slayer_21420

I'll try harder next time!

The alumilite is really strong once fully cured, I don't think you'd have any issues

Well here it is, sits perfectly level and swims like a fish. You'd never guess it wasn't wood by looking at it. My paint job needs a little fine tuning, it's the first perch I've done. thanks everyone who helped out, I appreciate it!

I chose alumilite because you can adjust the bouyancy by adding more or less micro balloons. The featherlite is always a 100% fill from what I understand. another bonus to alumilite white is the demold time is around 5 minutes if you preheat your mold.

I should've explained my intentions. This is for larger than average castings, being made into spearing decoys, and I'm getting good results even at 100% microballoons. I normally use red cedar and drill my holes for the weight so that the fins protrude into the lead cavities and the molten lead/fins lock eachother in place. After pouring the lead the decoy gets tuned to sit level and swim properly by drilling out a small amount of lead wherever needed to achieve balance. After all this is done the lead cavity is filled with epoxy putty. Basically as long as the alumilite doesn't degrade to the point of melting I should be ok as they don't take the same abuse as a bait.

When weighting, Can you Pour lead directly into alumilite white? Or does a lead weight need to be inserted? thanks! Steve

I'm looking at the aerosol type too, haven't used it yet though.

Im thinking both! They're 8" long so should make a nice pike/musky bait. I was just planning on casting decoys but now that I'm started and I've been looking at the posts here I think I'll have to start making some baits too.

Thanks for the compliments guys! I'll be sure to add a picture of the completed project. It's loosely based off of a perch, but it'll look great painted up like just about anything, I think. I'll be honest, there is a learning curve. I botched the first two attempts. First one I didn't have a large enough pour spout and the alumilite set up while I was still pouring. Second one the tail tail didn't completely fill in. I realized a small vent hole was needed back by the tail and that took care of the problem. making the silicone mold itself is a bit of a process, but if you take your time it's not terribly difficult.

I don't know if anyone is even following this based on the response but I have successfully casted a few bodies! Lol

Well I dove in head first. Last night I ordered, mold star 30 alumilite white microballoons ease release 200 6oz &16oz measuring cups and some synthetic modeling clay. Now I just need to carve a couple masters and start pouring. any tips are appreciated

You won't have any issues with it

Thanks Wayne! I need the buoyancy to keep the swim of the decoy as similar to wood as possible. The way they're weighted right now they have a nice medium glide through the water, with more weight toward the bottom of the decoy to keep them from tipping when you swim them. what kind of primer are you spraying in the mold?

Not sure why the picture uploaded upside down..

Hey all, I'm new here. Seems like there are a lot of knowledgeable folks so here goes- I make wooden darkhouse spearing decoys, and due to wrist injuries am limited in the amount of carving I can do anymore. I'm looking into casting decoy bodies from resin with a similar buoyancy to wood. So far I'm looking at featherlite, and alumilite (with microballoons). which one is more durable? I'm ideally looking for something tougher than the cedar I normally use. Also I'm looking at mold star 16 to make my molds, is this a good choice? I'm brand new to making silicone molds, and using casting resins so any advice/tips are greatly appreciated. my decoys range in size from around 7"-14" if that plays a role in the most suitable medium. thanks!