lures warping

[elru]

hi guys im elru from south africa hope its okay to use some of your knowledge 

so i started making some lures for myself but after a while i realised that my lures warped.  what can i do to stop the warping? i put my lures in a medium sized ziplock bag. my plastic that i use is a soft plastic i dont throw any hardner in it could this be the problem? so after i pour the lures i throw it in cold water for 10min and hang it up on a rack for about 2-4 days. Can any one give me some advice please?

[Baitjunkys]

Let them hang longer 7 days.

 

[Anglinarcher]

Elru, good to have you with us.

Extra hardener will not help.  I suspect that the heat of your climate is causing any bent baits to take a set, or seem to warp.

Baitjunkys is correct, letting them hang or just lay straight for 5 or more days will allow the plastisol to "cure" a little, but even then, if you have temperatures over say a 110 degrees, and the lures are bent, they will warp.  In plastic bags that temperature is easy to get to in a hurry. 

Let them hang or lay straight for a few extra days, and when you store them, store them straight.

 

[McLuvin175]

The phenomenon you are seeing is compression set. Meaning that your baits are bent under pressure long enough that they will retain the bend. You didn't make it clear whether you baits were "warping" hanging on your rack or afterwards when bagged. I assume that it happens when bagged. As mentioned above let them rest or hang longer than you are currently do before storing them. Also the addition of a little worm oil may help the baits slip and slide past each other when bagged thus reducing stress pressure when baits are confined in a bag. A more tedious solution is to perhaps layout your baits  carefully in a hard plastic container for longer storage instead of throwing them into a bag. A better solution is to put those suckers on a hook and get them in the water! Good Luck.

[Bamafan2277]

Another way to fix bent plastics is to take a pot of boiling water and drop them in for a minute or 2. The temp of the water is below the plastic melt point but is enough to reset the memory from when they were molded. Once you pull them out lay them flat for a day or so and they will be like new. 

[mark poulson]

Just now, Bamafan2277 said:

Another way to fix bent plastics is to take a pot of boiling water and drop them in for a minute or 2. The temp of the water is below the plastic melt point but is enough to reset the memory from when they were molded. Once you pull them out lay them flat for a day or so and they will be like new. 

 

I do that with swim baits that have bent tails, and it works.

[Anglinarcher]

9 hours ago, Bamafan2277 said:

Another way to fix bent plastics is to take a pot of boiling water and drop them in for a minute or 2. The temp of the water is below the plastic melt point but is enough to reset the memory from when they were molded. Once you pull them out lay them flat for a day or so and they will be like new. 

Forgot about that; thanks for the reminder. 

[MonteSS]

I feel baits take at least two weeks to cure. And hot temps could cause them to retain bent shape.

[TroutSupport.com]

I like the hot water method.  I've achieved some results heating lures in micro wave.. but you risk getting too hot and melting them into foreign shapes.   Boiling water is about right and better controlled.

[FATFLATTIE]

You can let em "cure" for a year, if they get bent up in the bag they are gonna be bent up. Doesn't matter if you let em sit for a day or 100 days. I've never noticed any difference in letting the baits sit more than a day or two but that's just me. Unless they are in a clam shell they are gonna get slightly misshapen in the bags. In addition to the boiling water the defrost on high in the car works haha, found that out by accident but the hot water is certainly more convenient. 

[elru]

thank you guys will definately try the hot water method

[TroutSupport.com]

Sun light at mid day on cardboard is working also. I wouldn't do it on steel or anything.. but seems the infrared and ultraviolet of the sun is just right to heat the bait without melting it.