Recycling Plastic baits!! ??????

[bassinbad]

is it possible(well ive done it already just dont know all the pros and cons of it) to re-melt down plastic baits and re-pour em? i started saving all my mangled plastics for a while..from senkos to cyberflex zulu jerkbaits.i know that if u put cyberflex with any other plastic some crazy crap happens..but for all other "earthy" plastics can we melt em and repour.i wanna know if im wasting my time and stinkin up the joint for no reason? thanx.when i melted down the stuff it seemed to have the same consistency as b4 so ..i dunno ami way off? :

[BassnG3]

You can remelt the standard plastic lures. It has been my experience that some really stink bad when reheated. I never messed with cyberflex baits, they are made of a different plastic than your standard baits. I found each to have a little different quality than the other so I just quit messing with them. I now only remelt my own lures. Just make sure when reheating you go slow ie 30 sec increments so you don't scorch the plastic.

Scott

[siebler_custom_baits]

cyberflex cant be melted in micro. must be direct heat like a pot or flame and pot/pan

[Senkosam]

Like BassnG3 says, slow melting is the only way. The things you can expect for commercial grade plastics:

Brighter colors will fade and may change to a drab, off color.

Glitter will shrink or melt completely as well as lose color.

Salted baits will lose all salt and settle to the bottom. The larger crystals used, were originally mixed uniformly by a process I haven't figured out yet. If you want salt, floured salt is the only way. Of course, the plastic will now be opaque versus translucent and the poured plastic, much harder with the addition of salt.

A microwave will burn the plastic less (and stink less) than a stove top burner as long as you zap 15 seconds or so - stir the chunks in evenly - and repeat until uniformly melted. You can even pause between zaps to allow solids to melt down and avoid burning already-melted plastic. View the pyrex container like a melting pot - stir and heat slowly.

Sometimes it pays to add some fresh plastic, dye and glitter, softener or hardener (if Senkos).

Plastisol that's been reheated, looks and fells better as long as extreme caution is taken to prevent the temp from going over 300. You want the consistency of syrup, not water.

Sam

[alsworms]

My only advice is to stay away from remelting Zoom or Berkley products.......

nice big smoke bomb in the shop.......

I'm pretty sure they use 3-G plastic. 'Nuf said there.......

[bassinbad]

thanx guys ..ill try to post when i get my molds...

[jrav]

Get a cutting board and a cheap butcher knife, slice and dice 'em as small as you can. They melt faster and more consistently and smoke less as a result. Very soft and fagile, but make good tubes and sassy shad type lures. Color is a crapshoot, but it's usually a fish catcher. I still call it "roadkill camo" despite the science claimed by some of the experts on that particular color scheme. Ya gotta admit, that color might have been the result of a fortunate potluck meltdown!

[Senkosam]

...plus you can always add a few drops of dye and some glitter to improve the color.

I can't usually remember how much softener I put in a leftover piece of plastic, so I cast a small stick, let it cool and test it's flex or softness. If its too firm (for larger baits), I add softener and if too soft (for grubs*), I add hardener. Adding salt is always an option for reheated baits that held crystal salt versus floured salt. That also lightens the color.

The only plastic I chuck, is the seared stuff that has black chunks in it.

*(I figure there's no reason to having grub bodies that are too soft because the action is in the tail, which I pour separately anyway.)