Mountain Man 26 Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 I dug all the way back to 2009 and found a thread that had info about using cork as a microballoon substitute. Just wondering if anyone has any "trial and error" wisdom they might share on using cork in resin as a glass sphere substitute? How fine the cork has to be, etc. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Man 26 Posted September 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/17733-making-swimbaits-from-resinhelp/?fromsearch=1 This was the thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianB Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 your problem with cork is it floats even within resin. When you pour it into the mold it will float upward to wherever the sprue is. Balloons suspend within the resin. My experiment was not favorable. What is the reason for not wanting to use microballoons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Man 26 Posted September 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 Thanks for the reply Brian. Cost and breathing hazards are the 2 main reasons I'm looking for a substitute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shlack Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 your problem with cork is it floats even within resin. When you pour it into the mold it will float upward to wherever the sprue is. Balloons suspend within the resin. My experiment was not favorable. What is the reason for not wanting to use microballoons? Sounds like you need to build a mold rotator... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 your problem with cork is it floats even within resin. When you pour it into the mold it will float upward to wherever the sprue is. Balloons suspend within the resin. My experiment was not favorable. What is the reason for not wanting to use microballoons? Brian, How did you chop up your cork? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Man 26 Posted September 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2015 Mark, I've got some samples of different grinds coming from a cork supplier. I'll post my results. I read on the Dahlberg forum where Larry recomended pouring a hard resin bottom with ballast to a molded bait, then pouring foam for the upper portion. Cork floating to the top of the mold cavity would accomplish the same thing...I think?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted September 12, 2015 Report Share Posted September 12, 2015 The finer the cork fragments, the better the suspension. This is why MB's work, because they are so fine that they float in air. It is also what makes them dangerous. Cork dust has the same density as cork grinds. What makes dust work, is that they cannot overcome the viscosity of the resin, and so they suspend. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 12, 2015 Report Share Posted September 12, 2015 Since the thing that makes cork buoyant is air trapped in it's cell structure, does grinding it to make fine dust break that structure, and reduce it's buoyancy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted September 12, 2015 Report Share Posted September 12, 2015 Mark - you are probably right. I have tried a few things for this purpose and nothing comes even close to the MB's. We will continue to look for a substitute, but I don't think that cork is going to be it. Expanded polystyrene is very light, but getting it to a fine powder is the problem. When I tried it, I used too large a chunk. I tried a food mixer, but that was a joke. To reduce styrene will have to be a sanding process and you are going to have to figure out some kind of jig/machine to do it. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 I use a "borrowed" coffee grinder to make powdered salt. Maybe it would work for other stuff, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted September 13, 2015 Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Mark - it is worth a go, but if it is a spinning blade, the stuff just bounces off. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Man 26 Posted September 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2015 Ok, I got 3 samples of cork product and did some tests. I'll get to the meat. The 40/80 dust performed better than glass microballoons in all ways. 1- It didn't float out of the bag when I scooped it to put it in the resin. 2- It mixed and poured very well into my mold. 3- It suspended perfectly in the lure blank. It actually rose 1/8 of an inch from the bottom of the lure which gave my figure 8 hook hangers pure resin to anchor in. 4- The lure had a higher buoyancy with cork dust than that of a blank with the same amount of micro balloons. I had to increase my ballast to get the jerkbait to suspend. If I knew how to post a pic, I would post a pic of a jerkbait blank I poured with the cork dust. I'm working to get a deal with a supplier and post all contacts for others to use. Its the biggest "eureka" I've had since I got into this back in 2006. Hope it'll help out others and give you a healthier alternative to glass mb's. It sure works for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted September 23, 2015 Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 This is a great result. Very encouraging for me, as I have no access to MB's, now thanks to your work, I have a viable alternative. Good job. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Rennie Posted September 23, 2015 Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) Great finding Mountain Man, I've also considered using cork dust for other lure projects like you mentioned. I have a bag of it and use it for covering countersunk weights in fake dog biscuit baits. I'd love to see some pics. You can upload them to postimage.org, and then copy and paste the URL into your post. Like this. (Sorry, copy the one above "Thumbnail for forums (1)") Edited September 23, 2015 by Dave Rennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Man 26 Posted October 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 Sorry for the delay. It took some time to find the best dealer for my needs. I went with Jelinek Cork Group in Oakville, ON. I settled on the Graulated Cork 0 mm-0.2 mm. It's a bit finer than what I tested with, but yields even better results. I actually have to use less 0mm-0.2mm cork dust than 0.2mm-0.4mm cork dust to achieve the same bouantncy. There is a 5 lb. minimum you must purchase. I got 10 lbs. delivered for $70ish. That looks like about 7-8 US gal. I am well pleased. It has opened up a whole new world in lure making for me. I hope it will be a blessing to you as well. Rangers Lead The Way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 The fact that you can actually purchase the cork granulated, and so fine, is a great plus. 7 - 8 gallons for a lifetimes supply for $70 sounds like a bargain to me. If you wanted to sell off smaller quantities, I am sure you would have no trouble finding buyers. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Rennie Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 That's a LOT of cork! But a great discovery. What ratio are you using to resin? Has anyone tried mixing it with plastisol? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
