Help pouring senkos

[log]

I just got Dels stik kit, with 2 piece mold, Calhoun plastic, etc., etc., and i'm having trouble pouring. I've tried it about 6 times, and this is my best yet.

I'm heating the plastic in a 2 cup pyrex cup in the microwave. I heat 2 minutes, stir, heat 1 more minute, stir, then heat/stir in 30 second intervals untill it becomes runny, or watery. I'm not useing any salt, or softner.

As you can see, the pour funnel hardens up and i only get half or part of a bait. I've tried pouring one side first then putting the mold together, and pouring the rest. Putting the mold together first and then pouring. I've also tried heating the plastic more, and less. The results are the same. One more thing. I don't know if you can see it in the picture with the 2 arrows, but i'm also getting 2 indented lines running down the bottom of the baits. These are different lines than where the molds join togther.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[redg8r]

...then 30 second intervals untill it becomes runny, or watery

its not your plastic, you sound like youre heating it enough.

The lines & clogged gate are from premature cooling of the plastic, I see youre in Maine, are your pouring in the cold, like in your garage?

Aluminum wicks heat fast, only copper is faster, so my recommendation is if youre pouring in your garage, or if your molds arent at least room temp (@75deg.) then you should try & preheat your molds in an oven, not too hot to touch, but warm em up.

once you get a few pours in the mold, the plastic should help keep the mold warm, but once you stop & the mold cools, youll wanna reheat em again.

if youre pouring in a room-temp area, then it could be the way youre heating the plastic.

[Travis]

Don't fill the funnel till the end. Just pour the bait full being carefull not to ever "plug"the funnel with plastic this is causing the voids you are seeing. Pour straight down the opening. If you get a little off just quickly adjust so you are pouring down into the mold. Once the mold cavity is filled then fill the funnel full and go to the next one. Keep an eye on the first filled cavity and go back and add more plastic to the funnel even if you don't think like it needs it. Go to the third and repeat. Don't think as the funnel as a funnel. It looks like you are filling it and waiting for it to fill a portion of the mold and then trying to fill it again. Think of it as a reservoir to hold additional plastic once you fill the mold that way as it cools an shrinks it will have additional plastic in the reservoir to "pull" down to get a solid bait.

[log]

I'm doing every thing inside my house. The room temp is about 68-70 degrees. I think i'll try heating up the mold next. After a pour, the mold is still cool to the touch, and the plastic cools/hardens real quick.

Thanks for the help.

[nova]

Slow down your pouring so that you get a thin line of plastic(1/8"). Make sure that you get it to go directly into the hole of the mold. It takes a steady hand. If you are pouring quickly and you hit the side of the funnel, you will plug off the pouring hole. This is what I think may be happening to you.

[log]

I probable do need to slow down abit. Another thing i noticed is after i pour the first cavity the plastic hardens to the measureing cup. Is this normal? If it is, do you pour over it, or try to remove it? If that is not normal, what causes it? Tommorow i'm going to get a thermometer to check that i'm getting the plastic hot enough.

Again thanks for all the help.

[madbass]

I leave my molds sit on top of the heat supply ducts in the basement all the time. if the molds are not warm (at least 90 deg.) when i go to pour, I put them in my toaster oven at the lowest setting to warm them up. Make sure you shake or stir the plastic at LEAST 1 minute before using it. Leave your mold together w/ thumbscrews tight. stand it up on your bench and dont touch it while pouring. you'll probably only be able to pour 2 or 3 worms at a time before re-heating. as mentioned-pour a thin stream dead center and top it off almost till it overflows out of the "funnel", go to next cavity.re-fill previous cavity while hot if needed. good luck!

[BassnG3]

I heat my plastic in small quanities (1/2 cup) and pour twelve sticks (stirring well between each stick) thus never reheating. Just pour steady straight down the middle of the opening until full then top off all the way to the top. Then watch previous cavity and top off again as shrinkage occurs. Try to figure out how much plastic your mold will hold then use that amount of plastic for your pours. The less you reheat the truer the coloring and glitters will be

Scott

[nova]

Each time you tip your pouring cup you will deposit a layer of plastic one on top of the other. I make one tip per mold and do all 4 cavities. If you have only one mold then don't make for that 4 or 5 oz at a time. this way you will use almost all of the plastic for the one pour and you will only get one layer of build-up.

[NJFishRGuy]

You've gotten a lot of good advice, especially Travis' reply. I find it's very important to NEVER touch the side of the opening while pouring; try to pour straight down the middle of hole. Then fill up the reservoir until it "mounds" and go on to the next stick. You have to stir really well when using salt, which you are not yet if I read your original post correctly, and stir between sticks. I pour two sticks and then stir again.

One other point is that I would not use a two cup Pyrex cup; use a one cup and fill it half way. I used a two cup when I started and found it was much more difficult to control, so asked for advice here. Several people recommended using a one cup and it made a huge difference in control. I would start out pouring no more than 4 ounces at a time.

Best of luck to you...

[Senkosam]

Agree with Charlie - a smaller cup with smaller pour spout allows a small stream of plastic versus a flood. For Del's and Bob's Senko molds, I count the seconds it would take to fill the mold 3/4 of the way up with a straight down pour. I fill all four cavities to 3/4, then go back and fill to near the bottom of the funnel. I allow it to recede (if at all) and then fill the funnel. I repeat the same for the next three cavities and rarely need to reheat the plastic.

If there is an air bubble in the last 20%, open the mold, cut off the bubbled plastic, place the stick back into the mold and repour the rest of the way. Good as a single pour.

A candy thermometer from Walmart is a good guide to prevent underheating or overheating. Globs result in the former, plus plastic layers on the cup, while searing results in a drab color and destroyed glitter. 280-300 is all I need for a four cavity pour.

I don't use the wing nuts or fasteners for the molds, but instead find strong plastic handled clamps ($.88 at Big Lot and Walmart) work fast and hold the halves tight together, plus I have a handle to hold the mold with when pouring.

[Joe S.]

I ran into that problem when I first poured a couple sticks, I also had a problem with the tips on the spout end being hollow, after trying different pouring techniques, this is what I do to make them perfect, I make all my baits on a hot plate so I put the molds on the plate while I'm heating my plastic, I remove the molds and piece them together.

I make the plastic very hot and runny, the trick for me was to tilt the mold on an angle so the plastic is only running down the one side of the mold, making sure to do it slow so I don't clog up the hole, once it's full I straighten it up and top off the hole and pat the mold a little, my sticks after doing this have been coming out perfect, the two lines you are talking about I think are part of the mold as to make them slightly different in design compared to a regular senko( at least that's why I think there there.)

[nova]

I use a tilt of about 30 degrees only when I'm pouring laminations.

[JD]

I have caught some big fish on those stickbait rejects seen in your photos swimming them nose-hooked and un-weighted like a sluggo or fluke. I have actually thought about molding that reject pattern.

[nova]

Here's a twist for you. If you pour the stick with no salt and leave the spru on the top(with a slight "cup" to it) you will have a topwater popping worm.

[CHUCKV309]

I poured my very first baits the other night with the same kit you got. I experienced the same problems you did when I let my temperature get too cool. As soon as I would get the temp back up to around 325, they poured very easy again. A neat toy I got after reading on here was a digital laser non-contact thermometer ($49 at Harbor Freight). You can check the temp in a second, and you don't have the mess of putting it in and taking it out which is going to cool your plastic also. Another thing I found to keep your plastic hot, was to set the cup down on a cloth type pot holder to insulate it. The other hard types will remove heat. Hope this helps.

[log]

A little update. After following the advice in this thread, i'm now able to pour a full length bait. But i am getting a hollow tip on most of them.

[millsryno]

The reason for the hollow tip is that you are letting it suck the plastic down into the mold from the reservoir(opening). Overflow is a good thing. The pour hole opening is a reservoir and you should keep it topped off as much as possible. The moment you see it start to suck the plastic in that reservoir down into the mold, top it off. If it sucks the plastic down into the mold, you will have a hollow tip.

I usually pour my first stick, making sure to overflow it to the point it is coming out of the pour spout reservoir. I then pour the second stick while I watch the reservoir on the first stick. When I have the second stick about half way full, I usually notice the first stick start to suck the plastic out of that reservoir. I immediately stop pouring the second stick and top of the first one again, BEFORE it sucks that plastic down.

Then I finish pouring the second stick. When I am done pouring the second stick, sometimes the first stick needs to be topped off again. Continue the same process with the third stick and so on and so forth. My baits come out perfect every time.

[james bradshaw]

If it's sucking a hole in the top, then you should try pouring a little slower and it won't suck as much of a hole. Also the hotter the plastic the more it will suck back in. It takes less time to pour a little slower than it takes to go and top them all off again and again. Give it a try !

[log]

I was just waiting to long before topping them off. Thanks again every one for the help.