Hot Plate Type

[Painter1]

I am looking for a better solution to keep small batches (less than 8 oz) of plastic hot.  I tried an electric skillet but it just does not keep the plastic usable for long.  It may be that my skillet is bad, but a cup heated to 320 will degrade to 250 in less than 10 minutes.  

 

I am seeing some laboratory hotplates that have elevated temperatures.  Some have a magnet based stirring system that looks very cool, but I expect it would only work on liquids.

 

Any thoughts on laboratory grade hotplates?

[ipt]

what are you using for a pot?

 

keeping the thermo at 320 and it still falls?

[Painter1]

I have an electric skillet like the one I saw on Franks video.  Has anyone tried the hotplate/stirrer system that they use in labs?  

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-X-4-TALBOYS-ADVANCED-CERAMIC-HOTPLATE-STIRRER-/330244218895?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ce416e00f

[Cub48]

I use a $10.00 hot plate from the dollar store. I bought 2 one for my injector and the other for plastic. For small batches i use a egg poacher pan from Wally World the other pan is a little larger it will shoot about 250 baby shad  the egg pan about 120. Bought the larger pan at thrift store 2.00. I turn the thermostat less than half to get my plastic to 350 F then i back it off a little to maintain the heat.Cub48

[ipt]

I use a $10.00 hot plate from the dollar store. I bought 2 one for my injector and the other for plastic. For small batches i use a egg poacher pan from Wally World the other pan is a little larger it will shoot about 250 baby shad  the egg pan about 120. Bought the larger pan at thrift store 2.00. I turn the thermostat less than half to get my plastic to 350 F then i back it off a little to maintain the heat.Cub48

 

what dollar store specifically? i would love to get one for 10$

 

have you tried using a pyrex cup in the microwave? what are the cons of using a hot plate? i'd love to maintain temps of my plastic while pouring.

[Jig Man]

I have a couple of cheap hot plates from Wal-Mart but have never been able to keep them at a temp that would allow the plastic to be warm enough for use without scorching.  I have been down the pyrex/micorwave route and didn't like it either.

 

Now I use Nor Por silicone cups with my microwave.  Once hot and using I can put them back in for 20-30 seconds when they start losing temp.  I don't know of anything that will hold the temp for 10 minutes like you stated.

 

What are you pouring that takes so long?

[t-billy]

 You generally get what you pay for. Spend the money for quality equipment, and you'll get quality results. I use GE hotplates with steel plate type burners and cast iron pots. I get nice even heating with no hotspots to scorch the plastic. I also have a cheap hotplate with a coil style element that I use to heat my injector. Lodge Logic makes some nice 14oz cast iron pouring pots. You can find them on ebay or amazon. They're what I use, and I couldn't be happier with them. Get a 1 or 2 qt cast iron sauce pan "preferably with a lid for the initial heating" for cooking larger batches. I inject straight from my 2qt pot, and pour larger batches 1/2 cup at a time from it into my pre-heated 14 oz pots for hand pouring.

 This certainly isn't the only method that will yield quality results, but I've found it to be the perfect setup for me.

Edited December 28, 2012 by t-billy

[Cub48]

IPT i sent you a pm on the hot plates. T-Billy does the plastic come out of the cast iron pots good or what about discolor from the iron. I use a coated sauce pan stainless has a thick bottom My other pan is thinner have to be careful i heat slow and when it reaches 350f i turn it down a little as it will keep getting hotter and can scorch. I will stir and  shoot the temp between injections if it is climbing i turn it down more or sit it off a few seconds. May need to  keep an eye out for a hot plate like you were talking about. I have thought about putting a aluminum plate on top of my burner to spread the heat out. I am just doing this for a hobbie not for profit so trying to keep budget down . Cub48

[t-billy]

 I'd recommend making a couple batches of darker colors first, just in case a little left over oil from the seasoning process cooks out of the pots. After that the iron won't discolor the plastisol. You can pour a really fine stream with those lodge pots. As far as cleanup, I just wipe the pots out with paper towels while they're still hot. The plastisol keeps the iron seasoned. You'll need a good pair of heavy gloves for this. Leather welders gloves work great.

 I got the 1100 watt GE hotplates at walmart. They were around $20 each. The lodge 14 oz pots are less than $20 each. A new cast sauce pan will probably cost you $40-$50. Shop around. You might be able to find one at a yard sale or flea market cheap. I got my 2qt at a yard sale for $3.

[carolinamike]

I think the thicker pot is the way to go, like t-billy and Cub48 suggested.  And the raw plastisol should help season the cast iron but I don't think I would use salt when using cast iron.  But I was wondering, instead of a hot plate why not use a high quality griddle?  The good ones don't get hot spots and there's plenty of room for more than one pot, also room to keep your injector warm and the better ones have pretty good temperature settings too. 

[t-billy]

You can use salt in the cast pots, but make sure you wipe them out GOOD when your done,then give 'em a light coat of worm oil. If your making baits for yourself, I'd recommend ditching the salt and going with the CCM HD additive. If your making baits for sale, the HD additive may not be cost effective.

  As long as it gets hot enough, a griddle would work fine I would think. I've read posts from guys saying their griddle doesn't provide enough heat. I can't say. I have no experience with them for cooking plastic. I do know the surface temp of my hotplate burner set on low is too hot for my IR thermometer to read, and it goes to 425. The heatsource itself needs to get much hotter than what it's heating. Heat dissipates as it transfers from heatsource, to pot, to plastic. If the surface temp of your heatsource only gets to say 400 degrees, it's not going to get the plastic inside your heavy iron pot up to 350. If someone finds a griddle that works with iron pots, let me know. I'd definitely be interested in one.

[Frank]

I use a high sided griddle all the time and rarely reheat the Pyrex. My process is heat the Pyrex and when you have some sprues and injector plugs reheat those to supplement the heat loss from the main Pyrex. The most I use with this process is two four cup Pyrex cups. More than that I use Presto pots. Don't think there is a griddle that will heat a pot in the griddle. There is a great heat loss when you change heat from vessel to vessel. Something to think about, I use lab beakers for sprues and injector plugs and because it is flat it transfers heat much better. If the Pyrex cups were flat on the bottom the process would be much more efficient. Heat loss out the side of a Pyrex is an issue too. The more cups in the griddle the better it holds heat. For smaller batches I use a smaller high sided griddle say like a 9by9 it is enough to hold two two cup pyrex and the smaller beakers for the remelts. Or for single colors just one four cup Pyrex and a beaker for sprues. They are packed tight and heat loss is at a minimum. But no room for heating up injectors. Frank

[carolinamike]

Why in the world would you ditch salt?  I've seen this statement made a couple of times now to promote a company's product.  Salt was used in fishing baits long before the senko was invented.  Salt is used in baits that do not sink as well as those that do sink for it's fish catching abilities.  If all you want your worm to do is sink, then I guess an additive would be ok.  But salt is a long time proven fish catching additive, that's been around in soft plastics for longer than most of us have been making baits. 

 

Just the ol' cheap kitchen griddle that we cook on here at the house goes up to 450 degrees.  I think if you invested a little more money in one that was more for commercial use, it would work very well, especially if it's thicker than just the regular kitchen models.  Just seems like it would be more efficient if you were using more than one pouring vessel and you needed to keep an injector warm too. 

[t-billy]

Well Mike...Have you tried it? I switched from salt to the HD additive because in my opinion it's superior in every way except for adding flavor and the effect on color. A drop or two of your favorite scent eliminates the flavor difference. It suspends in hot plastic better than even finely ground salt. It does make your baits opaque like finely ground salt, so I'd call them equal in that regard. It stirs in easier than salt. It makes your baits more durable, rather than less durable like salt. The fact that that you can catch more fish per bait offsets at least some of the added cost. It doesn't affect the action of your baits like salt. Medium formula baits with the additive feel and act just like medium formula baits without it. After using both, I MUCH prefer the HD additive. It simply makes a superior bait in my opinion. I'm not saying that to promote a product, or a company. I'm saying that because I believe it to be true. I think most people who try both would prefer the HD additive. That is why we're here isn't it? To share experiences and ideas. To help each other. I swear Jason isn't going to ship me a drum of additive for speaking positively of it.

 There may be griddles with enough power to heat pots. I don't know. Those I know that have tried it said the griddles they had didn't put out enough heat. That makes sense to me. They're designed to get the cooking surface to the temp on the thermostat. My hotplate burners get over 425 on low. I have no idea how hot they get when turned up to 2/3 - high where I set them to heat my plastic. I use different heat settings for different pots, and for different amounts of plastic in those pots. So after thinking more about it, even a griddle that does get hot enough won't work well for me. I'll be sticking with the setup I have.  If it aint broke, don't fix it.

[carolinamike]

t-billy I was talking about the corrosive properties of salt and cast iron.  I don't know if the additive is corrosive or not, but it's just for adding weight.  Basically that's all the additive does right?, add weight to the bait, nothing else?  I make a lot of baits with fine salt that has no discoloration whatsoever.  The only way you can tell that the salt is in it, is to taste it or rub the salt to the top of the worm.  I use a very fine salt that does not take away from the durability of the bait whatsoever.  Myself along with millions of other fishermen believe that salt helps make a fish hold the bait longer, plus it is a natural product that does not harm the environment.  So if you're not looking specifically to add weight to the bait, and you're not wanting to add an oil based scent, I think salt is the very best alternative on the market.  And I think companies like Zoom and Gene Larew would agree with that also.  And I think if you did a survey of the plastics that are on the market right now for sale, that you would find salt is the number one additive.  I have no need to just make a bait weigh more so I have no need to use the product and besides 50lbs of salt costs me $11.00. 

 

As far as the griddle goes, there again it was just a suggestion sounds like it's working pretty good for Frank.  Maybe he can tell you what type he's using.       

[Cub48]

I agree with T-Billy if it ain't broke don't fix it. But i also keep an open mind as you can teach an old dog new tricks that work better. Let's say Joe always fishes with a purple worm no salt and Pete is fishing with a watermelon worm with salt and is catching twice the fish. are you not going to make you some watermelon worm with salt for the next time out. LOL Let me say this about the griddle and i don't use pyrex or Microwave would the griddle keep the plastic at temp after it has been heated in the microwave by just sitting the cup in it or at least help? Just a question!!! I will be keeping an eye out for some cast iron sauce pans. My problem is i make small batches. Find small cast iron is rare. I thought of making me some out of 6" 1/4" thick pipe and weld a thick bottom in i did this with some 2" pipe for hand pouring worms made them out of muffler tube and welded a 1/4" bottom in it and a screwdriver in for a handle it helps keep the heat in while pouring. My thing is if i can make it and it works and is cheaper do it. Everyone told we to buy an injector. I looked around for a few weeks trying to find something that would work.I found what i was looking for i spent 50 cents making it my tip was the only cost i had and i bought a stick of alum rod that will make 20 My tip don't blow off it will come apart for cleaning and is all metal except the oring and the end of the rod for the plunger. Cub48

[Frank]

Yes the plastic will SLOWLY drop in temp. But if you are working with it then the temp will be supplemented with the sprue reheats. Yes I want to try the cast pot but in my opinion don't think it will be much of a change. You will have to stir both once in awhile and cleaning will not be easier than a Pyrex for sure. Making thing that work is great but most people won't do that. If you think about it if you have a heat source from the top that reduces heat loss from there that is something. The reason putting a lid on is so important in the initial heating. If it is not broke don't fix it does not cut it for me either as you can never stop learning. Frank

[Painter1]

I just bought a 1100W coil type hotplate, a 2 qt cast iron Lodge Logic pot with lid and the 14 oz pouring pot from ebay and will post a report after I try it.

 

I find that there is a very narrow viscosity & temp range that works best for open pours of multiple colors.  If the material is too warm the colors blend more than planned.  Too cool makes a thin pouring stream difficult and risks cold delamination.  

 

I want to be able to hold 6 to 12 oz mixed material quantities at temp as long as possible.  I hope to use the cast iron pot as a holding oven after nuking each cup.  

 

Happy New Year.

[tpalmer]

Painter1, I remembered this post from awhile back from Ghostbaits and have not tried it yet but this may help you with small batches:

 

 

" I know a lot of guys are dipping frogs, swims, etc. Thought I would post up a little something I came up with to help me.

Worse thing to me was that my plastic got cold real fast. I tried a multitude of things to insulate my cups with little success. Then, as I was discussing mold properties with a buddy, something hit me. (No not my wife...LOL!!) While aluminum sucks the heat away, plaster of paris (pop) insulates or traps the heat.

I decided to make an insulated "cup" for my pyrex cup. Something I could put the cup in and have it hold the heat but also allow me to remove the cup to nuke again when the plastic does cool. Now this still isn't the best solution but it does help retain the heat in your cup longer.

Basically, I took a 1 gallon milk jug, cut the bottom third off and set my 2 cup pyrex cup inside that piece. Then, I made up a big batch of pop. I poured the pop around my cup slowly until the cup rose up about 2 inches off of the jug bottom. Then I found a few random things to place in the cup to weight it and added the rest of the pop around the sides. Without weight inside the pyrex cup, it would raise up in the pop and be molded.

Let harden and remove your cup. Let stand for pop to dry. This takes days. No need to seal the inside... The result is a mold of your cup. A glove to insulate the cup and a way that you still can just pick up the cup and put it right back into the microwave for further heating.

I will have to re-take pics as it looks like I deleted all of them.

Jim

PS If your plastic starts yellowing, add a drop of M-F's iradescent pearl or a 1/2 drop of white (to 8oz plastic or more) and that will help take the yellowing away on the resulting baits."

[ipt]

thats a good idea, ill have to try the pop insulated pyrex cup!