curt k

hope it works out . I got curious about the hook dealy and there are a few manufacturing videos on youtube that were interesting . The hooks go from heat to quench fairly quickly . Crude automation but it works and the timing isn't going to waiver much

T1 is a highly common steel to use for a variety of tooling applications . If you look into your machinery handbook you will find a lot of information on the variety of tool steels , their general purposes along with their physical properties and compounds

While I can appreciate a " lecture " as you put it , my reply was directed at the original question and not to question anyone's expertise . choice of colour is not a rule but it is a rule of thumb when you know what hardness you want to stay at with a particular material . Why , because it is an indication of the temperature of that material at that specific time in the cooling phase . A quick example is : I used to make a lot of tools with t1 , straw was the colour of choice , quench before that and the tools were brittle and would snap , quench after and they would mushroom . A colour on either side of that didn't change things overly significant but there was a difference In order to keep a consistency then it's important to find what colour works and always quench closest to that colour , otherwise some hooks will be too brittle while others will be too soft . If a torch has been used on the hooks then a certain amount of carbon has been burnt off Using a torch to heat them up again is going to burn off more carbon , so I doubt there is going to be any consistency in trying to harden them if they harden much at all . The wire forms as previously mentioned seems to be the easiest and best solution

Rapid heat and quench can be easy or difficult depending on what a guy is working with . As a metal cools from the glowing state it goes though many colors changes before it cools right down to the final color which is typically black . A guy needs to know what is the best color to quench on because each color will give a different hardness . It isn't easy with thin metals since they cool down too fast and your going to need fast hands and really good eyes to follow the color changes . The proper way with something like that is to use a furnace , hold them at high heat for a period of time then quickly cool them down . Except my guess is there won't be enough carbon left to get a proper heat treat for a second time

I don't think liquid plastisol is considered dangerous goods . Like I said previously I've got plastic sent through post and it was never a problem . It just depends upon the company your buying from and if they are willing to send it through the mail . the last order I had shipped BC through post was bought from MF , no questions asked

he speaks too moistly to be a fisherman , plus I think he's too busy with still trying to figure out where he put his cardboard plastic water bottle sippy cup if he gave us anything at all , it's something to laugh about every time he speaks

I've got plastisol through ca.post and its never been a problem other than price . bait plastics has the best shipping price on a 5 gal through fedex

wd40 makes a de-greaser soap that works extremely well for cleaning aluminum molds . I dilute that soap 1:1 in my parts washer vs using varsol . You can use it in a spray bottle , just give the molds a spray , then a quick rub with a sponge , a rinse and they are good to go .

Glad to hear your happy with that mold Dabehr . You mentioned MF plastic , I highly recommend Jeff's easy stretch formula for any of the frog molds that I sell . I've been able to get a lot of extra life out of the frogs (and other baits) with that formula .

you could make an insert with jb weld steel stick putty , you'd just have to take the obvious precautions not to weld the two halves together . You should be able to fill in the area that you need , put the halves together to form it then take it apart and let the insert harden . A dusting of talc or corn starch should prevent it from sticking to the aluminum when you form it

Soft plastics will stand up to pike pretty much the same as most other fish . I grew up fishing the big northerns . Jig heads with curly grubs and live bait was common practice for fishing the pike and walleye . We'd use nothing less than a 10" stainless leader , they may be ugly but they never affected the bite . it beats losing a nice fish and the gear with it

they modified the formula to resolve laminating issues when guy/gals use laminate plates . The original formulas didn't laminate too well so their solution was to make a formula that has a lower melting point so that the two sides would stick together better . Overall it's meant to be cooked up just the same as any other plastic

cascade in particular is really bad and I had a horrible experience with it . I washed a bunch of molds in the sink , then I filled the top rack of the dishwasher so they could drip dry . a few hours later my wife filled the bottom rack with plates and fired up the dishwasher without seeing that the top rack was loaded . All of the molds turned purplish and felt as though they went thru a rough tumbler . Some degreaser soaps will do the same or worse . I've turned aluminum parts black while soaking in one brand . Dawn , palmolive or sunlight are the safest to use at home

Being a new mold it sounds to me like polishing residue or oils If it's dirt or oils then dish soap is safe to use . It works well and sunlight is the best one to use because it cuts thru the dirt and oils better than the other soaps . Don't use the dishwasher detergents though , they can cause a really bad reaction with the aluminum if soaked for an extended period of time . Trust me , I've made that costly mistake

The posted problem has been resolved . From what I understand the problem is related to a broken thermometer . I don't think I've ever sent a mold out that was un-vented . I recall you buying a hand pour a few years back but I don't recall you buying the injection curly tad

I haven't woken to a pillow over my face yet but I'm sure it's coming

I'm fortunate in the fact that my wife is terrified to step into my shop , but unfortunately she 's going to sell all of my stuff for next to nothing when I pass because I say "20 bucks " every time she asks "how much "

I wouldn't say copyright infringement but it could leave them wide open for a mold maker that they copy - to copy everything single that they put out without hesitation

Most of my molds (Enforcer) are in stock or can be in stock pretty quickly . If there is any delay then it's usually a week .

there are only a handful of companies world wide that make carbide cutter blanks . Most are made in Israel . I've excluded China because they mass produce everything , but ironically they have the highest reserves and they are also the largest exporter of raw tungsten . Their claw back of exports is the reason for the price increases over the past several years . The quality companies for the most part are using the same blanks , they just vary in the quality of their grinding processes . Personally I've always found that the best source for calculating cutter speeds and feeds is straight from the horses mouth , most companies have a recommended sfm for their specific cutters

travers tool sells pin gages cheap (class z) . You could chop one into at least two pieces which would probably be cheaper than buying a hardened dowel pin http://www.travers.com/search.aspx?keyword=pin+gage .

15% off sale at Enforcer Bait Molds till Sept 8 2016 , see site for details

I'm always following the forum and a few others as well . There's a lot of valuable information on the site and there's always something new to read . I'm pretty much in the same boat as everyone else here and I originally got into making baits with the plans of upping my own game on the water . The only complaint that I have now is that I have crap loads of baits and not much time to fish em these days . I know that there's a fine line between talking about my baits and , self promoting (which seems to be a topic) , so I hang back unless theres an important point to make .

bigger is yet to come . The 300 a bit small for the way that I fish as well , but there is a time and place for everything

the 4 inch frog is a different beast from the 4.5 enforcer frog . the 4 inch frog is designed to be more of a bank bouncer , it's a slow bait at which short bursts (tugs) will create a great splashing action . It's meant to mimic a real frog / toad which in nature don't race across the surface . I needed to design something for slower fishing and for the heavy strikes that tend to happen after I bounce my baits of the grassy edge , I also wanted to have something with a bit more of a presence on the surface . This is something that I seriously needed out on the water , which is why it came to be The 4.5 enforcer frog is a very productive bait but Both are completely different baits and are meant for different fishing styles BTW . I really appreciate the compliments from you guys , it really does mean a lot to know that your enjoying this stuff Curt Enforcer Bait Molds