Willy Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 I tried twice and am having trouble keeping the really thin piece that seperates the fluke 'flaps'. It is so thin that it quickly breaks, sometimes when I remove the original fluke, and always after I pour the first one. I was thinking about inserting a sheet metal or plastic piece into the mold, cut to shape, but I havent tried that yet. Any experience or ideas? Thanks all, Willy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampBaits Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 Are you saying that the little triangle shaped area on the tail keeps breaking? If you are coating your pop mold with a few light coats of sealer you shouldn't have that problem. Try to get a really good coat on that thin part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 Willy; I assume you mean the hook flap. You need to use a piece of material that will take the heat. (metal works good) It has to be about 1/8" thick. It also has to extend down into the POP and be anchored with epoxy. At least that's the way I did it for my master. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BucketMouth Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 I used plastic to begin with but it will distort with the heat. The metal worked great. I cut a couple of notches in the bottom (the part inside the mold material) to hold it in the mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Becker Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 My rtv mold came out perfect, i tried one with POP but didnt get the full flaps. Going to try another one soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy Posted August 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 Swamp, I'm talking about the hook flap seperator, but that little tail piece it a nasty little fella too. But sealing it does the trick, you're right. Nova, Great suggestion, thanks I'll try that today. BTW I love the soft baits you pour. The pics in the gallery make me drool. You've got some skills. Bucket, notches, great thinking. I'm planning to do the same thing. Is your piece removable from the notches? Or did you glue/epoxy it in place like Nova? RTV would be the trick, or aluminum, but I'm cheap, and I can get the POP almost free at the base PX here in San Diego. Thanks all. Willy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BucketMouth Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 It is not removable. You cut the notches in the metal insert where they will set down inside the molding material, POP in your case and the notches will be filled by the POP. The insert will be die locked and can not come out. Nova recommended 1/8" material for this but I used 1/16" and it seemed to work fine and it will be easier to cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 I made it 1/8" metal for the master mold only. After you pour our some baits to make the production mold the slot will only be 1/16" in the POP. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy Posted August 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 Bucket...So you put this metal piece in when the plaster is still wet and you are making the mold? I'm gonna try to slip in a piece of brass sheet metal I have left over from making a speargun into a POP mold i made where the seperator piece has broken already. I hope it will stay in, otherwise I'll just have to try ti place it into a new mold. Nova... production mold? so you make a one piece mold, then pour a few baits and use them to make a multi slot mold, or production mold? Sorry guys I'm still a total newbie here. But each pour is getting a little better. Thanks for all the info. Thanks all, Willy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 Exactly Willy. That way if you drop the production mold and break it you can make another just like the one you broke. What I did with the metal was to cut a slot through the POP from the outside to fit the metal. Then I slipped it into the slot and epoxied it in place. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockylinx Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 Willy, I would recommend buying some of Nova's bait,to see it close up. He did a custom job for me and it worked out perfect, he really is talented and all inspiring Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy Posted August 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 Hey Nova, just a couple of questions here... BTW I used a metal piece and exopied it in, worked like a charm... When you make the production mold, do you epoxy a piece of metal into all of those fluke bodies in the mold? Or do you insert the metal into the flukes and put that down into the wet plaster? Thanks for the great suggestions, Willy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 Neither Willy. What you do is after you pour out your baits for the production mold and glue them down in the mold form; you mix the POP but make it a little thin. This will give you time to work with it. Then you take a spoon and scoop out some POP and fill each hook slot with it. Then you fill the mold form with the rest of the POP. You have to work quickly and you also have to be careful that you don't create bubbles around the baits. Once it sets up you remove the mold from the form, dry and seal it. If you have any more questions just ask. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy Posted August 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 Ah, so you are doing your flukes as a one piece mold then. I assume that is what you mean by 'glue them down in the mold form', upside down at the bottom of the form. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Please understand I learned how to make molds from no one and may be doing it totally different from those in the know. From the look of your baits you are both an artist and a craftsman. So the production mold you make has a POP seperator inside the flukes, made from scooping in the POP with a spoon. And you don't have a problem with those breaking off? One last question, what do you seal your POP with? I use nail polish, but that is time consuming and degrades under the heat after a while. Sorry for so many questions, and I really do appreciate the help. Willy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassn1 Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 I made a two piece slug mold and used a cut up soda can to make the "hook slot." Just cut the top and bottom off the can and cut lengthwise up the remaining cylinder. Roll it flat and you have enough metal for many molds. I measure the depth and width of the slot on the master and then add an extra 3/8" to the depth. Bend the extra 3/8's into an "L" shape and insert it back into the master and pour your mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 The slots don't break off as you don't put any pressure on them. I seal my molds with several coats of epoxy thinned with isopropal alcohol(spelling). I apply the coats until I get the glassy finish I'm looking for. I find it's better to put 4 or 5 light coats of thinned epoxy rather than 2 coats of thick. You will get a stronger and nicer finish. Also the build up of epoxy will thicken and support the hook slots. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 Just so you know Willy I learned to make molds on my own trough trial and a lot of errors. Been doing it since 1991. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 13, 2010 Report Share Posted July 13, 2010 The slots don't break off as you don't put any pressure on them. I seal my molds with several coats of epoxy thinned with isopropal alcohol(spelling). I apply the coats until I get the glassy finish I'm looking for. I find it's better to put 4 or 5 light coats of thinned epoxy rather than 2 coats of thick. You will get a stronger and nicer finish. Also the build up of epoxy will thicken and support the hook slots. www.novalures.com Which epoxy do you use, and what's the ratio of epoxy to alcohol? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluegrasslover Posted July 15, 2010 Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 I've tried RTV, POP, DWP and finally got a good mold using epoxy that I just tested tonight. As good as the mold looks, I can't pour it for piss. Gonna take me some practice. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted July 16, 2010 Report Share Posted July 16, 2010 (edited) Which epoxy do you use, and what's the ratio of epoxy to alcohol? Mark, I shop at the dollar store as much as possible; lol. The 2 part epoxy doesn't have to cost an arm and leg. I do the coating in stages. The first coating is very thin, almost like water. This coat soaks into the pop and forms a good foundation for the mold. The next coat is just a little thicker and the third is a little thicker again.(don't make the coats too thick) In between the coats I cook the mold in the oven at 150 to 200 for until it's fairly set up. I can start mixing pop at 9 AM and be pouring from that mold by 3PM using the same "oven process" to dry the pop. PS: Thanks for all the nice comments about my work guys. www.novalures.com Edited July 16, 2010 by nova Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluegrasslover Posted July 16, 2010 Report Share Posted July 16, 2010 Mark, I shop at the dollar store as much as possible; lol. The 2 part epoxy doesn't have to cost an arm and leg. I do the coating in stages. The first coating is very thin, almost like water. This coat soaks into the pop and forms a good foundation for the mold. The next coat is just a little thicker and the third is a little thicker again.(don't make the coats too thick) In between the coats I cook the mold in the oven at 150 to 200 for until it's fairly set up. I can start mixing pop at 9 AM and be pouring from that mold by 3PM using the same "oven process" to dry the pop. PS: Thanks for all the nice comments about my work guys. www.novalures.com Nova, I want to thank you for making me try epoxy again. I tried when I first started making molds but I was not thinning it nearly enough so I wasn't getting good results at all. It really does have to be thinned out pretty good. I thought my worms came out nice and shiney before but they really didn't...not compared to what I get with the epoxy coating. Another benefit is that the worms pretty much just fall out of the mold. It's nice and slick. I had extra epoxy the other day that I was using to make a fluke mold so I actually coated the outside of the mold as well. That mold should last me a good long time. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
