t-billy

Yep. Jason is an awsome guy to deal with. I was having the same prob. with my 3.5 croaker. I found that I just needed to hold pressure on the injector a little longer. I now have 11 CC molds and they're all flawless.

Yep. Just found the thread. You can soak rtv in mineral spirits and it will swell. Dell says in the same thread that you can achieve the same result by soaking a salty bait in water or oil. Thanks,Tim.

Straight worm. 6" I'd like to have an 8" version.

I remember reading a thread last year about growing baits,but I can't find it. I made a top pour mold of the magnum fin-eke worm last year and it produced very well. I'd like to have a bigger version. The thread had some info about getting baits to swell up using salt, scent and hot sun or something like that. Do any of you guy's know how to make yer worm grow bigger?

Hot plastic helps. 350-370. A good pouring pot helps alot too. There'll be those who'll want to string me up for saying this but.....I believe the hotplate/pouring pot method is FAR superior to the microwave. With my hotplate and cast Iron pot I can hold my plastic at pouring temp for hours without scorching as long as I add a little heat stabilizer now and then. Lodge logic's little pots have great spouts. You can pour a very fine stream with them. Also don't fill your pot more than 1/3 full when pouring fine stuff.--------Best Regards,Tim.

LOL!!! That's funny. Depending on what your using it for,you might want to make sure it has no holes in it.

Oops. Sorry bout the misunderstanding Fuzzygrub. The washer/insulator shouldn't cause any problems. The only issue I have with the sock/bushing setup is plastic dripping on the burner and scorching. Hmmm. Sounds like a good lunchtime project. My injector has thin walls. It kept clogging the first time I used it. But once I wrapped the sock on it and hung it inside the steel bushing,problem solved. I shot 3 dozen frogs. Not one clog.

Frank is right about sealing the rod bushing.It won't work if you do. You must have air flow behind the piston. Hand injectors are very basic hydraulic cylinders. If you seal the rod bushing you'll have a very basic shock absorber.

Had the same problem at first. Now I have the top half of my caney creek injector wrapped with an old sock to help hold heat. I brought an old steel bushing from the eye of a hydraulic cylinder home from work and now stand my injector inside of it. I use the sock to keep the tip suspended slightly above the hotplate burner. Problem solved. I can handle the injector bare handed and the tip never plugs. I'm going to make my own injector using a brass pipe nipple and a couple caps soon. Should be a major improvement.

You can adjust that by bending the wire up to a sharper angle where it comes out of the head. A bulky trailer will also help.

Thanks for the link. I might give those a try.

I use lurecraft worm oil in shad and craw scent. Whether or not it gets you more bites is open to debate. That being said,fish DEFINATELY hold on to scented baits much longer than unscented baits. That includes fast moving baits like frogs.

Barlows Tackle also has everything you need to make chatterbaits. High quality stuff and great service. Make sure you check out their custom skirts while your there. They're 60 strand and make a much fuller looking bait than regular skirts. Black/blue chatterbaits have become my #1 night bait for bass shallower than 10' with 1/2oz being the most versitile. Also the turbo blades perform better than the standard blades. Best regards,Tim.

Yeah,I've found deep cup blades several places. The thumpers I'm talking about have a shallow cup and are heavier toward the front of the blade. Deep cup blades actually have less vibration than regular colorado blades,but they start to spin at slower speeds. If you do a web search on spinnerbait blades you'll find the bassdozer article I'm talking about. It's called blades make the difference or something like that. He does a great job of explaining the difference between the various blades. Thanks for the reply,Tim.

Howdy. I've been hanging out on the soft plastics forum for about a year now but just recently started making my own spinnerbaits. I've been searching the web for thumper blades like Bassdozer describes in his article with no luck. Does anyone here have a source for these blades? He sells baits with these blades but doesn't offer the blades in his ebay store.-----Best Regards,Tim.

You're very welcome. That's why we're all here. If you haven't already,you should check out Longhorns tutorial on pop molds. I've learned a great deal from him. All hail the great Longhorn. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Best Regards,Tim.

Hi Jim. I've been considering cooking scent into my baits but haven't tried it yet. How much do you add per cup?

You can leave your molds in a 150 oven as long as you like with no ill effects. I dry mine at that temp for 3-4 hours. Same goes for sealing with elmers. Do yourself a favor and use ELMERS wood glue instead of the white glue. You'll get a nice ceramic like finish with one coat every time. Fill the cavity with the glue/water mix,let soak for around 15 min. drain,blow out exess with a straw and bake. I use aprox. 40% glue 60% water. I also seal the entire face of the mold for added durability. My pop baits turn out just as shiny as my aluminum mold baits. No release agent required.

I use a tiny pair of scissors I got in a fly tying kit. They work great. The secret is to open them a little and just push them along. This will give you a nice clean edge. If you open and close them as you go it will leave a ragged edge.

Jason says he uses 1/4" in a thread on the C.C. forum. He has eyes for sale in his accessories section. I bought a couple of 3.5". Great frog.

Rtv works great for two part molds. There's no need to make them overly thick. I've been pouring them just thick enough so I only cover the bait by maybe 1/8". I cut pieces of plywood to match the mold and sandwich the mold between them when I clamp it together. I use vaseline as a release agent. I set the masters in pop.Then pour the 1st half using the bombs away method. The next day I flip the rtv over in the box pull the masters out and smear a very thin coat of vaseline over the whole face including the cavities. This will help hold the masters down in the cavities during the 2nd pour and ensure that if any rtv gets under the masters it won't stick to the 1st half and ruin it. Make sure you smear a bead of vasiline all the way around the perimeter. Rtv is very viscous and will run down behind the 1st half if you don't. Pour the 2nd half and the next day you have a 2 part mold. I cut my venting channels with an exacto knife. I'm no expert but,this method has been working well for me. Get good with the pop 1st. If you do that,rtv is easy.

I agree with Pike and Vodkaman. Get good with the pop before you blow your money on more expensive materials. There's a wealth of information on this site to help you out. The best advice I can give you is TAKE YOUR TIME. Your attention to detail,or lack of it will show in the final product.Trust me. It's no fun pitching a $20.00 rtv mold that didn't work out in the trash. ----Good luck,Tim.

I bought a good quality stainless steel baster/injector with a high temp silicone bulb on ebay for $18.00. It works just fine for me. I added a hose clamp around the bulb to make sure it can't pop off. I also taped a sock around the upper 2/3 to help retain heat and make it easier to handle. It's as hillbilly as it gets but I've had no issues so far. That being said...I ALWAYS wear long sleeves,heavy leather gloves and safety glasses. Ya never know when murphy's gonna lay down the law!!!

I use loctite superglue when making a mold in a plastic container. Works well. Make sure you wash your bait with alchohol to remove any oils before gluing them down. Lately Ive been making mold boxes out of 1/4" luan. With them I spray a HEAVY coat of clear enamel in the bottom and lightly press my baits in place. When the paint dries the baits are held firmly in place.

Try Elmers wood glue. It works MUCH better than Elmers white glue. Mix it with water 50/50 or a little thinner and flood the cavity.Let it soak for 15-20 minutes then drain and blow out the exess. Then bake at 150 for an hour or so until cured. I get a perfect glossy finish every time with one coat. I seal my entire molds this way. Helps prevent chipping.--Best regards,Tim.