Willy

Here's my two cents from a scientific point of view: As a student of both Marine Biology and Oceanography I have learned about the predators that most of the fish we hunt for are. Predators hunt in an attack mode. Their attacks are triggered by a limited combination of things. The same predatory instincts that lurk deep within each of you, and influence your snap decision making abilities, especially in emergencies. I digress. Firstly, fish know what they can and can't eat. When they identify a potential meal, they very quickly analyze the target and make decisions about the target based on a collection of knowledge bits they keep about their food group. These bits of knowledge in the fish's brain are accessed by the trigger identifiers; shape, movement, color, vibration, odor, etc. There is a hierarchy of influence in the fish's decision to each of these, shape and size being the most influential, action or movement style being the second most. A fish won't eat a duck, but will eat a frog. Both swim on top of the water, but the size, shape and action of each animal tips the fish off about which one is ok to attack. We all know predators attack the weakest potential target whenever possible. A trailer in a group, an older animal, a wounded animal. When a fish, or any predator looks at a target it is in a way so as not to tip off their presence. They don't swim up and examine the color. They see a flash of silver and identify the category: animal. They see a certain twitch and identify, fish, worm, minnow, etc. They see an erratic angle or motion and they identify wounded or weakness, or too fast, or whatever. Who knows how many of these identifiers the fish needs before it will strike. Most likely depends on the fish. They are dumb, but they are still individuals and all act a little differently. So in a short form, yes color does make a difference, but so do a lot of things. Most likely presentation is a lot more important than color. I suspect most strikes are on a silhouette that has a good size, speed and action. Things controlled by the fisherman, and most likely influenced by the confidence of the angler. Which, as mentioned before, may be influenced by the color of the lure they are using. Willy

#1 My pour holes on my 2 part molds are about as thick as a pencil. I have to cut off the pour hole piece anyway, so I figure, who cares how fat it is? Nova (as usual) is right, it is imparative to aim your pours exactly down the middle, if you don't do that, you may as well start again. The plastic that hits the edge of the hole will cool, no matter how warm the mold is, and you're in trouble from there. All I can say, is it takes practice. Lots. If it helps, find somthing tall and stable to rest your pouring arm on when you pour to stabilize your pouring hand so as to 'hit the mark.' #2 Shrinkage happens. Nova is right, if the mold moves or spreads, it will cause a little vacuum and cause the tip to suck-in, and make the hollow tip you were lamenting. Clamp it, or use a really strong grip. To fill the tip, what I do is keep the plastic hot and keep topping off the hole. You will need to develop your timing to let the first pour to cool and shrink, then top off the hole with a little more hot plastic, let it sink down in there, and top off again. A hint; I keep a little harder plastic hot in a seperate cup, and top off with that, it makes the tip of my lure harder than the rest to avoid hook damage in the tip, especially important on worms and flukes. But figure out your timing, and top off the hole, that'll help you out. #3 listen to Nova, when I was beginning, he was willing to give me tips that helped me learn what I was doing, and I think of his advice every time I pour. Read thru the forums and check his posts. It's worth the time of any and all pourers. Willy

Jerry, I add crushed crayon into my plastic when it is really hot. Then stir a lot, and heat in bursts to really melt it down or it will swirl the color rather than mix it in. I've found you will really need to experiment on your own about how much crayon to mix in. Some colors dont require a lot, and others will take a lot. I mix in really small amounts, usualy 1/4 to 1/2 cup of plastic. For that much it takes about 1/2 a crayon for a really dark color and just about 1/4 inch to lightly color it. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask any more questions about the process, Willy

Hello folks, I've drifted over here from the soft plastic forum. I find myself spending way tooo much on jigheads, and am considering beginning to make my own. The usual questions; What would be a good search topic on this forum to learn some how to's? Do you make your own molds or usually buy them? Heat source...micorwave, or hotplate? Supplies? Collected led bits or purchased? Thanks all, Willy

The crayons work great! Tried today, and I must say I am impressed. The colors look nice, plastic is exactly as soft and flexable as before. Another horrible photo, but I made a nice motor oil and a lime green. I'll try 'em out in the kelp beds this afternoon and give 'em the real test. Thanks for the great tip, Willy

Do you guys mix it into your baits when the plastic is hot? I have a bottle of the stuff and have mixed it with vasoline and use it as a rub on the bait before casting. I would rather mix it into the bait. What amount do you use and at what point in the process? Thanks, Willy

I'm using MF supersoft mixed with a little hardner. The baits come out really soft, and that gives the tail on the swims a lot of...well...swim. I fish saltwater, and the toothy fish (halibut, calico bass) tend to tear 'em up pretty well, but thats why I pour my own. I'd rather have a really soft swim with lots of action and replace them every couple of fish. If you have any harder plastic around, you can mix the two, I used to mix 3/4 soft and 1/4 regular. Willy

I too use an elmers 50/50 mix, applied exactly as described above, and also have been pouring on those molds for a year. I coat the cavities with a brush on of mineral oil before I pour, just to ease the release and add a little shine, but the elmers does fine. As mentioned above, bake your mold or super dry it before you coat, it will take a lot beter. The first few coats will really soak in, it will take a few before you start to build up a finish. I think i do at least three layers. Good luck, Willy

Ok here's some pics, forgive my horrible photography. The reds, and greens on the top are what I am talking about. Great knowledge all! Now I have a few new ideas to try. Hopefully I can post some new pics with see-through colors! Willy

Shane, no scent, no salt. I think we may have an explaination however... Boy, will I feel dumb if I am crying about not being able to see through non transparent colors. Will they say on the bottle "transparent?" Or is it just common knowledge what colors are and are not? I am blending my colors from bottles of primary colors, ie. red, blue, and yellow. You may be onto somthig very simple that would make me feel very dumb slick... Willy

Jerry, Do a search on this site for either 'plaster of paris two part', or 'pop 2 part molds'. Somewhere there is a good tutorial for making your own simple two parts from plaster. It takes a little practice before you get your own technique down. I think I had to make four or five molds before I could begin making good ones. Good luck, Willy

Gents, I use no salt. I guess 'opaque' was a little misleading. The baits I pour are evenly colored, and the color is true, just not clear. Imagine a guiness vs. a sam adams. Both have good rich color, but one you can see light through and one you can't. My next effort, upon the arrival of new plastic, is to try to dip a toothpic into my colorant and stir it in, to try to use less than one drop of colorant. I was once able to mix a semi-clear bait that way but the color was very pale. Nova, on many of your baits your colors are very rich, but still clear. Bojon as well. Two questions for you fellas: 1. do you mix your colorant before or after heat? 2. Could I be heating my plastic too hot, and would that remove the see-through properties of my colors? I will fiddle around with trying to post a pic to show you what I mean, after work of course Thanks all, Willy

I can't seem to get my pour colors to be see-through. When I add color, the plastic hardens opaque. Most of the best pours in the gallery here, and those I buy in the store, have a very nice clear look, while still keeping their rich color. What am I doing wrong? I am using MF superSoft, and Mf colorant. I only mix a few ounces at a time as I only pour for myself and two buddies, but I usually mix one drop of color for about 2-4 ounces of plastic. Any advice? Willy

I too use several treatments of a elmers glue/water mix. You will see quickly it takes several coats, but after that it works well. Also, Longhorn is right, plaster holds a little moisture inside for a long time, so an oven bake is a really good idea to dry it out before you coat. Willy

Nova, Good idea, score the detail parts, as it was exactly scale patterns that I was losing on my POP molds. For the new moldmakers out there, I've tried a lot of other things like nail polish(enamel), stain sealer, engine paint, etc. Everything seemed to either peel off or bleed color/smell into the plastic eventually. I've used the Elmers and water mix for a while, and it works, but it isn't very tough, it can be chipped, scratched, or gouged. The Epoxy works like a charm, but Nova is correct, really thin it down and do a few coats. For what it's worth. Willy