Anybody here ever made their own soft plastics? If so, how did you get started, what does it cost, and how easy is it?
Buy yourself a worm pouring kit to get started. Here's a good resource for you:
http://www.del-mart.com/shop/home.php?cat=254 (http://www.del-mart.com/shop/home.php?cat=254)
I've always wanted to pour my own, and had a chance to pour with Joshimoto Son and McCarter a couple times the past year. It's a lot of fun.
NO NO NO don't use del mart they are terible to deal with. I use lure craft they are great any time I have a question they are willing to help. If you want some info email me your number and I can help I started last year. I made over $20,000 on a bait that I make. The best part no one has them and no one can get them.
I haven't seen any of these secret baits for sale here? Maybe you could up your profits a bit. You got my interest. I always love secret baits.
I'm interested in maybe trying a 4 inch grub. Have bought some in the past from a guy who makes them and adds scent. He has past away and haven't ever really thought of making my own, but I'm game to try. Could I get a mold for a 4 inch curly tail like a Kalins?
Quote from: OUTLAW on March 04, 2007, 11:26:04 PM
NO NO NO don't use del mart they are terible to deal with. I use lure craft they are great any time I have a question they are willing to help. If you want some info email me your number and I can help I started last year. I made over $20,000 on a bait that I make. The best part no one has them and no one can get them.
Nothing wrong with del-mart, use them all the time.
-Matt
Quote from: MBell on March 04, 2007, 11:52:07 PM
Quote from: OUTLAW on March 04, 2007, 11:26:04 PM
NO NO NO don't use del mart they are terible to deal with. I use lure craft they are great any time I have a question they are willing to help. If you want some info email me your number and I can help I started last year. I made over $20,000 on a bait that I make. The best part no one has them and no one can get them.
Nothing wrong with del-mart, use them all the time.
-Matt
It took 2 months to get the molds I ordered, I called every week and they told me that they were going to ship it the next day. Lure craft is the best.
I don't sell my baits. I make the molds my self and it takes 2 or 3 days to get them the way I like them and the way I pour the baits I can only pour 40 or 50 in a 3 hour time period.
When you do well on your own poured baits it is a great feeling, and when you win a tournament on them it is even better!
You made 20k cash on a bait you pour 40 to 50 per 3 hours? Please fill me in!!
Del-Mart is where I got my stuff. I've not had a problem. I've only ordered once but I got what I ordered and it didnt take that long. The guys I know who pour their own have not had a problem with Del-Mart to my knowledge either.
Fowlmouth, go to TackleUnderground's web site. They have a pretty informative forum on recipe's and the latest deals and best practices.
B
Quote from: OUTLAW on March 05, 2007, 12:56:08 AM
It took 2 months to get the molds I ordered, I called every week and they told me that they were going to ship it the next day....
Was this a custom mold?
I want to get into pouring. I checked out LureCraft and their molds are so much cheaper, there must be something up. My guess is that they are plastic molds instead of metal??? Why so much cheaper?
I looked at the kit they sell, but I mostly want to pour Senko type worms. So here's what I figured I need. Is this correct?
Mold
Liquid Colors
Glitter
Softener
Extra soft plastic formula
Pouring Pan
I assume some guys put the pan directly onto a hot plate to melt the plastic?? I've heard of using a microwave too, but I'm not sure I want to go out and buy another microwave just for this. A hotplate is cheaper. Once I get what I need, who wants to come over for an afternoon and teach me to pour some baits? ;D
I will come over Rev. I am still learning myself, but i will offer any help i can.
Pouring is fun. But it can be very veeeeeeeeeeery frustrating at the same time. Trying to come up with colors can be very difficult. Even with the recipes offered online, its still a crap shoot. Replicating colors time after time is difficult, too. You can always get them close, but to be exactly on isnt easy.
Another thing is, there is a very fine line between heating your plastic up to optimum pouring temperature and scorching it to the bottom of the pan. You really have to take your time when you get started and pay close attention to where you have your heat set on the hot plate. I have scorched a few pots so far. sometimes that actually helps to make an interesting color, but more often than not, it just ruins a cup of plastic and all the other goodies in there.
Bubbles are another nuisance. You have to be careful how you stir the goodies or you will force a lot of air into the mix. the bubbles show up in the baits and make them look like crapola.
there are some good websites to get info and tips on. tackleunderground.com and del-mart.com are both great. I highly reccomend del-mart for your stick molds. he makes them very nice. and they are out of al,uminum and come with a lifetime warranty. stick with aluminum molds whenever you can. you get a more consitant pour.
another good mold guy is bob at bobstackleshack.com. i ordered a custum goby mold from him, and as it turned out, it wasnt deep enough. i called him up and he is making me a new one with my changed dimensions...................FOR FREE. no extra charge. cant beat that. i screwed up and he is taking care of me. we are working on a custom beaver mold right now. its basically his split tail bug with a couple changes that i have requested. it should be that cats meow, or even the bees knees when its done.
I will also get you some good links to some color recipes once you get yor stuff.
McCarter himself :-\'
Excellent Post! I have been wanting to take a stab at this for a while. Anybody have any info on making the mold or sending the mold in to be made?
Thanks!
A microwave is worth it. When you burn the plasitc it is supposed to be very bad for you. You can also make good molds out of durhams water putty. The lure craft molds are plastic, the del-mart molds are aluminum. They both make great baits but the aluminums will last forever and have a high resale value on ebay. Anyone else notice lurecraft is owned poorboys baits and they sell molds of everyone elses bait but not their own.
-Matt
That would explain why Lurecraft molds are cheaper. I'd definately go with aluminum.
You can buy a hot plate at meijer's for 9 bucks. Works just fine. I havent tried the microwave yet.
Bubbles are the devil!! And yet so mesmerizing!!
McCarter, how much did Bob charge you to do a custom mold?
B
To all my pouring aprentices out there... you know who you are.
You make your master proud!
...you have retained much knowledge.
Now quick! Snatch the goby from my hand! [Insert cheesy GONG]
joshimoto son ;D
Quote from: bshaner on March 05, 2007, 03:39:39 PM
McCarter, how much did Bob charge you to do a custom mold?
B
$40 for the goby. its a one piece, 3 cavity aluminum and its 'snice'.
We havent talked price for the beaver yet. But its a 2 piece, 2 cavity mold and from what i have told him that i want done with it, he says it will be easier for him to make it to my specs rather than the way he is making them now. so maybe i can get a discount on it. dunno. But i think he charges $95 for the beaver mold as it is now.
McCarter himself :-\'
Do you need alot of time to make these?? I want to start pouring but time is an issue, do they take a long time?
-Kid
You guys are killing me!!! I have spent the last two years building an addition on my house. I am almost done with all my trim and then have to lay 600sq ft of laminate flooring before the ice melts!! Now you guys already have me planning next winters project. A workshop in my basement for building rods and now pouring plastics. I need some of these hand poured stick baits for this season though. Anyone selling? I use the Senko specifically because it is the only one I ever found that wiggles as it falls, now you tell me the hand pours wiggle more. I want them!!!!!
Pouring does take some time. Its nothing for me to spend 6 hours in a freezing cold garage to make 30 friggin 5" stick baits. But alas, i am still working out all the bugs. then there was the time i forgot to plug in the hot plate. that was pretty funny. here i am, stirring, adding color, waiting, waiting, waiting, next thing i know, im out of beer and my plastic is still 40 degrees.
When you first start out, it takes a while. Mainly when you are trying to get a color right. You add a little of this, a little more of that. pour one, its not right, cut it up and put it back in the pot, wait for it to melt, add a little more of this, maybe try adding some of that to spice it up, pour one, its not right, cut it up and put it back in the pot, wait for it to melt, add a little more of this, a little more of that, drive to CVS for more beer, etc.
Getting recipes right is the hardest part. Once you get a few right, it starts to go pretty fast. When i go out to joshimotos, we do some serious production. he has the master color recipe book, tho. and he has been doing it for a long time, so he gets to getting it on with the quickness. I am getting alot fast now. I have a few colors just the way i want them. I am always trying new things tho, i have come up with some cool stuff. I am still working out a few bugs on a color i think will be a hit. its gonne be called 'mean pumpkin'. Looks like a winner.
My biggest problem is finding time. If your going to do it, you are going to do it for a couple hours minimum. But then again, i am trying to build up an inventory so i can keep my faithful supporters supplied all season.
Its fun. But it is a lot of work. But nothing in the world feels better than catching a big ol fish on something you made yourself.
smbassman,
I will hook you up with some baits. let me know what colors you like and i will get them to you. You can fish with them and base your decision on hand pours then. If you like them, we can do some business. if not, there are always the yamamotos. ;D
McCarter himself :-\'
Well, my two favorite colors are a medium green with mostly red and some silver flake and a dark green with purple and copper flake.
I'll buy them but I am going to try and make it to the DK St.Clair open to meet some of you. I'll talk to you about them then!
So can you melt production plastics also and re-pour them??? Also, are salt content and other flavors part of the recipes? I always thought the stick baits had to be injected to get the density right???
We use Del Mart too and haven't had any problems.
Dan, if you want to see some of the ones Terry and I pour let us know. We used our own all last year, did really good on them too.
We need to get some more plastic but if you want to see how to pour we can get together.
Joshimoto taught us too!! :D
Okay, Joshimoto whens the seminar?
Seriously though - if anyone wants to put on a seminar, I'd like to attend!!
This sounds like a great winter project to get involved in.
-Genie
Okay,
My house it is.
Let's pick a weekend and go for it.
I might put some of you to work though. I need to find some fine salt without having to pay shipping on it.
I got another table in the barn and a pile of wood.
This would be fun! Ask McCarter... I walk around with a bamboo whippin stick and whack you in the hand if you're not doing it right.
Then once you're a MASTER, again reffer to McCarter, we strap the stik molds to the sides of an old outboard motor and heat them up, where you must pick it up with your fore arms and walk 10 feet before letting it down... forever leaving the mark of a true "COWLING MONK" ::)
All seriousness, let's do it.
Nothing better than watching all you guys talk about all the fish you're going to catch on them before you even get em poured.
I do have to get some more supplies in before we do it, I might have to ask for a little donation to help out with the cost. I'm not selling them, I just can't provide all of it for free.
Let's hear some dates.
joshimoto son ;D
Where do you live & is popcorn salt fine enough?
Let me know when and where, and I will try to make it. I'll bring some beer.
Not the type of thing you should do in the house, definitely an outside thing. I have a stove hood in my gargage that vents outside and it still stinks it up for at least a day. You can remelt plastics, but they don't make the best baits. Scented baits like powerbait will burn, so you can't remelt them. Yammamotos don't remelt real well either. I use popcorn salt, can always throw it in the blender if you need it finer.
-Matt
I found a lee production pot is the only way to go I have yet to burn the plastic with it. when I was useing a hot pad I would burn every other batch. The heat dispecer is a must also. I use a spice grinder to make the salt realy fine.
As fsr as making your own mold it is easy, glue the bait you want to make to the bottom of a pan and pour some plaster of paris over it, let sit, pull baits out, put mold in mic for 3 min on defrost 3 times, twek mold with dremel tool, spray with clear coat or clear nail polish( this gives the bait a shiny finish, I alwat coat the mold with mega stike before i pour it makes the baits come out of the mold better.
Josh,
I'm in for the seminar and I'll bring my $10, $15, $20 ... whatever it takes. First Saturday after the Grand Rapids show is March 24. This weekend is Lansing and next weekend is Grand Rapids.
Can I bring a video camera or would that disclose too much information or public nuisance? Maybe just certain segments can be recorded and Dan can post them in a tutorial section or something. Heck, I can even put them on my site if need be.
Maybe I will even add a "notes/journal" section to The Angler's Genie. Then, for anyone who makes there own baits, they could store color recipe's, notes, mold numbers, etc....
This should be fun!! Maybe I'll bring Genie's for everyone ... ;)
-Genie
Quote from: BigGameHunter on March 06, 2007, 10:15:59 PM
Let me know when and where, and I will try to make it. I'll bring some beer.
Im in! Nothing goes better with a beer buzz than a plastic fume buzz. I wouldnt suggest the video camera for one reason. You get a group of guys in a pole barn with beer and plastic fumes and strange things happen. Like the time Joshimoto came back from the house in his mothers dress and his fathers boots with his dogs chew toy in his mouth. Or the time Cheetam stuck two senkos in his nose and danced around the barn shouting ' I am the great Senkolio, i need Senkos for my nose holes! Are you threatening me?" It was crazy to say the least.
Josh, perhaps now that i bear the mark of the 'Cowling Monk' i can use the bamboo cane this time???
McCarter himself :-\'
Maybe I'll bungee cord the camera to the table so it only views the table ... for educational purposes only.
I for one would prefer to see the aforementioned antics of the boys. Purely for educational purposes. For the last time, Josh, I am not sharing the chew toy with you. Quit asking. 8)
B
Wow!
Lots to reply too...
I like popcorn salt, there are some who would say different. But so far, it has worked the best for me.
Yeah, I don't pour in the house either, the pole barn is all set up.
Video cameras are fine, I just won't be responsible for it with all the ugly mugs walking around.
Yes, Brian, you may use the whippin stick.
Lee Production pot huh? Jason, you're the first person that I've heard of that actually likes using them. Lots of them for sale on the net with "very low use". I make all my molds with resin, I tried P.O.P. and did not like it as much. I like the sent idea, I spray my bags down with a little garlic Bang before I put the worms in.
This sounds like a lot of fun, right now, we can set it for March 24th.
I'm located in southern Jackson.
Let me know if I left anything out.
joshimoto son ;D
So, B Dubs first??? or Joshimotos instead of B dubs???? Decisions, decisions.
On one hand, Rev promised me a free beer. Grandpa M always said "Never pass up a free drink"
On the other hand, Joshimoto promised me i could use the bamboo whoopin stick on the insubordanents.
Im torn, torn like an old sweater.
McCarter himself :-\'
P.S. We're gonna need a serious car pool.
I cant make the 24th, but dont change plans because of me.....
The Lurecraft molds are made of silicone material, and they make custom molds as well. From what I understand, their plastic formula is one of the best there is, and they supply a number of the big brand name companies with their plastic.
Their "medium" formula is most common. A lot of people think the extra soft is the way to go, but it's almost too soft.
As for their mold selection, a lot of what they sell has been in the Lurecraft catalog long before Poor Boy's Baits purchased the company. Poor Boy's and Lurecraft are still separate companies as far as I understand. But I guess if I was them, I wouldn't sell the molds for the Poor Boy's Baits either ;D
Quote from: OUTLAW on March 04, 2007, 11:26:04 PM
NO NO NO don't use del mart they are terible to deal with. I use lure craft they are great any time I have a question they are willing to help. If you want some info email me your number and I can help I started last year. I made over $20,000 on a bait that I make. The best part no one has them and no one can get them.
They are not the best to deal with, but if you don't mind waiting, they do make the best molds I've ever seen.
thomas
Joshimoto - can you pm me/us with address, directions, etc.?
Quote from: Genie on March 09, 2007, 09:03:50 AM
Joshimoto - can you pm me/us with address, directions, etc.?
Drive out into the sticks of Jackson...make a right, then a left. When you hear the banjo, you're real close. :D
Hey Josh, Will your mom be serving the brisket or the pizza?
You missed a left at the Old Red barn somewhere in those directions.
B
You also forgot about the fork in the road.
Ok - I ordered some sample kit "stuff" from Lurecraft. It has arrived. I will be going to the store to get a hot plate. Any recommendations on hot plates - temperature range, hi/lo, etc. or will any kind work?
Also, any recommendations on thermometers - what temperature range?
Hopefully I can bring my kit or learn enough at the meeting to take advantage of my kit.
Looking forward to it!!!
-Genie
Genie,
It's much easier to explain over the phone.
I'll be home all night, I'll PM you the number since my cell doesn't work out that far in the sticks.
joshimoto son ;D