jfdodge Posted August 20 Report Share Posted August 20 So I'm just getting started with pouring my own soft Baits and have a few questions. I'm starting slow with senkos and a slim worm for neko rig. 1: To duplicate the softness of the factory senkos what do I need to do? 2: Can I add the scent to the plastic before pouring or is it better to add a few drops in the bag once cooled? 3: some of the youtube videos I've watched the plates look like they have been sitting in ice, is this to cool the plastic faster? 4: coating the plates before pouring/injection required and what is best to use for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishermanbt Posted August 20 Report Share Posted August 20 Welcome to TU and the tackle making community. 1) factory senkos are a soft blend plastic with heavy salt. Dig through the search feature if you haven’t already, there might be a recipe in an old post. By adding salt the plastic gets hard. You can use regular or soft blend plastic and then add plastisol softener to get the right feel you want. 2) the topic of when to add scent has many opinions. Either way works. I personally add a few drops in the bag after the baits have cured for a few days or a week. I hated to constantly smelling the garlic or shad scent while pouring. 3) by cooling the mold the baits set up faster. A cold mold will sometimes cause baits to dent though. As the plastic cools it starts drawing hot plastic from the sprew. If the he sprew sets up the plastic on the bait side has no plastic to draw from. My senko mold is a beast to keep from denting. I usually just put a mold on either side of the one I’m shooting to draw the heat away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miamisheriff Posted August 20 Report Share Posted August 20 Applying injection pressure for a longer period of time is the best way I have found to avoid denting on most molds. It sucks but it pushes more hot plastic into the mold as the plastisol cools and shrinks in the cavities. I have several molds that take 1-2 minutes of constant pressure to avoid denting. A pneumatic injector is ideal for that situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiderunner Posted August 21 Report Share Posted August 21 6 hours ago, jfdodge said: So I'm just getting started with pouring my own soft Baits and have a few questions. I'm starting slow with senkos and a slim worm for neko rig. 1: To duplicate the softness of the factory senkos what do I need to do? 2: Can I add the scent to the plastic before pouring or is it better to add a few drops in the bag once cooled? 3: some of the youtube videos I've watched the plates look like they have been sitting in ice, is this to cool the plastic faster? 4: coating the plates before pouring/injection required and what is best to use for that? Welcome to the world of making your own. 1. To best duplicate the softness of a factory senko it's probably best to start with a soft sinking blend of plastisoL. If I'm using 6oz of plastic, I'll add enough salt to raise the volume by two ounces. Then I add about an ounce of softener. I prefer my senkos wiggly. I don't worry if they tear. I'll just make more. The softness is your own personal preference. You'll have to experiment, 2. Add the scent to the bag of cured baits. No sense adding the scent then having it boil off in the heating process. When bagging I even sprinkle some regular table salt. Doesn't hurt the baits, and I'm not sure it helps the fish bite. Again. Personal preference. 3. I have never seen a video where the molds are put on ice. The molds are aluminum. Think of having a car engine heated and then throwing cold water on it. The aluminum block will crack. Time for a new engine. I don't know for sure if the molds will crack but at the price of a good CNC mold, you don't want to find out the hard way. Besides, a hot mold shoots better, why get it heated, just to cool it down, just to have to heat it again. 4. No need to coat the molds with anything. Plenty of oils in the plastic. The baits will come right out of the mold without sticking. If using a sand casted mold, some guys coat the mold with PAM or a similar product. That's just for shine. Some bait makers have said the fish don't care if the bait is smooth and shiny. Again the same words...Personal preference. 2 hours ago, Miamisheriff said: Applying injection pressure for a longer period of time is the best way I have found to avoid denting on most molds. It sucks but it pushes more hot plastic into the mold as the plastisol cools and shrinks in the cavities. I have several molds that take 1-2 minutes of constant pressure to avoid denting. A pneumatic injector is ideal for that situation. Not sure what a pneumatic injector is. I use either a single or a double injector. The plunger type. The usual type. In all my years of baitmaking, I have never had to keep pressure on the injector for 1-2 minutes. At most, I keep pressure on for about 10 seconds. If your molds aren't filling, check the temp of your plastic. Fresh plastisol should be injected at around 360*. You'll need to reach around this temp to convert the plastic. You can inject reheats at about 325* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miamisheriff Posted August 22 Report Share Posted August 22 360 degrees is too hot for light colors. It will turn yellowish quickly even with added heat stabilizer. I inject everything at 335-340 degrees. A pneumatic injector is for production use. Hobbyist are not a good source of reliable information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miamisheriff Posted August 23 Report Share Posted August 23 "Let us be unburdened by what has been" These are the words of a true American genius 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apdriver Posted August 23 Report Share Posted August 23 (edited) I heat to 350 then let cool to 320 before I add glitter and start injecting. If you have troubles with denting, even cooler than that will help down to 280 or so. Cooler than that things get sticky and it becomes difficult. If you put glitter in at 350 you run a risk of it washing out and curling. After the initial heat to 350, no need to heat over 320 again. It only induces problems with the color and glitter. Edited August 23 by Apdriver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiderunner Posted August 23 Report Share Posted August 23 11 hours ago, Miamisheriff said: 360 degrees is too hot for light colors. It will turn yellowish quickly even with added heat stabilizer. I inject everything at 335-340 degrees. A pneumatic injector is for production use. Hobbyist are not a good source of reliable information. Sorry then. This "hobbyist" with over 30 years of bait making experience shouldn't have answered your question. Just thought I'd help. I promise it won't happen again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiderunner Posted August 23 Report Share Posted August 23 5 hours ago, Apdriver said: I heat to 350 then let cool to 320 before I add glitter and start injecting. If you have troubles with denting, even cooler than that will help down to 280 or so. Cooler than that things get sticky and it becomes difficult. If you put glitter in at 350 you run a risk of it washing out and curling. After the initial heat to 350, no need to heat over 320 again. It only induces problems with the color and glitter. I pretty much do the same. Heat heat liquid plastisol to 350- 360. I've even gone as high as 375 more than once with issues, yellowing, scorching etc. Then while its cooling I pick out the glitter I'm using, and by then it should have cooled to where I can add glitter. I use a lot of the "sparkle" glitters that don't take heat well. Same thing with string glitters. Using a digital thermometer helps a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miamisheriff Posted August 23 Report Share Posted August 23 12 hours ago, Tiderunner said: Sorry then. This "hobbyist" with over 30 years of bait making experience shouldn't have answered your question. Just thought I'd help. I promise it won't happen again. I didn't ask a question. I just shared info for what I've found to be the best way to avoid denting on some molds. Every mold injects differently. Some molds are more problematic than others for denting. It depends on the cavity shape and layout of the mold. You have to force more hot plastic into the cavities as the plastic cools and shrinks in the cavities. Watch the plastic in the injection port and runner of the mold after its injected and you can see the plastic shrink as it cools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Posted August 24 Report Share Posted August 24 On 8/22/2024 at 7:31 PM, Miamisheriff said: 360 degrees is too hot for light colors. It will turn yellowish quickly even with added heat stabilizer. I inject everything at 335-340 degrees. A pneumatic injector is for production use. Hobbyist are not a good source of reliable information. If hobbyists aren't a good source of information, what are you on this board? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miamisheriff Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 I'm someone wasting time sharing my personal experience on how to inject molds with denting problems. The question was asked and I shared what I found to work the best. (Increase the injection pressure time and the denting is eliminated.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Posted August 28 Report Share Posted August 28 Aahh yes, you did answer the question but... you also shot a dig by stating "hobbyists are not a good source of reliable information." So, are you the consummate professional with 25+ years experience? Or just want to be relevant by telling a whole lot of hobbyists their information, ideas, and experiences are not reliable information? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiderunner Posted August 29 Report Share Posted August 29 On 8/27/2024 at 8:09 PM, Driftwood said: Aahh yes, you did answer the question but... you also shot a dig by stating "hobbyists are not a good source of reliable information." So, are you the consummate professional with 25+ years experience? Or just want to be relevant by telling a whole lot of hobbyists their information, ideas, and experiences are not reliable information? I see he disparages others a lot. As if only his opinions count. I may only be a hobbyist but I've learned by making all the mistakes. What I like, which of my baits catch fish, Whose product has been the best for me. I've bought molds from many, from the very first silicone molds I used to shelves full of molds from Angling AI , Delmart, Jacobs, Fat Guys Fishing ( he doesn't like them ) Even the Do it CNC, LureCraft. Colorant up the wazoo for experimenting with. Tried every brand of plastic through the years. But...because I'm only a hobbyist, I have wasted all these years. On this forum we hobbyists bring a lot to the table. Have helped many novices, helped others fix their issues. That's what were supposed to do. To the original poster, jfdodge, we're here to help, not knock others down. Need more help ask ask away. 99 out of 100 times you ask, you'll get the answers you need. But there's always that one. Take advantage of the help they offer, and ignore the knocks on others. We're all here to help. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miamisheriff Posted September 1 Report Share Posted September 1 On 8/27/2024 at 8:09 PM, Driftwood said: Aahh yes, you did answer the question but... you also shot a dig by stating "hobbyists are not a good source of reliable information." So, are you the consummate professional with 25+ years experience? Or just want to be relevant by telling a whole lot of hobbyists their information, ideas, and experiences are not reliable information? Am I'm I a consummate professional with 25+ years experience? Yes.. I have 58+ years of experience. I couldn't care less about your tender little feelings. I shared my knowledge of solving the denting problems of some molds. Take it or leave it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driftwood Posted September 3 Report Share Posted September 3 (edited) On 9/1/2024 at 7:30 PM, Miamisheriff said: Am I'm I a consummate professional with 25+ years experience? Yes.. I have 58+ years of experience. I couldn't care less about your tender little feelings. I shared my knowledge of solving the denting problems of some molds. Take it pr leave ot Oh spare my feelings, I was just pointing out that you are a know it all pampas ass. Nothing more lol. Edited September 3 by Driftwood Misquote 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted September 3 Report Share Posted September 3 4 hours ago, Driftwood said: Oh spare my feelings, I was just pointing out that you are a know it all pampas ass. Nothing more lol. Hahaha... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
