KYBOB Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 (edited) A friend of mine told me about a tutorial on this site that would take you on a step by step process on how to make a jig or spinnerbait mold using ∨ mixing (liquid fiberglass resin + harder) + (bondo + hardner). I have spent a little time on here looking & have found bits & pieces about using fiberglass & bondo, but have found no tutorial. Have a spinnerbait that I like & can't find in my area. Want to make a mold of the ones that I have left. For pouring lead & making this mold, would I be better off using PoP-(I assume short for plaster of paris) ? Or can I use this fiberglass bondo combination? This will be a 2 part mold. Edited March 26, 2009 by KYBOB forgot to add a comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Grump Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 (edited) KYBOB Here are a couple of links for you..... A TU tutorial http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/wire-baits-how/16162-building-jig-s.html See post #9 in this thread - contains a link to a page of how-to instructions and the pics. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/wire-baits/14941-how-make-spinnerbait-mold.html Read the entire thread - the author of the linked how-to made some comments in which he recommends some changes to the process. Hope this helps UG Edited March 27, 2009 by Uncle Grump fixed url Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOB Posted March 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 UG Thanks UG. Just what I have been looking for, with the exception that instead of using PoP or Durham's, they are using fiberglass & bondo mixture. Thats what I am really trying to find out. Also, besides going to an aluminum mold, which of the 3 - PoP, Durhams, fiberglass/bondo - is the best & holds up the best. Again, I will be making these just for myself & not to sell. Note. Already read a lot of the comments on RTV silcone. Thanks again UG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 I have used a mixture of bondo 60% (polyester filler) and fibreglass resin 40% (polyester resin). This mix allows the mixture to be poured. But you can experiment with these figures. I used the fibreglass resin catalyst, as suggested by another TU member (cannot find the link). I added enough catalyst for the entire mixture, not just the fibreglass resin. I mixed the resin and catalyst first, then added to the filler and mixed. It starts to cure in about ten minutes from adding the catalyst, so I allow 4 mins for mixing. Do not mix too vigorously, or you will create air bubbles and spoil the mold. I used floor tile wax as a release agent, but bees wax, parafin wax or any other stiff wax should work. If you use a wooden mold box, make sure you wax it thoroughly also. Make sure you clean off all the wax before pouring the lead, as it wil vaporize and could splash from a closed mold. Test by pouring lead into the open halves first. This will burn off any wax remaining. The reaction of resin is exothermic (it gets hot). This heat is relative to the amount of catalyst that you use, too much and it will get extremely hot. So modelling clay like plasticene or silly putty is going to be a problem, as it will be destroyed after the first half. Best make the master out of something that can take the heat, like sculpy clay (use it soft, not baked). I cannot tell you how many pours that the resin/filler material will take, as my mold was only a prototype to prove an idea and has only been used around 20 times. If you intend to pour thousands, I suggest you keep the first half pour as a master. Then You can then pour as many second halves from this as future molds you require (another TU member suggested this plan). You then use these half molds as first pours and pour the second halves. I didn't explain that very well, sorry. There is some distortion of the mold when pouring lead, so allow the mold to cool after a few pours, or create a number of molds to rotate. Clamp the mold halves together with two or three spring clamps, so if they distort, the lead will not escape. Sagacious eliminates the distortion by adding heavy steel wire, which acts as rebar. I guess adding nails or similare will have a similar effect. Next time I make a resin mold, I will be using this method. Here is the link, read it all, but the information is post No11: http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/soft-plastics/16214-what-should-i-make-mold-out-2.html Thanks Sagacious. Can anyone else give us an idea of the life of a resin mold used for pouring lead? It only remains to be said, take all precautions with lead. Breathing and burn protection. Assume the worst and protect your whole body. Including your eyes and feet. If you spill molten lead, it gets everywhere and hurts. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted March 28, 2009 Report Share Posted March 28, 2009 ... Can anyone else give us an idea of the life of a resin mold used for pouring lead? ... Thanks for the kind words, Dave. The life of the mold is dependent on several factors and thus hard to determine with any accuracy. The main one, perhaps, is how the mold is designed and the skill of the maker. Next is how the mold is treated. If it is treated with care, it will last quite a long time. The size of the cavity is also a determining factor of the longevity of a Bondo mold. The smaller the cavity, the less heat the polyester resin has to absorb, and the less heat-stress the mold is subjected to. Along with that, the size (overall mass) of the mold itself is important, and a larger mold body can absorb more heat than a smaller one. Economizing on the mold mass may shorten the useable life of the mold. The jigs below are 6oz and were poured in a custom-made two-piece Bondo mold. The same mold has poured several hundred of these jigs. Hope this helps, good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
