ark50000 Posted April 23, 2016 Report Share Posted April 23, 2016 I have made my plaster of Paris molds and they turned out great. I am now in the process of making a two part injector mold. The only issue i am having is after i have poured the plastic, bubbles start to seep through the plaster mold. I know its not the plastic itself but rather the plaster mold. What should i use to seal it properly? I have tried five coats of clear nail polish and a gloss spray paint enamel. Neither have worked 100%. Both worked slightly but wore off quick. Should i maybe try Mod Podge? what do you recommend. Thank you ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted April 23, 2016 Report Share Posted April 23, 2016 2 most used are epoxy thinned with denatured alcohol, or elmers wood glue thinned with water I started using both (epoxy over the wood glue) and havnt had any problems yet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tompowers535 Posted April 23, 2016 Report Share Posted April 23, 2016 I used Epoxy I bought at Home Depot. I thinned it out with denatured alcohol. Be careful it doesn't puddle on you when it is drying. The puddle will fill in ridges of a mold and you will lose the detail of the worm. Any alcohol spilled on rags went outside immediately- highly flammable. For aluminum molds I used high temp epoxy paint (500 degrees) bought at Walmart in the automotive section. The paint worked great and made the baits more glossy looking. I will be trying the paint on my Plaster molds someday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slammingjack Posted April 23, 2016 Report Share Posted April 23, 2016 I use Mod Podge it works great.Never had to redo a mold. Just watch how you put it on. If you use a paint brush, you can get brush lines in the bait. I put on three coats 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stock's Lures Posted April 26, 2016 Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 I used Lundmarks Wax Super Gloss, it works really well and seals up in about 3 coats. It is cheaper too since one bottle lasts about 15 molds. http://www.amazon.com/Lundmark-Wax-Super-Gloss-32-Ounce/dp/B000BYE9TI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipt Posted April 26, 2016 Report Share Posted April 26, 2016 epoxy is the best, floor wax works too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockyj2 Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 I used 3 or 4 coats clear gloss spray in a can.. Let dry and go over it with 2 or 3 coats clear nail polish... Works good for me. I reseal with nail polish every 8 or 10 pours.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Linnell Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 Hi-temp engine paint 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 3 hours ago, Roger Linnell said: Hi-temp engine paint How long does that paint last? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Linnell Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 the ones done right are bullet proof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 23, 2019 Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 On 2/21/2019 at 1:36 PM, Roger Linnell said: the ones done right are bullet proof. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Linnell Posted February 23, 2019 Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 Elmers and water last forever too and it's much easier to deal with than epoxy, I just add in a little food coloring so I can see what's been coated 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-billy Posted February 27, 2019 Report Share Posted February 27, 2019 Elmers Wood Glue thinned with water works great with one coat. Mix 50/50, flood cavities, let sit a few minutes, brush out cavities with foam brush, brush onto rest of mold, bake at 150 until cured. Simple, easy, durable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockyj2 Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 Would gorilla wood glue work mixed with water??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 rockyj2 - Yes.Gorilla wood glue is a PVA adhesive, same as Elmers. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-billy Posted March 16, 2019 Report Share Posted March 16, 2019 I don't know about Gorilla glue. I tried a different brand from Lowes once ( Don't remember the brand. ) and the finish was dull and rough. Stuck with Elmers after that. Elmers is cheap, and gives a great finish every time with a single coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 17, 2019 Report Share Posted March 17, 2019 (edited) Be sure your POP is completely dry before you seal it with a glue/water mix, or you can get mold under the sealer, which will eventually fail. Don't ask me how I know, but I am going to have to redo my rage craw mold next week! The half sealed with diluted epoxy is fine, but I have to do both halves again, because I can't get the soft plastic masters to go back into the epoxy sealed side. Grrr!!! Hahaha Edited March 17, 2019 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-billy Posted March 17, 2019 Report Share Posted March 17, 2019 Good advice Mark. Fully cured/dried molds is extremely important. I pop mine in the oven at 150 for several hours with the door cracked open a wee bit to dry them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 17, 2019 Report Share Posted March 17, 2019 I weigh my plaster molds on a gram scale. When the mold stops losing weight in the drying process then the mold is 'dry'. From personal experimentation; PoP loses weight at a constant rate, there is no gradual slowing down of the weight loss, so it is very easy to determine the dry point. I mention this because over drying in the oven can make the mold powdery. A cracked open oven works well, but the ideal rapid method is a warm box with fan circulation. I used 3x 100W incandescent (filament) bulbs as the heat source. If you make a lot of molds, this simple wood construction oven is worth building. Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-billy Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 Great idea weighing them Vodkaman. Thanks for the tip. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipt Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 On 3/17/2019 at 8:37 AM, Vodkaman said: I weigh my plaster molds on a gram scale. When the mold stops losing weight in the drying process then the mold is 'dry'. From personal experimentation; PoP loses weight at a constant rate, there is no gradual slowing down of the weight loss, so it is very easy to determine the dry point. I mention this because over drying in the oven can make the mold powdery. A cracked open oven works well, but the ideal rapid method is a warm box with fan circulation. I used 3x 100W incandescent (filament) bulbs as the heat source. If you make a lot of molds, this simple wood construction oven is worth building. Dave can you share more info on this? maybe a photo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 Here is an isometric and a section through my simple pop dryer. the light blue shelf lifts out. PoP molds can be placed at the bottom of the box and on the shelf. If you do a lot of molds, you could build a cabinet with lots of shelves. The holes above the fan is low pressure (fan blowing down) and so draws fresh air into the box. The holes below the fan are high pressure, so blow out wet air. Thus, moisture never builds up, maximizing the drying effect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) Here is a spreadsheet of the drying times. This was never intended for publication and so is a bit rough. But, it does give an indication of the drying process. Contrary to what I remember; the rate of drying is not constant, but it tails off significantly at the end. You do not need 100% dry. Once the loss rate drops the mold is dry enough to use. The molds sit on dowels so airflow reaches all surfaces. Dave Edited March 26, 2019 by Vodkaman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowFISH Posted March 27, 2019 Report Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) 17 hours ago, Vodkaman said: Here is an isometric and a section through my simple pop dryer. the light blue shelf lifts out. PoP molds can be placed at the bottom of the box and on the shelf. If you do a lot of molds, you could build a cabinet with lots of shelves. The holes above the fan is low pressure (fan blowing down) and so draws fresh air into the box. The holes below the fan are high pressure, so blow out wet air. Thus, moisture never builds up, maximizing the drying effect. Quote As Dave suggestions highlight in his diagram.... AIR MOVEMENT is key to drying and drying fast - heat helps - but if you trap in the moisture (ie. oven with door shut) you're just basically creating a sauna which doesn't really dry very well. I've had good sucess just laying molds on a window sill that gets alot of sun and having a small cheapy fan blow over it... actually worked better than my small electric oven with the door cracked open. Edited March 27, 2019 by SlowFISH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 27, 2019 Report Share Posted March 27, 2019 SlowFISH is spot on, it is all about air movement. If I run my box without the lamps the drying time doubles, but to achieve this level of drying just by placing in a room would take a week or more. Another good place is on top of the refrigerator were there is air movement which reduces drying time to 3 - 4 days. After all the testing I built a simple moisture sensor which beeps (very low volume) at different speeds depending on moisture, continuously once dry. So, no more weighing Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
