longhorn Posted October 27, 2007 Report Share Posted October 27, 2007 I'm posting this because I read posts from newbies who are struggling with mold making and deciding what mold is best. For my money POP molds are still the best way to go for people who like to tinker with making their own soft baits for whatever reason....maybe not retail but that's still possible with POP. The molds in the photos are made from POP and Elmer's. Made my first mold in '74 and some cavities still pour. So you guys just getting started and on a low budget (like most of us) give POP a good try and you'll be surprised how it performs. I'm going to get some unusual responses about one of the molds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldwillie65 Posted October 28, 2007 Report Share Posted October 28, 2007 It has to be the Helicopter mold:) . I have poured many soft plastics and I am sure the fish do not care about who made a mold. I think you have to find some fish before you get real worried about how good the worm looks. Have some fun life is to short! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDC Posted October 28, 2007 Report Share Posted October 28, 2007 COME ON! First the T-Sipper koozie and then the last pic. Have you no shame? JK Longhorn. I actually had a guy ask me to make a mold and make some of those for him a few months back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braveviper Posted October 28, 2007 Report Share Posted October 28, 2007 How big is that monster bass in that picture?Wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadK Posted October 30, 2007 Report Share Posted October 30, 2007 Question, Your using an elmers glue mixture to give the glossy shiney finish? What is it mixed with and do you think this is better than epoxy. How do the finished baits look?? Shiney or rough?? Have you made any two piece molds with POP?? I saw the link using popsicle sticks to align the two parts of the mold. What do you coat the bottom portion of the mold with to prevent the top from sticking to it. I saw to use vasaline on the sticks and foil around the corners. After coating once with the elmers or epoxy, do you use any kind of oils when pouring either before or after? I thought I read you could use either WD40 or Pam. Will either of these work and is this necessary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longhorn Posted October 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2007 I use Elmer's Glue All and mix it with water when flooding the mold. It can be used straight if you choose to paint the cavities with a small brush. Note the second photo and how shiny the cavities are...that's how the bait will come out. A release agent is not necessary. I have no experience with two part POP molds...sorry. Reason being that I believe in most cases a hand poured bait with a flat top will perform just as well as the full round counterpart...there are several exceptions however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadK Posted October 31, 2007 Report Share Posted October 31, 2007 Well, I bought a small batch of POP yesterday and hope to make a one piece mold of a finess worm tonight which is a one piece bait anyway. I do however hope to be able to make a two piece mold for another bait I have in mind. I'm just not sure if I need to put anything between the two pieces after the first is dry and before pouring the second part. I also bought the elmers and will paint the mold with a fine brush. I've heard I should cook the mold too. Should it be painted with elmers before or after cooking. Should I paint the entire mold or just the cavities?? Not sure what you mean by "flooding the mold" when you mix with water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longhorn Posted October 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2007 A finesse worm is a very good candidate for the process below and you should be able to make a 15 cavity mold with no problem. After the plaster goe through it's own heating process and starts to cool then it the time to remove the originals and clean up the mold with a knife. Then put it in the over at 325 for at least an hour to remove the moisture. The glue wont stick well with moisture still in the mold. See below on flooding...you will want to do this rather than painting. Not sure you've seen this post so here's some instructions I've posted before: not easy to explain in a few words...this method is for making pop molds using a plastic bait as the original. I use a plastic container with the bottom cut out....trace the outline of the container on a serving tray or other flat clean surface (your plaster will be poured on this so a tray is handy). the outline is the size of the mold so pick your containers according to what you're making the mold for. take permanent double-sided scotch tape and tape the entire area inside the outline with very little overlap. wash plastic originals in detergent to remove all oil. arrange originals on the tape to your liking...press firmly on entire length to make sure they stick to tape...then put the container you traced back over your taped originals and tape it down to the tray using masking tape....mix pop to the consistency of pancake batter...make sure you have enough for a thick mold so it wont break easily....pour pop over originals and then gently work the tray back and forth to level the plaster...then gently tap the tray on a counter or table to release any big air bubbles from around the lures...not too hard because you want the tape to hold...let it cure through the heating cycle and starts to cool...then carefully remove the container and then the mold from the tray....trim excess plaster around edges of mold and make smooth rounded edges...look at the cavities and trim excess plaster there if needed...don't trim too much...now bake in the oven for an hour at 350 to dry....after that flood the cavities with a mix of water and elmer's white glue-all...start with 1 part water and 3 parts glue...milky constistency...spread the glue over all mold surfaces to seal...let it remain in the cavities for a couple of minutes..swish it back and forth to ensure good coverage... drain excess by shaking the mold...after the glue dries it's ready for a test pour...sometimes a second coat is needed...if you have bubbles in your pours you can apply more glue in only those cavities by flooding or with an artists brush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadK Posted October 31, 2007 Report Share Posted October 31, 2007 I had not seen that post before. Thanks so much for putting it up for me. I like the idea of pouring the POP on top of the baits much better than placing the baits ontop of the POP. I was worried I wasnt going to have steady enough hands and was going to mess up the surface "placing" the baits ontop of wet POP. I think I've got it! OK, gonna go buy some double sided tape and look for a plastic container i can cut the bottom out of. I'm guessing i could use a cookie sheet for the flat surface unless I see something else at the dollar store. I also understand flooding the mold now and to cook first, then flood. Thanks much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe S. Posted October 31, 2007 Report Share Posted October 31, 2007 I learned a few tricks there myself, definitely gonna give them a shot, I never cooked my mold before, I think that will help alot when I seal it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluegrasslover Posted August 21, 2009 Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 A finesse worm is a very good candidate for the process below and you should be able to make a 15 cavity mold with no problem. After the plaster goe through it's own heating process and starts to cool then it the time to remove the originals and clean up the mold with a knife. Then put it in the over at 325 for at least an hour to remove the moisture. The glue wont stick well with moisture still in the mold. See below on flooding...you will want to do this rather than painting.Not sure you've seen this post so here's some instructions I've posted before: not easy to explain in a few words...this method is for making pop molds using a plastic bait as the original. I use a plastic container with the bottom cut out....trace the outline of the container on a serving tray or other flat clean surface (your plaster will be poured on this so a tray is handy). the outline is the size of the mold so pick your containers according to what you're making the mold for. take permanent double-sided scotch tape and tape the entire area inside the outline with very little overlap. wash plastic originals in detergent to remove all oil. arrange originals on the tape to your liking...press firmly on entire length to make sure they stick to tape...then put the container you traced back over your taped originals and tape it down to the tray using masking tape....mix pop to the consistency of pancake batter...make sure you have enough for a thick mold so it wont break easily....pour pop over originals and then gently work the tray back and forth to level the plaster...then gently tap the tray on a counter or table to release any big air bubbles from around the lures...not too hard because you want the tape to hold...let it cure through the heating cycle and starts to cool...then carefully remove the container and then the mold from the tray....trim excess plaster around edges of mold and make smooth rounded edges...look at the cavities and trim excess plaster there if needed...don't trim too much...now bake in the oven for an hour at 350 to dry....after that flood the cavities with a mix of water and elmer's white glue-all...start with 1 part water and 3 parts glue...milky constistency...spread the glue over all mold surfaces to seal...let it remain in the cavities for a couple of minutes..swish it back and forth to ensure good coverage... drain excess by shaking the mold...after the glue dries it's ready for a test pour...sometimes a second coat is needed...if you have bubbles in your pours you can apply more glue in only those cavities by flooding or with an artists brush. I tried this process tonight. I thought I was being smart when I thought about using some of the wife's contact paper in place of the 2 sided tape. It's not nearly sticky enough. I was tapping the container to get the bubbles out and the next thing I know I see the worms coming to the surface. I do have a question though. If you use the 2 sided tape do you need a release agent or will the POP not stick to the tape? Thanks, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longhorn Posted August 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 make sure you wash the worms with detergent to remove all oils, the POP will not stick to the tape and tap rather gently to remove bubbles. Just takes experience. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uwfishmd Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 (edited) Wow, I have been looking for a better sealer than what I have been using and I am looking forward to trying out your method on a really tough bait to copy. I hope this works out. I like the nice shiny finish on my baits. Hopefully I will be able to post some photos soon. Your flooding the mold description sounds easy enough thanks. Edited August 30, 2009 by uwfishmd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
