CrabbyBass Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I am going to be making a 2-part POP mold to make helgies. This particular helgie I am molding has a bunch of little appendages on it. My question is, do I need to make vents for every appendage for them to pour correctly? I guess I can do a trial and error type thing to see what happens and go from there. I just wanted to check with the experts to see what you guys recommend. Thank you very much in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) I would try it without the extra venting, and see how it pours. I assume you're going to inject it, and there's usually enough slop in 2-part POP molds to let the air out without venting. If you're hand pouring it could be a problem. The nice part about using POP is that, even after you've sealed the mold with epoxy or glue, it's not hard to add vents later, if needed, by cutting grooves with an exacto knife. You can seal the grooves with super glue. Edited May 31, 2012 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyBass Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Great! Thanks Mark! I keep going back and forth between injecting and hand pouring. I will let you guys know how it goes. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Good luck, and let us know how it works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyBass Posted June 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Well the first attempt was a bust, literally. I got a little anxious and started messing with it and the mold cracked and fell apart because it was not completely set. DOH! I have to go buy some more POP and attempt again tonight. The mold looked great before it cracked though. Haha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 Bad luck on the crack. Don't skimp on the thickness of the mold. PoP is cheap, so go thicker. I usually go for 1.5" thick, each half, you might get away with 1.25, but why risk all that work. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyBass Posted June 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 I do think the first one was a little thin too. Here is my second attempt. This one came out better, but it had a bunch of air bubble in the top half. I shook the container from side to side and also kept banging it on the counter top to try to get all of the air bubbles to surface, but apparently, it didn't work. I baked the mold in a toaster over at 150 for about an hour and a half. I then set the mold outside to dry out in the sun for 4-5 hours. I coated the cavities with the 50/50 Elmers glue and water mix. I let that dry for about 2 hours. My first shot did not come out so well as I had a lot of huge air bubbles. Plus the Elmers seemed to peel off. After a couple of shots, I started getting some decent baits. The one of the bottom is the original and the one on top is the one I made. It is not a 100% exact replica, but I am happy enough with them. Thanks for the above advice and thanks for looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 Man, those look great!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little man baits Posted June 4, 2012 Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 Damn those great. How did. U get that pop mold to turn out soo well. !!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyBass Posted June 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 Thanks guys! I was actually debating if I wanted to show my results on here. I am very critical about my stuff. I am also kind of intimidated by the "professionals" on this board. To answer your question, I just took my time with the mold. I ruined the first one by rushing it and didn't want to ruin this one. Thanks again guys! You just boosted my ego! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 4, 2012 Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 U Dah Man!!!! Funny, but you hit on the key for me in mold making. Take your time, and things turn out better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyBass Posted June 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 Thanks Mark! I made quite a few helgies last night with minimal issues. They are looking better and better with each shot. Thanks again guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasing120 Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Sorry for the late question but these Critters you did turned out awesome, How did you end up pouring them? And at what temp? I have my moulding down to a fine art now but the pouring is the next stage of my evolution. Just really impressed! Cheers, John. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyBass Posted September 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Thanks John! I actually do not pour them, I inject them. I heat them to the normal 350. I bought a huge stock of the Jann's Netcraft plastic injectors and use those. They are flimsy and fall apart, but work great for these. If glue cannot fix them, I toss them and use a new one. Not worth taking the chance of getting hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasing120 Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Thanks, I have only hand poured so far but I think it is time to step up to injecting after seeing the results that can still be obtained from a POP mould. I have access to a machine shop so I think I might make an injector, They aren't available here in Australia as Soft Plastic Pouring as a hobby is still in its' infancy over here and getting supplies can be painful. Cheers, John. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Thanks, I have only hand poured so far but I think it is time to step up to injecting after seeing the results that can still be obtained from a POP mould. I have access to a machine shop so I think I might make an injector, They aren't available here in Australia as Soft Plastic Pouring as a hobby is still in its' infancy over here and getting supplies can be painful. Cheers, John. John, Before you invest a lot of time and money making an injector, try looking online for a BBQ flavoring injector, like is used for marinades. I know Aussie's love to BBQ! Might save you some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silo1688 Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 John, Sounds like it may be up to you to fill in that niche in Australia. Maybe you can make some easy money doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peque Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 that rocks man!!! thats a pretty sweet mold and that shrimp/grub or whatever monster is damn cool!!!! let me up load my first mold..here it goes!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
