muskietom51 Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 I'm kind of curious about this feather lite plug making. i have an interest in dubbing a lure blank. from what I've read this does need weight it floats correct? Probabily just start out with 1 mold, curious about how much i need to get started, after the blank is made how long do you wait have to wait to sand the rough edges up. Also i read about allowing the gases to release before you paint. I've read alot but still lil curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsully18 Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Musky, not sure I can adequately answer your question, but here goes. The first thing you need is a good master or buck. You use this to make your silicone mold. You can make a one piece mold or a two piece mold. The one piece mold is the quickest. I do this by gluing the master to a piece of plexiglass. The end that is glued to the plexiglass is going to be the pour hole. Then you cut a piece of PVC tubing that is at least 1/4" taller than the master and big enough around to give you plenty of space around the master. Then you mix your silicone (I use the silicone from Alumilite as it pretty well degasses itself) and slowly pour it into the PVC on side away from master. This allows the silicone to work itself around the master and gather the detail. 24 hours later you push the silicone out of the PVC. To remove the master you will probably have to cut along one side (at least) and carefully pop the master out. Don't discard the PVC as you will want to use it to hold the mold together while you pour. I find that powdering the outside of the silicone helps it to slide in and out of the sleeve easier. Oops, forgot to mention that if you are using a crankbait as a master you may want to take a piece of wooden dowel and taper it like sharpening a pencil, then glue it to the tail of the bait, then glue the big end to the plexiglass. This will form a funnel to pour into. When using the featherlite you will want as large a hole as possible as this stuff is fairly thick. After you have removed the master you are ready to pour your bait. When using featherlite I pour and usually wait about an hour before removing the bait. I then wait until the next day to sand it down and get ready for paint. This gives it plenty of time to really harden as it may be somewhat soft for a few hours. Probably not what others do, but this is my procedure. Perhaps some of the others that work with this type of bait making will let go of some of their "secrets" and I can pick up some pointers as well. Hope this helps. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 I'm experimenting w/ a 2 piece mold as we speak. If you are going to use this method make sure you get the release agent (otherwise both halves will stick together). If you go to youtube, then punch in something along the lines of "smooth on two piece mold" it will give you a pretty good video for the whole technique. As for weighting, I'm still experimenting and haven't quite got the density figured out. It seems to take far less weight than wood for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rclark12 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 will like pam spray for cooking work as a release agent? and how do you guys paint and final seal these feather lite plugs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsully18 Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Vasilene makes a very good release agent for two part molds. As far as paint and clear coat, I use same paint as I do for all other baits. Createx acrylic paint, Dick Nite clear coat. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannabeeFishing Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I haven't done this yet, but I've been looking for a product like this for some time. Check out the following link from their website. It states you can mix the Feather Lite with their other cast material to adjust the boyancy of your lure. Custom Fishing Lures created with Feather Lite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
