fishing4squidduck Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 I'm just getting started and don't know what to buy. I'm so confused i want to pour my own plastics but i don't know what to use to make my own molds and i don't know what brand of plastics to use for my molds. can anyone help me?! and i don't want to use pre-made molds id like to make my own. All help is appreciated. -Thanks, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSC Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 I'm just getting started and don't know what to buy. I'm so confused i want to pour my own plastics but i don't know what to use to make my own molds and i don't know what brand of plastics to use for my molds. can anyone help me?! and i don't want to use pre-made molds id like to make my own. All help is appreciated. -Thanks, Bill All the information you need to know about how to get started is in this very informative forum. Pull a search and scratch it out ... try some of the things and then ask some questions You can get some great help then. Good Luck JSC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 26, 2011 Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 You should read up on plaster of paris, also called PoP. This is the cheapest way to learn about molding. Just because it is cheap, does not mean it is inferior. It will produce baits as goo as any other method. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerworm Posted June 26, 2011 Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 welcome aboard; and please understand there is a wealth of knowledge here but 1 thing will always be the same we are all individuals and everyones choices are different. there are also literally 1000's of choices on molds, plastics, colors and all their combined combinations!! when it comes to ways to make things its easier to get started after some reading of course and hopefully you get it right on the first time then if not we can direct you towards the right or better way to acheive your desired results. if you are wanting to make inexpensive but quality molds POP is by far the cheapest; then would be RTV. if you need help searching the forums scroll back to the top of the page and just under the top right hand corner of the page you will see a looking glass and the words SEARCH. type in POP or RTV and make sure it says FORUMS beside it then hit enter and you will have several days of reading and useful instruction to get you started!! good luck and hope to hear about your attempts shortly!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishing4squidduck Posted June 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 thanks guys for the help its what i needed just looking for what everyone uses so i have some brand names to go off of instead of just ordering a random product. i've got the mold material i'm thinking of now i just need to decide on a plastic, but there are so many could someone point me in a vague direction of a good or decent plastic brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 26, 2011 Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 thanks guys for the help its what i needed just looking for what everyone uses so i have some brand names to go off of instead of just ordering a random product. i've got the mold material i'm thinking of now i just need to decide on a plastic, but there are so many could someone point me in a vague direction of a good or decent plastic brand. What mold material did you decide on? Here are some useful links on choice of plastic: This link is to a current discussion on a new plastic, but lots of good information on various aspects and qualities of plastics. This link is a more general 'which plastic' type thread, still recent, which covers everything. Post No2 by Redg8r. links to even more reading, so you'll be busy for a while soaking up the information. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishing4squidduck Posted June 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 i was thinking about pop but i dont like the whole sealing it thing so i may go rtv not sure now. how do you guys get around flat sides of worms from own molds? if that's even possible. im also pretty sure im going with spike-it for my plastic. my question on that is should i go with the hard medium or soft? couldnt i just go hard and just add softner or is medium a safer bet im not sure on what baits use the actual toughness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishing4squidduck Posted June 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 what do most people use for plastic toughness. do most ppl just use softner to determine it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navarre66 Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 (edited) Squidduck, Before you go straight to Rtv, give the POP a try, I have been pouring for less than a year and most of my molds are made out of Pop (USG MOLDING PLASTER). It is more forgiving and with a dremel tool you can correct more mistakes than you can with RTV. I use Lurecraft 502 regular plastic and their colorants and glitter. I will be purchasing some softner for making stiks but normallly I don't use it. I started out with DAP plaster of paris but now use USG moulding plaster (www.plaster.com), it has more set up time than regular POP. Give it a try you will make mistakes but hang in there and keep trying. I enjoy making mold more than pouring the plastic. Check out Longhorns tutorial on making POP molds. It helped me out alot and ask as many question as needed. the guys on this site have a wealth of knowlege and are willing to share it. Just remember its all about having fun. Edited June 30, 2011 by navarre66 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 (edited) Squidduck, Before you go straight to Rtv, give the POP a try, I have been pouring for less than a year and most of my molds are made out of Pop (USG MOLDING PLASTER). It is more forgiving and with a dremel tool you can correct more mistakes than you can with RTV. I use Lurecraft 502 regular plastic and their colorants and glitter. I will be purchasing some softner for making stiks but normallly I don't use it. I started out with DAP plaster of paris but now use USG moulding plaster (www.plaster.com), it has more set up time than regular POP. Give it a try you will make mistakes but hang in there and keep trying. I enjoy making mold more than pouring the plastic. Check out Longhorns tutorial on making POP molds. It helped me out alot and ask as many question as needed. the guys on this site have a wealth of knowlege and are willing to share it. Just remember its all about having fun. navarre66 is correct, you probably will make mistakes. If you can afford to make the mistakes in RTV then OK, but if mistakes are going to hurt and result in tears, probably better to learn with PoP, despite the drying and sealing inconveniences. When I started molding I read everything, but still ended up with a stack of scrap. If you are working with RTV, do not throw your scrap mistakes away. RTV can be cut up/diced/ shredded and recycled in your next mold as filler. This will save you some money. This tip is courtesy of Husky, who has done a lot of work in this area and is worth reading. Tutorials and instructions do not tell you everything, but we don't leave things out on purpose, just to spoil your day. A few examples: No one warns you about getting RTV on your clothes or carpet , RTV is very unforgiving on clean-up, so wear latex gloves. Assume that there will be spillage and prepare to deal with it. Lay down backing sheets, aluminium foil is good for this. I have had failures because I was careless in constructing the mold box and the RTV leaked out. Check the seal of your mold box with water. This is also a good way of measuring the volume of RTV required for the mold. While you have the water in the mold box, check for level. A one part sloping mold is about as useful as a chocolate fire guard. Don't forget the release agent when you pour the second half (2 part molds). I have scrapped a few molds this way. I got so bad, I made a big sign to remind me. I even forgot to put the master back in the mold once (Vodka). Complete and thorough mixing is vital, just like mixing epoxy. If you fail here, you will end up with uncured patches and streaks. You will get it all over you until you realize what has happened. The two components are generally different colors, this is so you can monitor the mixing process. But you cannot see the progress at the bottom of the container. If possible, use clear plastic cups, so you can lift up and examine the bottom. I use three cups, one for part A, one for part B. Pour A into B, mix thoroughly. Pour back into A, mix thoroughly, then pour into a third, clean cup and mix some more. The reason that I do this, apart from thorough mixing, is that the RTV will cure in all three containers and the cured RTV can be pealed out and used as filler in future pours or discarded cleanly. Also if you get it right, the cups can be re-used. That is all I can think of at the moment, but I am sure others have tips and tricks to help. Maybe I should have started a new thread with this. Dave Edited June 30, 2011 by Vodkaman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
