worcesterjohn Posted August 16, 2010 Report Share Posted August 16, 2010 Hi Guys, I'm brand new to making my own softbaits. I'm based in the UK and unfortunately there is no one here that sells softbait pouring supplies. However I do have a big box of unwanted and damaged old softbaits I'm happy to melt down. In the first instance I'm looking to make some simple frog baits in a one part mold, made to my own design. Ok so here are my questions (sorry if any of them are dumb!) Will I be ok making an original from plasticene? (non hardening modelling clay). Should I coat the original in any sort of oil or vaseline to make it easier to get out of the mold? I can't find a supplier for worm oil in the UK, is there any sort of vegetable oil that can be used instead? Is it ok to just melt down a load of old softbaits and use this to pour new baits? Thanks in advance for the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted August 16, 2010 Report Share Posted August 16, 2010 Welcome to TU John. The plasticine will work, I have tried it before. BUT, assuming you are going to use PoP (plaster of Paris) for your mold material or possibly fibreglass resin, both of these heat up when setting. Fortunately, the set occurs before the big heat, but the clay will melt and make a right mess, especially with the PoP, as it is porous. I suggest that you get to a hobby shop and see what else they have available in soft clays, sculpy is one that springs to mind. Best use it soft, or you will never get the master out of the mold. There is a spray on vegetable oil called Pam, this works very well. as a release agent. If you use PoP, read up of sealing PoP molds. Some use thinned elmers, some use thinned epoxy. Melting the old plastics will work, but it is going to get smelly, so plenty of ventilation. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 17, 2010 Report Share Posted August 17, 2010 I use POP as mold material and I make my masters from sculpy clay or I carve them from wood. The wooden ones I coat with clear nail polish to seal the wood and give it a very smooth finish. I don't mean to disagree with Dave but I never use a release agent on my masters when using POP as the oil will bead the water between the master and the POP causing voids in the mold. Dave is correct about the heat though especially with resin molds. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted August 17, 2010 Report Share Posted August 17, 2010 Nova, you are correct. The pam is more for when pouring plastic, to achieve a shiny finish, even then it may not be necessary, depending on how well you seal the PoP. I too have made wooden masters, but it can be a wrestling match to get them out sometimes. Wood is no good for spindly appendages, unless you carve them separate and soft glue together. I modelled a snake in plasticine once, complete with a scale effect. Took hours to clean all the clay out of the mold. Never again. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worcesterjohn Posted August 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2010 Nova, you are correct. The pam is more for when pouring plastic, to achieve a shiny finish, even then it may not be necessary, depending on how well you seal the PoP. I too have made wooden masters, but it can be a wrestling match to get them out sometimes. Wood is no good for spindly appendages, unless you carve them separate and soft glue together. I modelled a snake in plasticine once, complete with a scale effect. Took hours to clean all the clay out of the mold. Never again. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick reif Posted August 17, 2010 Report Share Posted August 17, 2010 when remelting old baits, it doesn't hurt to add heat stabilizer....and black colorant.LOL When i use old baits, I lay the black to them. Only virgin plastisol gets other colors. If I remelt, it's going black and having gold flake thrown in...might just be me, but the color always seems off when remelting so I just make it dark and use it for something that I want on the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 18, 2010 Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 (edited) when remelting old baits, it doesn't hurt to add heat stabilizer....and black colorant.LOL When i use old baits, I lay the black to them. Only virgin plastisol gets other colors. If I remelt, it's going black and having gold flake thrown in...might just be me, but the color always seems off when remelting so I just make it dark and use it for something that I want on the bottom. Actually if you sort out the baits by colors; greens,browns etc; and melt them separatly you will get a variety of colors to use. www.novalures.com Edited August 18, 2010 by nova Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
