Frank

Kajan, agenda? I don't sell or make parts for a plastic pot or a stirring system. Can you say that? I make no money if some one buys any products I promote. But if you use only harder plastic then you may well need a stirring system. I don't use anything harder than say med hard from Spikeit and I don't need a stirring system with that either. If you are using a plastic that is that sensitive to heat then you have a need for the parts you make. I don't and have shown the way I do it on many videos to help people start this hobby and visually see how I do it. Have you ever done that? I am guessing not as you don't really inject baits. Open pour molds are more of what you do am I wrong? I can use plastic so fast it does not make a difference if a stirring system is used or not. You also say you turn yours on and off when needed, with me I just stir when I need is that not the same thing? His paddles are yours. So lets get back to bashing plastic manufacturers? New people reading this post can get started pour without having a bunch of specialized equipment that some say they need. Buy a microwave,Pyrex cups,Twinjector,plastic, molds and colorant and glitter and you can make two colored baits just like the ones you buy at the baits store. When you decide you want more draw your own conclusion on what will make it better for you. As for the original post he has a stirring system and it still yellowed. He has great detail on what he is doing. I was telling how I do it and admitting it still yellows a bit. Some plastics more some less. But all of them stay at a state of yellow till they are left on to long or overheated.

I still want back in. I know there is two presto pot available for this task but I have six that have never burned plastic and I have left them on 400 till I got the heated injector holder now I have to turn then down to 350 and get a working temp of 320ish. So how are people burning plastic? Is there a magic pot that creates so much heat it will burn plastic? Maybe thats why I don't see a need for a stirring system. It seems to me it might give you a false sense of security. And maybe some people know how I do it and it may be a repeat but someone new might just read this thread for the first time and it just might help. Building a set of pots may be the answer but who is going to pay 600 or more for one set?

Hey I don't want to be left out. I do it that way because it is faster. In 25 minutes I can have 1.5 gallons of plastic ready to shoot. And when it gets low I can put another half gallon in the microwave while i shoot baits. A presto can't even come close to those times. I do run two microwaves that cook pretty even. I do use prestos and they work good but I am not saying they are great. I am a lot happier with there performance since the heated injector stand came out because it added heat to one wall of the presto and also seems to keep a more constintant temp. But I have been sniffing to many fumes from my microwave.

Painter1 the way I do it is in 32oz batches(4cups). Turn on the presto pot and let it come up to temp without anything in it. This keeps it from going full blast when you add plastic and turn it on. I heat the 4 cups for 7.5 minutes (this is for reference only all microwaves are different) bring it out and stir then pour it in the heated presto. Then repeat, I mix three of those and start shooting. Two will do. This give it time to settle on a temperature. I don't have a mixing system but that's just me. I don't plan on leaving it there long enough to make a difference. But all of the plastic I have tried have yellowed a bit some more than others. If you want a real clean looking white you could add a drop of blue or black just to clean it up a bit. If you put it next to something that is truely white you can see the color but your eye really can't. Just be real carefull and use as much as you can as fast as you can. On the reheat I get it close to melted but a bit lumpy and add it back to the pot. In time you will get it down to a sequence that works for you. One last point when I say my plastic yellows I mean it has a tint of yellow. It does not get worse unless I overheat it. Frank

My favorite one is a 150ml one I bought from a science place. It is tall and almost as deep as a 4cup Pyrex. It is Pyrex brand.

Jeff in all of your years of experience have you ever had a component go bad just setting there? What I am asking is it better to get plastic from someone who sells a lot? This way it should be fresher. It been my experience when some of my plastic sets for awhile it goes through a stage that is not present when it was fresh. I have many jugs of half used plastic that is from all the plastisol makers and it there just for that reason. I guess making dark baits is the answer but it to easy to use the fresh stuff.

Do you know the temp of the plastic or are you going by looking at it? I heat mine once in the microwave and set it on a griddle to keep it warm. With the griddle set at 400 the plastic stays at 310 without adding extra heat. It does get a skin on top but I just move it over and dip away. If it yellows it's way to hot. I have dipped for well over an hour and at 310 and it never yellows with no reheats. On reheats it will Amber a bit but only matters on white or clear baits. I do use a beaker with a flat bottom for a better heat transfer. It also gives me a taller height with out a lot of volume. Hope this helps. Frank

This paint is just like createx and autoair but it stays flexible and bonds to plastic very very well. You don't need to clear it but in time it will soften and come off.I am thinking to reason for this is it stays porous and absorbs water. This stuff is a great adhesion coat. Do a test and see for yourself. Coat one bait with the paint let dry and dip. Take another bait left out for awhile and dip it. I am betting you could peel off the uncoated one but the coated one becomes part of the bait. That is the reason I say it is porous. If you are having trouble dipping try the clearasol from them it really is easier when plastic is thinner and cooler you may think you need a second coat it is so thin.

If you are getting swirls and tiger stripes in any mold the plastic is to hot. It's that easy. Real low temps are the key but any mold can be a laminate. It may not look right but it can be.

If you are asking about the hand pour version with the Twinjector yes it will fill fine but you have to get a feel for when it's full. The injection mold will do just fine as it is set on its side but you need to make sure there is enough plastic to fill it as it takes a lot.

Just wondering what was happening when you try and laminate with this mold. I have a bunch of dels mold configured like that and really don't have a problem with laminates. Now if you were to say you were getting short fills in some cavitys I would say I have that.

If you want the one with a flat side mine is in the mail. Pm me your address and I will get you some.

It does work with the old colors. I have had it for a year or so. It does not clog as the design of the tip does not let it. There will be some dry paint on the tip as time goes on but fit just peels off. I have the pressure cups and the only time I needed it was with sign paint I used without thinning. Not on baits another project. Makes great dots for eyes.

If you want to clear a bait painted with water based paint and remain flexible use the solvent based clear from spike it. It will seal of the paint and remain way more flexible than the paint you are using. http://www.ispikeit.com/Store/p-281-colure-coat-3000-clear.aspx Here is the right one.

Like Matt said you could just cut the nose off and my customers do if they'd want to use a jig head.

For sure you won't be able to hand pour the 631. I have the 626 and you should be able to hand pour it but the gate is pretty small and might be a challenge. The 631 may be a bit pricey but is well worth the money. In fact it's been my best selling bait for more than a year now. But if you are worried about durability it may not be for you as the tails get ripped of easily. Frank

I was told it was with netting and a salt shaker with pearl in it. Control would be my number one thing to watch.

I sell more 3.5s than any other. That would be my first choice.

If you want to use pearls to color a bait you can as seen above but if you want to hilite a bait with it you have to come up with colors that are transparent enough for the pearl to show through. Yes on cars the pearl is on top in a clear. Try a dark smoke with the flop pearl and see if it is better. Cheap flop pearls are not real good at flopping though.

I am in that trade too. I know what you mean, it's free. We are in a waterborne area now so none of the stuff is useful. Frank

It is the same stuff we use with a real HIGH price tag. Some of the cheap ones are 10 bucks for two ounces. Some others are 100 bucks for two ounces. Not really cost effective for most. Have to watch what you are buying to some auto pearls are a liquid. Not compatable with what we use.

Well Flippy you have to ask your self why will I pay 8 dollars for the kietek and not as much for yours. I am guessing it is because the kietek works well and maybe has a color you like. That being said a bait is worth what someone will pay. A dollar for a brush hog is a lot but a brush hog in a color they can't get is not. Most of the time if you pick the color it is not worth near as much as if your customer does. Get a reputation for getting baits they can't. Colors that are discontinued or different baits in there favorite color. That's when they don't ask how much because it is priceless to them. And if you are paying 8 bucks for the kieteks buy the mold from Basstackle and save you some money. But them you could make some too.

Yes that is a big difference in time to cure. If I ship within the first day it goes In a box but like to wait two days and stack like stated before. Thick paddle tails like a money minnow may still have a twisting look when taken out of a bag those really deserve a box and if they shift to one side they still may get a bend in the tail. Frank

Yes as a matter of fact he is one stand up guy. Most all of the mold makers are. I know the last thing you want to hear is that is shoots fine for everyone but you. So back to your problem. Did you cut the baits to see if it was a bubble? Are you moving in a flowing motion to get the injector on the mold? Some hesitation could cause a bubble to form in the tip, say when it drips on the way to the mold. You say the temp gun is spot on but how are you comparing it to find that out? Have you shot enough plastic to know how the changes effect your final product? Did you recently change plastic manufacturers? All of these questions could be the key to getting to the bottom of this. So lets figure it out. Change be thing at a time and see what happens. Frank