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I've been wanting a better way to balance my hard baits instead of guessing where the center of mass is. I built a simple balance to attempt to do this. A quick build with scrap materials.

How does the inside diameter of your tube compare what your trying to match? Looking at wall thickness of those tubes it seems to be overkill for the application your doing. I suspect that if you started with a larger diameter mandrel you would have more room on the inside of the tube, a thinner wall, and ergo less stress on the plastic when you insert the jig head. Thats my SWAG. (Scinetific Wild @$$ Guess).

you are using Dead on Plastix Tube/Craw - White or Black Bucket? what colorant are you using? It looks like you use a lot colorant in your mix. The pink tube look lighter on the colorant did it tear? Try making a clear (no colorant) tube. What is your process for mixing and heating your plastisol?

Can’t say I have ever tested it on Musky but I have a fishermen in Toronto who will be testing a few baits of mine this year Both pike and lakers have the same style of following. Laker are actually notorious for following behind the bait for extremely long periods. The theory is the wider belly is easier to see drawing attention from fish bellow your bait. It’s all about catching there attention. It has proven highly effective on lakers so far. The only thing that draws followers to bite is a hiccup in the action not the profile. That’s why myself and likely the rest of the members on this forum make turns and bump the throttle when we troll

That would seem to make adding some kind of a scent a good idea.

It seems like 90% of all plastic problems come down to control of the plastic temperature at the time of injection (that is true of all types of plastic injection...not just baits!) Make sure you plastic gets to 350 degrees measure by a digital thermometer (NOT an IR!). A good thermometer to use is a meat thermometer but make sure you get one that reads to over 350 degrees! It should state its maximum temp on the package. If you don't get all of the plastic to 350 degrees it does not completely "change state" causing all sorts of issues! I wonder if the problem is as simple as the head you are using is too big? If you look at the Do-it molds for tubes they are significantly smaller than that bait. I use model #473218 https://barlowstackle.com/Do-It-Tapered-Tube-Skirt-Jig-Molds-P209/ I would suggest you go to the store and buy a pack of standard tube jig heads and see if the problem goes away! If you have a Fleet Farm near you they carry them in a wide assortment. Walmart also has them (at least in my area) https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eagle-Claw-Lazer-Sharp-Tube-Grub-Jig-Head-Bronze-1-4-Oz-BTH14/544205456 The MF tough plastic would also help. Andy

Do not use a union! Take a 3" flat cap ABS or PVC doesn't matter and drill a hole near the bottom to fit an aquarium valve. Hot glue in an aquarium valve. The hot glue makes it easier to replace a bad valve later on. Take a section of pipe for your cup and put in a knock out test caps. Knock out the center and discard. Remove the remaining ring of the test cap and set aside. Place your membrane over the section of pipe and replace the ring. Trim excess membrane material. Use a second knock out test cap for a cover. Make as many cups as you want for cheap. Change/replace membranes in seconds. I rarely ever clean a cup. Store my paint in them as well. Want a 2" cup? Put in a 3x2 reducer fitting and make a 2" cup. Same for 1.5" Change sizes in seconds. Change cups in seconds.