Hephaestus Posted January 8, 2020 Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 Hey Folks, I'm starting to acquire some of the tools that I need to start pouring plastics, currently I have my pyrex cups, infrared thermometer, gloves, measuring spoons, and microwave. I think I'd like to get into doing injection molds and I've wondered what folks thought a good size injector is to start doing injection molds? I see a lot of videos with folks with 6oz or higher, but I also see them shooting multiple molds which may not be feasible to start with. I purchased glitter as well, next month is two gallons of plastic and all of my colorant, so I still have time to make a decision on molds (hand pour seems fun too and easier to get into money-wise). What do we think about hand pour vs injection molding to start? I would imagine it's preference but I'd love to hear other people's experience. Thanks! Heph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 8, 2020 Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 Each mold is different, and how each person pours is different, so this is just what I do, as a hobby pourer. I use the 6 oz injector. I have a smaller one, but it doesn't hold enough plastic, and I've found that the 6 oz will fill two Do-It ES ripper, 5" senko, or 3" grub molds, before the plastic gets too cool to inject. Sometimes one cavity won't fill all the way. I also know I can fill either three 7" senko cavities, or five 6" senko cavities, or six creature bait cavities. Those are home made POP molds. I know there are folks here who have figured out how to heat their injectors so the plastic doesn't cool as quickly, but I haven't. I have hand pour molds from Lurecraft, and I use them, too. I would say the 6 oz injector is a good starter. If you eventually find you need a bigger one, you can always get another 6 oz and the brackets and blending block that is used to do laminates. There is no rule against filling both injectors with the same color, so you wind up with a 12 oz capacity, plus you can make some really cool laminates, if you want. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hephaestus Posted January 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2020 Thanks for your insight. I think that may be the route I go. I'm interested in whether or not hand pouring may be a good route to start with given molds are typically cheaper, and there's no need for an injector. I also think it may give me some experience around pouring plastic and getting used to it all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 It's probably a smart idea to start with hand pouring. Like you said, almost everything is cheaper, and you can learn how to handle plastics and pouring without spending a fortune. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted January 9, 2020 Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 18 hours ago, mark poulson said: It's probably a smart idea to start with hand pouring. Like you said, almost everything is cheaper, and you can learn how to handle plastics and pouring without spending a fortune. VERY good advice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hephaestus Posted January 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2020 I'll likely go this route, it makes sense to start there and get used to the ins/outs of working with plastisol, color mixing, etc. It also allows me to get started a little sooner which I like. Thanks for the recommendations, I appreciate it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
