Pouring your own plastics

[weeddoggy]

I think Im going to try to pour my own soft plastics. I was curious if anyone here has or does pour their own bait. I have been looking around and I have seen 4 or 5 different sites reccomend different ways to make your own molds. Does anybody here have a reccomendation? Or is it better just to by them, I know it isn't cheaper to buy them. If anybody does build their own where do you go to buy the plastic and stuff...
Thank you

[mblk181]

www.tackleunderground.com is loaded with info and message boards concerning making and pouring, inlcuding some good mold making tips.

Senko Sam on this board does a lot of creative work and knows much also.

Here's some info that might help:http://www.bassresource.com/features...g_plastic.html Good luck with this venture. I considered trying it and after you've made the initial investment for the plastics and such, you should be able to make more worms than you can shake a rod tip at.

[ready2go]

I have been thinking about doing the same thing...but...if I did then I would have to blame myself for the lure not working. ;D

[Slayem9]

I have about 37 plaster molds that have produced good copies and reproduced hybrid creations. I've helped lure makers get into it for fun, profit or both. Being like Mac, I see lurecrafting as a great hobby in itself and one that is extremely rewarding, time and expense saving and I which I highly recommend.

Once hooked (no pun intended), you'll buy less at the tackle outlets and be able to make the colors and sizes of lures, at will. Getting started is easy and a nice past time, especially in winter, and lures are produced with just a little practice.

The lures I make are soft plastics (over 50 different unique baits), jigs (hair, feather and fiber), spinnerbaits (hair, fiber and living rubber), in-line spinners, rear trebles for poppers and heavier weedless jigs for bass (used with living rubber and trailers). Â*

You can copy many soft plastics with plaster of paris and at $7/20 lbs. I'm talking hundreds of molds.
I can send anyone who want to try making their own grubs, worms, lizard and trailers, a free tutorial. Contact me through this site or through www.tackleunderground.com for the doc.

The materials for the newbie are best initially bought at lurecraft.com. But down the road, better service and materials are obtained elsewhere. LC has over 200 knockoff molds, plastisol, dyes, glitter and heat stabilizer. I offer free glitter samples for those starting out.

The crafters over at TU are truly talented and give away tips just for the asking.

If you build it, they will bite!

Sam

[Rich]

Utah, between Mac and Sam you can't go wrong. Sam is always coming up with new ideas and we don't call Mac Mac-n-stein for nothing!

Mac, I've been saving those tubes for this time of year, so I'll keep you posted.

[BassNva]

reb
is it almost pre spawn there?

[fredhatch]

This sounds interesting, but the one key thing that has been left out........PRICE. Can Sam or Mac maybe shed a little light on what kinda quid Im going to shell out if I were to attempt this. You spoke of molds,glitter,coloring,dyes and heat stabilizers. Is this something that can be started for $100. or what? Also if I start this would ya'll be willing to let somebody do some brainpicking or throw some of your successful ideas out to someone? I would understand if you dont but then again copying is a true form of flattery. 8)

[weeddoggy]

Here are the prices I have come up with. I also know that you don't have to use everything on the list. What about the heat stabilizer? Is this something I have to have because I haven't seen it mentioned on a few of the other pages I have looked at.


http://www.lurecraft.com/catalog.htm
Price
Plastic Pint $6.99 Quart 10.95 Gallon 31.8 5 Gal 87.95
Softener/hardner 4oz 2.99 Pint 6.75 Quart 10.25 Gallon 29.90 5 Gal 85.59
Heat Stabilizer 4 oz 2.65 Pint 7.40 Quart 12.80 Gallon 38.40
Salt Quart 2 ½ lb 1.99 Gallon 9 lb 3.60
Scent 1oz 2.99 2 oz 4.99 4 oz 8.49 Pint 29.19
Super Floater Bubbles Pint 3.25 Quart 5.30 Gallon 9.90
Glass Rattles .125� Dia - 5/8� long 12 $2.75 100 $19.50 500 $85.00
.156� Dia - 5/8� long 12 $2.50 100 $17.50 500 $75.50
. .20� Dia - 7/8� long ‘’ ‘’ ‘’
.24� Dia - 1� long 12 $3.10 100 $21.35 500 $94.25
Worm Oil 4oz $2.99 Ping $6.75 Quart $10.25 Gallon $29.9
Mold Silicone 1lb kit $31.95 10lb kit $229.00
Coloring 1 oz $2.59 2oz $3.75 4 oz $5.45 Pint $11.15 Quart $19.95
Glow in the dark pigment 1oz $2.99 4oz $6.40 8oz $11.99 16oz $21.00
Glitter 2oz $3.95 4oz $5.95 ½ lb $13.50 1 lb $23.50

[Slayem9]

You biggest initial expense is something to heat the plastic (plastisol) and color. Microwaves at Walmart are around $30, if you don't want to use the one in the kitchen. Pyrex cups are around $8-10. Plastic is around $12 per qt and cheaper by the gallon. Heat resistant glitter is $1.30/oz and can be used in place of dye in many instances.

Molds can be bought premade for $8-12 ea., with 2-3 cavities or you can easily make them yourself using plaster, for less than a quarter. The aluminum containers that hold the plaster are 25-33 cents each.
Mold gloss/protectant coat costs $3-8 depending on quality and good for 200 molds.

Cost per lure is about 10 cents or less (plastic and color) once you get past initial costs. It's kind of like fishing - the more you learn about fishing, the more it costs over time as you add to your equipment. Boats and motors aren't cheap, but the comfort, convenience and safety justifies the initial cost. I've had my bass boat for over 12 years and would not trade it for my jon boat for an instant. Jon boat - $350; Bass boat $12,000.
Senko's - $.70 (shipping or tax); handpours - $.15 but far more resilient.

Again, it's not a pastime that requires a constant outflow of money. I've ordered no more supplies since year before last, and have everything I need to create whatever I want. It's nice to be self-sufficient and not at the mercy of the large companies.

I'm even teaching a grandmother to make molds and plastics for her grandson, who caught a 5 lb bass in Fl. using a handpour I sent him. Once she gets the hang of it, she will make different baits that she knows he will find amazing as a Xmas presents. Being 12 years old, he may not take up the craft right away, but she's willing to teach him. Something he'll remember all his life.

As with any discipline, practice makes perfect and fish don't need perfect.

Sam

[fredhatch]

Pretty much answered everything for me thanx. Forgot the one important ???. Are you willing to share some creations or ideas that you have come to love and trust w/ some people? 8)

[BassNva]

sam
i wish i had the time to take advantage of your knowledge of plastics.maybe someday i'll be able to,until then i am saving the valuable information you are passing on.
bassboss
i may have read or learned much of what you are telling us,however it is good to be reminded about some of the things we seem to forget or info we just toss on the side.i for one appreciate the articles.....and i pray your dad gets well soon,i miss mine.

[Slayem9]

flfireman, do a search on my username and it should link you to various creation pictures from 2 years ago to the present. I started with soft jerk sticks to grubs to hybrids. Hybrids are the final frontier of soft plastics and cover the major categories : worms, grubs, trailers, creature baits, shads, flukes, minnow fish and craw simulations.

Mac and I have come up with quite a few hybrid ideas and are willing to share them. I figure it this way - I don't go to club meetings because of the agenda and non-fishing related topics. I come here for that and see all the forums I participate in as fishing clubs where people share freely and are helpful to fellow anglers.
(Must just be my tournament club.)

Here's a site that produces fine molds for a reasonable price.
http://www.bobstackleshack.com/catal...90249068008cfd
Most are 2-part molds so that the baits are completely rounded. Being that they are aluminum, they can be heated before the pour to insure no air bubbles.

bassintom, thanks - each in his own time, his own way.
That's what fishing is all about!

[fredhatch]

Thanks for the info. Im sure its a good feeling to catch fish off something youve not only designed but made with your own hands. Hopefully shortly I can pass my experience on to others. 8)

[singerloo]

Buy a lot of packs, and spend more time fishing than making lures... that's the way I look at it. Maybe, if someone was planning a trip out to the country for a few months, or to live there, and there wasn't a store available, it would be a good idea to make your own lures in large quantities...cheaper. But, if I'm living close to stores, I'm not going to spend too much time on that.


seaphantom

[Rich]

reb
is it almost pre spawn there?

Not yet, Tom-they are still fattening up for winter!

[mblk181]

Utah....kindly don't think I am holding back any information as I don't pour my own. I've been cutting parts and pieces, then welding them together with a pencil soldering iron for the desired results. I don't have any of the equipment necessary for pouring.

If you would like to get into the cutting and welding, I'd be glad to share my successes and failures along those lines. I've also learned some lure modifications from others I'd be glad to share as well, but as for pouring, I have a lot of growing up to do. Good fishing, Mac

[mblk181]

Along the lines of pouring, one of the moderators on another board was pouring some senko clones in a watermelon green......he had a little red leftover, heated that up and poured a red stripe in a batch. Said they turned on bass like crazy at the time and place he first used them. Things like that I personally get interested in, the little things that can make a big difference.
Another fellow on the same board, pours and sells. He came up with a non weighted Senko clone for slow falling.....a tactic I use most of the time using zoom speedworm bodies with the tails removed. No one I know of other than him makes the unweighted on a commercial scale.

[mblk181]

Seaphantom,

The way I see it is; it's enabling to get into pouring, Â*as you can replicate any soft plastic you run into. Â*Not only replicate, but modify as well, let alone creating your own designs entirely. Â*Each of the above facets to pouring can be personally satisfying.

Â*As for cost, ten cents each will save on most lures. Â*I've been paying 17 cents including tax for a zoom speedworm, and 23 cents for a zoom tube for examples.

Â*In short, for the long haul, pouring your own yields a lot of personal freedom. Â*You begin to see things in a new way. Â*You can replicate lures in your own special colors, you can change dimensions to better fit your needs, you can add weight internally or lighten by using a mix on your plastics..... enlarge or shrink areas to create a better action, balance a lure for a better fall, incorporate variations of proportion....and on and on....

I understand what you are saying about the use of time, but some enjoy the tinkering. Â*

Good fishing, Mac

[Slayem9]

Ultimate Bass Resources recently asked me to post the tutorial with pictures:
http://bassresource.com/fishing/pour...tic_worms.html

The method can be used to copy or create new designs or hybrids.
DelMart has a complete starter kit and sells one of the only two good plastisols in the US, but doing it yourself may be wiser just starting out.
You can slowly remelt old worms in a microwave and put into a mold, just to see how easy it is. The other stuff included in the tutorial is for totally round lures, which may not be necessary since many styles catch fish even with a flat side.

Check out a few of my posts on this site under SenkoSam. They contain other ideas, along with those of many other angler/lure-creators.
http://www.tackleunderground.com/boa...wforum.php?f=9

I sell heat resistant glitter on my own site, with a diverse color selection and cheap S&H.
Samples are sent free of charge, as long as I have a name and address.

Frank Manuele

[macgyver]

[quote author=senkosam link=board=news;num=1097414534;start=0#19 date=11/27/04 at 13:11:55]Ultimate Bass Resources recently asked me to post the tutorial with pictures:
http://bassresource.com/fishing/pour...tic_worms.html

The method can be used to copy or create new designs or hybrids.
DelMart has a complete starter kit and sells one of the only two good plastisols in the US, but doing it yourself may be wiser just starting out.
You can slowly remelt old worms in a microwave and put into a mold, just to see how easy it is. The other stuff included in the tutorial is for totally round lures, which may not be necessary since many styles catch fish even with a flat side.

Check out a few of my posts on this site under SenkoSam. They contain other ideas, along with those of many other angler/lure-creators.
http://www.tackleunderground.com/boa...wforum.php?f=9

I sell heat resistant glitter on my own site, with a diverse color selection and cheap S&H.
Samples are sent free of charge, as long as I have a name and address.

Frank Manuele
[/quote]


Your knowledge seems limitless 8) I again thank you for your input and generosity in providing this info and all the other info you put in here and other places. You and Mac should definately go into business together, the fishing world would be turned upside down for the better .

Lizards

[Slayem9]

Thanks LR
Fishing brings out the creative, contemplative, challenge-seeking, adventurous, escapist, gambler sides of all of us that look forward to casting a lure the first chance we get. In a world of uncertainty and hurdles, we can count on the love of the outdoors and our connection (fishing) to it. There aren't too many hobbies that have as many facets as angling, one of which is making your own lures.

Buying manufactured lures and looking forward to the spring catalogs of Bass Pro and Cabela's is fine, but it seems I keep seeing the same stuff modified, year after year, with nothing exciting I really need to add to my collection.

If I make it and catch fish with it, I will value it far more.

Sam

[River_Runner]

Do you have any websites where they sale moldings?

[Slayem9]

For cheap. one-part silicone molds, www.lurecraft.com has about 100 shapes (mostly copies of old and new designs). An exmple of a worm poured from a $10 silicone mold:

(the same worm from different angles).
Flat sided baits catch fish, but some anglers believe that a completely round bait is more attractive.

The above 4" stick caught bass, pickerel and crappie, the first time I used it. With no hook, the worm floats; with a small light circle hook, the lure falls slowly.
I've nose-hooked, split shot, jigheaded and C-rigged for bass. The short stick is very versatile and the easiest to make.

I displayed this worm on another site to relay the fact that clear is a great non-color because it refracts relected light and color just enough to stand out. I always use flakes to add to the illusion of texture, surface markings and internal contrast (like pepper in watermelon), as well as flash. But clear is a great finesse color because of it's subtlety.

Sam

you can take old worms (ALL THE SAME COLOR & w/out the glitter) and melt them in the microwave. if the worm has say a purple body and a pink tail just pull off the tail and after you get a good supply of used up worms melt them and your good to go. hope that helps, good luck.........