JRammit Posted May 1, 2014 Report Share Posted May 1, 2014 First timer, fourth try... After breaking 3 DWP plaster molds, got some Bondo.. Makeshift 2 piece injection mold with copper coupling/dowel rod injector.. Superglued bead body w tooth pick tail.. Melted down Zoom banana seed worm... Not the pretiest thing I've ever seen.. But.. It worked!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajan Posted May 1, 2014 Report Share Posted May 1, 2014 Nice, everyone that has made their own molds has a first. Yours is not bad at all, keep it up. Not to mention you started off with a 2 pc injection mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 1, 2014 Report Share Posted May 1, 2014 Two thumbs up!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted May 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2014 Thanks thanks! Took me almost 2 weeks messing around after work to get it right... The bottom half of the mold formed perfect around the master, but the top half was really "fuzzy".. Took some scissor trimming to make the bait halfway presentable... Next time? Thinking if I brush the Bondo carefully around the master, then pour the rest on top? Might solve the problem?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltwater Posted May 1, 2014 Report Share Posted May 1, 2014 May I suggest, forget Bondo. Make a great, cheap mold from fiberglass. It will last for years and years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted May 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2014 I like the fiberglass idea! Bondo is just for practice/experimentation.. Once I make a bait I'm happy with, ill copy it with the fiberglass and make it permanent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltwater Posted May 1, 2014 Report Share Posted May 1, 2014 JRammit, PM me and I will send you step by step instructions on the process for making fiberglass molds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted May 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2014 (edited) JRammit, PM me and I will send you step by step instructions on the process for making fiberglass molds. You already did... I just haven't tried it yet... Baby steps Edited May 1, 2014 by JRammit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltwater Posted May 1, 2014 Report Share Posted May 1, 2014 OOOPS, I'm not the sharpest hook in the box... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 1, 2014 Report Share Posted May 1, 2014 JR, Take a look at what I posted in the gallery about using resin to make soft bait molds: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/gallery/image/13075-solarez-mold1/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltwater Posted May 1, 2014 Report Share Posted May 1, 2014 mark, I looked at your solarz-mold, great ingenuity. I suggest using fiberglass mat and cloth over the resin to give strength, rigidity and longevity. Also use a high temperature mold release wax, I prefer Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Maximum Mold Release Wax as opposed to Pam. Solarz uses ultraviolet light to cure which gives little control and it is expensive. Less expensive over the counter polyester resin is cured with a hardener thus the setting time and the resultant heat can be consistently controlled. By waxing the bottom of your top mold, with the "master" still in place you can make a two part mold. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted May 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 Mark P... Looks nice! Great detail!... But where I live I'm limited to what I can find at Walmart or Lowes... Hence the Bondo, until I can get a day off to hunt down some fiberglass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 2, 2014 Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 Saltwater, mark, I looked at your solarz-mold, great ingenuity. I suggest using fiberglass mat and cloth over the resin to give strength, rigidity and longevity. Also use a high temperature mold release wax, I prefer Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Maximum Mold Release Wax as opposed to Pam. Solarz uses ultraviolet light to cure which gives little control and it is expensive. Less expensive over the counter polyester resin is cured with a hardener thus the setting time and the resultant heat can be consistently controlled. By waxing the bottom of your top mold, with the "master" still in place you can make a two part mold. Thanks for sharing. Saltwater, The mold, and a second six cavity mold I made of the same bait in the same way, is very strong, even without mat and cloth. I left a minimum of 1/2" all the way around the masters, and have 1/8" over the backs of the masters, and that seems to make it really strong. I'm sure it would be brittle if I dropped it, so I'm careful. I like the fact that I can brush on thin coats, so I can get resin into all the little ribs and details. I think, because I did multiple thin coats, heat never built up during the process. The masters were messed up because I had to glue them down with super glue to keep them in place while I coated them. I haven't used fiberglass resin and cloth, so I have no experience with it. I'm sure it would work, too. I just used Solarez because I had it on hand for top coating my cranks. I'm amazed at how the molds pour. I don't like the fact that PAM is messy, so I'll look into your idea of Mold Release Wax.I am thinking about how to make a two piece mold. Thanks for the ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 2, 2014 Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 Mark P... Looks nice! Great detail!... But where I live I'm limited to what I can find at Walmart or Lowes... Hence the Bondo, until I can get a day off to hunt down some fiberglass JR, Use what you have. That's what I did. I just found that the thinner resin was easier to brush into the details. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
