quick question on flotation additive

[Roger LaPointe]

I want to make a floating bait but have been reading that it will make the bait softer and washout the color so it takes more dye to get the color you want. My question is, will hardener added to the plastisol compensate for the softness and make it not so tearable

[Tiderunner]

I have made hundreds of floating baits using the floating "bubble" additive, and have never experienced the baits being too soft. If anything, they were hardened up using the additive.

I use mostly soft plastisol. And yes the additive does wash out the color. One color I've made a lot of floating baits with is black. That should be the easiest color to make, but even black requires a lot of colorant to make it truly black, or you end up with grey of a washed out black.

I'm using a lot of additive to make baits that will float high on the surface to float over lily pads and such. Some other bait makers just make their baits float enough to suspend.

Either way plan on using a lot of colorant.

And if you want your biats to float. test the first couple of baits in a bucket of water with a hook in it. Once on the water with floating baits it's too late to find out they don't float.

[Roger LaPointe]

Thanks Tiderunner, I really appreciate the info, was going to use a shade of black so that bit about the color is something that will prove helpful. If you don't mind me asking what's the ratio to get the bait to ride high in the water?

Edited August 15, 2020 by Roger LaPointe
spelling

[Tiderunner]

I will usually start with 4oz plastic, then add by volume around 2oz of additive, and some softener. Stir, bake until ready. Pour, or inject. Give the float test. Repeat until satisfied with results. Just keep adding floatant in small amounts until satidfied.

That about as close to a recipe that I use for floaters. I do both hand pours, and injected stuff.  One thing to keep in mind, if you're fishing the floating lure weightless, they don't cast very far.

 

I'm typically using a 2/0 EWG thin wire hook. You'll have to adjust for your hooks

[Roger LaPointe]

Wow , thanks that definitely will get me started in the right direction. I didn't realize that the additive would  effect the distance in casting distance. My bait is pretty good sized so it will be interesting to see how this will be effected.

[mark poulson]

Be sure to add some heat stabilizer when you cook your plastic, so it doesn't yellow when you reheat it.  I add 1 tsp for a cup of plastic.

[Roger LaPointe]

Didn't know that, more to buy I guess, I really appreciate your input. It really helps to get info from someone who has been around the block a time or two. So I need some stabilizer  and softener . . . . hardener? Any thing else that comes to mind for this newbie?

 

[mark poulson]

If you want to use hardener, add it to the plastic before it's heated, and stir it well.  If you add it to hot plastic, it won't mix and you'll get lumps.

When I want to add hardener to some already cooked, but cold, plastic, I mix the hardener with new plastic in a separate bowl, until it's completely mixed, and then add it to the cold plastic and heat them both together, stirring as soon as the old stuff is soft.

[Roger LaPointe]

Thanks Mark, I really appreciated you sharing your expertise, your willingness to share really saving me some real time and hassles not to mention probably ruining a bunch of materials. When I as a young man I was a wood worker and there were people that when I was to ask a question, they were less than helpful. Turns out to them knowledge was power and since they might have learned the hard way they felt I should have to do the same. I was never that way, I was always willing to share what I knew and help them any way I could. I'm glad that you are cut from the same cloth. I'm retired now and live on a very, very low income . . .  I've come to realize this is really not a cheap endeavor. I've always been a inventor of sorts and have started to do this on a shoe string, I'm starting out pouring my own molds, even going so far as to mold my baits out of clay as a master. I'm no artist but so far I'm having fun and little by little things are starting to come together. By the way that's a nice little bass you have in your picture, that's about the size we use for bait here in Texas . . . . of course I'm kidding. How much did it weigh? Where did you catch it? Did you catch it on one of your own baits? While I have bass fished all over this country my best was probably in the 6 -7 pound range. Well thanks again for sharing hope you and your family are staying safe in this crazy time we're living in.

[mark poulson]

On 8/17/2020 at 6:55 AM, Roger LaPointe said:

Thanks Mark, I really appreciated you sharing your expertise, your willingness to share really saving me some real time and hassles not to mention probably ruining a bunch of materials. When I as a young man I was a wood worker and there were people that when I was to ask a question, they were less than helpful. Turns out to them knowledge was power and since they might have learned the hard way they felt I should have to do the same. I was never that way, I was always willing to share what I knew and help them any way I could. I'm glad that you are cut from the same cloth. I'm retired now and live on a very, very low income . . .  I've come to realize this is really not a cheap endeavor. I've always been a inventor of sorts and have started to do this on a shoe string, I'm starting out pouring my own molds, even going so far as to mold my baits out of clay as a master. I'm no artist but so far I'm having fun and little by little things are starting to come together. By the way that's a nice little bass you have in your picture, that's about the size we use for bait here in Texas . . . . of course I'm kidding. How much did it weigh? Where did you catch it? Did you catch it on one of your own baits? While I have bass fished all over this country my best was probably in the 6 -7 pound range. Well thanks again for sharing hope you and your family are staying safe in this crazy time we're living in.

Roger, I am a retired carpenter, 50+ years in the trade, and I feel the same way.  I was fortunate enough to learn my craft(s) from WW2 vets who were used to pulling on the same end of the rope to get the job done.  There were a few who were selfish, always worried that teaching someone else would mean eventually losing their job to whoever they taught , but I have never found that to be true.  Selfish people never lasted on the job, but I've had people I've taught come back to me and say thank you, years later.  Everything I know about lure making I learned here on TU, from others willing share their knowledge.  I think it's only right to turn around and share what I now know with other people.  What goes around comes around.

[Roger LaPointe]

I know what you mean about people thinking your going after their job. Years ago when I was a leadman building furniture for private jets,Learjets and such, it was my job to teach the new ones. I was more than willing to train them until some would get the idea that now that they were trained they were as smart as me and sometimes tried to undermine me with the boss. That was when they "Graduated" and I'd let them realize you don't learn everything in a month of training. I do appreciate you sharing . . . makes things alittle easier and cheaper

[mark poulson]

On 8/19/2020 at 7:25 PM, Roger LaPointe said:

I know what you mean about people thinking your going after their job. Years ago when I was a leadman building furniture for private jets,Learjets and such, it was my job to teach the new ones. I was more than willing to train them until some would get the idea that now that they were trained they were as smart as me and sometimes tried to undermine me with the boss. That was when they "Graduated" and I'd let them realize you don't learn everything in a month of training. I do appreciate you sharing . . . makes things alittle easier and cheaper

Funny how that works.  Life is too short to be chickenshit.

[Roger LaPointe]

Yes sir... and the sad part is they usually wide up losing in the end

[DaBehr]

Just be aware that micro bubbles have a SIGNIFICANT lung health issue! Most thermoplastic molders will not allow their use! 

 

Edited September 3, 2020 by DaBehr

[Roger LaPointe]

Thanks for the heads up .. .good to know

 

[MonteSS]

I have used Alumalite micro balloons. Had to add a ton of them and be very carefull to not inhale them. They are white so as said you need a lot of a dark colorant. It will also make the bait very stiff so a lot of softener is needed. Baits are very weak and rip on the hook. Also dont overheat or reheat as the hheat causes the balloons to pop and not float.

[Roger LaPointe]

Thanks for the input

[Alice]

Hi ,

 

I am new to posting.

i saw the conversation about using floating additive to plastisol which I am a new user of. The information you all provide is so great .

i have a question, how many times can you reheat  the plastisol when it is mixed with the ratio of 2oz floating additive to 4oz plastisol ?

[Tiderunner]

23 minutes ago, Alice said:

Hi ,

 

I am new to posting.

i saw the conversation about using floating additive to plastisol which I am a new user of. The information you all provide is so great .

i have a question, how many times can you reheat  the plastisol when it is mixed with the ratio of 2oz floating additive to 4oz plastisol ?

4oz of plastisol mixed with the microbubbles doesn't make a whole lot of baits. Of course depends on what you're pouring.

I have reheated the mix quite a few times. Yes color will deteriorate. I find this especially true of chartreuse. But if you reheat GENTLY you should get a few reheats out of it. Heat Stabilizer helps. Keep in mind after each pour the volume of the mix is less requiring less heating time.

[Alice]

Thank you.Appreciate your reply!