rrb32 Posted April 28, 2005 Report Share Posted April 28, 2005 Hey all, I received a Del-Mart stik kit the other day. Well, I tried it today but was not successful. I used the recipe on the site of 1 cup plastic and 1/4 cup softener. I am using the heating pan from lure craft. The plastic never hardened after pouring into the mold. I heated until it turned clear. Im not sure what Im doing wrong here. Could someone give me a run through on a procedure using the heating burner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted April 28, 2005 Report Share Posted April 28, 2005 There are 2 chemical changes while heating. 1st the plastic becomes clear and gel like. Next, it remains clear but it liquifies itself again. You should have the consistency of hot syrup. Be sure to stir continually! If you stir every 20-30 seconds, you'll see the changes in the plastic Also, make sure that your plastic is mixed really well before you heat :!: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrb32 Posted April 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2005 I just got a cup of plastic from the gallon bucket then mixed in a measuring cup. Was I supposed to mix the bucket first? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted April 28, 2005 Report Share Posted April 28, 2005 Was I supposed to mix the bucket first? Yup Try mixing before adding to your cup. Try it again and let us know how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrb32 Posted April 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2005 I will give it another try tomorrow afternoon and see how it goes. Hopefully I will get some baits and not liquid! lol.. Thanks for the tip. I will give an update tomorrow afternoon on how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojo Posted April 28, 2005 Report Share Posted April 28, 2005 Did you add salt? The 1/4 cup of softener is added to offset the stiffness that salt adds to a cup of plastic. If you didn't add salt this would have the same effect. Too much softener in the plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrb32 Posted April 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2005 Yes, that was another of my problems. It kept wanting to settle on the bottom. When should I add the salt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted April 28, 2005 Report Share Posted April 28, 2005 Get yourself a coffee grinder(cheap one) and run your salt through it until it is like flour. Add your salt and colors before you heat. Make sure that you stir the mixture really well before you heat it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrb32 Posted April 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2005 Hey guys, Well I mixed up the bucket and that was definately the problem I was having. After mixing it, it turned real milky white unlike the other day when it wasnt that white. I heated it up and it thickened up great. The other day it never thickened. After it got thin again, I added the salt, softner, glitter and color. I found it pretty hard to pour these stik baits. It was hard keeping the stream straight in the hole. Does anyone have a special technique that is easy? I ended up with 4 good worms. I had many that were messed up and some hollow towards the top. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help! Im getting there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassnG3 Posted April 29, 2005 Report Share Posted April 29, 2005 Do a search about sticks and you will see the consensus on pouring sticks is practice practice practice!!! It takes a few pours to get consistent at it. Once you get consistent pouring plain sticks then try multi colored or laminates. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senkosam Posted April 29, 2005 Report Share Posted April 29, 2005 You can save the partial pours, put back into the cavites (after cutting them straight across) and repouring the rest. Del has a good tip which is to tilt the mold slightly and pour down the funnel rather than straight down. Hotter plastic keeps bubbles at a minimum and I use a thin wire to poke into the hot plastic at the top of the mold to pop any bubbles. Works 75% of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted April 29, 2005 Report Share Posted April 29, 2005 Be sure to warm your mold a little in the beginning and "top off" your pour area after you have poured the stick. The plastic shrinks as it cools and "pulls" back into the mold creating the hoollow spot in the top of the stick. You may also want to try some "sugar flakes" from Senkosam. They make pouring the sticks SO easy. Mixing is at a minimum. I poured 10 bags of 12 sticks each bag last night, 5 different colors and was finished in less than 2 hours (with only a 4 cavity mold)!!! The salt that I do add in stays suspended with the flakes (not clumped at the bottom of your cup) and your glitter stays suspended in the plastic as well. Boy those flakes have made my stick pouring life great!!! I am getting a lot of positive reviews from customers that parallel my experiences on the lake...I will be fishing them this weekend at Guntersville (weather permitting ) Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
log Posted April 29, 2005 Report Share Posted April 29, 2005 I poured 10 bags of 12 sticks each bag last night, 5 different colors and was finished in less than 2 hours (with only a 4 cavity mold)!!! HaHa, sometimes it seems like it takes me that long just to get the right color. I also have the Del-Mart Stik kit. When i first started i also got the hollow tip. Like GaBassNerd said, you have to keep the reservoir topped off with plastic. Once i started to do that, the hollow tips have gone away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senkosam Posted April 30, 2005 Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 J.O., I just found another advantage to using clear flakes - When you leave a bunch in the boat and it rains like h*ll, they're reusable and won't swell like salty Senkos. I dried them out on my dashboard, in the sun, they softened and were good to go. I've been using them without color, just milk white and the bass and picks having been mauling them! But then again, they've been mauling anything that moves, including Bob's and Del's Tiki Sticks. Heck, it's spring! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrb32 Posted April 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 I tried the tilting to the side and that made things MUCH easier! I poured perfect baits without any hollow tips. However, I ran into another problem. I noticed that some of my baits I poured had hundreds of tiny bubbles in them. What causes this? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senkosam Posted April 30, 2005 Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 It's common for bubbles and foam to form with the first heat/pour. Del says it's from moisture, which cooks out and is reduced by stirring with a metal butter knife. (Wood makes it worse.) Push the bubbles to the sides of the pyrex cup and rezap, after stirring again. Plastic that's kept in a damp basement or outside garage, will experience this more than plastic that's kept at room temperature in a dry climate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrb32 Posted April 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 ok, well who would have know I would be stirring with a wooden popsickle stick! Next time I will use a butter knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
