SlowFISH

The cold water will cause baits to act lighter... so if it barely rises now... it won't when the water reaches a higher temp. As for AZEK.... I've been building my first run of topwater baits with that stuff this week.... while it is bouyant... it's not as bouyant as I thought it would be and will likely have to carve a bit of material out of the centers to get them on top of the water like I want. You may want to hollow out the insides a bit to get them to float better. I noticed on the 3 baits I cut they were heavier than I thought they would be and probably need less added weight than I thought. One thing to remember... your paint and topcaot will effect your lure as well.... J.

I just did a quick search.... and there seems to be a bunch of wax injectoin molding pots out there... just can't tell how how they get the wax, most seem to stop around 250F.... although I saw one site listing products that woul heat up to 550F. Seems like these pots/injectors would be a good cross over as they have the same saftey issues with hot plastisol and come in a variety of sizes from 1 pint to gallon size and bigger... One company I saw was the Pro-Craft Grobet Wax Injector... they even have a 1 pint version that has a hand articulated pump. J.

I have the 14" Delta and get a bit of vibration when it is first turned on and after I shut it down.... when at operating speed it's minimal... I don't think that is very uncommon is smaller saws. You can also try balancing the upper wheel.... goggle how to balance it, it's not hard and may help a little. J.

I ordered a few samples of the Azek products based on the recommendations on this site and was very happy with the way the "trimboard" product cut and shaped. From what I can tell the trimboard seems more uniform thru the whole piece than the decking. The decking seemed to have some very small pits/air pockets towards the center... the trim board seemed not to have these little pockets. My guess it the decking is ment to be cut to length and put in place... so you'd never notice any small pockets of air towards the center of the part. The trimboard can be routed/cut/shaped for moldings... so my guess is it's more critical to not have pockets as it will effect surface finish once a piece has been shaped... so it's made a bit more uniform in my opinion. The test cuts I made were done on a small CNC mill... and they look great. I also like the trimboard could be easily shaped with sharp tools (x acto knife/utlility knife/etc.) and seems to sand very nicely. It's not 100% smooth like you could get on something like acrylic, but definilty smoother than wood... with a little sanding, one coat of paint and another light sand I'm sure it will get pretty close to a real smooth finish if that's important to you. As for turning on the lathe.... i haven't yet... but I'd agree with Mark that it should work just fine... J.

I also make my own injection molds (POP and Renshape). I've had had issues with voids and sink/shrink issues on a few baits I've made located on the widest parts of the bodies... while it slows things down from a production standpoint, I now hand pour a little plastic in the bodies, close the mold and shoot. Doing this eliminated all of the issues I was having and after figuring it out I started doing a different color for the hand pour and the baits look great, basically look like a laminate sandwich. Not sure if this technique would help you, but if the voids are most notable in the bodies, it may be worth a try. J.

Not sure if it helps, but usually I'll sand them going through the ranges up to 1500 grit.... 600/800/1000/1200 then 1500..... after that, I use Novis plastic polish on a paper towel and can get them pretty much perfectly clear... if the bait has already been painted... leave it alone.... if I then have to paint them, I just dip in whatever final topcoat I use for the paint (mostly DN). J.

If you are looking to do some basic stuff with Photoshop, you can buy an older version at a discount or even used and have plenty of "horsepower" to do what you need to do. Most of the basics are the same from the last 5 years.... granted the latest versions have some nice features, but unless you really are planning alot of complex editing of things, you probably won't need it. I'd recommend finding a discounted early version of CS... or honestly if you just plan to copy/paste, scale, airbrush, basic distortions, etc.... a pre-CS like Photoshop 6/7/8 would provide you all the tools you'd ever need. I have purchased both Photoshop and other graphic programs digitally from "overseas" download sites where the prices were very discounted... granted I used my AMEX incase it was a scam, but it was legit and everything worked perfectly (and I still have my house and bank account!!!) May be worth a look. J.

I'd take the time to check EBAY//Craigslist/etc in your area for a used item. 75% of the tools I've bought have been used, which has allowed me to get nice quality tools at a price I could afford. It takes time and obviously you don't have any return/guaranties on what you buy, but you'd be suprised how many people buy really nice tools, never use them, then put them up for sale after sitting for a few years.... my best find was a lightly used 60 gallon Ingersoll Rand 5hp compressor for $300... that's less than the cheapy ones I was looking at. J.

I've used both... as I had some powderbythepound powder leftover from my motorcycle parts and figured what the hell. The cure temps are a little different (usually a little hotter) than the Pro-Tec so this could be an issue. I used it anyway and cured at about 350 instead of the 400 and haven't had a problem... is it fully cured? Not sure... but it still works well enough for jigs I'm likely to lose. J.

I'd also recommend cutting/ripping them into small pieces... seems to melt more even and faster. I usually mix atleast about 50% new plastic in with old worms... I found myself scorching them more often otherwise. J.

I haven't coated jigs, but when I do my small bike parts (bolts/hangers/stuff with threads) I cover with either aluminum foil or high temp tape. Another option would be to just wipe off areas you don't want covered, as the powder is just held by static, any type of blowing on it or touching/wiping will knock the powder right off. J.

Sorry I missed answering this.... It depends on the powder... most give a recommendation for time/temp. It usually ranges from 360 - 420 depending on powder supplier and type of powder. To truly get good adhesion, the part must be at the cure temp for the full amount of recommended time... so if it says 400 for 15 minutes, you should check the part temp with an IR thermo every couple minutes then set you're timer for 15 once the part reached 400. Now that I gave the "technically" correct answer, for jigs and small lead stuff, I really don't sweat it, I usually set the oven for 10 degrees more than the recommended cure temp (or 400 if in doubt) and put them in there for 30-45 minutes. Overcooking (time-wise) won't hurt you. Overcooking temp wise can. J.

I have the "HotCoat" system I bought from Eastwood. Works pretty well as I use it for small motorcycle parts. Second coats are always a little difficult, you have to have a real good ground with it, but most of the time I just "hot flock" a second coat... which is heating the part to 300-400, then "spraying/blowing" the powder with the gun directly onto the part which flows out/melts as soon as it comes it comes in contact. I do my clear like this. If you're not too worried about doing high end jobs, I'd think the HF unit would work, as you could always heat your parts and hot flock the first coat and not worry too much about it if need be. One thing.... you WILL use more powder shooting than with a Fluid Bed as there is a ton of overspray. You can recycle the overspray if you capture it clean, but you always risk getting a little dust/dirt in the powder that way, which can mark a part on you.... but for jig heads, it may not be that big of a deal. J

My first couple molds were RTV.... they are so easy to make as you an pretty much just suspend your master, pour around it, then cut one slit with a razor, pop the master out and start pouring. I didn't like RTV because i wasn't getting the "shine" I could get with a properly sealed POP mold. I made a few more POP/ultracal molds today... everything going pretty well... the technique thus far... Lube part with petroleum jelly 50% POP / 50% Ultracal - mix that at a ratio of 100g to 55g water by weight.... perfect amount of water to pour without bubble issues, dries in a decent amount of time. Wait till mold sets up where you can't mark it by pressing/hold, but can easily scratch it. Open mold and pop your master out... smooth any marks out with a small brush and water or a clay sculpting tool. Dry for a bit then fill any small marks bubble with POP... use a small brush to fill them and then a wet brush to smooth out remove the excess. Then dry completely and seal. I'd also recommend this with a soft master as well.... as you can carve/sculpt the mold face nicely with a little water and a sculpting tool to put the part/mold line right where you want it. This seems to be giving me some pretty nice molds. Once I get a couple sealed and ready to go, I'll see how they shoot. J.

In the process of trying some of Daves advice/processes I think I came across a few things... 1. No surprise but petroleum jelly seems to be working better than the parting wax I was using... don't know why, but using the same masters I was having issues with are now releasing a bit easier... done with the wax... I'll save it for my fiberglass stuff. 2. Also this time around I started to pop the mold box open and pull the master out much earlier... basically once it sets up enough that you can't mark it with a finger, but can mark it with a finger nail I pop it out. I made two halves.... one chipped very slightly in two areas but much better than before, the other popped out almost perfectly one tiny flake that I won't even bother messing with it's so shallow. J.

Thanks for the info.... I like the idea of pouring the second half and sanding it down a bit. I've been patching and then sanding the patches down which was working ok, but I'd then have to fuss around in the mold cavity which was real annoying. Your method sounds pretty good.... I'll give it a try. BTW... I've found wet sanding the POP is a good way to reduce dust and not clog the paper too bad if you use a good auto sandpaper and rinse it often. You do have to wait for your mold to dry a bit afterward, but makes sanding a bit easier. J.

Hey all... Curious to know if anyone has a good technique for removing your master/part from a POP mold without damaging the top parting line edge (2 piece mold). I'm not talking about with soft masters... but with solid master parts. I've tried many ways but keep breaking/chipping edges which is real annoying. My masters are made of ABS plastic and painted/sanded smooth with auto primer. So I don't believe they are swelling or absorbing water/POP. I make sure to coat/wax them with McGuires parting wax (used for fiberglass mold making) before pouring. I also place draft on the edges of the masters, so I don't have undercuts or vertical walls locking it in the mold, but no matter what I try I can't get the parts out consistantly without chipping edges. So far the best method I've found is using a x-acto to "trace/scribing" the part separate the POP... then pry and prey... this seems to work sometimes, but many times I get chips and then have to fuss with trying to fill these small thin areas and then sand them flat while not making marks in the mold cavity. Just curious if I'm missing something obvious... letting mold dry for days, or trying to remove the part while the POP is still setting up/green (not solid, but not loose)... or as I figure, this is just life with making POP molds. Thanks in advance. J.

Thanks for all the tips.... I like the idea of pouring a thin coat of straight POP over the master then back filling with the Ultracal. I've been able to get the bubbles out with the right ratio as that isn't a big issue anymore. I do weight everything by grams which makes it easy... 100 grams of ultracal to 38ml of water. I was hoping with the stiffer Ultracal that I'd have a much tougher mold that I could seal smooth, but I've noticed it doesn't absorb thinned epoxy or thinned elmers as well as the POP either. I'll try the POP over part then Ultracal back fill tomorrow... I have a injection mold I'm working on for a craw trailer. I'll let you know how it goes... hopefully by sat/sun it will be dried and ready to go. J.

Thanks.... I know if was heavy in POP already.... you wouldn't believe the difference the 10 percent cement and a little sand makes.... it's like a concrete walkway, you can't break this stuff. I'm gonna mix a bit more POP with it to find a good blend where it's does what I want and has a bit more rigidity.... or I'll use it to repair my driveway!!! LOL!!! J.

Little update... Tried another mold with a 38:100 ratio mix... much better. To aid the process I poured 25% of the mold... tapped for a minute... poured another 25%..... tapped...etc until I filled it. So at this moment I'm pretty happy with the way it's pouring. I also sealed an earlier mold I poured with thinned epoxy.... one coat is all it needs as it didn't really absorb much, I'll try a Elmer's coat on the next one to see how things go. J.

I have a vacuum chamber that I can use, but found I was getting similar results without using it for standard POP. I may need to try it again with the Ultracal as it takes longer to setup and therefore should theoretically give it enough time to degass the air out. I'm gonna go try upping the mix to 38:100 now and see if it makes a difference. Plus I want to test what I need to do to seal it up as well. I will say though, this stuff is TOUGH... basically like concrete or grout to some extent. J.

Hey all... I've been spending a lot of time making POP molds lately trying to to get a technique that I like and works best for me. Some of my molds are open faced hand pours and I'm getting great result here with regular POP materials and either sealing with thinned epoxy or 50/50 Water to Elmer's blend depending on the amount of detail in the mold. (BTW thanks to all who have posted their techniques, it's really helped!!!) I've even been making some nice two sided molds for trick worms that pour nicely by hand. I just bought a bag of Ultracal 30 yesterday as I wanted to make my molds a bit stronger so I can inject (Basstackle Injector) without breaking the mold over time. While the Ultracal material is much, much stronger, I seem to be getting a lot more bubbles then I was with the standard POP. The set-up time for the Ultracal is much longer than POP (20-30 mintues compared to 5 for POP), so I was a caught a bit off guard by this as I'd expect it to have less air being trapped with the longer setup time. Anyone using Ultracal and getting good results with molds that have small details? (Like thin appendages/tails, small ribs, etc) With each mold I've been vibrating it for a good 3 minutes by placing it on my workbench and running my grinder... makes the mold vibrate and I can see the air coming up and out pretty quickly. I'm tempted to try a blend of POP and Ultracal to see if I can find a happy medium or strength and fine detail. Any suggestions? BTW.. I'm using a 32:100 ratio of water to ultracal by weight. I've read others using a 38:100 ratio... may try this later today to see if it helps as well. Thanks, J.

Record Power bench top wood lathe. Runs on 110v, fairly quite, perfect for fishing lure making. Overall dimensions approximately 34" Length (motor to end) and 13" Deep (front to back). Swing is approximately 4.5" from bed to spindle center and you can mount a piece of wood approximately 9" long from spindle tip to end stock. I guess it weighs between 50lbs and 75lbs. It comes with the 3 carving tools shown in the pics. $125 and included 3 carving tools shown in the pics. I won't ship as it's too heavy to be dumped in a cardboard box and I don't have the time to pallet the thing. I'm located in Mount Vernon NY 10552. PM if interested, thanks. J.

I've powdered jigs and have some experience powdering motorcycle parts as well... once you have the powder on the jig (using heat) you can wait as long as you want until you bake/cure it. The only issue you may have is if you have the powder on the jig and it is very powdery, it can blow off or get wiped off before reaching the oven. Although this is more of a concern when truly powder coating as you are using static to hold the powder to the part. since most of us use heat for first adhesion, not as big of a concern. I've been using a heat gun lately to preheat the jigs individually instead of using my oven. I heat the jig with the heat gun for a few seconds, dip in the small fluid bed I made, clean out the hook eye / weedguard if necessary, then hit it again with the heat gun just until the powder flows out (melts).... at this point I toss it in my tackle box until I've finished a bunch and have time to heat the oven up and cure them all at the same time... sometimes I do just a few jig a night when I can escape for a few minutes, build up stock over a few days and then bake them all on the weekend when I have the time. J.

Most plastics in general are either sonic welded (doubtful for cheap lures) or more likely solvent bonded..... which actually melts the plastic every so slightly (a bit on both parts) basically melting/welding them together.... on ABS.... you can try melt/bonding with Acetone, it's tricky though.... but if you check any online plastic store, you should be able to find solvents to bond most plastics... J.