Perfecting Soft Plastics To Good Eye Appeal

[ajohn33]

Getting rid of physical imperfections and perfecting a good blank all help will be appreciated thx in advanced!!!!!

[MonteSS]

I'm not sure what your question is.

 

....Bill

[Saugerman]

 Going  to need more information, .

[patrick reif]

I'm not certain what the question is either, but I can tell you that you have to learn the quirks of every mold.

 

It takes a different amount of injection pressure for all my different bait types.  An example would be my drop shot worms.  I have to inject slower and hold the pressure after the mold is full to get a good worm than I do my swimbaits or my chunks.

 

If you're talking about getting a good master to pour an RTV or plaster mold, that takes carving skills, and lots of practice.

 

If it's an open pour mold, that takes practice as well.

 

On the up side of things, the fish don't really care about the imperfections as much as the bait maker does.

 

I have a little bit of a local market for my swim baits.  I make enough money to pay for my yearly supplies.  I only sell the ones that are worthy of selling, and fish those that aren't.  I catch fish off of the "lesser quality" baits.

[ajohn33]

Thx everyone? To bill just trying to get a good clean blank. For a really good lure. Not a crappy one. .ive found a method of cleaning up the blank with sand paper and maybe a dremel tool with a sand and and buffer head. Once again thx everyone!!!

[Anglinarcher]

Thx everyone? To bill just trying to get a good clean blank. For a really good lure. Not a crappy one. .ive found a method of cleaning up the blank with sand paper and maybe a dremel tool with a sand and and buffer head. Once again thx everyone!!!

I often make the original blank for my baits from a type of clay that hardens when heated, like Sculpy or Femo clay.  The key is to get a sulfur free clay so you can make molds from silicone if desired.  With clay, you can sand, add more, cut, drill, whatever you desire, and you can always put the blank back in the oven.  This means you can never sand to much because you can always add the clay back and reheat.  This is the most forgiving method IMHO.

 

Sometimes I make the blank out of wood, but as indicated by Patrick, that takes carving skills. If you do intend to carve from wood, the key is to go slow.  It often takes me a week or more, a few minutes here a few minutes there, before get what I want.  The problem with wood is that if you go too far, you need to start over.     But then again, NO ONE has ever said I was an artist.

 

Sometimes the key is to get a talented artist to do the clay modeling or the carving..... If that is really important to you.

 

Now, once you get the blank correct, then the real work comes.  Making a mold from POP, RTV Silicone, etc., is not that hard; making a mold that fills correctly is a bit of an art form in itself.  Some of my molds are squish molds, some are open pour, some are injection, and none are ever right the first try.  I always find I need to add vent channels, vent holes, larger or smaller injection holes, ...........

 

The key is to not get too overwhelmed to start with.  Learn your craft slowly at first, ask a LOT of questions, give as much detail as you can.  Remember also that some of the very best lures were the simplest ones.  Don't get too complex at first.

 

AND MOST OF ALL, HAVE FUN!

[ajohn33]

Thx I am a jack of all trades but this one is my hobbie and fave love fishing and making lures . Once I get lure finished ill post a pic , once again all your advice is spot on thx I'm sure to have fun!! May all your dreams be top water lure dreams

[wchilton]

I start by drawing top and side profiles using a computer program.  I print these and attach to wood block (using double-sided tape) to use as a template for cutting.  Cut out the rough shape on a bandsaw, then round out the edges either on a belt sander or drill-mounted sanding drum.  Belt sander often removes material too fast...you want to GO SLOW for everything so that any mistakes will be small/correctable.  You could also use a dremel at this stage.  Once I have the rounded-out shape, I'll use a detail sander to smooth out all bumps/grooves.  Final sanding is by hand for best control.  The last master I did took about 10 hrs, most of that was hand sanding.  That was for a simple "fluke" shape, other's I've spent a lot more time on.  After hand-sanding to about 400 grit, I'll "finish" the master using some sort of clear coat paint or future floor wax.  Take your time and build up 2 or 3 coats of finish to get a nice gloss.  You may have to sand lightly between coats and you will have to let each coat dry before you attempt sanding.  Take your time with the finish.  I've tried to accelerate the drying process with a hair dryer only to have bubbles form and then you have to strip the finish and start over.  I usually carve masters from wood.  It has to be smooth-grained...AYC is great, bass wood is easier to find and is also very good.  Pine and others may be OK, but sometimes different rings in the grain pattern are harder/softer and it's difficult to get an even finish (softer wood sands down faster so you get ripples).

[Smallie]

I like Sculpey because you can get it pretty smooth before you bake it and minimize the amount of sanding needed to get a really smooth master. And the ability to be able to add more is nice too.

[ram3139]

One option for a better master for those of us who cannot sculpt well is to design them in a CAD program and have it 3d printed. I'm just getting into lure making, but I quickly realized I wasn't going to be able to sculpt the detail I wanted, so I looked around for other options. There are free cad programs that with a bit of reading aren't too hard to figure out. There are also 3d printing companies who can print you a master in hard plastic for about $15 shipped for a bass sized lure. I've made a pretty realistic drop shot minnow and am finishing the plaster mold now. Once I seal the mold and pour I'll post up pictures and a bit more info on what I did.

[Anglinarcher]

One option for a better master for those of us who cannot sculpt well is to design them in a CAD program and have it 3d printed. I'm just getting into lure making, but I quickly realized I wasn't going to be able to sculpt the detail I wanted, so I looked around for other options. There are free cad programs that with a bit of reading aren't too hard to figure out. There are also 3d printing companies who can print you a master in hard plastic for about $15 shipped for a bass sized lure. I've made a pretty realistic drop shot minnow and am finishing the plaster mold now. Once I seal the mold and pour I'll post up pictures and a bit more info on what I did.

I like your thoughts, but most 3D prints are not that smooth.  For those that try this, expect some finish sanding before you make your mold.

 

Now, with the improvements in 3D printers, this post may be obsolete before you read it.  LOL

[ram3139]

You are right, there is a bit of sanding usually, but you can get resolution down to a few tenths of a millimeter, so a quick hit with very fine grit will take care of it.  Not a perfect solution, but compared to my sculpting abilities.....