SlowFISH

+1 = I do exact same thing.... set up the pots - let them run while i get all my other crap together. Beauty is you really don't have to pay attention cause its automated. And to answer and earlier question.... Do you need an auto stirrer? - no - but - Is it super convenient - yep - Save plastic as Dave mentioned - yep - Make life easier.... absolutely. J.

While I haven't done "core shots" - I have used rods / metal inserts to make air-pockets in baits.... HIGHLY recommend taking an hour and polish whatever metal you chose to use.... yes - oil helps as almost every video shows... but polishing adds a considerable amount of "slipperiness" - I was shocked how much easier I was able to remove the inserts I use after I polished a few. And as APdriver mentioned - you can pretty much use any metal... although brass does tend to bend a little easier on small diameters (less than 1/8") if you accidently drop it or are really rough with it. J.

+1 - Nothing can compete with cavity count.... but if you have 1 or 2 cavity molds you wanna use - then speeding up with use of prestos is your best option - notably if your currently using a microwave. Other small thing is clamping.... I make my own molds - and early on I cut them all different sizes and used wind nuts to hold them shut... but now I'm stuck clamping a bunch of molds separately which takes forever - instead of lining up 4-5 molds and using 2 clamps to hold them all in one shot... it's all the little things that makes a difference. J.

Assume your using a microwave if your cleaning the injector each time.... Presto pot with stirring can speed you way up.... as you leave the injector in the pot after shooting - so no cleaning/purging the leftover each time - plus once molds ready to go - no waiting to heat plastic - just shoot - makes a bit difference. J.

It would probably take longer and more effort to patch and touch up unless you really know what your doing than to strip and start from scratch. J.

I agree - trim the tail a hair. I went back and looked a bit more... thinking what's actually happening in some of these videos - is the rods aren't really centered (just placed in the mold) and there is a tiny hole created where the rod touches the mold on the back.... so looks like a pocket - but it's offset and probably a small hole is made that they aren't mentioning nor cutting off the tail. J.

Looks good... the "fuzzyness" gives it dimensions / motion... I like it. And looks like you can cut some fairly thin/details for a stencil like that. thanks for posting. J.

McMaster has some of the most reasonable shipping costs out there... I order for them all the time.... granted - they have a warehouse about 60 miles away - but there is no excess charged on their behalf that I notice.... most items I order show up in a rather large box for 7-10 dollars.... granted over the boarder will likely cost more... but they seem to only charge what they have to pay UPS/Fed Ex.... no surcharges in my experience. J.

I've watched a few youtube videos of guys using rods in senko molds / swimbaits to shoot core shots... got a couple questions.... 1. On some of the videos - it looks like the cavity created with the rod is NOT vented - meaning - once the rod is removed - it's just a pocket.... how does the second shot of plastic flow in if there isn't a vent to let the air in the cavity escape? Some of the molds I've seen designed for coreshots - core all the way through the bait - so the second shot flows completely thru it - but like I said - in some of these videos with people using the standard do-it senko mold and some rods - it looks like it's just a cavity with no backside vent.... am I missing something ? Can you actually fill the cavity with no backside vent? Maybe there is a hole I'm just not seeing? 2. I was planning to use some 1/8" rod since that seems to be common for those that have made their own.... anyone use anything thinner in diameter? I have a few really small baits Id like to try core shots on... but don't wanna cut up the mold to hold the rod if there is no way to shoot a second color thru a 3/32 or 1/16 core... safe to assume it's a balance of venting (more better) and hotter plastic to make it work? Thanks! J.

How does it work with a ton of small details and shape corners? As if you were trying to cut a jagged pattern for scales or something like that? I have access to a big Graptec cutter at work - works great on big things like boating numbers or large items - but it's has it's challenges on for very small details notably for small jagged items - it loves large rounded shapes and runs beautifully on that - but try to cut a 1/4" x 1/4" jagged shape and it tend to rip it up. J.

LOL..... I think alot of us who really get into this stuff have these moments of "well shoot!!!".... the worst examples are when something surprising and unexpected happens by accident - but is totally cool - and you then can't repeat it ever again!!! Forget about making one like the next - losing the magic something has is beyond frustrating!!! LOL!! J.

As many have said- repeatability with "hand tools" - even that jig you worked on is a "hand tool" as far as I'm concerned - and is going to have a much large variance in tolerance than using "machining /fixture clamping" type processes. I have a benchtop CNC mill - and I still get variances if I turn up the speed and if I haven't tuned/dialed in the backlash and stuff in awhile - that's just machine tolerance - never mind trying to keep accuracy drilling with tiny bits. That's basically a long way of saying doing things by hand even with jigs/fixtures will always have some tolerance - notably with wood which has a grain and with small diameter drill bits inevitably lead to some wandering and misalignment. What I'd recommend are (3) things to help with the holes... 1. Use a drill press and vice... holding something with you hand will never give you great repeatability. Assuming your drilling more than one bait at a time and they are the same thickness... you set your vice up and drill all the holes on a number of baits - this will minimize variance between baits to some degree provided you setup fixtures/stops to insure each bait is placed into the vice the same each time. 2. Use a center drill to start the hole. You'll need to use a drill press or make your jig able to swap in different dia. bits. Center drills are WAY more rigid than a .02-.04 diameter drill bit.... once you have a pilot hole from the center drill - you can then swap it out and go deeper with a standard drill bit as necessary and USUALLY keep things straight. 3. They sell small "X / Y" tables.... which basically allows you to "convert" your drill press into a makeshift mill with a vice. The benefit here is once you line you table up parallel on the drill press - you can drill multiple holes in one axis all on the same center line fairly easy - for something like a jerkbait where you have multiple hook hangers. On a crank might no be worth the effort One off amazon - not sure of quality/usability. https://www.amazon.com/MultifunctionWorktable-Milling-Compound-Drilling-Adjustment/dp/B07DK8JJ16/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=xy+table&qid=1608046049&s=hi&sr=1-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSTFWN0tHNEhXVlVIJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTc3OTYxMzNWT01HMUpSOEZGSSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDEyNTE0MUdMM0FGNjBRQjJZNCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= Work on jigs/fixture you can clamp down on tool like drill presses - that's only way you'll get repeatability/accuracy if that's your concern. J.

Totally agree... I find myself doing 80-90 percent of work with my 30 year old Paasche airbrush and just those last fine details with the other fine tip airbrush - which I could probably do with the paasche as I'm not one of those super talented free hand airbrush guys - so I mask a ton!!!! On that note - Post-its can be your friend.... I cut holes, lines ,etc into those things in the "glue area" then use them as masks by sticking them on the bait and spray away.... that light tack is perfect for a lot of things!! J.

Agree with much of the above - all good advice... might want to make sure you start with a .5mm tip in any airbrush you buy. If you look on Createx site (Createx are the paints I use as well) and dig around enough will find a tip size / paint type recommendations. There transparents can use a smaller tip (.3mm) but most of the other "standard" paints with pearls, etc. they recommend a (.5mm) tip for spraying. Ideally - you'd either have both tips or two airbrushes.... I use an older Paasche with a .5mm tip for the big broad strokes of paint.... and then an Iwata with a .3mm tip for transparent and small/light details. But if I could only have 1.... I'd have a brush with the .5mm tip as you can always dial down pressure and mask for details - where you cant force thicker paints through a small tip very easily. J.

So to wrap this thread up... my $2 foil from Amazon came in.... it actually measures considerably THINNER than the stuff I was using!! No clue ho you use this for cooking - it would be a disaster. So I foiled up a bait - it tends to rip ever so slightly easier than the stuff I had when trying to press out wrinkles... which is not great - BUT you can really burnish is down nicely and patch areas/rips with very little ability to see the edge. So if anyone looking for some thin foil to try on the cheap - can't beat $2.20 if you have amazon prime.. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TQR4RG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 J.

I'm gonna have to try some of this stuff... the hologram clears look cool. Thanks for sharing. J.

That stuff looks interesting.... is the foil paper backed? Meaning you're gluing a foil with paper back onto the lure (or nail!!) or is it pure foil once the plastic carrier is removed? I like the color selections - holographic is cool. I have some really thin paper backed foil - it does work reasonably well - but still isn't as thin as just the pure aluminum foil I've been using. For 75% of the lure body (sides) you really don't notice a difference between the 2 - they both look real good. It's the very top/bottom - where that little extra thickness of the paper backing makes it hard to press out flat. With the super thin foil - you can get it to a point it's nearly "smooth" to the touch - plus it stretches ever so slightly where paper tends to resist. J.

Key is super 77..... that stuff is incredible... I've used it for decades at work - accept no substitute when it comes to spray glues. I think I might have found a foil I'm looking for.... Amazon is selling a brand a bunch of people gave 1 star / negative reviews for being too thin to take off the roll or use without tearing.... sounds like a winner for me - plus its $2.20 delivered!! LOL!!! Should be here Monday.... will let you guys know. J.

That's what I was hoping.... the nearest Dollar store is about a 20 minute drive.... guess I have something to do now!! LOL!.

I've tried the adhesive backs stuff.... like hvac tape and such - WAY thicker than the stuff I'm using. For something large or a flat side crank the HVAC stuff is not bad - but no where near as "flexible" for the really contoured stuff. I use a light spray of Super 77 - then press this thin foil down, working it with my fingers to get it as flat as I can over half the bait.... I then use popsicle sticks I've sanded/shaped to press and burnish it down into the details and rub flat the wrinkles as best I can. In some instances this stuff will rip if your a little too physical with it.... but if you look in the pics - on one of the tops I've added a few tiny piece to cover the rips and pressed it down - you can barely see it - I'm hoping with a shot of clear coat it will all be smooth before I start painting over it. I will admit - it dos seem to lose it's "shine" as it's worked.... but still has more reflection/bling than any paint I've used. I believe the thinner the material the better... I'll look into the candy foil - cost isn't an issue - more just finding the right stuff. J

Hey All - Decided to get back into foiling some cranks to get a bit more "bling" than just using a silver paint. I had been using (and just finished off) an aluminum foil I bought from the dollar store about 8-9 years ago.... it is SUPER SUPER THIN... which is great because you can burnish in down to near nothing and press out almost all of the wrinkles as you move around compound curves. So - anyone have a source / or using something similar. For reference - Reynolds foil is probably a good 3x-4x thicker than this stuff.... so when I say it's thin - it's almost useless for anything other than foiling baits!!! LOL!!. LMK what you guys are using - figured at worst I'd make a few stops and buy the cheapest stuff they have to see if I can find something as thin. Thanks! J.

I agree with alot of what JD_mudbug said - as well as others.... I feel with cranks - I paint because I love the hobby and want to enjoy what I fish with - plus it's fun to tell the guys I fish with I have something special for that lake they dont!! LOL!. But let's be honest - the Idea that I can paint/finish a blank better than Lucky Craft or Strike King is laughable. Granted - a true custom crank you design and build is a different discussion - but if we talking painting blanks from the internet - it's more of a hobby and enjoyment mixed with what I think works in my area. Some of my repaints are because I buy old school baits like Arbogast MudBugs and trying to find what I want at a price I'm willing to spend is super tough if not impossible... so I buy the roughest/cheapest looking ones I can find in the size I like and clean them up to repaint and get he finish I want. For what colors to paint - I base it on 4 things. One - what's worked in the past. Two is the small fish/bait fish in my area (Alwieve, perch, sunfish, etc.). Third is water clarity - some lakes are muddy like chocolate at times so I paint things "brighter" on a couple. Last - if one of the guys I fish with has been catching them on a certain color/scheme - I'll mimic that with a twist. Let's be honest - if your burning a crank or even just running it normally - does the fish really see that tiny scale pattern or the slight fade of translucent purple I added to blend the top to the sides? LOL. No way. Does it see the overall shape and bold shades of color - likely. I do take a little more time on things like jerkbaits where in the early spring I'm pausing that bait 20-30 seconds between movements - I assume some of those fish get a good look - so having something a little bit more subtle and realistic I think/hope can help - but again - I've caught fish on unpainted lures I was working on to figure out hook/ring combos... so maybe this color thing is a joke at times! J.

McLuvin is right. I get that on a lizard mold I have as well. You can try a couple things: Without messing with mold - try different temps - maybe a little hotter shot might let that air push out before closing up. Try different filling speeds.... maybe a slower push on plunger will allow air to evacuate easier before shutting off. I'd also try faster cause sometimes logic doesn't work in physics. LOL! If you just can't get those bubbles out with temp/speed/etc. you might need to mess with the mold. If I were to do it - I'd probably open the vents at the legs to push that air out a little easier. Maybe even score a few in between each leg at top of each rib . Sometimes bodies with ribs work great - sometimes they are just a PITA. You can probably use a utility knife to score the mold - you don't need a big cut to let air out... score with knife then wet sand a little bit with 400-600 sand paper to remove burr. If that didn't do it... I'd also think about filing a slight round on the edge where the bubble stops - which looks like right at the edge of the legs... might help that air "roll" around into the leg and out the vent.... I think you can probably get most of it out with process (heat/pressure/speed)... but some molds are just annoying. J.

Charge more???? LOL!! J.