knifemaker3 Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 Tried my first pour today. It didn't work :oops: I heated the plastic (mf plastic) slowly on the cookstove in a saucepan until it turned clear. Then I added color. I constantly kept stirring from the time I started to heat until I poured. After coloring, I left it on just a little longer cause it seemed to thick to pour. It started smoking slightly so I went ahead and poured even thought it was too thick to pour. Kinda had to spoon it in Shouldn't it be more runny to pour? Or am I missing something? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercury Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 I know what happened, you may have cooked it clear, BUT you have to cook it thin. It can come out almost like water. I like to use a microwave. it can cook down 4-6 os in about 4 min's depending on the power of the microwave. If it was kinda like thin jelly, lumpy and ugly, thats what the problem was. It takes sooo much longer to cook it in a production pot or on a range. Just melt it down again and try to cook it til its really thin. almost like maple syrup. That should solve that problem. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 As stated, try cooking it longer. Just cause it's smoking, doesn't mean it's burning. Some smoke is natural. If you have a candy thermometer, or even a digital meat thermometer, check the temp when you think it's ready; it should be about 350*. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted April 20, 2003 Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 Another problem might be the type of plastic you're using. MF has Super Soft, Regular, and Saltwater formula. The Super Soft is the only way to go. If you're using the others, it doesn't matter how long you heat the stuff.....it will never be a nice liquid pour. If you're using Super Soft, then Woodsac and Mercury hit the nail right on the head. Although MF tolerates high heat well, it WILL smoke, as all plastics do. Another thing that might help is try adding your color and flake before you heat. That seems to work better for me. Hope this helps Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knifemaker3 Posted April 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2003 First, thanks for the replies. I tried it again and this time it worked better. I do know I'll be doing this somewhere besides the kitchen stove!!! Took almost 2 hours to get the stink out of the house Now to order some different colors, a real mold (made one out of plaster paris) salt, and other types of plastic to see what works the best for what I intend to pour. Thanks for all the help!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercury Posted April 21, 2003 Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 Yeah, I have a 250 cfm vent fan really close to my workspace, It gets worse if you add crawdad or garlic scent to the plastic too. I had to open the windows when I did it inside and it still filled with smoke and stink. OOPS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted April 21, 2003 Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 I use a "threadfin shad" scent made by Pro Cure, and that stuff is just flat nasty, but it sure works :!: I'll bet my neighbors love me when I use it. You can smell it for days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercury Posted April 21, 2003 Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 I have been using the LC scents and the shad is verry lite, Not at all like the garlic, when I open the tacklebox it just smells of garlic. I hear you about the smell coming off of it. But does the level of scent last for a while? The garlic seems to last for months when in a confined area out of the bag. Whats the price of it? LC's is like 3.00 for 2 oz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyg Posted April 21, 2003 Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 I have noticed the same thing about using garlic scent. I have tried anise, cherry, garlic, and tourney pro Lure Craft scents, and garlic is the only one that seems to really hold scent to the plastic. How much scent is everyone using? I have found 1/8 teaspoon of garlic smells stronger than 1/4 teaspoon of some other scent in 6 ounces of plastic. Mickey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted April 21, 2003 Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 I only use a couple drops of garlic in 6 ounces of plastic; about 3 times that amount for the other scents. Most scents will hold longer if you: 1) add the scent into your mixture just before pouring, and 2) use laminated worm proof bags. High quality bags make all the difference in the world. You can get 8 ounces of Pro Cure scent for about 14 bucks. Their stuff is super concentrated and goes a long way, plus they have a HUGE variety. YOu can check 'em out at www.pro-cure.com. Have Fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southstatesfishin Posted April 22, 2003 Report Share Posted April 22, 2003 I agree with al I use ss from mf and hardly ever add hardner. All plastics smoke some and I highly recomend a good fan. I do my pouring from a production pot most of the time now because its big!!! and also keeps my plastic hot well I'm pouring. Once you figure out when to turn the heat back down its a cake walk. I still do some melting in the nuke if I'm in a hurry, and that works fine for small jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
