Making P.o.p Molds

[mark poulson]

1 hour ago, FrogAddict said:

I'm curious if you could use Mod Podge instead of diluted Epoxy in Mark's process above?

 

I've never used Mod Podge, so I don't know if it will work.

[FrogAddict]

It's a decoupage sealer that works pretty well for sealing POP molds in my limited experience.

[Fishermanbt]

2 hours ago, FrogAddict said:

 

I'm curious if you could use Mod Podge instead of diluted Epoxy in Mark's process above?

 

It worked ok when I tried it. I did note some flaking of the mod podge on a couple of pop molds I made after a few pours. Just made a mold this past weekend.  Instead of a plastic container I used some Lego blocks acquired from the kids for a  nice square box.  I used wood glue thinned down with water to seal it.  A super hard finish that was easy to apply.

[Slammingjack]

I have used Mod podge on all my pop and DWP molds and also seal my masters with it. Works great, will pick up paint brush lines. 

[FrogAddict]

Well, I just made a two part POP mold following Mark's basic process and I used Legos for the first part of the mold and then brain farted and put the whole thing in the oven at low heat and warped some legos! The mold did work out well though. I'm in the market for more legos though.

[RayburnGuy]

32 minutes ago, FrogAddict said:

and put the whole thing in the oven at low heat and warped some legos!

 

Welcome to the Homer Simpson club of lure building. Doohhhh!!!

 

Ben

[Travis]

No real need to put the mold in the oven outside of lack of patience.   Mod Podge is a poor choice in my book as most end up loss of detail (details you wanted of the master) and gain of detail you don't (brush strokes).

[FrogAddict]

Travis, 

It was a lack of patience that made the oven idea intriguing. I can see the mod podge transferring brush strokes but in my experience, if do with very light coats, it does a pretty good job. I'm a bit worried about using epoxy because ti can fill in the details I want to keep. I'm talking very small ridges in a Senko like mold. I may try the diluted elmers glue trick on my next mold.

Ben,

Yep, I've been making hard lures for some time and I have a whole bunch of Homer mistakes in a box somewhere!

[JRammit]

Patience is a relative term.. I always bake my finished molds... My work (job) schedule only allows little fragments of time here and there for my projects, I try to get as much done with these fragments as possible.... Baking dries only the surface of the plaster, which happens to be the only part you need dry in order to apply sealer.... Having separated, and sealed my mold in the same day makes me feel productive

If you have details you don't want covered by epoxy, then you're on the right track with the elmers solution.... But the elmers mixture will also leave brush strokes, so don't brush it on.. Just pour it in the cavity, wait 15-20 seconds and pour it out..... You'll be satisfied with the finish, not as sleek as epoxy, but quite smooth and shiny none the less

[Travis]

Thinned epoxy pretty hard to beat in my book in regards to keeping details.   No issues with senkos for example.   I thin it so it is like water and do many coats.  If it starts to pool in areas without being soaked in I dip a paper towel tip into it and soak it up.  Usually best to start sealing sides a few times with my mixture before the bottom of the mold. 

 

Edited December 7, 2016 by Travis

[Landry]

I have been down this road many times this year. Here is the best way to do it IMO:

1. Watch "Solarbaits" video on YouTube and do everything exactly as he does but use POP and Vaseline.  Make sure you seal your wood or clay master with epoxy for a glassy finish.

2. Coat the plaster halves with thinned wood glue or epoxy  - both work   

3. If the bait works out THEN use the same master and technique again with silicon to get a smooth, shiny clean bait. 

This has worked for me and saves wasting expensive silicon. I make musky baits so the silicon really adds up. 

 

PS: Mikko /Solarbaits is so skilled.  His videos are mesmerizing.

 

Landry

[Travis]

POP and vaseline are the old standby for sure is funny how things have changed as this was pretty much the way it is described on this site years ago.   All lost if not in video format nowadays.     Durhams Rock puddy is a better option than POP in my opinion but still more expensive.     A good POP or rock puddy mold will have most asking what company makes that bait.  RTV is great and I have made many molds with it but many are into POP because it is cheap.  Only thing I didn't like with RTV  is cure time on lures if they are large.  

 

[mark poulson]

I have not done it yet, but the next pop mold I make I will increase the amount of yellow carpenter's glue, to see if it will also seal the pop.

Someone here said they also added some portland cement to the pop.  I may try that, too.

[FrogAddict]

It's been a while since I thinned out epoxy, what do you use to thin, denatured alcohol and are you using the 30 min. variety of epoxy?

[JRammit]

47 minutes ago, FrogAddict said:

It's been a while since I thinned out epoxy, what do you use to thin, denatured alcohol and are you using the 30 min. variety of epoxy?

 

Yes and yes

Just make sure you mix the 2 parts well before you add the alcohol

[alsworms]

3 hours ago, JRammit said:

 

Yes and yes

Just make sure you mix the 2 parts well before you add the alcohol

 

Just make sure you drink the alcohol AFTER you've made the mold. 

[Travis]

For sealing molds I use 5 minute epoxy and thin with acetone.  While we decrease the strength of epoxies by thinning (not a fan of thinning for topcoats) but sealing a mold no big deal. 

I usually don't premix.  I dispense the epoxy then add acetone and then mix.  Both components dissolve in the acetone  and you won't get any better mixed than that in regards to distribution of components.  The acetone flashes off rapidly.  Alcohols in general start to have issues with water miscibility and draw in more water.  They will flash off leaving the water behind mixed in the epoxy.  You can form azetropes but not for sure it has much benefit with the quick set time and this application.

Never had any issues doing it this way with 100s of molds made.

I have used denatured alcohol also and can't say it had any negative effects just the acetone gave better results.  

Edited December 8, 2016 by Travis

[Roger Linnell]

21 hours ago, mark poulson said:

I have not done it yet, but the next pop mold I make I will increase the amount of yellow carpenter's glue, to see if it will also seal the pop.

Someone here said they also added some portland cement to the pop.  I may try that, too.

look around for some Hydra Stone,strongest stuff made and I think you can get it in 5 gal buckets

[JRammit]

1 hour ago, Travis said:

For sealing molds I use 5 minute epoxy and thin with acetone.  While we decrease the strength of epoxies by thinning (not a fan of thinning for topcoats) but sealing a mold no big deal. 

I usually don't premix.  I dispense the epoxy then add acetone and then mix.  Both components dissolve in the acetone  and you won't get any better mixed than that in regards to distribution of components.  The acetone flashes off rapidly.  Alcohols in general start to have issues with water miscibility and draw in more water.  They will flash off leaving the water behind mixed in the epoxy.  You can form azetropes but not for sure it has much benefit with the quick set time and this application.

Never had any issues doing it this way with 100s of molds made.

I have used denatured alcohol also and can't say it had any negative effects just the acetone gave better results.  

 

Interesting... How much does the acetone prolong the cure time w the 5 minute stuff??..... I'm even pressing for time with 30 minute/alcohol in a multi cavity mold... And I go pretty thin, not water thin, more like cooking oil thin

[Travis]

 I thin it like water and start to brush, keep brushing until the mold cavity starts to get shiny.  Never had an issue with it setting up too quick if I noticed that was getting thicker I would add a little acetone and keep going.   Cooking oil would be too thick for what I want to do.  I brush it on and it instantly soaks into the mold, keep repeating and hitting areas that are dull looking.    Brush pooling sealer to dull areas or soak it up with tissue.   I want it to soak into the mold cavity not coat it at first.  Doesn't take too many coats and no more penetration into the mold and you start to get a smooth cavity surface with little loss of detail.  

[FrogAddict]

I must have let the epoxy pool too much because when I poured some plastic last night, I lost some of the ribs in the senko. Oh well, back to the drawing board. Thank goodness PoP is cheap.

[Travis]

On 12/13/2016 at 0:07 PM, FrogAddict said:

I must have let the epoxy pool too much because when I poured some plastic last night, I lost some of the ribs in the senko. Oh well, back to the drawing board. Thank goodness PoP is cheap.

 

Could be but also check you "masters" .  Senkos vary considerably in my experience with amount of detail and quality of the bait.  I have molded some lures in the past the mold had ton of little pock marks.  I chalked it up to me screwing up at first but then got to looking at the baits and they really were poor and just transferred over to the mold.   Here are some from a mold I made until the smaller senko aluminum molds came available.  No significant loss of detail.