Toxic musky lures Posted December 16, 2017 Report Share Posted December 16, 2017 (edited) I am casting 7” Musky glide baits from a custom machined aluminum mold. When I cast a bait almost all come out with small air bubbles in the surface running the entire bait these are about the size of a pin head. I am preheating the mold to around 100-140 and I have tried 2 different containers of micro balloons and resin to ensure no moisture is present. While mixing the A and B with micro balloons I’m mixing slow to ensure no air is getting wipped in, I have even tried chilling the resin to delay the setup time and it still has these holes. I called alumilite and tried all their suggestions but to no avail they are still there. Any ideas I’m at a loss Edited December 16, 2017 by Toxic musky lures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ Fisher Posted December 16, 2017 Report Share Posted December 16, 2017 Maybe this info will help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxic musky lures Posted December 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted December 16, 2017 Report Share Posted December 16, 2017 Being we do not know what Alumilite told you, it is hard not to make the same suggestions to start with. This could get dull for all of us if we don't know where to start. But, I will try...... We need to test the process. 1) Have you tried to pour without microballons. Attach a photo of the bait with just straight Alumilite white. 2) What percentage of microballons are you using? 3) Please take some paint and paint a portion of one of the molds then pour again and see if you get the pin holes in that portion. Attach a photo of that as well. I am not trying to suggest a change, just trying to diagnose the issue. Lets figure it out together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxic musky lures Posted December 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2017 I’m using 1.5oz of micro balloons and 4oz of resin. I have tried without micro balloons and the issue is still there. When I pour into the mold it cascades to the bottom without a issue. I’m not sure you can put paint in a aluminum mold without it sticking can you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted December 17, 2017 Report Share Posted December 17, 2017 if you cant solve it thru the resin supplier heres a tip. purchase lepage wood fill in tube,thin it a wee bit. spread over bait and light sand to fill the pinholes. that's a problem with resins and foams.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted December 17, 2017 Report Share Posted December 17, 2017 5 hours ago, Toxic musky lures said: I’m using 1.5oz of micro balloons and 4oz of resin. I have tried without micro balloons and the issue is still there. When I pour into the mold it cascades to the bottom without a issue. I’m not sure you can put paint in a aluminum mold without it sticking can you? The maximum ratio of resin to microballoons is 1:1 by VOLUME. 1.5 oz to 4 oz by weight seems pretty high to me, but I have not done a test. Still, you said you are getting the same problem either way. So, while I would still like to see a picture of the lure without the microballoons, this does help. Items one and two seem to be answered, but please attached a picture without microballoons. Painting aluminum will indeed stick, but it can be cleaned off later with a solvent. What I am trying to do is determine if there is a reaction of some sort with the resin and the aluminum. I have poured straight resin in different silicones and also also Vac-Master 50 and the only time I have ever had the issue remotely like that was when there was so much surface texture that air was trapped. It was not so evenly distributed as your sample is. Possible solutions are to place your freshly poured molds in a pressure chamber at 60 to 80 psi to collapse the air before the resin cures. Another possible option is to place your freshly mixed resin in a vacuum chamber before you pour. I just want to point out that if you are getting some kind of surface reaction, then neither the pressure or vacuum may work. I no longer have a pressure vessel, but the one I had was from Harbor Freight, using my own compressor, and it worked well. I do have a vacuum so if nothing else works and you don't have one, .......... we can discuss this later. 1) Please attach a picture without microballoons. 2) Please paint the mold, pour again, attach a picture. Good luck and we will figure it out together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted December 17, 2017 Report Share Posted December 17, 2017 2 hours ago, woodieb8 said: if you cant solve it thru the resin supplier heres a tip. purchase lepage wood fill in tube,thin it a wee bit. spread over bait and light sand to fill the pinholes. that's a problem with resins and foams.. I use a similar process on the sprue locations on foam baits, but most of the time even my foams skin over perfectly. (except for the sprue locations where I have to sand and it opens the pours. This option will work quite well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
