Ambitious first pour

[rodgervich]

Here are pics of the Grubzilla mold.

When closed the whole thing is 10"x15"x3" thick, the big air bubbles in the tail are not a big deal in the final lure but look bad in the mold.

I pour each half of the tail, flip one side on top of the other, raise the whole thing, quickly clamp closed with the wood clamps and pour the rest standing up.

There is a small crack on one side only right at the pour funnel, not surprising since it is the thinnest spot and takes an awful lot of heat each time.

Here's a pic of the modified twin tail. This one is starting to crack on one side right near the head, in this pic it would be lower left corner. Again, the thinnest and hottest part of the mold. This mold is 2-1/4" thick.

Here's a pile of lures so far, you can see some of the color mixes I have tried, some better than others. This pile fills the 5 gallon bucket half way, I'd need a suitcase for a tackle box!

[Vodkaman]

I think 1.5" per side may be a bit thin. There are other things that can be done to prevent the cracks. Reinforcing with strips of towel material, old socks etc. Also, with all this extra work, you will probably have to retard the setting time with some vinegar.

There is a ton of information to be googled. No need to put up with these cracks on the next mold.

Also drying too fast in the oven will cause you problems, air drying is out of the question, it would take forever. Have a look at my PoP dryer thread. I estimate 6 hours drying time for your mold, 8 hours with elmers in the mix.

Also, your pic shows 'F' clamps contacting the mold. Use wood strips to spread the load.

Dave

[Delw]

a really good re enforcement material is yellow dry wall tape. its meshed and very strong.