Kalicos Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 does anyone happen to know what kind of materials hard swimbaits are made of? i'm not talking about the wooden swimbaits like the slammer or the z-plugs but baits like 3:16 one ups and wake baits, the bbz, rago tool...etc. I'm thinking of molding my own hardbaits. Looks like some kind of composite or resin. maybe pvc? high impact foam? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Kalicos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokeyJ Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 I don't know what Mickey Ellis at 3:16 uses for his prototypes but his production baits are injection molded polyurethane. Not exactly something for the beginner. If you search the boards for pvc you can see some different options available for getting solid PVC to carve for baits to get a similar result. jrhopkins makes some killer swimbaits using PVC boards that you can get at Lowe's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K.C.K. Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Actually it is a lot easier then you might think. carve a lure out of balsa or basswood seal it. Make a mold box, use the tutorials you can find on a lot of mold supplies websites or search this site. buy some rtv silicone I get mine here Molding Rubbers pour your mold. now decide if you want to go foam or solid poly I poured my first fifty out of 16lb foam Urethane Foam , Expanding Marine Polyurethane Foam works great for topwaterbaits. lately I have been using poly with micro balloons add 100 percent MBs for a good slow sink with minimal ballast weight added http://www.alumilite.com/ buy a small band saw , make a jig to hold your bait level and the angle you want. cut your joints. experiment with different hinge styles and locations every bait is different. Have fun there is nothing better than catching a nice fish on something you made.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalicos Posted March 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 thanks guys. this is just what i needed to hear. I am thinking of making a saltwater swimbait. I really like the fish arrow monster jack design, however they dont hold up at all in the salt due to the fact that they are made of soft wood and the paint cracks almost instantly. so, i thought that pouring a hardbait would be a good alternative. thanks again for the info guys. Kalicos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 Heck if you really like that bait.. you can mold it.. just dont sell it.. you will get yourself in trouble for that.. but K.C.K... is leading you down the right path!! Good luck.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalicos Posted March 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 haha. sounds like a good plan Rookie. do u guys know which hardness of rubber should i buy for making swimbaits? the rtv 30? 60? or 80? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K.C.K. Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 I like the 70 -60 tin sil you get great detail works great for the solid poly . if you go with foam you have to clamp up you mold box to eliminate distortion. Feel free to email me I will give you all the info you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalicos Posted March 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 thanks a lot KCK. really appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
