Bushmaster Posted May 12, 2003 Report Share Posted May 12, 2003 First, congratulations to red-g8r for winning the contest at polymerlures.com, not wanting to seem like I'm kissin up, but his was the best by far. Has anybody here attempted constructing jigs or spinnerbait heads out of this material? If so: What is the comparison in weight of Polymer Clay versus lead? A few people have approached me for bass jigs in a light (1/16 to 1/8 oz) weight but want to keep the profile of a larger jig to include the larger hook. How strong, in terms of "brittleness" is Polymer Clay? From your experience, do you think that I would have to make any modifications to the hook to prevent slippage of the head of the jig? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted May 13, 2003 Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 Thanks Bushmaster, The Polymer clays are alot lighter than lead, so if your customer needs a lighter jig, it might be what your lookin for. Make sure your using a full jig hook & if the weight is too light, maybe cast a smaller head in lead & then coat the lead with clay. I've used it before for inline spinner bodies, but its too light for my liking. I've been watchin a few newsgroups of fellas that do sculpting with this stuff & they say that Sculpey III is the most workable & durable. It needs to bake in 275 deg heat for 15 minutes, for every 1/4 inch of thickness. I use it to make my prototype, that I cast my soft plastic molds from. Definitely give it a good clearcoat, but the nice thing is that the clays come in alot of colors, so painting might not be necessary. I have some silver, that looks like a pewter metal flake & is slightly irridescent. They also say the more you knead it, the better the plastic bonds to itself. Polymer clay is basically a PVC plastic in a suspended chemical that uses heat to catalyze. Hope it works for you,...... please report with your results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushmaster Posted May 13, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 Thanks Red, The idea of casting a smaller head and forming the polymer clay around it was one that had popped up in my head also. The only possible downside that I forsee is the effect of the curing temperature on my fiber weedguards. I think if I used a plug with a release agent on it I could cure without the weedguards and add them after the curing process. I'll get some of the material this weekend and start working on different techniques and styles. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted May 13, 2003 Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 The only possible downside that I forsee is the effect of the curing temperature on my fiber weedguards. I think if I used a plug with a release agent on it I could cure without the weedguards and add them after the curing process. I dont cast weedguards in my lead, so help me out, Do you cast the lead with the weedguards in the mold?? If so, the guards are takin 450+ degrees, right? maybe its not the temp of 275, but maybe the amount of time exposed to that temp? If your gonna do a normal sized jig & precast a lead core, you probably will only use maybe an eighth of an inch thicness of polymer clay, so the oven cure should only need to be approximately 7-8 minutes. Only way to know for sure is to try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushmaster Posted May 13, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2003 I've always used a base hole pin in casting. After cooling, I remove the pin and use epoxy to secure the fiber weedguard. I have heard of some people casting the weedguards directly into the head while pouring. I think the heat may actually help fuse the weedguard into the lead. From what I understand from others, the heat from the lead does not effect the entire weedguard, just the portion in, and close to, the jighead cavity. I'll try different methods and thicknesses on my prototypes. Then comes the fun part when I pitch and cast them into the brick walls of my house. If they break, I'll try something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 Oh I see....... Well, you could leave, or re-insert the pin & use it for the clay part too. The clay is still a lil "elasticky" when hot, it dont fully harden until it cools back off. As to casting it into a brick wall, that should be fun.....Harsh, but fun my money's on the wall Later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
