Matt Moreau Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Hey Guys, I usually stay on the hard bait side and dont venture too far from home. But i have a question that is suited towards your talents over here. I searched and read up on plastisol hardner, ordered some and burnt/balled up my first attemp...LOL...but tried again with a 50/50 mixture heated 30 seconds at a time in microwave and got a workable product. Problem is its not hard enough for my needs. And i feel like if i add anymore hardner it would clump before the flash point. I am trying to get a somewhat hard tail fin for a large bait. I want the fin to collapse when a fish takes it but hard enough to where it doesnt move when its in the bait. It measure probably 2+ inches tall and 1.5 - 2 inches long. Should i try more hardner? I thought i read i cant just use hardner on a post somewhere and i am betting that if i go 3to1 hardner to plastisol it probably wouldnt work either. Please let me know your thoughts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 If you want something that hard, I'd suggest more hardener AND heat stabilizer. That should keep the plastic at least pourable without burning it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallmouthaholic Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 Add the hardener to cold plastisol then heat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 I do a lot with Alumilite products, and I had a similar need some time ago. I made my fin using a piece of wood that I shaped to get it right. Then I made a mold using silicone - Alumilite High Strength 2. I then got their Universal Mold Release and sprayed the inside of the mold. Next I mixed up a small amount of Alumilite High Strength 3 and poured the fin (tail fin in my case). Because I used the mold release, it came right out and was perfect. The HS 3 is a bit of a light pink color, opaque, so you may want to add color to it. I also use their Alumidust and paint the fin and then hit it with a heat gun to gloss the surface, which incorporates the Alumidust into the surface. If you do this, you will come up with a fin that will do just want you want it to do. Hope this helps some. The Silicone is really the best material to give you the stiff, but flexible, consistency. Oh, by the way, it is easy, very easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
