Soft or Hard

[Tiderunner]

Ok How do y'all prefer your baits, soft with no additives?  Supersoft? Or going more towards the Harder stiffer side?

For me I prefer stiffer with my wacky worm stuff, and softer with my stick baits, and grubs.

Been using MF soft sinking plastisol, adding salt and glass beads and more softener and even adding Clearosol to make them a bit clearer, though you don't get many reheats with that blend. . And for the stiffer I use salt and hardener.

[Les Young]

Most of my stuff in medium, but sometimes i add hard to it if i want them a little firmer. Tubes i  usually do  3 ounces medium &  ounce hard. Right now i'm using bait plastics plastisol. 

[Senkosam]

Medium soft is fine for micro lures and larger swimbaits.

[Tiderunner]

Now that I'm using wacky worms and Neko Rigs more I went back to a softer bait. I want that thing wiggling like a pole dancer when it begins the fall.

And for a softener I use the MF sinking softener. 

I test my baits by taking a commercial bait and wiggling it in my hand, and then repeat the process with my homemade baits. I do weigh my baits to get them as close to an original. Between 10g-11g for senko types. And between 8g-10g for my wacky worms.

That's about as scientific as it gets in my laboratory.

[Senkosam]

Quote

I want that thing wiggling like a pole dancer when it begins the fall.

Watch many of those?     

Edited October 27, 2020 by Senkosam

[Tiderunner]

On 10/27/2020 at 8:38 AM, Senkosam said:

Watch many of those?     

Of course not. I wouldn't have enough dollar bills for fishing stuff if I did.

[Tiderunner]

What is everyone using for hardener? I used the MF plastics in the beginning, Then I used LureWorks. The MF was much better for my use. I don't use much hardener, Ive bough 3 pints in the last 4 years, and still have 2 left.

[mark poulson]

11 minutes ago, Tiderunner said:

What is everyone using for hardener? 

The pole dancer usually works for me.

[alsworms]

5 hours ago, Tiderunner said:

What is everyone using for hardener? I used the MF plastics in the beginning, Then I used LureWorks. The MF was much better for my use. I don't use much hardener, Ive bough 3 pints in the last 4 years, and still have 2 left.

I always used MF because it was in liquid form.  All others at the time were clumpy and miserable to work with. 

[mark poulson]

1 hour ago, alsworms said:

I always used MF because it was in liquid form.  All others at the time were clumpy and miserable to work with. 

I have some old Bears hardener that is at least ten years old.  It is really thick, like cold honey.

I find that I have to mix it in uncooked plastic until it's totally dissolved before I begin the heating process, or I wind up with hard lumps.

[Senkosam]

9 hours ago, mark poulson said:

The pole dancer usually works for me.

[Tiderunner]

On 10/28/2020 at 6:32 PM, mark poulson said:

I have some old Bears hardener that is at least ten years old.  It is really thick, like cold honey.

I find that I have to mix it in uncooked plastic until it's totally dissolved before I begin the heating process, or I wind up with hard lumps.

Thats pretty much the lureworks type. I even mixed plastic in a small jar with the hardener and shook the snot out of it, mixed into my pouring plastic and stirred some more, then stirred some more began heating, stopped, heated more stirred, and I still got lumps. even heated slow.

I also poured a few dozen wacky worms the other day, and I though they were too soft. I bagged them today. What a difference once fully cured.

It doesnt help either that I have two bottles of something that its contents took the writing off off the bottles. Turns out their both softeners. One sinking. Baits were wayyy too soft.

[mark poulson]

3 hours ago, Tiderunner said:

Thats pretty much the lureworks type. I even mixed plastic in a small jar with the hardener and shook the snot out of it, mixed into my pouring plastic and stirred some more, then stirred some more began heating, stopped, heated more stirred, and I still got lumps. even heated slow.

I also poured a few dozen wacky worms the other day, and I though they were too soft. I bagged them today. What a difference once fully cured.

It doesnt help either that I have two bottles of something that its contents took the writing off off the bottles. Turns out their both softeners. One sinking. Baits were wayyy too soft.

I mix it in the plastisol while it's still uncooked, until it's completely dissolved.  Otherwise I get lumps, too.  And I have some of those no-name bottles, but, so far, I can still remember what they are.