alsworms

Try melting your baits, then adding hardener. Since you're remelting plastics, I would start with 1 part hardener to 4 parts plastic. You can buy liquid hardener at Lure Craft. I would also recommend getting a little heat stabilizer. Just a 1/2 ounce will keep 1 gallon of plastic from burning. Chris

To pour 2 colors together, have two pots or cups hot and ready with the colors you want. Make sure you pour the second color almost immediately after your first pour so the colors will blend together. If you do a search on the forum for "pouring 2 colors" or "pouring veins", you can find some cool information. You can find the oxblood color in the new Lure Craft catalog. There are different variations of oxblood. Some are cinnamon, reddish/brown, reddish/orange, reddish/purple, etc. Lure Craft's version is more of an orange or pumpkin color. You can also make your own oxblood by mixing small amounts of red and pumpkin or purple and pumpkin, depending on what shade you're looking for. Chris

I only tried it in watermelon and green pumpkin. Probably why it didn't work.

How quick is the drying time on that varathane? I have been using polyurethane and I need to find a better product. Chris

Hang in there Mike. The only reason I'm any good at this is because my wife makes me work all the time. That gold coast color is actually 3 pours............. Belly: pearl white Middle: gold with gold hi-lite Back: black with a touch of gold hi-lite. I didn't realize on your first post that you might be asking for the entire mix. Have a good 'un Chris

I think that's the big problem - funding. I'll bet you could find plenty of guys willing to teach a course on pouring plastics, but could you find an institute willing to pay for it?? I have seen the fly tying courses before and I honestly believe you could share as much information in plastics. There are tricks of the trade that can take weeks/months to learn. Also seems that more and more guys are getting into pouring and the demand for a class might be there someday. Chris

It just seemed worse to me this holiday season. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. 5 years - no complaints, then I get 3 in two days. Next year I think I'll try going a slower route and explain to the customer that it could be a month before they get their goodies. Chris

Hi Mike, For a brilliant gold, try Lure Craft's golden color with gold hi-lite. If that's too bright, you can tone it down with a drop or two of black color. Hope this helps Chris

Rick, I added a fairly easy version of Rainbow Trout to the color chart. A third pour looks even better. You would just add a simple pink to the middle portion, then pour a white belly......all over the green back. Chris

Rainbow Trout In 4 ounces of plastic........ Belly: 1/2 teaspoon of pearl white powder, 3 drops red color, large black flake Back: 6 drops green color, pinch of blue hi-lite powder, large black and medium holograph (or silver) flake This is an easy 2-pour version.

Fortunately, 2 of the 3 guys have received their stuff (close to 3 weeks!). Now just waiting on the last one. I believe if a guy pays for priority mail shipping, the package should arrive in 2-3 days, regardless of the time of year. The post office should do whatever it takes to make sure those packages are delivered on time. I could have paid a third the price for media or first class shipping, and they get there just as fast???? Of course, I have friends who work with USPS and they'd kill me for saying that.

I bought some glow powder for soft plastics from Lure Craft awhile back and I couldn't tell any difference at all. The baits looked the same, even in water. They recommended using 1/4 teaspoon for 4 ounces of plastic. My last try was 1 full teaspoon and I still had no change. I would like to figure out a way to get a glow on some of the darker colors without adding chartreuse to everything.

Great lookin' stuff Rick. Glad you made it here. Chris

Same to you Del and all the members. Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe Holiday Season. Looking forward to a great new year for Tackle Underground!

Hey Fellas, I'm wondering if anyone is having trouble with slow shipping? I know it's the holiday season, but I have never seen it THIS bad . I have had 3 guys complain in the last week about not getting their stuff. One of the boxes was shipped 3 weeks ago! I ship everything via USPS priority mail. Is UPS faster during the holidays? I pride myself of fast shipping and I hate ticked off customers. Just curious if anyone has any input on this? Chris

Also get yourself something to dig that hardener off the bottom. Lure Craft plastic is notorious for having chunks of settled hardener. If it's been sitting that long, I'll bet you have a foot of that stuff down there. I used to have an old wooden baseball bat to work it free, then use a drill to mix it even more. Like Siebler said, then transfer into smaller containers 'cuz you don't wanna do that again. Once you have it in one-gallon containers, shaking should more than sufficient to keep it mixed. Give us a yell if we can help any more with that. Chris

In my opinion, here's my take on Calhoun plastic: 1) Inexpensive; costs about 5 to 10 bucks less per gallon that MF or Lure Craft. 2) Stays mixed well with very little shaking or stirring. 3) Little or no smell when cooking. 4) Turns crystal clear and accepts all colors well. 5) Does not burn with high heat. The only time you will need to add heat stabilizer is when cooking with heavy salt. The only downside to Calhoun is that it's not as soft as MF or Lure Craft. You need to add about 1 cup of softener per gallon of plastic to bring it to Lure Craft's 536 formula. I like my baits really soft, so I add about 7 cups of softener to a 5-gallon jug. Overall, Calhoun is a very consistent plastic and well worth it. Someone please chime in if I'm missing something. That's all my mind can muster right now. Chris

http://www.fishingworld.com/M-F-Manufacturing/ That should get you there. Chris

Makes sense now John. I must have been half asleep when I read your first post. Some guys start at the tail and work towards the meat of the body, but for some reason that has never worked for me. I always start my pours at the thick part and work towards the tail. I try to get a thin stream of plastic pouring to the tail, and what little bit I have left over I work back to the thick part of the body and finish it there. This helps eliminate overpours for me. Probably doesn't make a bit of sense. Chris

Hey John, What kind of lines are you getting? Are you talking about overpours or run-offs? Sorry man.....I'm lost on that one. :oops:

Interesting mix. Does it look different inside & outside like straight motor oil, or does the watermelon prevent that? Chris

I like to add a little brown to Lure Crafts green pumpkin to make it darker. A little brown and a lot of yellow will also make a nice green pumpkin. Chris

www.fslures.com

Not to mention that most of us have a "confidence" bait that we don't dare leave home without. It's pretty hard to get a dedicated fisherman to try something new, least of all a plastic free product. I have a buddy who fishes nothing but Culprit worms. 6 years ago, he caught his biggest bass C-rigging a 7 inch Culprit and his tackle box has been full of them since. He won't even use my stuff when he can get 'em for free. The bottom line is plastics are stable. Look at Senkos, Zoom lizards, Brush Hogs, Flukes,......the list goes on and on. All of these products have busted the market and they're not going anywhere. Chris

I sure hope not. I just checked out the Food Source site and it would be interesting to know what they use to make their products. And that brings about another question.......since they advertise the baits as being made of 100 percent "Fish Food", I wonder if they might not be allowed in bass tournaments? I'm not slamming the product at all (seems like a great idea).......just wondering if there might be a catch or some downsides to the process?? In my opinion, I don't think plastics will ever be replaced. They have been a mainstay in fishing for many, many years. The other plastic free products might be successful, but I'm sure we can co-exist with them. Chris