Tiderunner

After trying other brands, I have almost exclusively used M-F through the years. I'm also on a quest for a quality plastisol Your question about a phthalate free plastic though had me doing some research. I did find that Do It and LureCraft both sell a "Phthalate Free" plastisol. A bit pricier than other suppliers but on par with what M-F prices were. With LureCraft their smallest container was 5 gallons. LureCrast's price for 5 gallons was about the same as Do-It for 2 gallons.

Thanks. The investment isn't outrageous, and a lot of places sell them. Lowes ,Home Depot, Wally World. Don't need one with all the sausage attachments. So I guess I'll give it a try.

It's the time of year when I get ready to amp up production to keep me sane all winter. After looking at the hand grinders, I'm guessing I still have to cut up the pucks small enough to go through. But once I start grinding, will the plastic go through the plate? The thing with the little holes? Or is there some sort of trick to this?

I plan to reply. As soon as I can figure out how to explain what I'm trying to do. Sometimes the ideas in the head don't always come out the way we visualize them.

The response from Lureworks. Yes, any of our colorants labeled as “dye” will bleed or migrate through out a soft bait regardless of any other additives. Depending on your laminate combination it may or may not be that noticeable. But the tint side will loose some strength over time as the dye migrates to the other side trying to reach even disbursement in the entire bait. Meanwhile the other side will take in the dye until there is equilibrium in the concentration of the dye in the bait. Unfortunately there is no way around this. If you let me know what your trying to achieve by adding the dye I might be able to give an alternate recommendation.

Been there done that.Had a Watermelon Green , white pearl laminate. After curing for about 5 days. Went to the work bench to bag 'em up. And the WM bled into the white. No indication the WMG was a bleeder until I check other bottle from the same supplier that had this after the color..NB. The one watermelon didn't have it. I guess I never noticed because I usually only made solid WM. Only combo I've ever had bleed. Been looking around on the internet comparing colors side by side. I have found some that are close. But not transparent. Then again, you can't trust a picture either.

Thanks everybody. I guess there is no sense in experimenting with that bait, unless I make small batches to use right away. And of course I probably still experiment. I've got nothing but time on my hands after the holidays. Gonna have to test different brands of plastisol, so it might be a good time to learn about dyes. What I can and cannot use then for, and the limitations. Never used them before. In the meantime I'll keep looking for alternatives.

The bigger question then is, to what extent will suck a tiny amount bleed?I have sent an email to Lureworks with these same questions. It's been a few days now. So I'll await their answer. The color in question is Cherry Red Dye 120

I know the difference between dyes and colorants. I know that dyes bleed, and some more than others. What I'm trying to figure out is If a dye is used to blend with a non bleed colorant. Will there still be some color bleed from the dye? There is a color I am trying to blend mostly made from a non bleed colorant but I need a dye to tint it a tiny bit. It is a laminate type bait. Will that tiny bit of dye bleed into the second color used? Anyone here have any experience using the dyes and colorants together? I'm wondering is the non bleed will encapsulate, so to speak, the dye to prevent bleed. I guess the best way to find out is to go ahead and make a small number of baits. A small investment. But if anyone can answer that. Let me know Thanks

I have ordered a few of the MF exclusive colors from Zeiners. MF is the only supplier that has a very specific color that I use almost all the time. The webiste is showing my color is in stock, so I may just go ahead bite the bullet and order a pint. I;ll report back.

I hate to revive an old thread, but I'm guessing MF is gone forever? I was able to get one order in, and haven't been able to get anything from them since February of 24. Website just shows pretty much everything as Sold Out.

And with the money you save, you'll be able to by more molds! And down the rabbit hole you go. Just like the rest of us.

I'm close to that same ratio. I'll use that amount to drop my MF medium to soft. If I'm adding salt or glass beading or even floating additive, I adjust from there. I'll even add softener to the soft blends when using additives. As far as using the same brand softener in like brand plastic, I wouldn't worry too much. I've been mixing and matching for years without issue. I don't want to keep buying more softener every time a manufacturer changes formula for their plastisol, and I change brands. I just use what I have whatever I have on hand. Example- I have almost exclusively used MF plastisol. But I can't get it anymore. I had also tried Dead On, and bought their softener to go with it. When I was able to get MF again, I just used Dead On Softener in my MF. No problems. Same with Bait Plastics. I used either MF or Do It brand of softener, no issues then either. Now I can't get MF again But still have at least a quart of Dead On softener. Don't know what platic I'll get to replace the MF, but I won't spend$$ for new softener. Same with Hardener. I've tried them all. I have LureCraft. I hate it because of the color and smell, so I tried Do It Crystal Clear. Worked fine in whatever plastic I was using. Others may have had different results. This is only my experience. Best I can tell you is, experiment And have fun.

Thanks you Sir! Saw your post and already ordered.

Much appreciated. I didn't find it there either.That's why I thought it might be the powder paint. If they no longer carry it, I can always try the Spike It brand.

I've done some searching around, and the Do-It UV Blast Powder was listed under powder paints. Is this the stuff? The only other option I have found is the Spike It/Lureworks liquid, which after researching sounds as though it's a bit less user friendly. Although certainly not rocket science.Is this the Do It powder? And if it is, it is actually a powder paint. Does it affect the plastisol in any way. As far as mixing, I have made a little mixer attachment that fit into my Dremel that does an excellent job of mixing. https://store.do-itmolds.com/Clear-Pro-Tec-Powder-Paint_p_810.html

If you can't find that post, you can always try what I and I'm pretty sure a lot of others here do. Heat up some plastisol, add softener pour some baits and keep going until you get the softness or firmness you want. Remember to write down your amounts. And keep in mind everybody may have a different idea on what a soft bait is, or a firm bait. Etc. And of course different baits call for different firmness. Good luck. I wish I had your problem of a good buy on plastisol! Hard or not.

You should be a salesman for the UV additive company! You sold me. I will look at the Do-It brand, and see what else is out there. Thanks for all the info.

I'm not sure using glow and uv together would work anyway. But you know how we all like to experiment. Any particular brand of the uv additive you prefer? As far as using the uv baits at night, I have a UV flashlight. A powerful one that I use for uv resins. That would activate the the uv at night, but the glow would work well enough by itself. I use mostly topwater stuff at night.

Thanks for that info. Myself and fishing buddies fish either murky waters for largemouth. Or deep water clear lakes for smallies. So anything that might give an advantage in these two extremes is a plus. So as I get ready to set up the winter work shop, I'll have to order some. If it doesn't make a difference, it won't be the first thing I tried that was a bust. I will also probably make some saltwater stuff too. That would be deep murky waters. I already use glow baits. All curly tail grubs. So next season I can do a side by side test of glow and UV. Just thinking out loud here. I wonder what effect mixing UV and glow additives would be like?

For my smallmouth bucktail jigs I just use the do it round head jig mold. I also use it for your exact reasons, I can use bare ones for a curly tail jig, or a paddletail swim bait. Do it has an eye socket round head jig mold that may fit your needs.

Anybody here ever used a UV additive in their plastisol? Stuff sounds interesting, and the theory behind it plausible. I already use glow powders for deep saltwater use. And tried them for freshwater night fishing use with mixed reviews from people I shared them with. Made some 5" stick baits with a glow tail for people and one guy tried them with no luck. He cut one in half and used it as a ned rig, and had success with it that way, but that's another story. If you have made baits, or fished baits with a UV additive what were your results? Anytime I can get an advantage fishing I'll try it. Not sure I want to invest in this one.

I've used MF almost exclusively and have never had this problem. I cure my baits for a few days, then bag them in reular store bought zip lock bags. I add scented worm oil and sprinkle with salt. I have some baits stored now as long as 3 years. All are still flexible and usable. Are you pouring plastic from a gallon jug or something bigger? It almost seems like an issue with cooking, or mixing. The only time I have experienced oily baits with MF is when I got lazy mixing the plastisol. I agree with the Dead On thing. That plastisol has always left me with tacky and oily baits. But not MF. Instead of throwing out your oily type baits, try what I did. Lube and salt them. I use either kosher salt or regular table salt. The only issue I have ever had over time is sometimes the laminated colors might leach into one another. But that's my own fault. I have tried BP, don't recall any major issues with it. But I may have to switch to it due to the lack of availablity of MF.

I see he disparages others a lot. As if only his opinions count. I may only be a hobbyist but I've learned by making all the mistakes. What I like, which of my baits catch fish, Whose product has been the best for me. I've bought molds from many, from the very first silicone molds I used to shelves full of molds from Angling AI , Delmart, Jacobs, Fat Guys Fishing ( he doesn't like them ) Even the Do it CNC, LureCraft. Colorant up the wazoo for experimenting with. Tried every brand of plastic through the years. But...because I'm only a hobbyist, I have wasted all these years. On this forum we hobbyists bring a lot to the table. Have helped many novices, helped others fix their issues. That's what were supposed to do. To the original poster, jfdodge, we're here to help, not knock others down. Need more help ask ask away. 99 out of 100 times you ask, you'll get the answers you need. But there's always that one. Take advantage of the help they offer, and ignore the knocks on others. We're all here to help.

I pretty much do the same. Heat heat liquid plastisol to 350- 360. I've even gone as high as 375 more than once with issues, yellowing, scorching etc. Then while its cooling I pick out the glitter I'm using, and by then it should have cooled to where I can add glitter. I use a lot of the "sparkle" glitters that don't take heat well. Same thing with string glitters. Using a digital thermometer helps a lot.