HJS

Finally got around to finishing my 2-piece mold for an 8.5" soft plastic similar in appearance to a Bass Assassin, but with tail. First I made a single cavity mold using a mandrel I made from Sculpy (pictured at the beginning of this thread). Using this mold I poured 3 soft plastic lures. Then used these lures as new masters to make a 3 cavity, 2-piece mold. Worked out pretty good. Toothpicks were stuck in the 3 plastic masters to facilitate handling. White cones at the nose end of each lure were made from baked Sculpy and act as pour funnels and reservoir for excess molten plastic (solves problems associated with shrinkage during cooling. They too have toothpicks for handling. So far I've poured a dozen lures from this mold and it seems to work very well. QUESTION: How do you guys bind your large 2-piece PoP or DWP molds together prior to pouring??? All my previous 2-piece molds, prior to this jumbo mold, have been for 4" plastics and were relatively small. I bound the halves together using heavy rubber bands... quick & easy. But the jumbo 3 cavity mold pictured above seems to need more pressure that can be gotten from rubber bands alone. I used 2 big C-clamps with 1/2" plywood on each side of the mold. This worked but is a royal PITA to assemble and must be reassembled with each pouring. I'd appreciate any ideas.

Thats about what I'm paying for DWP. I much prefer DWP for 2-piece molds due to its longer setting time, roughly 15 minutes. For 1-piece molds, PoP works just about as good as DWP.

I'd really like to be able to see this video. But I have a dialup modem too that runs on a very rural phone line maintained mostly by squirrels. (Cable is still miles away and not getting any closer) My computer quits about 1/3 the way into any video I try to view. Heck, even on this site, if I click on any thread, going forward or backwards, my computer takes 45-60 seconds to put something on the screen... like watching very slow paint dry.

What Nova and others said. If you have at least one good mold then use that mold to make several masters from plastic. Then, using those new plastic masters, make a second mold with 3 or more cavities side by side. Its difficult to make a 1-piece mold for round masters and have the resulting lures look exactly like the originals. The resulting pours will have a decisive flat side to them. 2-piece molds are best suited for roundish lures. But keep in mind that making a 2-piece mold is several leaps more difficult than making a 1-piece mold... but can be done. Do a search for "2-piece" molds and you'll find several good threads describing the techniques. For 1-piece molds, definitely superglue the squeeky clean masters to the squeeking clean base THEN apply a thin sheen of Vasoline befor pouring in the PoP.

maki - I found TU about 2 months ago. And like you, I spent a long time reading back thru at least a couple of years worth of threads. Mercifully, after a few hours of bleary-eyed reading and a half a box of wine...I mean half a bottle of wine, I got to the end. I've since made several 1-piece and 2-piece molds and poured a year's supply of soft plastics. Litterally, all tricks of the trade I now use were learned here on TU.

Just finished another 2-piece mold using Durham Water Putty (DWP), with pic. No store bought masters available so I made one from Sculpy clay that bakes semi-rigid. Sculpy is great stuff if you lack a soft plastic original to copy, in this case I didn't. - Make Sculpy mandrel to suit and bake. - Drill shallow hole in hard sculpy mandrel at balancing point and insert screw a few turns. The screw makes handling the greased-up mandrel a LOT easier. Coat with very lite layer of Vaseline, more like a sheen. - Pour first layer of DWP and CAREFULY insert mandrel half way in, being very careful not to go past the center or widest point of mandrel, or you'll never get it out. - Insert aligning marbles. Let harden completely. (In my case I don't use marbles. After the first layer is hard I drill a few shallow holes with a 3/8" countersink drill... see pic) - Do not remove mandrel from mold yet... heck, barely even touch it... you don't want to even knock it loose... that might compromise the second layer of DWP. - Remove screw from mandrel and fill little screw hole with Vaseline - Lightly Vaseline surface of 1st layer of hard DWP and mandrel. - Pour second layer of DWP. Let dry for a day or two in a very warm place, like the dashboard of my closed up car while in full sun. - Separate mold, and hope to Gawd almighty that you can remove mandrel, do it very carefully. - Reassemble mold tightly with heavy rubberbands. - Drill pencil-sized pour hole,~5/16th, then a reservoir hole, 1/2". Both are just barely visible in pic. - Use hacksaw to saw in tiny vent slot to let out trapped air as you pour, see pic. - Coat cavities ONLY with your choice of sealants. I use 2-part. 30 min, epoxy. - Spray warm mold with PAM, bind halves together and pour several lures. THESE WILL BE USED AS NEW, SOFT-PLASTIC, MASTERS TO MAKE YET ANOTHER 2-PIECE MOLD, 4-5 or more CAVITIES, SO YOU CAN POUR MULTIPLY LURES AT ONE TIME. Additional notes: You will need to plan ahead concerning the front and back spacing of the mandrel in the mold box so there is room for a big enough reservoir hole. Also, my original mold suffered minor chipping at the edge of the cavity when I extracted the rigid mandrel. No big deal, the small defects in the lures from the clipped mold line were carefully trimmed with scissors. These will be my new masters for a second mold. Note on applying Vaseline to surfaces: I use one of those little cheap shop brushes with the metal handle to spread out the Vaseline. Works OK for starters, but this type of heavy bristled brush will leave brush/streak marks that will be picked up in every detail by the DWP. So before pouring I will brush out the streaks with a fine, weaker bristled brush. Be absolutely sure there is no globs of Vaseline ANYWHERE in the mold, especially in preperation for pouring the top layer of DWP. Especially check for excessive accummutations of Vaseline where the master meets the mold. OK folks, this is as far as I have gotten so far. Next step is to make the multi-cavity production mold using the plastic lures I made from the original mold. Yeah... there's more intricate steps to this entire process than there is in ballroom dancing. I'm about wore out, but I'll eventually finish this project. BTW, these lures will be used on stripers using a 3/4oz bullet nosed, flat-backed jighead... thus the flat nose on the lure... makes it hug the jighead flush. Little dap of superglue on the jig shaft and that lure will last for 10-20-30 fish before getting wrecked.

Farley - You say, "The 1st one I made was great and now the next 6 or 7 are all chipping or some of the pop is coming with the master. BIG QUESTION: Are you trying to make additional molds from the same master??? Or are you making additional molds using different shaped masters??? 1-piece or 2-piece molds??? Only once have I made a baked master out of Sculpy (similar rigidity as wood). Great stuff to work with. But, when casting a 2-piece mold using Sculpy masters that have been baked, YOU CAN"T PERMIT THE CASTING MEDIUM TO OVERLAP THE SIDES OF THE MASTER EVEN JUST A TINY BIT, or you'll never get the master out. For example, if your master is round-sided, don't let the PoP creep up the side past the widest point... or your in trouble. Sometimes I'll use a marker pen to outline the widest point going completely around the master tip to tail. Then when pressing the master into the first layer of PoP, I don't let the PoP creep up past the marker line. Then I apply vasoline to both the dry PoP and the master before pouring the second layer. I coated the sculpy master with 1 coat of 5-min, 2-part epoxy, then apply a lite sheen of vasoline before casting. B**ch to hold onto them but needs to be done. I suggest expoxying your master too for a slick finish that will release easier than one thats not slick. Also - 30 minute drying time for PoP is waaay too short. Think a couple of days. Sometimes I'll place my masters on the dashboard of a HOT closed up car facing the sun. They'll dry out pretty fast then... or do a slow bake at low temps in the oven... then, when completely dry, take the master out.

newcastledrew - Whats your goto soft plastics??? If you got a mold, what would it be for? Many soft plastics can be made from 1-piece molds which are a lot easier to make.

Can't tell how long they are... but the middle lure could easily pass for a sculpin if were about 3"-4" long. All of our waterways here in MD, from tiny creeks to big rivers, are loaded with various species of sculpins. Even though they were made on a whim they're still very nice looking lures.

Zbass - Nice looking mold. I made a couple of 2-piece molds using Durham Water Puddy and 4" paddletail Bass Assassins, similar looking to yours. After a couple of mistakes, I found out that I should be pushing the paddletails 1/2 way into the first layer of wet Durhams on their sides. Then you can locate the vent hole on the seam of the mold at the very tip end of the lure. I'll see if I can attach a picture that I already downloaded to TU... if I'm lucky. So, if you get around to trying a 2-piece mold for those lures, consider laying them on their side.

Ok guys, I have a question about metallic glitter and microwaves. I've heard, an experienced first hand, that microwaves do NOT like metal things put in them. (I once tried to defrost a load of bread in our microwave with the wire twisty still attached... lots of zapping noises and plastic smoke!!!). So... how does the addition of metallic glitter to plastics jive with the workings of a microwave??? So far I've only remelted old Bass Assassins that I'm guessing have plastic glitter... so far no problems. Might metalic glitter super heat and melt their way to the bottom?

POP - I've never tried DAP water putty, so can't help you out there. But I bet DAP is pretty much the same thing as DWP. For those who have not tried DWP, its looks, handles, and pours EXACTLY like PoP. The differences are DWP is a very pale yellow, takes 2x-3x longer to set (big bonus in my book), and once completely dry, is somewhat harder than PoP (more durable). msj21xd - I've never tried casting lead using molds made from POP or DWP. Maybe others here will know if this is possible. I've read elsewhere that it can be done but the mold has a fairly short life-span due to the much higher heat associated with molten lead. I've heard after many pourings of lead that the PoP mold starts to deteriorate to the point that its useless. Maybe DWP might perform better than PoP at casting lead... dunno. Its also my guess that you would not need to seal the mold. I'd think that hot lead would totally and instantly wreck either Elmers or epoxy sealants. Farthermore, if the unsealed mold surfaces are smooth, as they should be if you do a good job of pouring, that lead would not stick to them like plastics will. And last, be absolutely certain that your mold is totally and utterly bone dry before attempting to pour lead.

They look a lot better than my first pours. Were they made from a 1-piece or 2-piece mold? Be forewarned, pouring you own is highly addictive... and there ain't no 10 step program other than to go fishing a lot more.

What MDC said. I extract them from the mold about 10 to 20+ minutes after pouring. 2-piece molds take longer still. The extracted plastics are set very carefully on a cookie sheet in the exact position I want them to look like. Then don't mess with them for 24 hours!!! Popping them into the frig will speed up the posess but still takes hours. Sometimes I'll even put the tray of lures in the freezer. Or if it winter I'll place the tray out on the woodpile.

As I've stated earlier, I've never used new (fluid) plastics... only old recycled plastics I cut into chunks. QUESTION: When you guys say you place an 8oz container of fluid plastics in a microwave and heat at full power for ~2 minutes... do you still stop the process periodically to stir the mix???... or just let it go untouched until the ~2 minutes are up???

Alex - Not sure. Two things: I'm assuming the snake lures pictured are not in your possession. Also, when at rest, do the snake lures have a wavy set to them like the ones pictured or are they straight?

scbassman28 - Can't help you out there. I'm still remelting old plastics. Mark - So far I'm using only old plastics to make new plastics... mostly because I really like hobbies and REALLY like to save money. I had been saving old and damaged plastics for several years, segregated to color to avoid bleeding, knowing full well that I would eventually get into pouring my own. My first self-taught attempts at making molds and pouring plastics was an abysmal failure. Then I found this site and all is good now. To make a long store short... using scissors, I chop up old plastic, into bean sized chunks and put them in my melting container and place in the microwave. I start with 20 second burst of full power eventually dropping down to 5 seconds as the plastics approach pouring temps and all chunks are totally melted. Takes a couple of minutes. Stir briefly after each power burst. Too much time at full power and the plastic will suddenly burn looking like a marshmallow that fell in the campfire. The vast majority of my old plastics are either Bass Assassins or 9" & 12" trolling sassy shads. Also, I use pretty much only 3-4 colors. So my variety of plastic types is very simple. When melting, I keep the 2 types separate. Big trolling sassies are a little harder formula than Bass Assassins. I'm almost out of old plastics and may actually have to purchase a jug of virgin plastic to continue my newfound passion. Don't bother me with the fact that I now have a 5 year supply of new poured plastics... I gotta keep pouring!!!

OK guys, I'm bringing this up to help the newbies that are getting into pouring their own. Am I correct in my microwave thinking??? or am I way off. I heat my plastic in a relatively good, digital microwave thats about 5 years old. I can select time and I can select power levels ranging from 1 to 10. Its my assumption that most if not all microwaves operate at only one level of power... either its on at full power or totally off. Microwaves achieve their various levels of power by cycling full power on & off in appropriate ratios. So, if a power level of 50% is selected, the microwave does NOT power down to a steady 50% output. It achieves 50% power by cycling 50% on at full power and 50% off at no power. So I'm thinking that selecting different power levels is NOT the way to go when trying to control the rate of melting plastics. Therefore, that leaves timing as the only effective way to control the rate of heating plastic. If I'm wrong, help me out here. When I'm melting plastic I use only full power. I adjust rate of melting by adjusting time only, generally from 20 seconds to start, dropping down gradually to 5 seconds as the plastic nears pouring temps. I stir briefly after each burst of power. It be really kewl if microwaves actually powered down to a steady output when lower settings were selected... but thats just not the way they work... I think.

Ed - Durham Water Puddy (DWP) is a little more expensive than PoP. I bought a 4# container of DWP at my local Ma&Pa hardware store for about $7.50. The same store had PoP for ~$5 for the same sized box. But still, it cost only about 75 cents to make a mold that will last years and make 100s of lures, if not dropped. IMHO, its well worth the slight extra cost per mold. You can make lots of molds from a 4# container. PoP might be good for practice but switch too DWP after you get the hang of it, especially if you get into 2-piece molds. The longer set time is a big bonus when making 2-piece molds. On the other hand, others on TU have suggested mixing in a hefty squirt of Elmers into the PoP and that will make it get harder and more durable. And I know what you mean by not having enough molds to make for quick pouring, even if just for your own use. The 4" paddletail Bass Assassin is my goto lure for saltwater striper fishing in both the Chesapeake Bay and in the Bath area of Maine. They are great for freshwater too. So now I have enough 2-piece mold capacity to pour 12 paddletails at a time. Thats about a full cup of plastic. Seems like cream of tartar is a master of many trades, an Elixir of life. Everytime I read a helpful hints article about home remedies to solve a variety of home problems they suggest to use cream of tartar. So now, here on TU, comes another use.

I use epoxy too and think I prefer it over Elmers. The epoxy fills in bubble holes nicely. I use either 5min or 30min epoxy, depending on the job, sold in the double syringes. Ad 5%-10% rubbing alcohol to the mix and it will get a little most fluid. I too use the cheap dime store (aka: Dollar Stores) brushes. The ones I buy have plastic shafts and very straight nylon bristles and come 10-15 per pack. I'd think that a drop of superglue right where the bristles met the shaft would hold everything in place. BTW, I don't think that soft hair brushes have enough backbone to properly work epoxy out smooth. And the cheap metal shafted brushes made for the shop might be a little too stiff and lacks the proper finesse.

Funny this thread came BTT. Yesterday, I just finished yet another 2-piece mold. I'm really in to 2-piece molds now. I'm hooked! Heck, I'm having so much fun that I'm starting to make molds to replace my 1-piece molds. Even worse, I'm starting to make 2-piece molds for lures types I really don't need. (Did I mention its great to be retired!) My last two 2-piece molds were made from Durham Water Putty. DWP has so many advantages that I don't think I'll ever go back to making 2-piece molds out of PoP. Setting time is long enough to set in 5-6 masters with time to spare. Once DWP dries its much harder and more durable that PoP. Maybe PoP is still good enough for 1-piece molds, but for 2-piecers I'm staying with DWP. Ed - I've heard of delaying additives for PoP but never checked into them. I know with DWP that a splash of vinegar delays setting time. Says so on the box. I use 1/2 tsp vinegar per cup of water. Took 15-20 minutes for the DWP with vinegar to start to firm up.

Riplip - I use a microwave to reheat old plastic lures. I noticed that when its almost melted just right there are no bubbles. If I do a couple extra 5 second bursts in the microwave then lots of tiny bubbles miraculously appear. So, watch your heating temps & times. I also find that plastic that is too hot shrinks more then plastic thats heated just right.

Rich - I'm assuming you let the mold dry out completely before the first coat of Elmers is applied. Might take a couple of days to air dry, much faster in an oven set at low. I've set my drying molds on the dash board of my Jeep Cherokee with windows up... really hot in there. At the least, apply 1 or 2 more coats of Elmers. When I'm pouring plastic, I spray the molds with PAM kitchen cooking spray. Just one really quick pass over with PAM is enough. Then turn mold cavity down on a paper towel to drain any excess oil while you're heating up the plastic. Lures almost drop out. PAM must be reapplied after 3-4 pourings. You'll know when the mold needs another spraying.

Believe us, your first application of Elmers/water mix did its thing. After dumping it out, shank out the excess. Then let the mold dry completely, like a couple hours in a warm place. Then repeat 2 more times, maybe use a small paint brush for the 2nd & 3rd application. Your done. BWT, what were your masters and how'd your first mold turn out???