Drago619 Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 Im new to the site and hand pouring... my buddy and I fish saltwater bass tournaments here in San Diego. We've decided to start pouring our own baits. He's made the master and the RTV mold and I'm in charge of pouring. Here is a pic of my set up... its a nice storage shed detached from my house that I've converted... I'm using a microwave, and electric skillet. I've done as much research (search function) as I could both on this forum and others but can't seem to locate a solution. My problem is I can't seem to get rid of the dimples on the sides of the bait. They sort of look like a golf ball. I've tried reducing the microwave's power, heating in 30 sec increments, stirring as little as possible, pouring the plastic while very hot and when its barely pourable but I still have dimples. I've ordered some heat stabilizer hoping that would help. I'm fairly certain its a temperature issue, but thought you guys could help shorten the learning curve. Thanks for the help, Nic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipt Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 sweet set up, advice #1 is to get a legit exhaust fan. ventilation is the most important thing to a setup. get a IR heat gun and make sure you are getting 350 degrees on your plastic. it will be almost like water when you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockslide Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 what mold are you pouring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drago619 Posted May 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 I'm pouring a 6.5" weedless swimbait we made from RTV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-Boys Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 sweet set up, advice #1 is to get a legit exhaust fan. ventilation is the most important thing to a setup. get a IR heat gun and make sure you are getting 350 degrees on your plastic. it will be almost like water when you do. great advice !! also, does the mold have dimples in it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drago619 Posted May 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 No dimples in the mold. I'm wearing a mask and have a fan set up to the left. It's a pretty small space. Well I bought a infrared therm. I'll test out getting the plastic to 350 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-Boys Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 try filling the mold slower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drago619 Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 (edited) I'll try pouring slower too... Thank you Edited May 20, 2013 by Drago619 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Is the mold an open or 2 piece? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drago619 Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Open. I'll take a pic of it in a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drago619 Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 problem solved here's what I did: heated up the mold by pouring a couple of reburns in the mold first. then I used a q-tip and spayed wd-40 on it and coated the mold. lastly, made sure the plastic was at least 350 before pouring. thanks for the help... Nic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted May 20, 2013 Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 I had an idea it was a shrinkage problem. If the dimple is in the same place each time it can also be an airpocket inside the mold. This causes the plastic to cool faster in that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drago619 Posted May 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2013 Nova, it was dimples on both sides of the mold... Think - golf ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-Boys Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 glad you got it figured out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drago619 Posted May 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 (edited) thanks dude. here are a few that I've poured Edited May 22, 2013 by Drago619 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 Wow......those are VERY nice. Great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drago619 Posted May 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 Thanks bud. My buddy who shaped the bait and made the mold is almost done with a 5" swimbait. We'll use that bait for the spotted bay bass. Thanks again for all if the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-Boys Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 Yeah very nice !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
