Vodkaman

Don't throw out your failed silicone molds. Shread them or cut into small pieces and add to the mix for your next mold. This will save volume of fresh silicone. I believe the silicone sealer (vinegar type) will also serve the purpose for regular silicone, but perhaps someone could confirm. Dave

POP warning - do NOT pour any white milky remains down the kitchen sink. It WILL settle and harden. Dave

POP can be both, but in out application it is a mold making material. POP for casting resin is risky. If you die-lock your master, you will need a hammer to retrieve it. Dave

Plaster of Paris (POP) is certainly the cheapest method of casting, and the experience carries over to other materials later. Quality is very good too. But beware! If you are pouring a hard cast like resin then you run the risk of trapping your cast in the mold. This is called 'die locking'. You must be able to lift out the cast perpendicular to the split face of the mold. Dave

The bucket method is your only option unless you use CAD. You can calculate how much weight but not where to put it. Dave

Well, with your experience it might well be worth having a play with. Most software, even the expensive professional software, is available free using torrents, this is how I am able to use Catia V5 design software. Tell me the name of the software and I will see if it is available for you. Dave

Flow analysis software will not help. It is very basic, flow past an object. I looked into the idea years ago and quickly rejected the thought. The software is expensive and complex, requiring some knowledge of the fluid dynamics subject. Dave

I have read those articles too, only I was not able to source those ingredients locally. I wish you luck with your project. Dave

If you are not English then your rep score would drop dramatically Dave

Martybfishing last visited January 4 2018. Dave

RiverSmallieGuy - That looks like the tank that I designed, except mine was 8'x4'. Basically a screwed together frame with plywood panels and angle supports to stop bowing and bursting. The simple tank is then lined with a sheet of polythene. For mobility when moving location, the framed panels are easily dismantled as they were all dry screwed. I made the tank in two halves that butt up to each other. It was a great tank, served me well. In the video below, see the first 15s. To the left of the tank you see cover panels. These prevent algae formation.

Fecetious, but a good point. Dave

I really don't understand why this video has been included, it has no relevance to your question. Do you work for the company or something! Dave

I do remember a few posts on this type of bait. try searching for 'flatfish', 'plaice', 'dabs' or other related words. Dave

You can do most of the R+D on the computer using your CAD software. Inputting material densities and ballast positions, you can get your lure to float exactly how you want it to, with the desired buoyancy too. Split body materials can also be modeled, saving probably a hundred hours or more of test pours. Dave

The lightest density that I ever achieved was 0.67g/cm³ and the texture was that of English mustard and had to be injected. So, I would say that your paulownia plan is impossible. Dave

Just hover the cursor over your avatar and the information appears, January 3, 2007. Happy New Year everyone Dave

One thing I have forgotten; if the lure is breaking the water surface, then this complicates things and may make my analysis above irrelevant. Dave

JD_mudbug – Great comments, covered most of what I was going to write. You should follow his suggestions first, as my suggestions are purely based on theory. First a disclosure, I have never built a wake bait. The bait looks like it would swim nice without a lip, with the tow eye just below the chin as shown in the 3rd pic (end view). The lure attitude is determined by a balance of forces above the tow eye and below the tow eye, in other words, the force of the water on the back of the lure balance the force of the water on the lip. What I see happening, is the water forces on the lip force the lure nose down. This moves the lip passed vertical and so the length of the lip is effectively reduced as seen in the swim direction, this reduces the force on the lip. At the same time, the back of the body rises and so the forces acting on the back increase. The result of these forces means that the bait rotates/rocks nose up then nose down, and then the whole process repeats, resulting in the bait rocking up and down rather than producing vortices that will give you the side swimming action that you are looking for. Try shortening the lip, possibly by a lot, but do it gradually. If this does not work then angle the lip more forward, say 10° and adjust lip length again. As long as the lip is not pushed passed vertical then the lure will find a stable balance, and will generate side vortices. Once the lip passes vertical then it cannot reach a balanced state. I know, complicated. Not my fault Dave

Let me expand on the advantages of 3D printing of baits. Once you have a CAD model that works for you, it is little more than a push button exercise to produce more bodies. There are various materials available, but I will not discuss further here, it is up to you to research. The print is slow, but for a small crank bait, 4 or 5 could be printed per run on most budget machines. We are basically talking low volume production. The HUGE advantage is that you can produce lures that are impossible by injection molding and/or casting. Features such as concave lips, lips with sharp edges, external sharp corners. You can produce 3D pectoral fins as discussed in a recent post on sculpin fish, for that extra realism. If your intention is to one day hit the BIG time and get your lure injection molded, you can emulate the injection molding and check that the lure works before spending thousands on expensive tools, there is no money back policy on tools that produce duds. Dave

Several people have posted 'duplicator' machines, I myself have built a couple. Computer NC control is an option, but all the machines that I have seen are manual motor driven. Commercial duplicators are very expensive, in the region of $50K but I built mine for around $200, not brilliant, but I was very happy with the results. Try a TU search. 3D printing Is a viable option. I have designs, but I have not printed one off myself as yet. To do the job properly, you will need to master a CAD software to a reasonable standard. You will also need to get involved with densities, COV (center of volume) and COG (center of gravity), to have any chance of creating a lure that floats how you want it to do without a lot of tedious trial and error. I hope to source a 3D printer locally one day as I have so many projects ready for printing, not just fishing. There are local printing services that I have used, but they are just too expensive. Dave

The process to convert to STP, STL IGS or any other conversion format is basically a 'save as' function involving 5 or 6 clicks. Either his CAD program has the feature (most likely) or it does not. Either the process takes seconds or is impossible. Simple lure body shapes take only a few hours to create. But, a body with gill forms, caudal fin, dorsal fin, pectoral fins, eye sockets or domes, mouth shape, and anything else, don't even ask for scales, can take upwards of 50 hours CAD work. Half of that is figuring out how to do it. Once you figure it out, and do the work fairly regularly, you could get the time down to 20 hours. If I put that kind of effort into a model, I am not going to give it away for free. When asked, I could take one of two directions with my response: 1 - "You're joking, right!" 2 - "Sorry, my CAD system can't do it, or is very difficult." Obviously a nice guy (like me) and gave you option No2 Dave

The lack of response to this thread probably means two things; 1 - no one has tried it. 2 - no one thinks it is a good idea. My thoughts are that adding MBs to a 5 minute mix and then trying to apply it to a body, is a disaster waiting to happen. This is why Mark is suggesting a test piece trial first before potentially destroying a body. Regardless, I wish you good luck Dave

Blazing Saddles

Good decision to ask for help, and I hope you get it from experienced designers and builders. Unfortunately, I can only tackle this enigma from a purely theoretical place. Dave