Issues With Dwp

[JoeDobs]

I'm having some problems with DWP and don't know if I'm doing something wrong, or if I might have gotten a bad batch. I wanted to give this stuff a try because is seems that a lot of people on here prefer DWP over PoP.

Anyhow, with the first mold I "tried" to make, I used ice cold water and added the DWP to the water a little at a time untill I had a consistency of pancake batter. I used permanent double sided tape to anchor my bodies down and poured the DWP into the mold box. Then tapped the box some to let any bubbles out, used a small paint brush to gently brush over the lure bodies to remove any bubbles that might have been on the lure surface, and let it sit.

Here's where the problems began. It seems that after sitting for 10 to 15 minutes I get a film of water that surfaces on top of the DWP. I didn't know if that was normal or not so I let it sit till the next day. The water eventually evaporated from the top overnight. I didn't get to touch it til the next night (24 hrs later). When I separated the DWP from the box (top half of a Glad plastic container upside down), which didn't take hardly any pressure at all, the DWP basically broke in half and crumbled up. It wasn't hard, it had a soft enough texture that I could dent it with my finger nail.

So, I tried again today. I thought that maybe the first time I had too much water, so I mixed it quite a bit thicker. Not so thick that I couldn't pour it, but thick enough to have to help pouring by pushing it from the bowl with a spoon, and then use the spoon to spread it around and level it out. I took my time and mixed it longer to ensure that the water wouldn't rise to the top...So I thought. I still tapped the box and lightly brushed over the lure surface to remove bubbles. I let it sit only to see that after 10 to 15 minutes water began to rise up to the top again!!! I took some paper towels and soaked up the water and I am waiting to see if it "sets". I have a feeling that its gonna do the same thing. Isn't DWP supposed to set fast? It's already been about 45 minutes and it still hasn't hardened.

Has anyone else had this issue with DWP? Does anyone know if I'm doing anything wrong. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe D.

[Piscivorous Pike]

you certainly have a different reaction. Doesn't sound right, maybe it is old and was contaminated in high humidity. It is called rock hard and lives to its name sake and before ever using it to make molds I made home repairs with it for about 50 years and can tell you it is very tough stuff.

I put a little water in the container. Measure by dry volume about 3x the volume of the mold, eye ball it. I add the DWP to the water, the little bit of water is to keep it from sticking to the bottom. I then add ice water until it is the consistancy of very thin pancake batter. Reading the label it suggests adding Vinegar to slow it down. I add an ounce or two of vinegar before reaching the liquid consistancy and that really slows it down. I shake it in and then use a body vibrator to shake the mold until the bubbles stop rising.

Without the vinegar it sets before I get the air out of it. It is denser than POP and less porous. Given a coat of elmer's yellow and water it makes great molds I prefer over POP.

[JoeDobs]

Thanks for the reply! I didn't think that the DWP was acting right, but didn't know if I was doing something wrong or not. It took about 2 hours before the second try hardened. I'm gonna let it sit till I can get to it tomorrow, and then pop it in the oven for about an hour to get rid of the moisture. Looks like it might work, as it is much harder than the first try. I'm still going to pick up some DWP from a different place and try it again.

Thanks Pike!

Joe D.