The Plastics Man Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 4 hours ago, Gus1969 said: Is the shooting star hard to figure out. I have used my unit roughly 4 times since receiving it a few months back... still nutting out the PID's and actual plastisol temps. to me the plastisol temps are way higher than what the temp probes are sending. Some molds prefer a lower temp to shoot laminates correctly whereas others are happy only at higher temps. Like said , still working out methods. When requiring perfect shots ( small production work) I've resorted back to the Basstackle dual injector and open pots for minimal wastage and time. Once workloads drop I may have time to re melt sprues and crud plastic to fully nut out the system and maximise it's potential Definitely not a plug and play unit .... but what is ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCB Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Well the one I have is the mini not the larger version so I can’t really speak to it but like anything else we watched quite a few YouTube videos before using it and that always helps. Definitely helpful for setup with it. There are about 6 setup videos. The temps do run a little bit off from they say they are but they run even so laminates have been great with it not having to make sure the plastic is always just right with a microwave. We had some trouble with bubbles at first but figured out that even if you aren’t using the other side it has to be kept on and that solved the bubble problem. We use dead on plastic which is already great but without the cooling and reheating it seems to stay much more clear all the way through and it’s working great. We’re just shooting a lot of one color and storing it until time to package it and send it out. The only real downfalls we’ve had with it so far is I do wish there was an easier way to clean the previous color out, and when using glitter the last shoot or two doesn’t have as much so we sometimes end up saving that for remelt if it isn’t matching up. It’s definitely speeding things up dramatically if you’re shooting a lot of one color and have a place for storage though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus1969 Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Good morning, thank you for the advice. I have the 2 presto pots. Just wondering if I need to take plunge on the mini pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 11 hours ago, CCB said: No not at all. We’re loving the shooting star. Just wanted to figure out how to use it with the Jacobs molds without drilling on the sprue ports. The shooting star has been awesome!! Laminates perfect and even solved some issues we were having with flaring on a couple of molds. They got it shipped faster than anticipated and customer service from ultra molds is great. They checked in to keep me updated along the way and it’s very easy to use. They’re definitely the way to go Maybe they can help you figure out how to adapt the Jacobs molds to their machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMc1 Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 4 hours ago, mark poulson said: Maybe they can help you figure out how to adapt the Jacobs molds to their machine. Realistically the molds need to be machined out for the traditional 5/8 injector port instead of the tapered port they make now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 5 hours ago, DaveMc1 said: Realistically the molds need to be machined out for the traditional 5/8 injector port instead of the tapered port they make now. That doesn't sound too difficult. Any machine shop should be able to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP-911 Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 This is what you need, http://stores.jacobsbaits.com/injector-adapter/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makingitrite Posted February 1, 2020 Report Share Posted February 1, 2020 On 1/29/2020 at 10:05 PM, CCB said: I have a shooting star and cannot use it to shoot the Jacobs molds. Emailed rick to get the sprue measurements so I could order custom sprue extenders and make it work for the molds of his I already have as well and instead of just giving me the measurements he asked why and when I told him he said “good luck with your overpriced hand injector.” Never I have encountered anyone who does such poor business and it is of no surprise that his company is not bigger than it is despite that he makes quality products or that he has no social media platforms for reviews. Had I known then what I know now I would’ve never invested so much money with him. Do you know exactly how big that company is and their annual revenue? I'm looking to invest and any inside info would be great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camrynekai Posted February 13, 2020 Report Share Posted February 13, 2020 I have a custom Shooting Star system that has been in use every day since the Gen2 was released many years ago. Hundreds of gallons have been through it with Zero issues! On a typical 8 hour day, it will put out 4,500 5" Stickbaits (approximately 13 gallons) For the size of my needs, this system really delivers.....and it didn't cost me $20,000.00. I can not speak for the stock mixing system of the Ultra Moulds Shooting Star, because I have a custom laminar mixing/pot system to handle the salt content needed for Stick baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus1969 Posted February 13, 2020 Report Share Posted February 13, 2020 Are you selling it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makingitrite Posted February 14, 2020 Report Share Posted February 14, 2020 4 hours ago, camrynekai said: I have a custom Shooting Star system that has been in use every day since the Gen2 was released many years ago. Hundreds of gallons have been through it with Zero issues! On a typical 8 hour day, it will put out 4,500 5" Stickbaits (approximately 13 gallons) For the size of my needs, this system really delivers.....and it didn't cost me $20,000.00. I can not speak for the stock mixing system of the Ultra Moulds Shooting Star, because I have a custom laminar mixing/pot system to handle the salt content needed for Stick baits. 4,500 5" Stick baits made (approximately 13 gallons) on a typical 8 hour day. ??? That's 562.5 baits per hour, 9.375 baits per minute, plus de molding, trimming, and curing time. I'm a little skeptical about all this. How long does it take to heat up 13 gallons of plastic and keep it from scorching the color? Do you have a picture of 4500 piece run that you have done in 8 hours? I would like to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camrynekai Posted February 14, 2020 Report Share Posted February 14, 2020 14 hours ago, Makingitrite said: That's 562.5 baits per hour, 9.375 baits per minute, plus de molding, trimming, and curing time. I'm a little skeptical about all this. "That's 562.5 baits per hour, 9.375 baits per minute" It takes exactly 21 seconds from draw to topping off mold and that's not being in a rush. (21 seconds for 20 Sticks.) have posted the video several times over the years and its also on my FB page, if your skeptical check it out. "Trimming"???? I don't trim anything. Not sure what trimming would be needed unless you molds are causing flashing. "Curing time" It takes my machine about 7 minutes to cycle a load of plastisol, during that process the molds are emptied and baits hung on racks for 10 day curing, color and glitter added to the now ready plastic......fill molds again and repeat. "How long does it take to heat up 13 gallons of plastic and keep it from scorching the color?" 13 gallons at once? my operation isn't that large. My setup is custom and its design was targeted to make 100 5" Sticks per batch. It takes about 7 minutes per cycle. (raw plastiol to 355 and back down to 298-302 for shooting) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camrynekai Posted February 14, 2020 Report Share Posted February 14, 2020 16 hours ago, Gus1969 said: Are you selling it No sorry. Its one of my most prized possessions. Spent almost 10 years to perfect it. Temp control/cycles and mixing salt and plastic consistently, on a small scale system without aeration ....was one of the most challenging tasks ever! Thankfully Ultra molds had a crazy cool delivery system for me to add to my little invention....The Shooting Star!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt - NC Posted February 14, 2020 Report Share Posted February 14, 2020 Guys, unless information you're posting is related to poor/defective products or poor customer service, please refrain from dissing a specific company in these threads. Information posted needs to be factual and based on your own experiences, not on hearsay. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
