slayer_21420 Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 Hey all, I'm new here. Seems like there are a lot of knowledgeable folks so here goes- I make wooden darkhouse spearing decoys, and due to wrist injuries am limited in the amount of carving I can do anymore. I'm looking into casting decoy bodies from resin with a similar buoyancy to wood. So far I'm looking at featherlite, and alumilite (with microballoons). which one is more durable? I'm ideally looking for something tougher than the cedar I normally use. Also I'm looking at mold star 16 to make my molds, is this a good choice? I'm brand new to making silicone molds, and using casting resins so any advice/tips are greatly appreciated. my decoys range in size from around 7"-14" if that plays a role in the most suitable medium. thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slayer_21420 Posted January 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 Not sure why the picture uploaded upside down.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 I use alumilite with micro balloons and have no problems, just have to get the right formula or mixture, I make musky lures 8.5 inches. Since you need weight to keep them down the only reason for balloons would be to save on resin. One thing that must be done is to use a primer sprayed in the molds before pouring keeps the small bubbles out. Wayne 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slayer_21420 Posted January 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 Thanks Wayne! I need the buoyancy to keep the swim of the decoy as similar to wood as possible. The way they're weighted right now they have a nice medium glide through the water, with more weight toward the bottom of the decoy to keep them from tipping when you swim them. what kind of primer are you spraying in the mold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 I use alumilite with micro balloons and have no problems, just have to get the right formula or mixture, I make musky lures 8.5 inches. Since you need weight to keep them down the only reason for balloons would be to save on resin. One thing that must be done is to use a primer sprayed in the molds before pouring keeps the small bubbles out. Wayne I use one that bonds to plastic. You will just have to find out how much micros you will need, Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 I use one that bonds to plastic. You will just have to find out how much micros you will need, Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoffbossn Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 wow, those look nice man,,, Wish i had some of those carving and painting skills. Im working on it! your in theright place with your question but I dont know the answer but i do know a molding product website (aluma?) has a forum as well, you can try there if you wanna broaden your knowledge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slayer_21420 Posted January 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Well I dove in head first. Last night I ordered, mold star 30 alumilite white microballoons ease release 200 6oz &16oz measuring cups and some synthetic modeling clay. Now I just need to carve a couple masters and start pouring. any tips are appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ces Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 Hey guys, Is alumilite white, the same as alumilite rc-3? I'm looking to get into casting like the OP. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slayer_21420 Posted January 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 I don't know if anyone is even following this based on the response but I have successfully casted a few bodies! Lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkNY Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Slayer, that looks awesome! What kind of fish? How did the casting go? A resin project is on my list. Mark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jigginpig Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Beautiful! Painting it will be nice too, no need to prime. Looks like you managed to avoid getting many bubbles. You are very talented. Cheers! SS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slayer_21420 Posted January 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 59 minutes ago, MarkNY said: Slayer, that looks awesome! What kind of fish? How did the casting go? A resin project is on my list. Mark Thanks for the compliments guys! I'll be sure to add a picture of the completed project. It's loosely based off of a perch, but it'll look great painted up like just about anything, I think. I'll be honest, there is a learning curve. I botched the first two attempts. First one I didn't have a large enough pour spout and the alumilite set up while I was still pouring. Second one the tail tail didn't completely fill in. I realized a small vent hole was needed back by the tail and that took care of the problem. making the silicone mold itself is a bit of a process, but if you take your time it's not terribly difficult. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
School Master Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Very nice! I've been messing around a lot with resin lately. My biggest problem is tiny bubbles that no mater what I try I get them on the top side of my mold. Do you have the same issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DingerBaits Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 You could get a pressure pot to get rid of the bubbles during the casting process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoffbossn Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 wow that looks great man... are these gona be decoys or lures!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slayer_21420 Posted January 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 10 hours ago, hoffbossn said: wow that looks great man... are these gona be decoys or lures!? Im thinking both! They're 8" long so should make a nice pike/musky bait. I was just planning on casting decoys but now that I'm started and I've been looking at the posts here I think I'll have to start making some baits too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louquel butler Posted December 31, 2022 Report Share Posted December 31, 2022 Where does one find a mold for making decoys? I just want to learn and make for myself.. but having trouble find a mold any help would be apprecited Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 Dude, that does look sick! I could see that profile being a great muskie bait or big bass swimbait! I'm going to try my hand with resin soon. How are you doing on finding the balance with micro baloons and resin? I saw the engineered angler uses 10% micro baloons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ Fisher Posted January 4, 2023 Report Share Posted January 4, 2023 4 hours ago, Big Epp said: Dude, that does look sick! I could see that profile being a great muskie bait or big bass swimbait! I'm going to try my hand with resin soon. How are you doing on finding the balance with micro baloons and resin? I saw the engineered angler uses 10% micro baloons. Not sure if you noticed but the post is 6 years old and the OP hasn't been on the site for 5 and a half years. Using 8% MB's for low floating or crankdown baits and 10% for walking or waking baits will get you in the ballpark and you can adjust from there to your liking for your specific bait. For glides I add more MB's and counter the extra buoyancy with weights in the bottom of the bait for a more stable swim. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted January 4, 2023 Report Share Posted January 4, 2023 17 minutes ago, AZ Fisher said: Not sure if you noticed but the post is 6 years old and the OP hasn't been on the site for 5 and a half years. Ha! I definitely did NOT catch that detail... Thanks for the tip though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
