do you guys know how to make the cavitys for pouring plastics?
any info is appreciated

I make all my own molds. I make them out of auto and marine resin. Some guys are making them out of 100% silicone because it's very cheap. Go to http://www.tacklemaking.com/forums/ and do a search for mold, mold making, and "exciting new mold material" The last one is all the info on how to make a mold from silicone. You can also make them out of paster of paris and Durhams water putty.

Woodsac I am intrested in making my own molds for plastic worms and swim baits. I have read the message thread that you were talking about in your reply and I have a few questions about the process. First I bought some mold making silicone for the company I got my plastic from have you used this before? Second, I have made a prototype swimbait by pieceing together parts of other swimbaits, can the process dicussed above be used on soft plastic lures? Do you have any pictures of the mold making process? Have you gotten around the smell issue on the soft plastic you have made? Feel free to send me an e-mail if you don't want to post your answers thehistorydude@hotmail.com

Sacto John,
I have no problem posting here. Maybe it will help someone else too.

Your 1st question was about the mold making silicone. Are you refering to the RTV mold material? I have never used it personally because I prefer my molds to be hard; RTV is flimsy and has a tendency to give inconsistent results like a dull apearance to the plastic. The resin enables me to make changes if I don't like the final results. For example, I made a lizard mold that had very realistic feet that were very hard to pour, so I used my dremel and shaped them into paddle feet. More action in the water and easier to pour.

2nd: You want to know if you can make a mold out of a pre-existing plastic bait? Yes, BUT... the bait must have a flat back or stomach. If it has a round back or stomach, then you will need to make a 2 piece mold. For a 1 piece mold you will need the following:

pie pan (or small container to hold bait and mold material)
I use the cheap pie or cake pans from the dollar store.
super glue

Carefully glue the entire flat surface to the pan. Next mix up whatever mold making material you will be using. Mix it VERY slowly, and very well. The slower you mix, the less air bubbles you will create. Next, simply pour the material over your lure. Make sure you cover your entire lure and make the mold approximately 1/2" thicker then the bait. This will help the material last longer due to the high heat of the plastic when you pour.

3rd: Do you have any pictures of the process? Not of the actual process but of the finished material
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/mywoodsac/lst?.dir=/Resin+Molds&.view=t

Finally you wanted to know about the smell. I'm not sure what you are refering to. If your plastic is putting off a strong odor, it's possible you are heating it too fast. Heat the plastic slowly, stirring it frequently. I cook all my plastic in the microwave. It's much quicker and doesn't require as much effort. I use a fan to help blow away what fumes or odor are created.

If you have any other questions let me know. I'll try and help the best I can. Here is a pic of some of my custom craws. This is a top and bottom view. They are about 4 1/2" long. They have a "custom" scent and micro rattles in the head. They are great for bulking up a jig, or just "T-Riggin". I made the prototype from clay and them followed the steps above. Hope this helps.






http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/834.jpg

Thanks for you response. The smell I was refering to was in the silicone used in the "exciting new mold material", someone posted on the thread (Ithought it was you) that they has experienced the smell from the silicone rubbing off on to the soft plastics they were making. One more question, how is the best way to go about makeing a two sided mold?

thanks again

The smell was in the silicone. I didn't give it a chance to go away. I just tossed the mold. All the others using this technique assure me that the smell will go away.

Basically you have two options for a two piece mold. You can use plaster or the silicone. The silicone seems to be the way to go. Just read that same thread several times over and experiment with some round worms. Something cheap. Make sure to coat the lure and whatever you use for keyways (like marbles) with vasoline before pushing them into the silicone. Then when the first half is dry, remove the keyways, coat mold with vasoline and add the 2nd half of the silicone over the lure and existing mold. Let it all dry under a 60 or 75 watt bulb for 5 or 6 hours. Don't forget to make a spru hole. You could use a straw. That's the hole that you will pour the plastic into when the 2 pieces are together.

If you want to use plaster, read the threads from "Chirmy" for about the last month and one of them will break it down real, real good. I just can't remember the name of the post.

Correction to above: use this link for the plaster
http://www.tacklemaking.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2832&start=30

If you want to have your plastics salt impreginated can you just mix salt in the melted plastic?
How long does it take for the plastic to dry?
Where can I buy plastic in sd and approximatly how much does it cost?

where do you get the silicone?

where do i get resin?

Any home depot or hardware store


----
Andrew Giaconi
AndrewGiaconi@Basserman.com
http://www.Basserman.com

what is the resin called and what is the best kind to get?

I use Evercoat marine or auto resin. I buy mine at the local parts house. You also have to buy the catalyst if it doesn't come with it. Just follow the mixing instructions. Also this resin has a very high cure temp so don't set it on anything that will melt or burn. Don't put it in tupperware because it will melt the tupperware or at least warp it real bad.

so if i use a pie pan will the resin stick to the pan? should i put vasilene arounD it?

No the resin will not stick. Resin naturally shrinks as it cures. On occasion it deforms the lures I am molding due to the heat, but once it's fully cooled you can dig out any plastic that sticks to the resin. Just so you know, resin picks up amazing detail! Some of my molds show where the super glue was in the pan and one even has my fingerprints on it when I pour because they were on the clay prototype. So if you use vasoline, it will change the appearance when you pour.

you can use pre-made plastics like worms and paddletails to shape the resin right?
thank you so much for all the help i really appreciate it

this swimbait was made from a two piece mold that we made from clear resin ,if you like i can give you more info .i will post pics tomarrow of the mold itself to give you some idea

how did you hold the bait in the center of the resin while you were pouring the resin?

Hairdog

NICE!! Here is a question for you. How do you pour the multi colors in a two piece mold?

This thread has been real helpful.

i will post some pics tomarrow of the mold .the colors are fairly easy i use 3 glass measuring cups ,one for each color first the pearl belly then the pnk strip and then the green back you can also put in a glass rattle in the tail .the mold is clear resin so you can see the colors really easy while your pouring plastic.

you dont hold the bait ,first you have to fabricate a plug or hard bait i used another bait and made a plaster mold of half of the body and then the other half .then you mold each half out of resin ang glue them together then u use bondo and sand the body into your work of art then when you have your bait then you make ur mold.

thank you all this info is really appreciated

here are the pics of the mold!:+

Thanks for posting the pictures, the mold looks great. I was wondering hhere did you get the clear resin and what brand is it?

Not speaking for HAIRDOG, but most craft or hobby stores sale clear resin. It's called casting resin.

so if i wanted to make my own lure with my own design, i'd have to make a model of it with something? how would i go about doing that?

clay is the best material for making prototype lures.

----
Andrew Giaconi
http://www.Basserman.com

Could you make the same swimbait out of a one piece mold because it has a flat back? How do you put the lead head in the bait? You can make a mold out of 100% resign right?

This thread has been extremly helpful. thanks