Tiderunner

Reread what you wrote. That's my bad. I read the word "like" as "line" We do agree on the laminate plate thing. I think once I get the feel of how much pressure I need to use with the dual injector I will be fine. My first attempt was so so. Second attempt, plastic was squirting everywhere, even with the mold clamped super tight. I backed off my ham handed pressure, and had unfilled cavities. I need to find that happy medium. When using my single injectors, (9oz ). I pop the nozzle off and pour the plastic into the tube. That's been working for me for years. Maybe I'll try that with the dual injector to keep that condom from forming over the nozzles. Luckily I'm using all my old remelts and I got tons to play with. There's gonna be a whole lot of weird color combos while I figure this out!

I beg to differ. Most of my dual color baits made with plates have perfect lines. I make a fire river combo try orange and chartreuse. The halves are perfect. Another I make. I call earthworm is a laminate of blue earthworm and red earthworm, both MF. The colors are almost identical yet there is a clear demarcation between the two colors. That bait color is deadly here in the north east. The only time I don’t get perfect baits- When using my homemade plates. Difficult to get that aluminum to be perfectly flat. If the mold has 4 cavities three may be perfect but one is always messed up. Colt 2 may ooze into the first half or I get a lot of flashing. Neither is an issue with commercial plates made specifically for the mold. I don’t understand how a laminate plate can make an imperfect bait when you’re making two identical bait halves. I’ve also never had a bait delaminate on me. I’m always testing that.

Everything you folks responded with is what I've been doing. Experience I have. Been shooting my own stuff nearly 30 years. This is my first attempt with my dual injector. Up until now I've either use commercially made laminate plates, or made my own from heavy aluminum flashing. Wanted to leave that behind and speed the process up. I think my biggest issue is my plastic cooling too fast. There are those, for lack of a better word, condoms that form over the nozzles. They cool and prevent the plastic from shooting. Too much pressure and I make a mess. Nozzles are hot enough, so then its got to be my plastic temps. Viscosity to me is everything. After I get to temps, no matter what or how I'm injecting, I check viscosity first.And yes, salt or glass beads make a difference. Plastic and additives too. These really had an effect when I first started shooting core shot baits. I guess just as I had a learning curve with core shot baits, there's going to be a learning curve with the dual injectors. Sooner or later I'll get the feel of it.

Got my dual injector from FGF, and gave it its first real workout last night. Kept it simple. Black and blue senkos using 2 Yamomoto cnc molds. Heated molds and injectors. Injected at around 300*-310*. First mold injected fine. econd mold was either half filled or dents in the baits. The plastic was cooling too quickly. The plastic was forming a seal over the nozzles. My first trial with the dual injector my plastic was too hot, and the colors bled into one another. Now it seems the temps are too low. What temps do you guys shoot dual injected baits at? NOTE_ The plastic I was using was all remelts. Figure I'd use my old discs before using virgin plastic while I'm getting the hang of this.

First order sent to the new MF today. Just one gallon of plastic, and a few new colors to try. We'll see how it goes.Also sent an order to Lureworks for the supplies MF isn't showing on their site. I'll let you know how the MF order works out.

Try Fat Guys Fishing. I believe the one I have from them is 5.75”

This may sound dumb but what if a little plain rice was stored with the powder paints? It may draw out the moisture. It works in restaurants to keep salt from clumping. Just an idea.

I've got lots of stainless rods around. Remnants of my past trial and error. Without modifying a mold that may work though not perfect. The other as I said, may involve using the DoIt Ripper essential and cutting a slot with a dremel to fit the rod in. Again, if it gets fouled up, certainly a lot cheaper mistake than using a CNC mold.

Absolutely. I get that. A triple injector is a pricey investment for the average hobbyist. A core shot mold could be half the price. $200 vs. $400. Core shot mold, could shoot a silver belly a baby bass back with a florescent pink core. sort of a rainbow trout look. The poor man's ( me ) triple laminate.

Who will be first to produce a 3.5"-4.0"core shot swim bait mold? I'd buy one in a heartbeat! I was thinking of getting a Do It mold, and modifying it for core shot. If it gets motsed up, the investment isn't as much as ruining a CNC mold. Core shot would certainly be faster to make baits with instead of open pour.After 30years of this pouring plastic thing I don't have the artistic ability to produce the masterpieces I see made with open pour. I'd be fine with core shot and dual injector though.

Is it me, or is the sprue separated from the cannonball? If so, that can be a few things. Starting with mold, and lead being too hot. Or pouring from the end of the melting pot and getting slag and other crud in your finished ball. And lastly, poor quality lead can cause that as well Or again the quality of the lead drops off because as you use the lead to pour, the more crud is in it. You've poured off most of the clean stuff. This happens to me a lot when pouring large (4oz-16oz) bank sinkers. Especially when the mold gets hot. Hot enough to melt the paint on Do-It handles. I just melt more clean lead to the pot as I pour. No matter how many times you flux, there is always some crud left behind.

Same here on the plastic, but my experience is the longer I keep the lighter colors heated, they tend to darken. I now only blend what I can use quickly, then I'll re-blend. Don't know what stabilizer you'll be using, but I use Lureworks, and it's brown, so that may affect the lighter colors as well. Darker colors? Who cares? They're already darker.

Using hardener is probably the easiest way to go. I've used different brands of hardener in other brands of plastisol with no ill effects. If you want to be more certain of your blending, you can get the hardener sold by your brand of plastisol. Just remember to stir well, the stir some more to make sure it's blended in your Cold plastisol. Then cook but watch fro overheating it. Hardener mixed plastisol, at least in my experience scorches a whole lot easier. Also, most hardener is white, and it mat affect your finished bait color. When you get the desired results. Write the recipe down! Also, if your end result is too hard, add softener. We've all done it.

Why not just add hardener before you cook your plastisol? Unless of course you have extra plastisol of other brands you want to use. I know I mix different plastics of the same brand many times. No problems. Can’t imagine blending different brands would create problems. What ever blending you try, if it works to your liking make sure you’ve written the recipe down.

Yeah. I guess I was just a little impatient. With winter setting in here in New England, I actually throw my molds and injector into the oven for a few minutes. I think the major culprit might be the blending block. It's thick and heavy so it probably takes a little longer to heat it up. I always lube my Orings before I start. I use either worm oil or WD 40. Reminds me...I'm running low on worm oil. I've got an entire winter ahead of me to figure out the learning curve of the dual injector. Thanks gang for the comebacks.

As I stated in an earlier post, I had ordered a FGF 6oz dual injector. Came yesterday, and like any little kid would do I couldn't wait to rip the box open. Went down to the workbench. Chose two different color plugs, and remelted them. Used the FGF 3.75 rip shad mold, had a few old tails already made, so tossed them into the mold , then shot the first run. It was a disaster! None shot! OK so the injector was cold from being outside ( told you I was in a hurry to play ), so I let hot plastic stay in the injector, and watmed it nicely. The main issue with not shooting was when the plastic hit the cold nozzle, it formed a sort of condom over the nozzles, and nothing could get out. Second run, reheated plastic, still had the condom thing going on, but shot the molds without problems, but used a lot of pressure to shoot the mold. I pretty much put all of my 230 lbs into injecting. After opening the tubes, some plastic, a good amount actually was still liquid, so I know temps weren't an issue. How do I keep the condom from from forming? What temps are y'all shooting plastic with using a dual injector. I was just under 320. As an aside I love the quality of the dual injector. Even my son the engineer was impressed. Especially, With the autographed cylinders! I thought that was pretty cool too. Help me out here guys. I can't be sitting on the handles just to get the plastic to inject through the condom.

As most of you have replied, I spread my purchases around. LureWorks has some colors MF didn't. Dead on Same thing. I have trays of colorings, from all different companies. Glitters bought from EBay sellers that nobody else had. Molds from everyone.Including my very first open pour silicone mold from Barlows from some 30 years ago. I have Delmart molds, Do-it, Jacobs, AI, FGF, And I'll continue to buy that way. Barlows even has new glitters out. I'll be buying some. Although I already buy a lot of supplies from them for other stuff. My underwear may have holes, and the kids need new shoes, but I still would rather buy bait making supplies and in turn fishing stuff. They're all good.

I knew BassTackle or FGFwere the top of the line. But FGF Black Friday Special made it easy to decide. If the quality of the injector is the same as the molds I have bought, and the customer service is the same. I can't go wrong.

I've been wanting a dual injector for some time, but not a cheapo one. I was looking to go with a Fat Guys Fishing, or Bass Tackle. This morning Fat Guys made my Christmas wish come true!! Bought a 6oz dual injector for 20% off! Merry Christmas to me! Not my first purchase from them, and certainly won't be my last. Now to get MF back online is my next Christmas wish.

Considering a vacuum chamber after the holidays as a gift to myself for being such a good boy this year. For you vacuum chamber guys out there, what size pot are you using? I use primarily 2 cup pyrex measuring cups. Would a 2 or 3 gallon be big enough? I doubt if I have enough room in my work area to add a 5 gallon. Suggestions? This is the one I have in mind. vevor.com/vacuum-pump-c_11109/3-gallon-vacuum-chamber-w-4-cfm-deep-vane-pump-purge-degas-epoxy-silicone-resin-p_010190667556 I hope links are allowed here.

I'll probably go with Bait Plastics. How about y'all?

One eye tied behind your back? Eww! Nice visual. He lost me as a long time customer. I always liked the product quality but if its unavailable, then the quality doesn't matter anymore. Quality will always matter to me. I have bought supplies from other sellers that were pure garbage. Wasn’t worth the few pennies saved. Don’t know who I’ve talked to at MF, but the few times they called me to correct my orders. That spoke volumes. They got my business. I’m just bummed because I have to wait. Even though I don’t need anything for a couple months, I’m a man and I want my toys. This will be a lesson in patience. Good things are worth waiting for.

This works out nicely for me. With fishing season winding down here in the northeast, I won't start picking up production now until after the holidays. MF plastisol is all I have been using, and dint want to have to go for another brand. Want to try some of their newer colors as well. I've already started making a wish list for the next fishing season. Vacuum chamber and dual injector at the top of my list. I'm tired of making halves of baits. Next up after those two. More saltwater baits.

Been there done that. Just bought 3 tickets for an upcoming concert. Taxes and "convenience Fee" added up to the cost of another ticket. There was nothing convenient about this. Can't print tickets, they don't mail them. I may be old, but at least I got to see the good bands! Cheaply! I can't be sure, but if the shipper is UPS, they charge a fuel surcharge. But I thought it was around 2.50 Maybe that's this charge. Agreed! I know if I have to pay a bit more for something, I automatically add stuff to my cart to get my money's worth. If I don't know in advance And I get to checkout, I just say nope, and buy somewhere else. There's a lot of suppliers nowadays all selling the same things we use.

So far, the others we all deal with are still doing ok. The MF site being down could be due to any number of reasons. Inflation would also affect the commercial sales too. Especially with the cost of shipping these days. So still more economical for the hobby bait maker to pour their own. A pack of Senkos with tax and shipping is now over $10. After your initial investment, you could make 5 or more packs of stickbaits for $10.00