Recycle/Reuse leftover Plastic

[Calli]

Hey there, 

 

First of I am a nooby  :)). Have been fishing for  about 22 years now and finally got  into making my own baits. Now I am injecting into molds. Everything works great using a Microwave in the garage etc..

As I dont want to waste any plastic, I do store all the leftovers/baits gone wrong/screwed up batches/ in a plastic bag to reuse. Just to have some brownish color around. As i tried to use it today, I noticed  the reused plastic starting to smell a bit. I did heat it up very slowly, not wanting to burn it. Yet well as i started getting to the right  Temp. well smell increased and i stopped hence i think it  would got worse on me.

Now my question: 

Is there a way to use these leftovers without adding new plastisol and then heating it up? Maybe heat stabilizer? I couldnt find much going thru the forum.  Would love to hear from someone with experience when it  comes to this matter. Much love and sorry for  my bad english as i am from Germany. 

 

[mark poulson]

I always add some new, virgin plastic and some heat stabilizer to any old plastic I'm trying to reuse.

[bryanmc]

3 minutes ago, mark poulson said:

I always add some new, virgin plastic and some heat stabilizer to any old plastic I'm trying to reuse.

 

Same here and I cut it in the smallest pieces possible.

 

[Calli]

First of thank you for responding so quickly.

As i figured, so once we are on the subject you cut  the plastic up to increase its area thus heating up more even i suppose ----> heat gets spread around better and doesnt just burn one place. 

What are your thoughts on using a meatgrinder to turn the plastic into mush ? I do have a lot of it saved and cutting it all with scissors would be time i dont really have :P.

Anyhow thank you both already, and as we say here Petri ! 

[Apdriver]

Haven’t done it myself, but have heard of others doing it for remelts.

[SlowFISH]

Cutting in small bits is key.  Otherwise you burn up the stuff that melted the fastest while still melting/cooking the solids.   I use old baits with just some heat stabilizer at times.. usually stuff that I'm trying out in a new mold and don't wanna waste good plastic on.

 

  J.

[Bass-Boys]

I cut some into pieces while the micro is heating or waiting on molds to cool ect. There is always some down time ..

( mite be 3-4 mins at a time ) Just work on it a little at a time and do not get behind on cutting it up. Do not let it build up before cutting .

 I keep all colors separated even salted and not salted. but If you do not make a lot of baits you can sort in 4 colors - Blacks,,,, Greens ,,,Browns  and Purples .. them 4 colors work  to reuse all colors just use 4 bags  or cans ect  . I do not reuse pearls unless just melting them together .

[Calli]

Ah gotcha,

I would love to keep everything seperated and stored until further use,yet i mostly shot two colors or laminates as its called i believe. By far the best catching here for  big Zander/walleye i guess they like the contrast.

So all together :

1. Use Heatstabilizer, maybe mix in some fresh plastisol

2. Cut old plastic in as small pieces as possible

3. Reheat gently and stirr more than usual

Anything I missed ? Btw love how quick and helpful everyone is around here, should have made an account sooner. Shouldnt just  be reading, but participating. 

[Les Young]

I keep my leftovers in folgers coffee cans & cut up unto small pieces when i'm going to use them. I melt it down some( about half)  while being careful to not get it to hot & then put a cap full of heat  stabilizer in it & then finish the heating & have no problems.

[Driftwood]

I run all my leftover through a meat grinder then remelt.it works great. Just get a cheap one from a yard sale. (Mine came from harbor freight.)

[Calli]

Ok, yeah I did a batch of used plastics yesterday. Everything worked like a charm.

I used a noodle maker to get the plastic cut into tiny pieces.  Works very well. I did however notice that the old plastic does smell a lot more than the newer one, since the heat does split the chemical bonds in this stuff,this should be expected. Anyhow all things considered works very well and i got a good brownish yet uv flourescent colour (weak motoroil).Quiet glad i wont have to toss all that plastic away! Petri

[Elf]

7 hours ago, Driftwood said:

I run all my leftover through a meat grinder then remelt.it works great. Just get a cheap one from a yard sale. (Mine came from harbor freight.)

Seriously? That works? 

[Elf]

6 hours ago, Calli said:

Ok, yeah I did a batch of used plastics yesterday. Everything worked like a charm.

I used a noodle maker to get the plastic cut into tiny pieces.  Works very well. I did however notice that the old plastic does smell a lot more than the newer one, since the heat does split the chemical bonds in this stuff,this should be expected. Anyhow all things considered works very well and i got a good brownish yet uv flourescent colour (weak motoroil).Quiet glad i wont have to toss all that plastic away! Petri

A noodle maker...you don't say...huh...

[Elf]

Something like this maybe?

https://www.amazon.com/Weston-Grinder-Sausage-Stuffer-36-1001-W/dp/B000BQSW44/ref=sr_1_21?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1547843440&sr=1-21&keywords=meat+grinder

[Calli]

I used this kind,

https://www.amazon.com/OxGord-Pasta-Maker-Machine-Fettuccine/dp/B01COGM5YQ/ref=sr_1_7?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1547846032&sr=1-7&keywords=noodle+maker

dont think it really matters but  this one is easier to clean.

[Driftwood]

Yes, seriously, it works quite well. 

1 hour ago, Elf said:

Seriously? That works?

[BuckeyeFishing]

On 1/18/2019 at 3:29 PM, Elf said:

Seriously? That works? 

 

I have been doing the same thing recently, using pretty much the same grinder you linked. I bought mine years ago from a big box store. I was cutting it into small pieces with scissors before, but this is so much easier. There is very little clean up other than to remove the front and get anything out that is pressed against the face.

[Landry]

I chop our up into small bits and mix with new plastisol - no stabilizer - no issues so far. 

A meat grinder sounds handy. 

[rixon529]

On 1/18/2019 at 3:29 PM, Elf said:

Seriously? That works? 

This is why I encourage members to go back and read old posts.

Using a meat grinder to recycle plastics was first mentioned (according to a quick search) back in 2008 by a hobbyist turned commercial baitmaker.

Rick

[toadfrog]

I'm lazy so I don't grind . I just pour the left over plastic on a cookie sheet. Roll it up and drop it in a zip - lock when its cool . When I'm ready to use it I roll it up tight like jelly roll cut it in thin slices with a sharp kitchen knife . Looks kinda like veggie pasta. Had no trouble  packing it in a cup and heating normally around 2.5 minutes nuking it . Depends somewhat on the plastic.

 

[mark poulson]

I cut my old plastics into 1"+- square chunks, add a bit of new plastic and heat stabilizer, and then cook it in the microwave until the new plastic kicks over.  If, when I take it out to stir the colorant into it, there are still lumps, I put it back in for another 30 seconds, and it's usually ready to inject.