Pricing for having a mold made

[SpoonMinnow]

I have lure designs I would like aluminum molds for,  some of which require a hand injection process. Last time I checked, the price was too much for my taste. Any sources you know of that wouldn't break the bank?

Here is an example:

The thin tail grubs are still one of my best multi-species lures - especially for pan fish. The other designs look easy to mold with POP.

Edited April 13, 2017 by SpoonMinnow

[C0MRAD]

Try this guy: http://baitmold.com/custom-bait-molds/

Not aluminum but it might be an acceptable and cheaper alternative.

[alsworms]

1 hour ago, C0MRAD said:

Try this guy: http://baitmold.com/custom-bait-molds/

Not aluminum but it might be an acceptable and cheaper alternative.

Almost put my foot in my mouth.  Was gonna say most custom aluminum injection molds are super expensive, but these prices seem reasonable........provided the molds hold up. 

[Jig Man]

Wow that is cheap.  When I made a bait that I wanted to get a mold for I was told $400 for an injection mold.

[BassJunky]

I have been looking at their molds on eBay for a few days. I've reached out to ask about pricIng on a few custom molds with multicavities 

[alsworms]

3 hours ago, Jig Man said:

Wow that is cheap.  When I made a bait that I wanted to get a mold for I was told $400 for an injection mold.

Unfortunately, that seems about right.

[alsworms]

1 hour ago, BassJunky said:

I have been looking at their molds on eBay for a few days. I've reached out to ask about pricIng on a few custom molds with multicavities 

If you do decide to purchase, I'm sure many members would love to hear how they work out for you. 

[Baitjunkys]

400.00 is cheap.. 

[SpoonMinnow]

Great !!! The last time I looked, $400 or more was about right depending on lure complexity.

Will give a full report with pictures after I visit the site.  

Thanks Again.

Senkosam aka SpoonMinnow

 

Edited April 14, 2017 by SpoonMinnow

[fshng2]

11 hours ago, C0MRAD said:

Try this guy: http://baitmold.com/custom-bait-molds/

Not aluminum but it might be an acceptable and cheaper alternative.

 

Thanks for posting Comrad.

Sounds like a dialog out of Hogan's Hero's.

On the serious side, these guy's do some great work.

Thanks for posting....a real find 

[edgecrusher]

I would expect $750 if I got it done in the us or at least within a couple of hundred either side of that number

[cintaskevin]

I've purchased the stone molds from Baitmold and I wasn't overly thrilled with them. The molds themselves are great although the process in using them was a pain. In order to keep the plastic from sticking to the stone, you must brush the mold with worm oil before you inject or pour. You have to do this every time. Just too slow and labor intensive for me. Aluminum is the only way to go!

[SpoonMinnow]

When I use my POP molds, I have to do the same thing - worm oil or baby oil (unscented) even though I've coated the cavities with polymer. I made an injection mold of a Sweet Beaver using POP, but the detail is  not as sharp as the stone. Will give them a try anyway for micro-finesse baits as shown above.

Edited April 14, 2017 by SpoonMinnow

[alsworms]

8 hours ago, cintaskevin said:

I've purchased the stone molds from Baitmold and I wasn't overly thrilled with them. The molds themselves are great although the process in using them was a pain. In order to keep the plastic from sticking to the stone, you must brush the mold with worm oil before you inject or pour. You have to do this every time. Just too slow and labor intensive for me. Aluminum is the only way to go!

Looking at the molds, that's exactly what I was afraid of.  Years ago, I bought some similar looking molds on Ebay and had the same problem. 

[2Brits]

$400.00 for a single cavity mold!!!! That's outrageous for those designs. Your designs don't seem particularly complicated, I can't see why the initial mold with drawing toolpaths etc. Should cost more than in the region of $150-200.00 to get your first single cavity aluminum mold into your hand. Saying that we're stacked up with work at the moment, but I'll happily quote for.

Rupert

[SpoonMinnow]

Thanks. Sending the lure should be enough to program the machine - shouldn't it?

Since the lures are 2" or less, I would think an injection mold with at least eight cavities could be made.  One sided molds are easy to make and adequate for some lures, but not for grubs.  I've made a few injection molds using POP and the resulting baits are adequate, but only because none of the parts were super thin.

[Vodkaman]

I too would say that $400 was very cheap for custom work. You have to keep in mind the process involved in creating a custom mold. It all starts with the CAD design work, were your model is input into the computer, even what seems a simple job can take a few hours. From there, the CAD model is expanded to include pour-spout, vents, alignment pins. Then the model has to be converted to a language that the milling machine can communicate with. The cutter paths have to be programmed, including tool changes. A simulation run and a test run will probably be performed to check for errors which could be expensive if things went wrong. Then the machining. Alignment pins have to be tapped and fitted and finally, a test pour performed. Well not quite finally, packaging, posting and communications. And then there are the running and maintenance costs that your job will have to share a portion of. Taxes have to be paid and accounted for. Time is money, and you will not employ a quality machinist for the same $$ rate that you are prepared to turn out lures for.

'Off-the-shelf' molds are a different matter. All the design, layout, tooling considerations and cutter paths have already been done, stored on the computer hard drive. For a one-off custom mold, more than half the cost is away from the machine shop, but you still have to pay machining rates.

I am not a machinist, but just about all the design work that I do involves machinists, and so I am not entirely clueless on the subject.

Dave

[Baitjunkys]

At 150-200.00 you will get exactly what you pay for lol.... 

[SlowFISH]

I'm a hobby guy and cut my own molds..... this stuff ain't cheap.... just look at the cost of a piece of aluminum and some decent cutters... your at $30-40 there alone and that's without doing any work.  Then add in the cost of a machine (you have to amortize the cost of the CNC - which can be the cost of a new car)... a computer, CAD software, controller software, etc etc.... and oh yeah.... how much an hour do you think someone with good technical skills should make?  Add it all up - and you see why CUSTOM even if it's "small and simple" costs real money.  

I thought about trying to start a business like some of the guys on this site doing custom stuff - and realized I'd be bankrupt... it's a tough gig... I think the hundreds that they charge is actually really cheap.

  J.

 

Edited April 21, 2017 by SlowFISH

[alsworms]

Pardon my ignorance as I know NOTHING about CNC molds, but would it be around 150-200 for a single cavity mold?  What would a 4 or 5 cavity mold run?  Reason I ask is I could never have worked with just a single cavity.  That would drive my crazy!  lol

[SpoonMinnow]

For me to justify the cost of an injection mold with say eight or more cavities, I'd have to sell quite a few lures of one size and shape. Most customers want a variety of sizes which makes the cost go higher.

I own a Mojo grub injection mold bought for under $70 new, not realizing the ad was wrong for body size accuracy.  At least I've found uses for it. Paying $400 up front for lure molds of the lures only friends and I use  can't justify the cost regardless the factors that contribute it.  Even the most time consuming lures made still allow a usable quantity to be produced in  less than 20 minutes depending on sizes and colors.

Unlike many on TU that show 50 made at a time of one design, size and color to sell, a dozen lasts me for at least a season or two.

Thanks for the replies.

 

Edited April 22, 2017 by SpoonMinnow

[fshng2]

13 hours ago, SpoonMinnow said:

For me to justify the cost of an injection mold with say eight or more cavities, I'd have to sell quite a few lures of one size and shape. Most customers want a variety of sizes which makes the cost go higher.

I own a Mojo grub injection mold bought for under $70 new, not realizing the ad was wrong for body size accuracy.  At least I've found uses for it. Paying $400 up front for lure molds of the lures only friends and I use  can't justify the cost regardless the factors that contribute it.  Even the most time consuming lures made still allow a usable quantity to be produced in  less than 20 minutes depending on sizes and colors.

Unlike many on TU that show 50 made at a time of one design, size and color to sell, a dozen lasts me for at least a season or two.

Thanks for the replies.

 

 

Check these videos out for low volume low cost lure solutions.

http://www.makelure.com/store/pg/54-How-To-Videos.aspx#prettyPhoto

[MonteSS]

Up to you but there are molds already that should be similar enough to your bait. Seems like a waste to me for another grub mold. You would never sell enought to get your money back.

[SpoonMinnow]

Besides, who would buy them? National companies have a lock on sales and no matter how superior my lure designs,  still couldn't compete.  The locals I sell to love them and that is satisfying in of itself. 

[walleyeking]

I think ide look at Do-it mo magic mold it's almost identical to the one style and maybe a senco tip mold for the other. Bait junkies ned bullet should work too. I'm sure if you look around you can find many options of already produced molds real close to the baits you have pictured.