Rtv Help

[jimmie7915]

Hello Guys,

I was on the Alumilite website and have some questions.I have my master made and know that I will be using the Alumilite white.I am stumped as to which of the RTV's to buy though.I am making a slip mold like I saw in one of the member submitted tutorials.They have 4 or 5 different RTV's on the site and I really have no Idea as to which one to buy.As always any help will be greatly appreciated.

[muskydan666]

Hello Guys,

I was on the Alumilite website and have some questions.I have my master made and know that I will be using the Alumilite white.I am stumped as to which of the RTV's to buy though.I am making a slip mold like I saw in one of the member submitted tutorials.They have 4 or 5 different RTV's on the site and I really have no Idea as to which one to buy.As always any help will be greatly appreciated.

hi Jimmie,I use the smooth-on moldmax to do my mold and the smooth-on feather lite to make my crankbaits,i dont know the alumilite product but I can tell you that the smooth-on products are awesome!!they work realy nice for me and a lot of others here in TU.The featerlite is a polyeurethane resin with a very low density and it's the best stuff to use for lure casting!for me.Go and take a look on the web site.cheers,Dan

[mark poulson]

hi Jimmie,I use the smooth-on moldmax to do my mold and the smooth-on feather lite to make my crankbaits,i dont know the alumilite product but I can tell you that the smooth-on products are awesome!!they work realy nice for me and a lot of others here in TU.The featerlite is a polyeurethane resin with a very low density and it's the best stuff to use for lure casting!for me.Go and take a look on the web site.cheers,Dan

Dan,

Is the smooth-on feather lite strong enough to hold screw eyes, or do you have to use a through wire system?

[muskydan666]

Dan,

Is the smooth-on feather lite strong enough to hold screw eyes, or do you have to use a through wire system?

Yes it is strong enough,im not saying that the other brands are not good,im trying to help a starter in mold and molding to use the best that i know.Dan

[jimmie7915]

Yes it is strong enough,im not saying that the other brands are not good,im trying to help a starter in mold and molding to use the best that i know.Dan

Thanks for the info Dan. I saw on the website that the smooth on floats.I am trying to make a sinking swimbait and one thing I was concerned about getting it to sink.

[muskydan666]

Thanks for the info Dan. I saw on the website that the smooth on floats.I am trying to make a sinking swimbait and one thing I was concerned about getting it to sink.

Yes it floats!!i use some weight to make it sink.Dan

[Vodkaman]

Yes it floats!!i use some weight to make it sink.Dan

What Dan said.

You are always going to have to add weight in order to get it to swim upright. If you start off with a sinking material, then add hooks, eyes etc and some lead, the thing is going to sink like a stone.

What is the lure that you are making and what depth are you thinking of swimming it?

Dave

[jimmie7915]

What Dan said.

You are always going to have to add weight in order to get it to swim upright. If you start off with a sinking material, then add hooks, eyes etc and some lead, the thing is going to sink like a stone.

What is the lure that you are making and what depth are you thinking of swimming it?

Dave

Trying to make a 3'' shad swimbait .I would like to make it a medium sink rate so that I can fish it at differnt depths.

[Peterjay]

Jimmie - I've used both Alumilite and Smooth-on Mold Max RTV's and found that they all worked fine for my purposes. About the only issues you'd have to consider would be hardness and viscosity. The thicker the stuff pours, the more likely you are to have trouble with bubbles. (I've had good luck painting the master with a thin coat of RTV before pouring the rest, which minimizes the risk of bubbles on the master) I'd study the tech sheets and learn what the various terms and numbers mean. If you want to get some practice pouring molds, I'd highly recommend trying Smooth-on Oomoo 30 - it's very easy to work with and it's quite a bit cheaper than the others. Better to make beginner mistakes with the cheap stuff. I use Oomoo 30 to make my masters with Aluminite Super Plastic. The only disadvantage to Oomoo is that it's relatively soft once it cures and your lures might come out a little distorted if you aren't careful. The only thing I'd definitely avoid is the mold putty. It sets up so fast that there's no margin for error. I made the mistake of starting out with the putty, and all I ended up with were some expensive doorstops. I'm assuming you're new to mold making - the best advice I can offer is to follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter and don't rush any part of the process. And the more knowledge you can pick up beforehand, the few disappointments you're going to have. Hope this helps.

[jimmie7915]

Jimmie - I've used both Alumilite and Smooth-on Mold Max RTV's and found that they all worked fine for my purposes. About the only issues you'd have to consider would be hardness and viscosity. The thicker the stuff pours, the more likely you are to have trouble with bubbles. (I've had good luck painting the master with a thin coat of RTV before pouring the rest, which minimizes the risk of bubbles on the master) I'd study the tech sheets and learn what the various terms and numbers mean. If you want to get some practice pouring molds, I'd highly recommend trying Smooth-on Oomoo 30 - it's very easy to work with and it's quite a bit cheaper than the others. Better to make beginner mistakes with the cheap stuff. I use Oomoo 30 to make my masters with Aluminite Super Plastic. The only disadvantage to Oomoo is that it's relatively soft once it cures and your lures might come out a little distorted if you aren't careful. The only thing I'd definitely avoid is the mold putty. It sets up so fast that there's no margin for error. I made the mistake of starting out with the putty, and all I ended up with were some expensive doorstops. I'm assuming you're new to mold making - the best advice I can offer is to follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter and don't rush any part of the process. And the more knowledge you can pick up beforehand, the few disappointments you're going to have. Hope this helps.

Thanks guys.Also I use lacquer paint do you think it will be ok to paint right out of the mold or would I need to coat it with something first? The lacquer can be fickle on certain materials.

[BrownPigs]

Jimmie - I've used both Alumilite and Smooth-on Mold Max RTV's and found that they all worked fine for my purposes. About the only issues you'd have to consider would be hardness and viscosity. The thicker the stuff pours, the more likely you are to have trouble with bubbles. (I've had good luck painting the master with a thin coat of RTV before pouring the rest, which minimizes the risk of bubbles on the master) I'd study the tech sheets and learn what the various terms and numbers mean. If you want to get some practice pouring molds, I'd highly recommend trying Smooth-on Oomoo 30 - it's very easy to work with and it's quite a bit cheaper than the others. Better to make beginner mistakes with the cheap stuff. I use Oomoo 30 to make my masters with Aluminite Super Plastic. The only disadvantage to Oomoo is that it's relatively soft once it cures and your lures might come out a little distorted if you aren't careful. The only thing I'd definitely avoid is the mold putty. It sets up so fast that there's no margin for error. I made the mistake of starting out with the putty, and all I ended up with were some expensive doorstops. I'm assuming you're new to mold making - the best advice I can offer is to follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter and don't rush any part of the process. And the more knowledge you can pick up beforehand, the few disappointments you're going to have. Hope this helps.

I actually use the mold putty on my rough prototypes just because of how fast it sets up. I make quick 2 part molds with it. Larry Dalberg has actually done some cool things with the putty and I think there is video of it somewhere.

[gunnie3035]

Hello Guys,

I was on the Alumilite website and have some questions.I have my master made and know that I will be using the Alumilite white.I am stumped as to which of the RTV's to buy though.I am making a slip mold like I saw in one of the member submitted tutorials.They have 4 or 5 different RTV's on the site and I really have no Idea as to which one to buy.As always any help will be greatly appreciated.

Alumilite White sinks like a rock. You will need some micro balloons.

[Peterjay]

I actually use the mold putty on my rough prototypes just because of how fast it sets up. I make quick 2 part molds with it. Larry Dalberg has actually done some cool things with the putty and I think there is video of it somewhere.

BP - I agree with you that mold putty can be a useful tool, especially if you want to get a mold done in a hurry, but my point was that it can be a nightmare for beginners - it's amazing how fast three minutes can go by when you're struggling with the stuff. I've seen Larry's videos - he's really good at making molds with putty, but I doubt that many beginners can work that quickly.