bassmaster7938 Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 I have been working on making jointed swimbaits and glide baits, as you can see here. I have a few molds done and ready to pour master molds to cut joints, install hardware, and ballast etc. I have featherlite kit right now, I am trying to achieve a nice slow sink on everything to start and then floating possibly. I looked at every single thing I could find on the internet about these two, I do know that alumilite sinks and microbaloons used to allow it to float or achieve buoyancy. Is it easier to get a swimabait to float with alumilite product or just stick with featherlite and add weight to get a slow sink. All of my baits right now are 6" and less. Some will have 1 joints some will have 2 or 3. The reason I did not cut up my original carvings was because I want to be able to make multiple offerings of the same model, kinda like how roman made has the glide bait and also a jointed version of the mother. It would be nice to not have to drill holes and just be able to cast for the most part. I also thought about using different resins in pouring to cast a heavier belly section and a lighter top. Whats your thoughts on the best direction to go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 I don't pour resin, but I've been making baits for a few years, and one thing I've learned is to use the lightest material that I can, because it makes the liveliest baits. That's why balsa baits shine! Of course, it has to be strong enough to actually do the job, and not to fail when I have a fish on. I can always add ballast to get it to be heavier, but having to try and lighten a bait after it's made is a real struggle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickadoll Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 I have used Feather lite a lot and I have also made something around 20 baits with my new plastic Alumilite Rc-3 and micro ballons. Feather lite lures is easy to weight. You just attach the lead weights on the through wire. But it is a slow cured plastic and you need to stir it pretty much before using it every time and is a bit messy to work with. And it doesnt become so hard as at least I want when its cured. Alumilite with ballons is more complicated but when you figured out the right mixture for the lure it is pretty good. Cures in like 10 minutes and gets much harder than feather lite. So you can cast many times as many lures a day with this compared with FL. A friend of mine have tried another plastic that he say is better than both of the other. It is Smooth on Smooth cast 300 combined with Alumilites micro ballons. It is pretty much like working with Alumilite plastic but the mold will last longer without tearing apart. With plastic combined with ballons you can do as you say to pour plastic in the belly and with micro ballons on top. Some lures will swim great using that method without any weights inside. Dont know if this helped you anything haha. /David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmaster7938 Posted February 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2017 Thank you guys it's a ton of help. I'm tempted to switch from featherlite to 300 and add micro balloons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris03 Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 What did you find to work with the slow sinking glide baits? I am also looking into pouring my own swimbaits, any suggestions on what type of resin? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Use Micro balloons, they will work just takes a little time getting the formula right. I use them all the time. Once you get all the ballast and hooks plus any hardware then you can play with the micro balloons. Don't forget the paint and clear coat it all adds up. I don't think the resin makes that much of a difference, one might be better to work with than another resin but when it comes to the finish the micro balloons will do it just make sure you write down the formula each time. When I get my formula right each lure is within + - 1 gram. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) I think you are going about this all wrong. Presumably, you have done a prototype out of wood, added ballast weights to achieve the sink rate and the action that you are looking for. You were successful and achieved everything you wanted out of your lure. I won't guess at how many prototypes you built, I can only judge on how many it took me to achieve exactly what I was looking for. Jointed baits are complicated enough, so eliminating all that carving is a very good idea. BUT, it was the combination of the wood density, the amount and position of the ballast that gave you exactly what you were looking for. Now, you are ignoring the wood density, throwing out all the ballast parameters, and trying to produce a neutral density material, and hoping that the lure will swim exactly as your prototype did. Swimbaits and gliders are particularly sensitive to ballast. The chances of achieving the success of your prototypes using a neutral density material to replace the ballast is not zero, but not far off. Roman swimbaits have a very complex ballast system. I know because I have worked on something very similar for a customer. The idea being that you can snip off various elements of the ballast casting in order to achieve a certain characteristic; float, neutral, slow sink and fast sink, achieving these characteristics from a single casting of the ballast. Do not ignore the importance of ballast or the density of the body material of the prototype. I suggest that you cast the lightest material available, and then start the prototyping sequence over again using the cast bodies. Keep the master body shapes untouched for future use. You can produce templates for the drilling operations. There are various ways of achieving the drilling templates that are very efficient. Sorry if this post seems a little harsh, I really am trying to help. This is really a more in-depth version of what Mark has posted, one of the most experienced lure designers on TU. Worth reading and paying attention to. Dave Edited January 15, 2019 by Vodkaman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Having been so critical, I now feel the need to explain why. I spent hundreds of hours and as many prototypes trying to develop a consistent hunter. Having achieved the hunter, I cast the body, built the lure and it failed badly, for all the reasons that I mentioned. As it happened, I was on the wrong track anyway, but that does not diminish the importance of transferring your prototype data to your final lure, with accuracy. For future reference; Choose your final materials be it wood or cast material, and use these materials for your prototyping. Time is too valuable to squander it away needlessly. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 On 1/31/2017 at 2:49 PM, mark poulson said: I don't pour resin, but I've been making baits for a few years, and one thing I've learned is to use the lightest material that I can, because it makes the liveliest baits. That's why balsa baits shine! Of course, it has to be strong enough to actually do the job, and not to fail when I have a fish on. I can always add ballast to get it to be heavier, but having to try and lighten a bait after it's made is a real struggle. the post above is sooo true. weighting can kill a lures action...a brief thought for myself would be to go to a smooth-on rigid foam in their 26lb urethane foam..you could adjust weight or more buoyancy with micro-balloons. . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris03 Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 Thanks for all the info. Greatley appreciated, I would have wasted alot time thanks for sharing the knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainryan Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 (edited) Completely abandon anything alumalite. IMO their stuff is expensive and inconsistent. They also don't provide nearly enough details on their products to make informed decisions. Try Smooth on, they have an overwhelming array of products and detailed technical data on tensile strengths and densities. Reynolds advanced materials are a dealer and their staff are great resources about products. try using their urethane resins and microballons. the premixed resin (with microballons) is too soft to make really strong bait. I do what your doing and basically pour the same blank and cut different joints and sink rates. I only make wakes and wake and cranks so buoyancy is important. just as important is having a resin that's hard enough while having its density lowered by microbaloons. Sorry but it took many trials to find this and your going to have to work on that but a clue is to look for strong light resins to start. Next is your weighting question. there is not enough density difference between resins to make this work properly. Just pour one resin and weight with lead and your hooks. My process is I pour a blank then cut and assemble because you really cant modify what your hardware weighs. then I float test using the hooks and rings I want and hot glue weights till I get balance or sink rate. then drill and insert. you don't need to make your resin super buoyant for a slow sink just only add as much weight to get it to stay upright on the swim. good luck. Ryan Edited January 18, 2019 by mountainryan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
