sammy01007

I tried adding a bit of denatured alcohol to the epoxy. I thinned it our quite a bit adding several drops to a very small amount of epoxy. The result was far fewer bubbles, but larger ones. The epoxy dried crystal clear. So I may play around with this. I did not add any heat. Simpley mixed the epoxy, added DA, mixed again, and poured. I am going to Hobby Lobby friday, if I can find some crystal clear hot gun glue, I may give that a shot as EdL commented on.

Lngnokr, If you figure this out please let me know. I have been struggling with the same problem, I have tried using Amazing Clear and Envirotex Lite. I keep getting bubble as well. Two things I have not tried, but been meaning to is 1. Add a little denatured alcohol to the epoxy to thin it out, and maybe make it easier for the bubbles to release. 2.Preheat the mold in the oven. Although I have tried heating the epoxy with a hair dryer, thought maybe heating the mold itself would have a positive effect. Have you had any experience trying either of these? If I make any progress I will let you know.

I put some expanding foam in a box and let cure. After I cut out a block about 3/8 X 3/8 X 3/4. I suspended it in the mold of the head piece of my swimbait using a metal wire, making sure it would not interfere with the hook hanger, line tie, or pin. I poured the resin into the mold using the same ratio of micro-balloons as I have been using. I compared the weight of this new piece to ones I previously poured without the foam insert. I was able to knock 3 grams of the weight of the head piece. It now weighs the same as the master carved from PVC. Weights: PVC = 7g Resin, micro-balloons, foam = 7g Resin, micro-balloons = 10g The body segments are to small to safely add the foam to, but Friday I should be able to determine if lightening the head piece, then counter-acting with additional ballast, improves overall movement of the bait.

So it just happened to me again. This is what I did. I typed "tackle Underground" in the address bar. A Bing search result came up. I clicked on the "Tackle Underground" link at the top of the search results. Re-directed me to http://url4short.info/2ec1b5c8. Repeated the steps, and logged in without a problem. This is the third time I encountered this on 2 different PC's. Once happened just as described above. Once happened when signing in under my username. Hope this helps.

I have been redirected several times over the last 2 days when opening the TU site to http://url4short.info/2ec1b5c8 Anyone else encounter this?

Wow, I just read through this entire topic. Thank to everyone who contributed! It will save me hours of R&D of my own. I just started making molds for a 5 peice 4 inch swimbait I have been working on over the years. I started using a SmoothOn product and had serrious bubble problems. I recently tried Alumilite Amazing Plastic (AP) and Amazing Clear (AC). The AC actually worked the best, probably because of the long working time, but it takes 7 days to fully cure, and tensile streangth is low. I thought I would add some microballoons to the AP and get apporximatly the same wieght as the PVC Board I made the master out of, but unfortunately I was wrong. I am mixing 1 part balloons to 1 part resin by volume. I was trying to see how many balloons I could add to maintain a desirable durability of the bait. I am sure this will vary depending on the baits design, but any suggestions? Can I achieve the same weight as PVC or is this a dream?

I was pouring a mold the other day and over estimated how much I needed. I mix in a large plastic solo cup and wanted to do something with the excess RTV. So I shoved an extra lip I had into the RTV. The lip was positioned vertical in the RTV with just the very tip sicking out (end that is inserted into the lure). When it dried, I cut along the sides about half way down the lip. Yanked it out and poured some resin in. It worked like a charm. Although I have not been able to make any really clear lips (always getting bubbles), if you don't mind a solid colored lip, the solo cup mold worked perfect. A-Mac, nice explination/ photo tutorial you put together.

Have a great Turkey day!! Happy Thanksgiving all

I found using the clear plastic display boxes from Hobby Lobby great for making molds. They come in a varriety of sizes, and they are cheap (~$1.00-$2.50). Plus they come with covers, to keep dust out. You can drill holes in the bottom to push out the mold if needed, but most of mine just stay in the container. I only remove the top half of a mold after a pour. I do have issues with bubbles in some of my molds, especially in thin or small areas; but I think this is from poor venting, or positioning. Something I am still trying to master.

I have been messing around with a 2 part mold for a large 9 inch swimbait. I started using Smooth-On product, but had serious bubble issues. I also tried Alumilite Amazing Clear Cast, filling one half of the mold, allowing it to degas for 30 minutes, then applying the second half of the mold. The excess casting material oozed out of the vent ports. this worked excellent, but the tensile strength of the material is very low, when compared to other casting materials. I wanted to try Alumilite regular, but unfortunately when I went to the local Hobby Lobby, they last bottle in stock was already gone. I went to the Hobby Lobby online store, and can't find it there either. maybe they are no longer carrying the product. Which is unfortunate because of the 40% discount coupon they offer. So, my question is, will I have the same bubble issues with a fast drying resin like Alumilite regular as I did with the Smooth-On product? Does anyone know of another hard resin i could use, that has a slow cure time that would allow me to degas the resin as described above? Or, do I just need to keep playing with my mold until i find a way that allows all the gas to escape? Thanks-

I have decided to give mild making another attempt, but once again I am falling short on finding supplied that won't break the bank, or cost me more in shipping than the product itself. I can get Oomoo 30 from Blick's supply store in NYC, with a 40% off coupon. And I can get Alumilite casting plastic from the local Hobby Lobby, again with a 40% off coupon. The area I fall short is Mircoballooons. I found these online, and according to Google, available from some of the local marinas. I am not 100% sure if this is the right stuff. Are these microballons what I need? http://www.google.com/shopping/product/1409666504599777444?q=microballoons&hl=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=cd238efcd5bfa751&bpcl=35466521&biw=1366&bih=641&tch=1&ech=1ψ=qSeEUJegLKi40gGF_oC4Bw.1350838185898.3&sa=X&ei=ryeEUN2KMomN0QHL5ICoBQ&ved=0CFIQ8wIwAA

GIMP is a free photo editing software similar to Photoshop. It's quite powerful, but I have found it to be less user friendly than Photoshop, and a little buggy at times. But its free.

BobP your right. Time to convince the brother to do some dirty work for me . I am still perfecting the swimbaits so I'll just use what I have until I get them perfect. Then I'll starting pestering him.

Thanks G That was a big help!! I was talking to my brother about the auto clears. He said the stuff you can get at the autoparts store in spray cans is not nearly as hard as the stuff they spray in the shop. I think I may still give it a shot since being able to spray a top coat makes life so much easier, lol. He suggested 4 coats since the coats go on thin. I checked all the other cans of spray at HD and no other was recomeneded for outdoor use. Oh well, back to square one. Maybe I'll be back to using the ol' lure turner soon enough.

According to the can, it is suppose to protect colors (paint) from UV light, but which ever is causing the clear coat to discolor, I'll need to find something new. I have found trying to apply epoxy to a swim bait difficult, but maybe it's the way I'll have to go. I may try one other rattle can spray first though. Let you all know if it turns out any better. Or, try spraying some sort of auto clear. My brother is an auto-body tech, so i should recruit him to spray them for me .

I have been spraying Minwax Helmsman indoor/outdoor Spar Urethane as the top coat for my swimbaits, but finding it is become stained by the murky water that I am fishing in. I am giving the lures 2 coats and allowing 72 hours before use. Should I be using a different product or am I do something wrong? Thanks

I carved my first in my Brooklyn apartment, in the "guest bedroom". At the time it was an empty room, so I bought a couple hand tools such as a dremel, coping saw, and such. I carved it out and sprayed it with spray paint. My wife was so "proud" of it (she is very encouraging). I quickly dissed it (it looked aweful!!) and through it in the trash. Kind of wish I kept it.

I place the fiber pieces and a little bit of 5 minute epoxy between 2 pieces of plastic milk carton. I squish the carton pieces together to spread out the epoxy. you need to add enough epoxy to penetrate through all the fibers, but not so much it makes a big mess. I then use toothpicks to shape the fin. I leave it alone until the epoxy fully cures. The fin and epoxy will then peal off the carton pieces. Any excess epoxy can be trimmed off. Don't know if this is the best way, but it has worked for me. I find it works great for the tail fin, but I have more trouble getting a consistent dorsal fin.

At what point should I attach fiber fins to a swimbait? At this point I am attaching the rear fin before painting and sealing. I want to include a dorsal fin too. I was thinking of adding this after I paint, so it doesn't get in the way, but this may leave a less than perfect finish on the back of the bait. What does everyone else do?