents retail each not exact but should cover most all other cost.. just how I did it.

CC told me that they were to small of a company to be giving out samples. and that was fine with me,, the economy is not good. and small companies need all the help they can get to get the bills pd. but that did make it so I did not try the plastic so I just stuck with what I was using.

shouldn't be a problem just keep um stirred up well while melting.

glad to help out.. now you can make some your buddy likes and wants to make for himself....

was there salt in the plastic that you used in it ?

Monte,good points Painter, here is how I would do this . ( just how I do it, not that it is the perfect way ) 1st make sure your plastic is mixed up 100% - no settling in bottom of jugs use 4 oz. of soft, and mix with 4 oz. of med. in a pyrex ( thats 8 oz. of plastic in a 2 cup pyrex ) add 2 tables of fine salt add 1 table of softner - if you do not have softner - use all soft plastic no med. make sure your watermelon color is mixed well. I micro mine for 15- 20 seconds then skake for 1- 2 minutes now add the 12 drops of color now stir all ingredients well before heating heat for 1 min. take out and stir well ( use a metal spoon ) if it is still like milk and not warm heat 1 minute again ( depends on the power of your micro ) if it is starting to get warm then only heat for 30 seconds- take out and stir well use this 30 second heat ups till you get to apx. 275 degs. stir well after every 30 second heat up ( the micro will have hot spots in the plastic so you have 2 stir often ) after you get to- 275 deg. then go to - 20 second heat ups til you get to 325 degs or so. ( stir after each 20 second heat up ) now add glitter and stir well again - yes stir again - check temp - if its below 300 deg. heat 20 seconds and stir well to make sure the salt and glitter are mixed evenly from top to bottom of pyrex you should be able 2 pour sticks at 300 deg. (because there are no arms or legs on the baits that are small and need more heat so then the plastic would need to get thinner for small legs to fill ) now only pour 2 sticks then reheat 20 seconds or so check temp to be apx. 300 stir again pour 2 sticks , only pour 2 sticks at a time be cause the salt and glitter will settle before you can pour a third bait. hope this will get you going. Jeff

ahh,, got cha thanks

my presto pot is 110 volt

here is what happened to me. years ago I built a new garage. a buddy that was a carpender was over and I asked him , how high should my work bench be? Well I am only 5' 8" tall., he said , go in and measure your kitchen counter height and you got it. Well i did that and now for years I have been working on a 25' long bench that is to high !!! not happy, What I had to do was build a platform on the floor that was apx. 4-5 " high to stand on. this platform is only 6' long so I can move it along the bench where needed. So,,,, do some testing on your height ,, it will pay off in the long run.

For smoke color.. add just one drop of black to plastic check to see if it is good if not add 1 more drop and so on. you can do the same with watermelon and pumpkin and most any color.

I would pour some out of the presto w/ the stir going using the presto spout into a pyrex measure and use the injector from the pyrex.

speed will not be part of your lure making if you only have 1 mold w/ 1 cav. use very small batches so as not to have to reheat so much if you are using a micro .

give us a little more info on your pouring process hand pour,, microwave,, stiring plastic w/ ?,, using salt ??

I put my colors in the micro for 15 sec. then shake. works great.