Leatherhead Posted April 30, 2016 Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 Hello to all. First and foremost , I want to thank each and everyone of you guys for All of the Information that you pass along .Im a retired Firefighter , who broke my back in 2008 and had to hang it up after 21 years of service. Since that time This has become a hobby for me that I absolutely enjoy doing. With all that being said. I have never injected any soft plastics, but I am very interested in getting started. I have picked out a few molds I would like to try. I really need to know where the best place to find colors and what kind of plastic to start with. I see soft, medium, and hard plastics. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance. SCIBA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gone2long Posted April 30, 2016 Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 I found that starting with medium plastic was the way to go as most baits will work fine you can buy softener and hardener if you need an adjusted formula. All the suppliers have their good and bad so it really comes down to what molds you like and then see if they have the colors you think you'll like. I personally bought pre-made colors as opposed to buying blue, red, yellow and mixing them to obtain a particular color you have many things on your plate to learn and making/mixing colors is probably left for when you become more familiar with the process. 5 gallons is recommended both for cost savings and the inevitable bad batches while learning which leads me to suggest that you buy a bigger bottle of black colorant as thats what you'll wind up doing to at least rescue you botched colors 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherhead Posted April 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 Thanks for the Info gone2long. You guys are priceless !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherhead Posted April 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 I found that starting with medium plastic was the way to go as most baits will work fine you can buy softener and hardener if you need an adjusted formula. All the suppliers have their good and bad so it really comes down to what molds you like and then see if they have the colors you think you'll like. I personally bought pre-made colors as opposed to buying blue, red, yellow and mixing them to obtain a particular color you have many things on your plate to learn and making/mixing colors is probably left for when you become more familiar with the process. 5 gallons is recommended both for cost savings and the inevitable bad batches while learning which leads me to suggest that you buy a bigger bottle of black colorant as thats what you'll wind up doing to at least rescue you botched colors gone2long, would you recommend Calhoun plastic. I have no clue as to which brand to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted April 30, 2016 Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 gone2long, would you recommend Calhoun plastic. I have no clue as to which brand to use. You will get MANY mixed opinions on that one. Personally, I was an MF guy. I struggled way too much with Calhoun, but I've heard their plastic is much better now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherhead Posted April 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2016 You will get MANY mixed opinions on that one. Personally, I was an MF guy. I struggled way too much with Calhoun, but I've heard their plastic is much better now. alsworms, thanks. what , as a Rookie, do I need to look for to help with the learning curve ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 With plastic, you're looking at consistency, hard packing, odor, etc. Keep in mind that things have changed a bunch over the years, but when I poured there were maybe 3 or 4 companies that sold plastic. Examples......Lure Craft is a great plastic, but hard packs on the bottom a lot. Calhoun gave me a problem with consistency (one batch would be soft; the next would be more firm) and I didn't like the smell. Tried a couple others at the time.........Ozark and I believe 3G plastic. Also inconsistent and stunk up my shop. Bottom line is I always went back to MF. Not trying to start a plastic war (God knows we've had more than our share!), but that's what worked for me. Best thing to do is call some of these companies and see if they'll send you a sample. Try 'em out and see what works best for you. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherhead Posted May 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 With plastic, you're looking at consistency, hard packing, odor, etc. Keep in mind that things have changed a bunch over the years, but when I poured there were maybe 3 or 4 companies that sold plastic. Examples......Lure Craft is a great plastic, but hard packs on the bottom a lot. Calhoun gave me a problem with consistency (one batch would be soft; the next would be more firm) and I didn't like the smell. Tried a couple others at the time.........Ozark and I believe 3G plastic. Also inconsistent and stunk up my shop. Bottom line is I always went back to MF. Not trying to start a plastic war (God knows we've had more than our share!), but that's what worked for me. Best thing to do is call some of these companies and see if they'll send you a sample. Try 'em out and see what works best for you. Good luck! alsworms, thank you. I dont mind paying a little extra for less smell and consistency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 As a beginner, theres ALOT of stuff you need!.... And shipping isnt getting cheaper anytime soon, so it would be beneficial to find you a "one stop shop" As mentioned, opinions are mixed and flared about plastic brands!.... So id look at the sites, find the one that has everything you need/want and order there Couple names already dropped, so ill do it too... Spike-it (/Lureworks) has a large selection of materials for the soft bait guy... I dont know if its the "best" plastic, because ive had no problems with it, so ive had no need to try any others Oh... And stock up on colors!... Theyre cheap, but expensive if you have to pay shipping every time you decide to try a new one (i made that mistake, still paying for it today) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherhead Posted May 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 As a beginner, theres ALOT of stuff you need!.... And shipping isnt getting cheaper anytime soon, so it would be beneficial to find you a "one stop shop" As mentioned, opinions are mixed and flared about plastic brands!.... So id look at the sites, find the one that has everything you need/want and order there Couple names already dropped, so ill do it too... Spike-it (/Lureworks) has a large selection of materials for the soft bait guy... I dont know if its the "best" plastic, because ive had no problems with it, so ive had no need to try any others Oh... And stock up on colors!... Theyre cheap, but expensive if you have to pay shipping every time you decide to try a new one (i made that mistake, still paying for it today) Thanks JRammit.Looking at sites as we speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gone2long Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 Yep agree with the above statements concerning plastic kinda why I avoided the suggestion, but as stated do a little research here there is a thread on the subject of plastics I will however tell you to stay away from janns netcraft for molds as they are dangerous. If you have no plans on selling anything then based on many positive reports I would consider DoIt's new line of entry level molds they will catch fish all day and the price is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hpssports Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 We use both Calhoun & MF. MF has the best floating properties while Calhoun is more neutral. Depending on the style of bait we are producing at the time determines which plastic we'll use in the formula. Some of our bait formulas call for a percent mixture of both for best performance. But as for price, Calhoun is less than half the cost of MF per drum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherhead Posted May 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 We use both Calhoun & MF. MF has the best floating properties while Calhoun is more neutral. Depending on the style of bait we are producing at the time determines which plastic we'll use in the formula. Some of our bait formulas call for a percent mixture of both for best performance. But as for price, Calhoun is less than half the cost of MF per drum. Thanks hpssports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherhead Posted May 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) where is the best ( another loaded question ) place for colors. I understand this is personal preference , but I value ALL of the info. Edited May 1, 2016 by Leatherhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 Spike it has the best value and sizes available. They are pretty strong and mix well when you shake to use. All of there's can be mixed in hot or cold plastic which is pretty handy when you are new. Also if you need a color they probably have it or can make it for you as they supply some bigger company's. Some are so thick they can't be shaken well. Also keep in mind some of the color are thinner and require more drops to get what you want. So no real value there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherhead Posted May 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 Thanks Frank. Any info on the Bears colors? I,m trying to buy from one place if at all possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FATFLATTIE Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 I mostly use the do it x2 colorant. Don't take much to get a nice color to the baits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gone2long Posted May 1, 2016 Report Share Posted May 1, 2016 have several of bears colors and like them, good guy to deal with as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leatherhead Posted May 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 What is the difference in Medium or soft plastic for the beginner . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gone2long Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 For me it was durability soft plastic tends to be weak for small appendages say like the tails on tubes with soft plastic they literally get bit off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tompowers535 Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 I am also a beginner. My first plastic was Super Soft. I added hardener but realized that I was better off with Medium to start. The soft produces a nice bait but I think I will stick with Medium for what I want. My son, on the other hand, wants hard baits for his Striper fishing. I decided to buy 5 gallons from Baitjunkies and will get a mix of Medium and hard. I would like to say that I have picked out one supplier for everything but that seems difficult right now - there are so many suppliers that each have their own positive attributes. I have found the molds from Enforcer to be real good with excellent customer service. I also ordered some Do it Essential molds which were good once I sealed them with high temp paint. I ordered a 702 craw from BTS on Sunday but am still awaiting a confirmation on the ship date. From what I have read in these forums I may be waiting a while for the confirmation. As far as colorant is concerned I would stay with Spike it. I buy it in the 4 OZ size. They have a nice color assortment. As far as Injectors are concerned I like Basstackle's injectors with the locking pin. The price was good and the quality is great. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Young Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 I'm using spikeit medium pourasol& colorants & the basstackle 6oz. Injector & couldn't be happier with the results. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
