FatFace Fishing Lures Posted January 27, 2015 Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 Hello, I am fairly new to pouring my own lures and I have a few questions that can hopefully get answered. Just as a little background, I made my own molds out of silicone, I am melting my plastic outside on a hotplate, I am using Salt Water Plastisol, and I am pouring swimbaits similar to bighammer. 1. One of the problems that I am experiencing is bubbles. I get hundreds of little bubbles lining the outside of my lures causing them to look like golf balls. I am assuming that this is caused by me stirring it too much or fast. What I have done to solve this is stirring it slower and letting it sit in the pan a little longer. It has helped a little, but it is still not as smooth as my mold. 2. Another problem that I am battling is is the shrinking of the plastic when it dries. Since the plastisol shrinks when it cools, I over filled my lures a little bit so that it cools even, but what I am left with is a trough on the top of my swimbaits. I have tried to place something flat and heavy on the top of the mold to make a flat surface, and it worked okay. It makes the top of my lures flat like I want it, but sometimes it traps in air bubbles on the top. 3. My final problem is in regards to the holes left behind from hooks. When I remove hooks from my lures there is a hole left behind by the hook that doesn't "shrink back up" like store bought lures such as berkley. If anyone has experienced problems similar to mine, I would love to hear about what you did to solve them. Any input is greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass100 Posted January 27, 2015 Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 I will give it a shot. For problem #1 if you are getting the bubbles when you are heating up your plastic that usually means there is moisture in your plastic which can come from what you are stirring your plastic with (wood), from salt that you have added, etc. If you don't have any bubbles when you are heating your plastic but you do get them after you have poured into your mold then your mold has some moisture or you need to seal your mold. For problem #2 I know that you said you are over filling your cavities but if it is shrinking down to cause a trough then you are not over filling them enough. This is something that comes with practice and can take a bit of time before you can produce a consistent product. It is all about plastic temp. Too hot and your plastic will run out of the cavity too cold and it won't level out. Once you get the hang of it, it will become effortless. I can not answer to problem #3 because I don't understand what you are doing. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFace Fishing Lures Posted January 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 Thank you very much! I put plastic lubricant in my mold before I pour, do you think that would be the cause of the bubbles? Because the bubbles are only in the mold, not when I am melting. As for number 3, I am talking about after the lure is made and ready to fish. When I put a hook through it and take it out at the end of the day it leaves a hole in it. I'm thinking that because I am using firm plastisol (saltwater) it isn't soft enought to seal back up like store bought lures. I hope that makes sense. Thanks again for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallmouthaholic Posted January 27, 2015 Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 (edited) FFL- 1- You are over heating -or heating too quickly in a microwave. Different manufactured plastisols have a bubbling problem. Some do ,some don't. That said,they will all bubble if you heat too high for prolonged periods in your microwave. 2-Exessive shrinkage is usually caused by plastisol that is too hot. Monitor your heated plastisol temps w/ an infrared gun. 3- All hooks leave holes and weaken the hook entrance and exit holes. Call the manufacturer of the brand of plastisol your are purchasing/using and explain your problem to them. edited for additional content Edited January 27, 2015 by smallmouthaholic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanapa'a Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 #3 lol all hooks leave holes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFace Fishing Lures Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 FFL- 1- You are over heating -or heating too quickly in a microwave. Different manufactured plastisols have a bubbling problem. Some do ,some don't. That said,they will all bubble if you heat too high for prolonged periods in your microwave. 2-Exessive shrinkage is usually caused by plastisol that is too hot. Monitor your heated plastisol temps w/ an infrared gun. 3- All hooks leave holes and weaken the hook entrance and exit holes. Call the manufacturer of the brand of plastisol your are purchasing/using and explain your problem to them. edited for additional content Thank you smallmouthaholic you are a lot of help. I tried pouring it cooler and it has worked a lot better. I'm going to buy an infrared gun like you said and keep practicing. The only other question that I have is what is the best temperature to pour the plastic at? I'm sure it depends on the brand and type of plastic, but what ballpark am I looking at? 330-360 degrees Fahrenheit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallmouthaholic Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Thank you smallmouthaholic you are a lot of help. I tried pouring it cooler and it has worked a lot better. I'm going to buy an infrared gun like you said and keep practicing. The only other question that I have is what is the best temperature to pour the plastic at? I'm sure it depends on the brand and type of plastic, but what ballpark am I looking at? 330-360 degrees Fahrenheit? 330F or cooler- if you can. The problem arises when you want the plastic to free flow into small appendages w/out over pouring that will require hand trimming and this may require hotter temperatures.What type and shape of lures are you pouring-fresh or salt water? Salt water plastic usually requires hotter plastic on the initial heating and can change color easier if you overheat. You can blend salt-water w/ a medium plastisol for a custom result. If you're just starting out and can afford to spend the $,consider moving into injection w/ CNC precision,2 part aluminum molds. You'll same money,time and aggravation in the long term and have the ability to inject lures w/ small appendages.You'll produce consistent finished product you'll be proud of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 For me, I heat my plastic, no matter what brand, to 350 degrees, to get it to change to a clear, flowing plastic. Once I've heated it that hot once, I try to pour/inject it at 330 degrees+-, so it doesn't overheat and turn yellow from scorching. I'm sure every brand of plastic is different, but this is what I try to use as a guideline. An infrared thermometer is a really good investment. Just be sure you stir your plastic before you check the temps. The surface temp of plastisol will almost always be lower that the internal temps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFace Fishing Lures Posted February 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Thank you so much smallmouthaholic & mark, you guys are very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass100 Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Were you able to solve any of your problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFace Fishing Lures Posted February 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Yes I was, I believe my main problem was over heating the plastisol, so I am working on finding the ideal temperature for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
