Anglinarcher

Painter, I believe Mike is on this one. I used another brand and I forgot to "shake" up the container first. The first several baits were very tacky/sticky and would not cure. I then shook up the container and did it again and all of my baits have been perfect after that. Plastisol tends to pack or settle over time unless you shake or mix the plastic once in a while. Some are better then others, but all will settle to some extent.

The problem is the tube. For a fly, you do not need much lateral or vertical movement. The tube as shown permits only 3.5" max width, and this is not enough. Sure, if you are dead center, it will work, but you loose a lot of width with even a tiny movement up, down, or side to side. Worse yet, the volume of water required as the tube increases in diameter is directly proportional to the radius squared. So, double the diameter and you square the volume required. If you are using a diving lure, again, the tube is the problem, no place to get the dive angle and no lateral movement. Still, there is potential, and I am sure in time one of us will get it figured out. Thanks for pointing this idea out.

This got me thinking about something that happened a long time ago. I had a good friend that was going to college the same time I was, he was taking the same Physics class I was. We would meet everyday in the Library before class to go over the homework for the last night. We were tossed out of the Library more then once for our heated discussions that resulted from that class. I would show him my work, my logic, and my answer and he would argue that it was wrong, even when he could not make his work out right. Almost without doubt, when the home work was graded I would be right and he would be wrong, but the next day it would be a replay of the same argument of how I was wrong and he was right, but I got the grade and he did not. On the other hand, while he almost failed that physics class, he was a master at Chemistry, especially organic chemistry. He could do things with the chemical equations that I could not even come close to. I almost failed that class. In the end, he got top grade in Organic Chemistry and I got top grade in Engineering Physics. He became a chemist and I became an engineer. So, what is the moral of the story? The moral is that two very smart people can disagree on subjects, and very smart people may not be able to do everything. The procedures have been given above, and it will and has worked. Larry Dahlberg's DVD (http://www.makelure.com/ProdDetail.cfm?Category=Support Products&Name=Larry's Workshop One-2DVDSet) shows it in process. I know that my way worked as well. But, will it work for you? There is no way to know. Maybe your are a Chemistry person, may a Physics person. Just because a method works for one person does not mean it will work for everyone.

Well done, another addict is created. LOL

It really does depend on the foam used. I saw on Larry's site that he does not even use a vent hole, and his DVD did not either, but I do. The foam Alumilite sells, the 320 and 610 are foams I use and they are not that hard to remove from a large bore syringe. Do it before it is completely set up, but just after it looses is sticky feeling. Still, if you use a 1/8" hole, you can pour using a small plastic cup (Dixie Cup) and toss it when it is done. Now, if you use the Alumifoam, which expands 2 to 4 times the original volume and is a dense as white cedar, then you will have issues. That stuff is hard to remove.

Ditto, and additionally, white reflects visible light, but it is not that great in the UV spectrum. Case in point, the inside of every fingernail UV cure box is a reflectorized foil; none of them are painted and none of them are white.

I also wonder, if the master was made from recycled plastic, it probably had heat inhibitor in it. I think that Sulfur is often used in heat inhibitors.

A-Mac Can you sketch this up so I can understand? If I do understand, and I don't think I do, the angle that water hits the lure is critical, so I am not sure that this would work. Also, once you turn off the pump, the water will slow very quickly, so any design will require the pump to continue to work. Like I said, this answer is probably because I just don't understand your concept.

Larry Dahlberg shows in one of his lure making DVDs doing just that to a damaged bait from Wolf Fish in South America. He suggested using a 320 foam (3 pound, expands 20 times). It is not so powerful that it will crack baits apart and if you have a pour hole, and an exit hole, the foam he used did not set up so fast that it caused problems. I have done this myself a few times now and I use Alumilite 320 super foam. http://www.alumilite.com/ProdDetail.cfm?Category=CastingResins&Name=SuperFoam320 The key, as hinted to above, is to know about the correct volume you will need, then don't over pour. For example, if I measured the volume of the bait at 100 cc, then I would know that the inside was less then that. Because the foam expands 20 times, I would divide 100/20=5 cc of raw foam. The foam is a two part mix, so that would be 2.5 cc of part A and 2.5 cc of part B. Because some will stay in your mixing cup, I would just mix 3 cc of each. I would pour then rotate the lure quickly to distribute the foam equally and then let it expand out of the holes. Trim to the lure when done. The 3 pound foam is much much lighter then balsa so it does not impact how the lure rides in the water, and yet it increases the life of the lure with toothy fish by many times.

Bob is right, it is not the fly, it is the cast. The method you mention is how I grew up fishing flies as a kid for trout, but behind a clear bubble. Once when I forgot the bubble at home I "borrowed" my dad's Hula Popper and just tied the leader behind the popper. It worked great, but like Bob said, the way you cast is far more important then the fly.

So, your wife and mine must be sisters. I swear my wife can smell the flea fart two months after it happened. I use Fabrize on my cloths after I pour to help, but ........ at my age, I feel getting yelled at by my wife is better then being ignored any day.

I think you might do well with something like the following plan: 1) make a mold of your fins and tails from a RTV Silicone. For example, Alumilite HS2 would be a good choice. 2) mold your fins and tails from a flexible rubber resin, like Alumilite Flex 80. Larry Dahlberg and River2Sea make the Wopper Plopper with a tail plopper made of Flex 80 and it withstands all fish, so far. LOL I have tried the Flex 30 and it is just not strong enough for me, so pay attention to the stiffness of the different Flex products. I am sure there are other companies that make similar stuff, but the ones I mention are what I would use. http://www.alumilite.com/Category.cfm?Category=CastingResins http://www.alumilite.com/Category.cfm?Category=SiliconeRubber If you choose the right Flex product, I think you will do just fine.

Dave, Macks lures in Washington State, USA, once built a circular test tank for displaying their lures at stores. It was not big enough for what we need, but it was a start. I contacted the company a week ago and asked them if they still had one and he wanted $300 for it, if I picked it up at their store. That is more then I want to pay for a tank that is only about a 12" deep and only about a meter in diameter. Additionally, I took a lure I am working on and tested it in my bath tub. I noticed that the action I got from turning tight circles is not the same as the action I got going in a straight line. If the lure hunts at all, the lure blows out "on the turn". I think that if we used the circular tank it would need to be pretty big and I think we are back to ground zero on that idea.

It depends on the thickness of the plastic sheet and the type of plastic. EPDM roofing and landfill material is pretty thick, pretty durable, and you should not need the padding. Still, the cost of a little padding is worth the investment in my opinion.

I think that you meant 3' wide by 12' long x ? Am I reading this wrong? I have seen Vodkaman (Dave's) test tank in videos and I have Seen Larry Dahlberg's test tank in a DVD. They went to this approach as well, but ................... like you, I then can't test lures in the winter. OUCH!

Nice, very nice.

LOL then why am I not happy? I think that there is still a lot to learn yet.

I suspect that a few different things are going on. I have tried to create the haze and I got it two ways. 1) I touched up some spots with a red Spike-IT marker and did not let it dry for more then about 10 minutes. The result was a serious Haze. When I put the Solarez over some that had dried over night, the results was a haze free coat. 2) I dipped a bait and I only let it drip about two minutes instead of the 7 or more minutes. This left a much thicker coat and that coat gave a serious Haze. When I did another bait that I dipped at the same time, but left for probably 10 minutes, then the coat was much thinner and the haze was not there. I wonder if the Haze people are getting is the result of either some form of contamination or from too thick of a wet coat. UV is blocked in the first few fractions of an inch, especially UVa. It is possible that the deeper coat is not curing completely. Also, because the UV cures the surface so fast, I suspect that the wax, etc., is not able to migrate out if the coat is too thick. How does this fit with those of you getting the Haze?

How about another flow tank version used for another purpose? Potential???

Hey guys, just saw something that even confuses me more. Starting at about minute 4.03, with the best shot at 4.13, we see another bench test tank. Take a look at this and tell me what you see.

For detail work, I spray at 15 PSI with a fine needle. For normal work, 25 to 50 PSI with a medium needle. I never use retarder, and I only reduce if necessary.

The worm oil will sure help. It is also possible to use some silicone oil as well. For that matter, if it is because the mold is a little dirty, cleaning it with low odor mineral spirits will also work.

I like what I see, and I think it just might work. I also think Vodkaman is right, try it with one first.

I agree with rhahn427. Come over and visit us on www. makelure.com and on http://www.purpledesert.net/asklarry/index.php?sid=379ccc29d1fc07226947fbc72cfa6dd8 I suspect that the "weight" is not low enough or heavy enough. Larry uses just the weight of his trebble at the bottom of the lure to right it. When he does add weight, normally tungstun, it is added while the plastic is soft so it settles almost to the bottom of the bait. Because of the size of fish Larry fishes for, the weight of that big old trebble is usually enough. I have my "hybrid" version that I showed colors of (showing Alumidust painting) on our Gallery here on TU, and on mine I add 5 grams of #9 lead shot while the plastic is still hot. For my ~4" swimbait, this sinks it well, keeps it straight, and it cast like a bullet. It also allows me to put the hook top or bottom, depending on how close I intend to fish to the bottom. I will be posting more colors in the next day or two (keep in mind I am a hobbiest, not an artist or production guy), so feel free to laugh at the colors. (I do).