Durhams water putty????

[tad]

What do you pourers use to mix up Durhams. I've read that it sets up quick. How does it compare to POP if both are mixed to the same consistency? Thanks for all replies in advance.

[Party Crasher]

It works great. It holds more detail than POP, but it's a lot more expensive.

[whitey]

Durham's and plaster set up about the same if you mix the same amount of water to each. It takes much more abuse than POP.

[Fish_N_Fool]

I use any old plastic bucket to mix in and a old potato masher to mix with. Add water to the mix not mix to water & add water slowly till it is the right thickness You just dont want to whip it as that puts in lots of bubbles. Just stir slowly till it is creamy and about like a runny pancake batter. It will set up in about 10 mins to where you cant work with it anymore, but let it set up for about 4 hours at least before you try to remove your piece your molding. If you are only doing a one sided mold you put it in the oven at 175 Deg. for about 6 hours and let cool. Then you seal the mold with a sealer that the guys talk about here.

I use the devcon clear 5 min. apoxy thinned with acetone and carefully brush in mold cavity in thin coats. To get a nice shiney bait you need a nice shiney mold. About 3 coats works best.

2 sided molds for a round bait with no flat side are a lot more complicated but in general you do the first side like a 1 piece mold and let it set up. you put a release agent on the first side and pout another batch of durhams over your bottom mold with the baits still in place. and let that dry about 4 hours. Then pray you can get the 2 halfs apart.

Before you bake these you MUST cut all your pour holes and anything else you want to do to the mold or you will not be able to after it is baked. Its like grinding a piece of bone after it has been baked.

You must bake it defore sealing though or your sealer will just peel off.

Use extreme care to not get any sealer on the mold faces that fit together or your mold will not seal properly and you get casting flash. (Leaks) after my molds are all done I glue them to a piece of pegboard as they will crack when the get old and with keeps them from cracking and helps protect them if you accidently drop one.

I'm working on a tutorial of a 2 piece 8 cavity mold right now. I should have it done in a few days

[tad]

Thanks for the replies. I read that you can mix the durhams with vinegar and water or milk and water to retard the setup time. Has anyone tried this and did it retard the setup time?

[charkins]

Fish_n_fool, that was a real good tutorial on making molds with Durham's.

[madbass]

Yes, I use vinegar and it does slow it down a little. Add approx. 1 tbs. +/-vinnegar per cup of batch.

[Travis]

You shouldn't have any trouble with it setting up too quick. Well I never have. As long as it is mixed correctly and you aren't moving like a snail their is plenty of time to pour your mold, level, etc... and rinse container.

[ldzoller]

I have tried using Durhams in the past with good results, however, I have a problem with getting air bubbles in the mold and on the surface of the lure cavity. Am I mixing the putty too thin? I stir it as was mentioned in the earlier post. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Darrin

[tad]

I find that I get a lot more bubbles when mixing durhams vs pop. No matter how I stir or with what I stir.

[madbass]

To get most of the bubbles out, after pouring the Durhams into the mold container I lightly tap on the sides of the container intermittently for 5-10 minutes. That makes the bubbles rise away from your bait cavity.

[charkins]

What madbass said!! It works.

[Joe-Fish]

Fish_N_Fool, or anybody who has had success pouring 2 piece molds with Durham's, what kind of release agent have you had success with?

 

[Travis]

1 hour ago, Joe-Fish said:

Fish_N_Fool, or anybody who has had success pouring 2 piece molds with Durham's, what kind of release agent have you had success with?

 

Johnson paste wax and vasoline will both work fine.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Travis

[Bentrod425]

When I used DWP I was afraid it'd set up too fast....It actually set up too slow for my tastes!  Definitely works well though.  

 

 

[mark poulson]

3 hours ago, Bentrod425 said:

When I used DWP I was afraid it'd set up too fast....It actually set up too slow for my tastes!  Definitely works well though.  

 

 

How long did it take to set up, and how long until you could pour hot plastic in it?

[Travis]

You do have some control with the set up time depending on how you mix it.  That said you will get the best results ignoring trying to get a "fast" set. 

I mix with water to thin prior to pouring and try getting to a consistency similar to pancake batter, you want it to flow.  Detail is picked up much better, air bubbles are more likely to be released from the mold, and in the end you're mold takes less time correcting issues. 

I allow the mold to set up overnight the seal with thinned 5 minute epoxy and pour plastics the same day.  I don't find it any different than using plaster of paris except a stronger mold overall.  

Bondo sets up past if you just have to have a mold in a hurry but doesn't do nearly as good of a job and results in a bait slightly smaller than the initial bait molded.  The molds also heat up when pouring and get soft and can warp/bend if you don't pour them thick.

 

 

[mark poulson]

On 1/23/2022 at 6:26 AM, Travis said:

You do have some control with the set up time depending on how you mix it.  That said you will get the best results ignoring trying to get a "fast" set. 

I mix with water to thin prior to pouring and try getting to a consistency similar to pancake batter, you want it to flow.  Detail is picked up much better, air bubbles are more likely to be released from the mold, and in the end you're mold takes less time correcting issues. 

I allow the mold to set up overnight the seal with thinned 5 minute epoxy and pour plastics the same day.  I don't find it any different than using plaster of paris except a stronger mold overall.  

Bondo sets up past if you just have to have a mold in a hurry but doesn't do nearly as good of a job and results in a bait slightly smaller than the initial bait molded.  The molds also heat up when pouring and get soft and can warp/bend if you don't pour them thick.

 

 

Do you mean that the Bondo molds heat up and warp, or the DWP molds?

[Travis]

Bondo molds will heat up and warp during use from my experiences.  Of course if you have enough of them isn't an issue.

[mark poulson]

Thanks. 

I have tub of DWP in the garage that I bought last year, but haven't tried yet.  It's been more than 35 years since I used it on a job, so it's basically a whole new deal for me.  I've been making all my molds with POP for years.

When I finish my birthday project for my middle grandson I'll give it a try.