Frank

Yes the injectors from the makers you mentioned will fit each other. The only mold maker that I know of that uses a smaller sprue is Jacobs but he sell an adapter for others to fit. Make a good choice and you will be happy. Frank

Basstackle,Bobstackle,Bears,Dels and the newest one Caney Creek all have a frog that is great. Is one better than the other I guess only you have the answer to that question. You know what you are after and have confidence in. This board is here for everybody to learn. The only dumb question is the one you never ask.

OK if I wanted the legs a differant color I would pour the whole thing first open the mold then cut the legs off pour the belly. Close the mold with the legs and the belly in there and pour the third color. And for dipping if you use a transperant color the watermelon would show through but the color would be a mix of both. If you use an opaque color it would not show through. Takes alot of colorant to do that. Lets say you pour a frog that is a white belly and blue back then dip it in transperant yellow. It will be a yellow bellied green frog. Does that make sense? Dipping also deadens action so if you say dip the feet you could kill the action that was desighed into the frog. Still fun to play around with though. Frank

This is just for you. So you can see it is real easy. I did not pour two cups at once or have a divided cup. Hope this helps. Frank

All right not like this is a secret but if I am going to dip the bait I use super soft and dip with salt water plastic(hard). If not I just use regular and salt which in pretty hard. But I really like the action from the super soft and hard head, I think the tails come alive. Most of my flake is the 15 size and rarely use any bigger so I dont know if it will work in the tails. Just the design of the tubes with the tails so thin and so many tells you that the plastic will cool down before it gets to the end. Is your weather pretty cold up there? Maybe warm up the inserts. I cant believe I just wrote that. But the temps here are still in the 70s. Hope this helps Frank

If you mean the tails are short mine did that to and I just got the plastic hotter. More like 330 deg, did not work so well below 310. Also on the insert make sure it is pushed right below the tube with out a gap. It will flash if it is not up there. One other tip is when you put the insert in try and not let the insert solid protion be at the same level as the mold. Try and split the opening it is easier to get out. Nice to get two tubes out of one shot. Here is a pic of the insert that makes it hard to remove. note the solid of the insert is in the middle of the opening. This way it is easier to get out. note the point on the end of the insert it is in the middle of the opening. Hope this will help. This mold has some tight fitting parts. Frank

Nice work now you are hooked for sure with results like that. Toadfrog Could you post a pic of the porcelin cups you are talking about.Frank

I will take them pm me how you want to get paid. Frank

You bring up a good point Jim. If the mold has a cavity that is real thick yes you will have to wait longer. In that case I would get another mold and color and then do it in between the thicker baits. You know maybe make some sticks or other popular items you have. That will give you something to do and not rush things. I have been in a production enviroment for a long time at work and there is no set way of doing things as long as you keep doing something. On the twinjector my opinion on its consistancy is the bar that presses the plunger down will not let you push one more than the other. And if you want swirls remove the top cross bar then push them at seperate time to achieve any design you want. Opps did I write that down that was a secret. Frank

Nothing wrong with those. Good job Frank

I have it set at 400 deg. As high as it goes. There is alot of heat loss but it works pretty good. The gloves are from Home Depot 5 pairs for 5 dollars. They work good as long as you dont hold anything hot for to long. Once in a while I take them off and grab a mold or injector and realize how much they really help. Frank

It has a spring clamp that is on the handle. One note on the bottom of the pic the handle is removed so it does not hang over the table.

I posted a pic of the griddle I use in the post. It is a griddle with high sides set at 400 deg. This is as high as it will go but it is not high enough. If you keep moving it will work for say 30 to 40 baits before it is to thick. If you are getting a thick film of plastic the temp is to low. Try it at about 340 deg and it will give you a thin line at the transition. The eyes are another story they look good till the plastic breaks down the glue that holds them on and then they move, turn over or both. The cheap eyes are not compatable with the plastic. I hear pvc eyes stay in place but have not tried them. I have painted some eyes on with the lure craft paint but really like the way the 3d look. Get an infrared gun it will help you out more than you know. Harbor Freight for around 30.00. Money well spent. Want to see your idea when you are ready. Frank

Here you go. Let me explain the bar thing. It is there to keep the pyrex from turning while stirring. In the pic is a one cup pyrex but the same setup can be used with a two cup but when you get to a four cup it will have to be removed for rooms sake. On the sides are the small lab style pyrex that the sprues are held in and kept worm till you reheat. After you reheat just add it back to the first cup, this brings up the temp so you can keep going. Frank

It is a high sided griddle with a plate of aluminium on the side where the drip will be. And on the other side is basically a bar that keep the handles of the pyrex from spinning when you stir. I have said this before but if you did not catch it hear it is again. I use four cups, two pyrex cups that have the plastic in it. The other two are on the side of each cup that is where I am putting the sprues and scraps. When I gather a few I put the secondary cups back in the micro and heat them while I am still shooting with the larger first cups. I usually never put the first cups back in the micro as long as I dont stop the sequence. As you draw the plastic down the sides build up a layer that I also put in the sprue cup and remelt. The remelt part of my sequence is the only part that I left out of the video. I think it is much easier to see something being done than having people tell you it doesnt work. Frank

I make it look easy because it is easy. There are some that make it sound like it is so dificult that many wont try it. As you can see here it is not rocket science. Some say that the injector system I use wont work because the adapter block cavity is to long and there is alot of waste. The sprues from the block are going in a cup that will be reheated and used again. The only real waste is on top of the baits which if you have time you can but in half and seperate them in there recpective cups. When I first got this injector I made a video, boy I have come a long way. Anyway I hope anyone that looks at this video trys some day to do it for themselves. Good luck to all that want to try. Frank

I made this video to show how you can make two color baits in a decent time without a ton of molds. I know there are alot of guys that say it is hard to do production without alot of molds. Now again this is just my way not the only way. But if you can time me on this you can see that it is just a matter having a system that works for you. And it is a one man band thing I dont usually have any help. My son did it in HD also so it is a little shakey. Frank

That type of bait has alot of shrinkage due to the large body. I think it is sucking air after you remove the injector. You will need to make sure the sprue is full till it cools. And remember the hotter the plastic the more it will shrink. I really like mold with tall sprues so you dont have to what for that. Maybe try this hold the injector on there till it cools and see if the bait is good then. Not that you would do it like that but just to see if that is the problem. Frank

MF super soft. One of our new sponsers Caney Creek Molds has it on his site. Frank

I will take the saber tail if you still have it. pm me your paypal info. Thanks Frank

Well said Jim. On the mold price issue I guess if you could make them yourself you would see the actual time it takes and would apreciate it more. Great job mold makers from big to small. We would be in bad shape without you. Frank

Hey Mark arent you in so cal. TCP is to. I get shipment from them in 1 or 2 days. But boy I would love to see there store. Look them up. Frank

Been watching these guys for awhile. The caption says comming soon. Scroll down till you see color shifting flake. Frank http://www.tcpglobal.com/kustomshop/ksflake.aspx

Thank You. Another thing if the sparking is left untended it actually burns the plastic in the area of the spark. I was getting a funny smell from the box I have my scraps in and found out it was burned. Now there is black flake in it and I did not put it in there. Frank