SWO Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 After my first attempt at making a mold didn't turn out so well, I managed to make a mold with no air bubbles in the cavities the second time around. So far so good. I got everything all set up to heat the plastic and pour, then somehow I managed to crack the bottom half of my mold in two . Not having the patience to wait to pour until I made a replacement half, I superglued and taped it back together just so I could see how my baits would turn out. The result was not what I expected. I'm obviously doing something wrong. Bojon had me making very nice tubes within an hour, but these two piece molds are tougher than I thought. Attached are pics of the mold (with the crack) and a close up of what came out. Please help me diagnose my errors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 You are going to have to pour the stream of plastic directly into the hole without touching the side of the hole or else you will end up with more baits like the one pictured. Your sprue hole needs to be much larger as baits loaded with salt are tough to pour. The plastic is much thicker and will cool quick before it reaches the bottom of the cavity. You can try heating your plastic hotter but remember the salt and flake will fall faster so you will have to stir between each bait or every other one. Good luck!!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWO Posted December 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Jim, That was probably it. I had the mold at a slight angle. I'll try it again. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basseducer Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 I agree with Jim, open up that gate to make it easier to hit the center of the hole with the plastic stream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear21211 Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Our biggest mistakes in this hobby is we all want it sooner than later. Dont get discouraged SWO and be patient as you are learning. It wont be long and you will look back and smile and say man that was easy. You have the best in the business guiding you and it will all come together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Straight down the hole will make your baits whole;lol. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HJS Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 SWO - Looks like you pretty much solved your bubble problem. How would you describe the thickness of your PoP/DWP batter? And what technique worked best to minimize bubbles? Sorry about the breakage. I'm guessing, like others will, that you didn't wait long enough between pouring the batter and foolin' with it. You gotta wait a day or two for the mold to dry completely. Eventhough the PoP/DWP batter may seem hard to the touch only 1 hour after pouring, it ain't even close to as hard as it will get days later. I know, I know, waiting is hard... even though I've poured umpteen molds I still get as antzy as a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for Christmas morning to arrive. And yeah, you gotta pour directly into the pour hole without touching the sides. This ain't easy either. I screw up 1 in 6 lures on a bad day. I also suggest heating up the molds before pouring, maybe like 140F, just cool enough to hold in your bare hands. Then the plastic won't set up quite as fast, buys you a few extra seconds for the plastic to flow to the bottom. Also, my pour holes are about 1/4" in diameter, my reservoir hole is 1/2" dia ... and total length of both of them is about 5/8" long. Your pour holes looks to be a little longer than that and that makes pouring accurately much more difficult. Even now I'm thinking of enlarging my pour holes to 17/64" or even 5/16" to improve my success rate. You can also use a fine tooth rattail file to enlarge your holes. Don't forget you'll need to reseal any enlargement of the pour hole. Suggestions - Try making a mold box out of wood and a few screws. This way you can tailor the size of the mold box to match the size and number of masters. This way you reduce the amount of none functional DWP around the periphery of the lure cavities. My molds extend only about 3/8" beyond the tail end of the masters, and maybe 3/4" at the head or pour end. Elsewhere on TU someone suggested building a mold box out of Legos. Can't wait to get my hands on some Legos to give it a try. I'll see if I can attach a pic of the mold box I use to make molds for 4" paddle tail swim baits. The pictured box has a removable center divider so I can make two small molds at a time or 1 big mold depending on the size of the masters. The material I use to make my boxes is the plastic wood trim sold at Lowes. The stuff is expensive but I got leftovers from a construction site dumpster. You'll pretty much need a table saw so you can cut the ends of the wood very square so once assembled your mold will sit flush with whatever you are using for a base. Slight imperfections in the flushness of the mold box to the base will allow wet PoP/DWP to creep out from the bottom of the mold... big mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWO Posted January 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Thanks for the replies. You guys are keeping me going. HJS, My DWP was about like a watery pancake batter, which seemed to help. I tapped the sides of the container and used a putty knife to skim the surface of the DWP free of the remaining bubbles just before I set in my masters. Then I coated the masters with a thin layer of the mix using a small brush before I poured in the rest of the mix for the top half. I waited 3 days for my molds to dry before I tried to use them. I must have put something on top of one half while it was on a chair before I moved it to my work bench. It was just a careless error. I will definitely open up the pour holes and will try heating the mold up first. I have a little toaster oven in my shop that would be perfect for that. Your adjustable mold box is a great idea. It would save me from having to make a bunch of different sized boxed, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Prager Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Great idea with the divider and the clamps! It sure beats running a bead of silicone around the outside. Thanks for the tip and pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWO Posted January 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 I'm getting closer. I managed to create an almost completed Senko type bait. I opened up the pour hole and pre-heated the mold. The bait looked good at first, but the inside of the head was slightly hollow. I'll keep at it. What are you guys using to pour into the mold cavities? I have a small aluminum pan with a pour spout that I kept sitting on the burning until I was ready to pour. Is there something better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Once you have filled the mold successfully, you must pour more into the sprue funnel. The plastic shrinks as it cools. The extra that you pour will be drawn back into the mold, giving a complete pour. Everyone who started pouring went through the same problems as you, unless they spent a huge amount of time reading every post on the subject. So you are in very good company. You are now on the edge of success and I look forward to seeing your pics in the gallery. Multi-color pours and swirls next. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojon Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Stick with it.I bet most on this forum went thru this learning curve.You can't have success without trying.Hang in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWO Posted January 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 On my 3rd attempt I finally got some usable baits. They are not perfect, but I can fish with them. Thanks for all of the help with getting me through this . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saugerman Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 SWO, I 'm new to TU and I've not been able to figure out how to make a post on this site. Have tried to contact TU but have had no answers back. Saugarman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWO Posted January 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 SWO, I 'm new to TU and I've not been able to figure out how to make a post on this site. Have tried to contact TU but have had no answers back.Saugarman Saugarman, You just posted. Did you mean you haven't been able to post pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear21211 Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 Look like a fish bait now SWO! Good work and remember the more you practice the better things will turn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojon Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Good job SWO.They look great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
