capt mike

What do you recommend? These were from basstackle.

is that what you have done in the past Mark?

I have been using line thru inserts that I ordered online for pouring my soft swimbaits. After a few months, they begin to corrode inside and change the plastic to a green color. My store bought Osprey Talons have a similar insert inside, but that does not occur. What in the world is going on here? Am I missing something?

What kind of plastic is used for big swimbaits like the Huddleston or Talon. They seem to be very soft but yet are more durable than the ones I have been making. I have been using Medium Calhouns. One of my big baits has a paddle tail and swims good for about a month. Then it seems to stiffen up slightly, causing the bait to swim sideways. I guess it is the curing process. I;m going to try soft next time and maybe mix with some medium. Just afraid it will tear up easy. Really hope to hear some solutions.

hey AA, when you rotate the mold with the urethane resin, what about clogging the vent holes? How big are the holes? Can you post a pic of a mold that you use with the foam?

Using modeling clay. I will try brushing the mold max inside the cavity. That makes perfect sense. I know that will stick for sure. Should I brush it in or rub in with fingers?

I have been making swimbait masters with soft clay and making molds with silicone. Since I am shaping the master with my hands, the mold is picking up fingerprints etc., which leaves the surface of my poured baits cloudy and dull. I remember reading somewhere that rubbing silicone in the inside of the mold would fill in the crevices and fingerprints. I tried rubbing some 100% silicone in the mold but it would not set and stayed sticky. What can I do for my molds? Really do want to get a better surface. I did search a few times, but have not seen the post I was looking for.

definitely will use that Mike, but I would sure like to know what happened. Others here must have had this happen before.

By the way, I made the tail section of the clay master a little too long and the paddle tail is blowing out at slow speeds. Do you think a harder plastic would correct that?

It was mixed well. Just so I know i aint crazy, I used the rest of that batch of Mold Star on a clay master I made last night. Came out perfect and I pured a bait in it this AM. 7 hrs later. Now what? It aint the mold star, aint the mixing. The bait I tried to mold was a brand new soft swimbait straight out the package. I did nothing to it. Maybe that's the problem. Should I have washed it with somthing? Could it have been wearing a coating of some goop from the maker? That mold was nasty. No way I was gonna mess with it and contaminate any others. Whatever was on that soft plastic was not happy with that silicone. The rest of the mold was dry and perfect. Wherever it came into contact with that soft plastic, it was just as wet as it first went on.

I tried to mold a soft plastic swimbait with Mold Star 15 last night. This morning the mold was cured and firm as usual, but against the plastic bait, it was gooey. Tossed the mold (about 15bucks down the drain). What the heck happened? This is my umpteenth silicone mold and I have never had a problem before. Although, this was my first RTV mold of a soft bait. Did I miss something. Or is there a soft plastic additive that reacts with RTV?

I am trying to make a slow sink bait with featherlite and smooth cast 300. I have made only floating baits so far. I know that a half and half pour (300 on bottom and FL on top) plus hardware, paint and two coats of clear, works out to be a heavy floater. Just wondering if anyone has worked out an approximate ratio for these two which will render a slow sink bait. And i'm wondering if using straight floating resin with lead in the bottom gives a better action on a slow sink. I know I will figure it out through trial and error eventually, but would appreciate a few hints from someone who has tried this already.

Bob I am using foil a/c tape from home depot. Maybe that is a factor also.

What kind of paint are you using under the DN? I do notice that only one side of the bait has hook rash and that is where the problem started. The other side of the bait is fine. I guess t-ing the hooks would treat the symptom, but i still want to solve the foil adhesion issue. Mark, where do I get that stuff you mentioned?

Im having recurring issues with paint and clearcoat peeling off foil. I sealed the foil with 2 layers of Bob Smith. Then painted and sealed with Bob Smith epoxy again. The hook rash starts the process and forms a small flake where the bare foil is exposed. Subsequent casts result in the spots growing larger. A bait painted and sealed with the same process, minus the foil, does not end up this way. Is there something better out there to cover the foil with. Is there something i'm missing. I'm foiling big swimbaits with big hooks and big splashes. Sure would appreciate some help on this. I love the look of foiled baits.

Fair enough. Probably forces you to cover the baits better that way anyhow. I bought a dryer from hobby lobby with only one bulb in it. Bringin that one back for sure.

A Mac, is that two dryers with the bottom removed and clamped together?

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Nathan" data-cid="195331" data-time="1356729139"><p> The nail dryers work just fine..Nathan</p></blockquote> Nathan how do you hang the bait in relationship to the dryer? I am doing big baits and hanging them near the window of the dryer . Seems awkward.

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Nathan" data-cid="195331" data-time="1356729139"><p> The nail dryers work just fine..Nathan</p></blockquote>

Mark, what about the sagging? In 50 degrees it seems pretty thick. I have had some sagging issues. What dryer are you using? I bought a nail dryer from hobby lobby and I hang the bait in the opening with the dryer in a vertical position.

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="mark poulson" data-cid="195797" data-time="1357588189"><p> CLM,<br /> I hold the bait by the bill, and dip vertically. I can see the top of the bait, where the bill attaches, and dip until the top of the bait is submerged.<br /> I'm going to have to buy some more to keep the level up high enough to see, or use a different container, once the level drops.<br /> If I were going to dip a 6" bait, I'd probably use a tall, thin salsa jar, with the sides blacked out to keep the UV light out.<br /> Mark</p></blockquote>

Wondering where I can buy the Owner 1/0 ST style hooks in bulk.

how does it work with that square shaft? I'm picturing a square wheel on a car. How does it spin properly? I have a rotisserie just like that one.

place your stick on eyes on the shaped out bait till they are even and look like you want. Then trace around them with a fine pencil point. Use a cylinder cutting bit in a circular motion with dremel intil it is deep as you need and the bottom of hole is at the angle you want. If the bait is flat sided, then just drill the hole through n through while it is still just a profile cut. That's dummy proof.

Boy this stuff seems promising. I tried some yesterday for the first time. Painted one coat on some crankbaits with a flux brush. Brushed it on with a fairly light coat, just enough to cover it and hung it in the sun at 2:00 PM. I don't think it took more than a couple of minutes and it way dry to the touch. It did have some visible brush marks, but the brush I used was a bit coarse. It drys so fast, it doesnt have a chance to run, level, settle or whatever. So I guess another coat with a fine haired brush should do. Just for grins i painted the excess on the brush onto a piece of cardboard and held it in the direct sun. You could see it dry before your eyes and could touch it in less than a minute. The finish looks clear enough for me and the fish I know, but i'm sure in time we'll figure out how to make them clear enough for the tackle junkies. Anyone dipping their baits and hanging them in the sun?