Frank

Ok got it. But really start with new plastic and make it easier to get this right without to many variables. When you get a dent have you ever cut the bait in half to see if it is a bubble or just schrinkage? If it is a bubble then find out where it is happening and fix it. On the nozzle drilling I have tried most of what people are stating but found when it gets to big it causes a lot of turbulence and really does not matter if the gate is smaller than the hole in the tip. It causes more of a spraying action inside the mold. Work slow and on,y change one thing at a time this way you will know when it is fixed. You know sometimes I have to shoot below 300 to get good baits. How are you getting your temp readings?

What does this statement mean? Are you using remelts to judge a mold or new plastic? Remelts can be all over the place. Frank

Yes but not for long. They rise pretty quick when it sets there. They gather around the edges on top. I guess you could keep stirring them back in but it won't be the same as when it comes out the first time. On reheats they are gone. Frank

I would say to try Spikeit injectasol soft and med soft. Both of these float well and will give you a real durable bait. Not saying the others won't but for the money you could pretty much get both of those for the same money. In gallons I mean. When microwaved you will get bubbles that could be good for you. If you shoot right after heating they will suspend in the bait and float better. But this won't last forever as they will go away after a few minutes. Frank.

Well to really know what you are mixing you NEED to say who's makes your colorant. But one tip is if you start with Mf coloring at least you will be getting it for the same source as gy. Mf colors are thin and require more drops but that may be the key. Strong colorant and small batches just don't mix. I know some of my colors rely on weak colorant. And if you need that color dead on then at least is is a place to start. Frank

Sounds like a gate issue to me too. This is probably not real good advice but it may help. Take a round file and enlarge the point where the sprue enters the bait. This is the gate and without seeing the mold I may be way off but don't think I am to far off. Not to much though. It should not effect the bait at all. Frank

It is on the bottom and built into the pot itself. How much plastic are you using at one time now? Frank

Yes it has happened to me. Just think the plastic is not right. Mixed another batch with a different plastic and my colors were back and still are according to my leftovers. It happens just change plastic. Frank

Prochallenger was posting a link to his site for Jlure. . Jlures project was on the 2012 lure build off site. Kinda confusing the way it is written.

If you want some Mylar that can hold up to the heat call Spikeit and ask if you could buy some from them. They have it in sheets and is the same stuff they use to make the glitter. If you coat it with there new water based clear paint the plastic will adhere well. Just a thought. Frank

Is this something you can do on all of your molds or just special ones? Frank

This will work on a two cavity mold too if they are head to head. Come out nicer if the sprue is nice and long. Frank

I see one problem with the weight as it will cool plastic and roll bubbles around itself and down the bait. Two way of fixing that. One heat the hook and lead so it does not cool as fast. But will take longer to demold. Two make a new mold that fills from the bottom and pushes the air up and out. Maybe fill from just behind the weight so it does not do the same thing as before. I had a mold made before with the same issue and heating the insert solved it but demold time was off the time chart. Frank

My only advise on that subject is better start pouring plastics soon and that will take care of the positive income for sure. I can think of more than a dozen trailer type baits that can go on one size of your lead baits. Don't want people thinking you could make money doing this. Frank

It is the temp that keeps it thin so not much build up is achieved. With regular plastic it starts getting thick around that temp. And keeping it at that temp does not let it yellow as fast. Even when it does start to yellow a bit the coat is thinner and is hard to see. Regular plastic yellows but when a thinner coat is desired you need to heat up to say 340-350 and the yellowing is ramped up. Frank

Bring the temp back up slow and add stabilizer. I just put about ten drops in every hour or so. At higher temps I do it every half an hour or so. Ten drops of stabilizer is just shy of 1/4 tsp. drops are big as the liquid is thin. Frank

Mf plastic does that same thing all on it own. I have some old sprues and they do have a layer of oil on the bottom. They have a spoiled smell to them though. Sorta turns my stomach a bit. Frank

Yes a regular air brush will work fine. I use some with Huge tips so there is never a flow problem. You can use water to clean up but I have a bottle with a bent spout on it to pressure wash it in a sense. Dipping is the method for applying the clearasol. The clear is just like regular plastisol in fact it is but formulated just for doing this. With regular plastic it can be thick at times. In order to keep it thin the temp has to be so high it yellows much faster. The other clear is there regular pvc paint. That you apply with an air brush as well but in a well ventilated area. MAKE sure it is dry before any method is used it is a water based system and could react to say dipping it in 320 deg plastic while it is wet. Same thing with pvc clear coating it to soon thus trapping water under the surface. Frank

If you use the Lureworks soft ones they have glue for that on the site it is called fixalure. Put a drop in the hole press the eye in and put a drop on top. This will melt it on pretty much make it part of the bait. That will take care of those. On the hard eyes you can put a drop of super glue then dip the head in clear plastic. This will not be permanent but will work for awhile. Good luck and hope the next time a fish rips the eyes off for you. Frank

I believe the large one is 5x12x12 and can be 70 pounds. I think 70 pounds is on all of the flat rate boxes. They do have regional boxes that go more by where they are going. Basically bigger dimensions but less weight. The farther it goes the more it costs. I can get 25lbs of plastic in a large flat rate box for under 16 dollars anywhere in the us. By the way if others don't know the weight for wet plastic is about the same for cured stuff. So 25 pounds of plastic is about 2.5 gallons and that does fit in a flat rate box with the right container.

Yes it is sorry I did not respond before. It is called colure coato2. Here is the link.http://www.ispikeit.com/Store/c-97-colure-coat2o-water-based-soft-plastic-paint.aspx The clear coat plastisol is here in this link for that. Not a good description but this is it. http://www.ispikeit.com/Store/p-677-clearasol-4650.aspx

I am on the side of Andy he is in a town near me and it does take longer than what is being quoted. We are talking coast to coast pretty much. Ups takes more than 5 days to get here which means order on Monday and it gets here the next Tuesday. Fed ex is pretty much the same. But with USPS it is at my door by Thursday. I am not saying they don't loose things but when I ship with them I use the online store and ck track packages. It lets me know where my package is every time it gets scanned. I never have to go out to the post office as they will pick it up from my house. I send a lot of 60 to 70 lb boxes but it only goes to a town two hours from me and that is cheaper because of the size. Trucking from coast to coast takes about 5 days and most of them drive on weekends so an order shipped at the end of the week still gets there early the next week. I choose to pick up my order at the dock as most of those are open long hours and will give me a hand loading drums and such. I bring some of my local dock workers some of my baits for thence believe me they remember you. Frank

There old stuff is way to toxic to use without the proper safety equipment but the new stuff is really like using house paint. It reminds me of the water based paint most use to paint hard baits but it is flexible and sticks great to plastic. I don't think anyone will be disappointed with this product as it does what it is supposed to do and that is make custom baits custom. I think the shipping hazards in non existent too. So shipping over seas is once again something that can be done. Input a big order in and can't wait to get it. Even though I tried it I don't have all the colors they have. Thanks Spikeit. Frank

Well said Mike.

Ok so I told you about this awhile ago and it has hit the market now. Spike it has released a full line of colors that can be used over soft plastic to make your own custom creations. This stuff is the real deal without the harsh smell of there other paints. I used some of the prototype paint awhile ago and it was a dream. Smell is pretty much like latex and can be airbrushed or brushed on with ease. It comes in a ready to use flip top container and can be cleaned up with water or alcohol. I spent some time at icast in the booth painting baits. Had the pleasure of meting Ken Huddleston and got some tips from him. He also thought this stuff was the cats meow. This does need to be top coated with the old PVC clear or with the new Clearcoat plastic. Yes this stuff is formulated as a top coat and is designed to stay thin at a low temp(320). If you dip baits at all you know how important it is to keep the temp low and keep it from yellowing. You will need to add stabilizer but this product is a vast improvement from anything out there. Nice to have the Spikeit crew always trying to keep us up on new products. It does take longer to dry but can be aided with the addition of heat from say a hair drier. Another thing they have available is air brushes an the only reason I mention this is that they have a flow pen which is the absolute bomb when you need dots. It is made by passhe and does not require any air. It has a cup and a trigger. Just pull back the trigger and a drop of paint is at the tip. Press it where you want to dot and repeat again and again. It come with four tips for different size dots. Makes quick work of kill spots and eyes if you want. I keep it at my bench so I can put the spots on as soon as I demold. Eyes are a two step thing but I have two of them one with a large tip and the other with the smaller one. This stuff is a real game changer. Frank