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I have done a lot of work on ballast calculators in the past. I have never offered them up for use by TU members because I considered them complicated and clumsy. This one however, I consider to be very slick and versatile. You can enter data from a first prototype and it will calculate how much ballast you need to add or subtract to achieve the buoyancy that you desire, be it slow sink, neutral or float. Boxes 1 and 2 are merely to collect data on the body material in order to obtain the material density. Boxes 3 and 4 are measured from a completed lure with hardware, hooks and topcoat. Box 5 is your desired buoyancy, 100% = neutral buoyancy. Box 6 is the density of the ballast. This can be changed if not using lead. The calculation takes into account the body material removed or added to make room for the ballast. PM your email to me if you would like to try this spreadsheet. Dave

I pour pure resin layer for the belly and then a second layer balloon/resin mix. I don’t use any lead but instead just increase the size of the pure resin layer vs balloon/resin layer till I get the my bait to sit where I want in the water column. Note you results and you can repeat all future baits

If you have a blank body and a fully assembled body with all hardware attached, and a gram scale, then it is possible to calculate the weight of micro-balloons required to add to the resin mix in order to achieve neutral density. a gram scale with 0.01g increment would be nice, but 0.1g would definitely get you close. The solution is complicated and so I have written a spreadsheet to make it simple. You will need to read up the post on Archimedes dunk test but it is really not difficult, as others who have tried it will tell you. If you or anyone would like to try the spreadsheet then PM me your email address and I will send it. Dave

Sounds like the hardner is not getting mixed in enough. I have seen two types of hardner . The paste like type like Calhoun’s plastic and the almost watered down hardner like MnF . The watered down one is easy to mix in but takes more.also I I believe they add heat stabilizer to it . Which there’s nothing wrong with .Where as the paste type is a PIA to mix in and when I use it I add Heat stabilizer to it . If I done mix the crap out of it , it does what you’re describing .

Never add hardener during heating. Always add to cold virgin plastic and mix thoroughly. If that is what your doing and it is not mixing then something is going on. Whose plastic are you adding the hardener to?

Sounds like you may have gotten a bad batch. Contact LureWorks and tell them what's going on.

Have you tried turning the hook and the wire over. I think the hook is facing the wrong way in your picture. The point of the hook should be on the hinge side of the mold or at least this is the way that I pour my spinnerbaits.

yes,, stir it in til completely dissolved in the cold plastic. stir, stir and stir more .

Are you mixing the hardener in with the regular plastisol? If you have an 8 oz batch I would add 1oz of hardener and mix well before heating.

I did use garlic scented worm oil. The dye I used was M-H from Lurepartsonline. The color I was using was red and blue to get a translucent pink. I've seen baits fade, but never have I ever seen them go as clear as glass.

There we go someone smarter then me has arrived

Experimenting is the only way that I know. The shape of the lure and the hook and hardware will change everything. I can tell you that when you think you got it will change by the temp. of the water. I gave up trying to get it right and settled for a slow sinker which took a few to get want I wanted. Good Luck. Wayne

Personally I use the same resin micro balloon ratio(would have to check my notes) I use for my floaters and just increase my ballast pure resin layer till I get what I am looking for way too many factors with hook/hardware and lure shape to give you a ratio that would work without trial and error I don’t doubt the knowledge here and there are those with way more experience then me but you might be stuck experimenting