K.C.K.

Here is a Goldfish paint job I did for a guy that hammers them on goldfish colors back east I tried it in socal had some followers but I did not have enough confidence to throw all day

Search My young Padiwyn learner, SEARCH!!!!!!, just kidding!!!!!!!!!!!! Ive bought from just about all of the suppliers and a site sponsor Lisa and ed have the best prices and great eyes http://lisa.staton.home.insightbb.com/ They are good people and will take good care of you. K.C.

http://www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Acetone-9927062 judge for yourself I use it but only with my respirator and gloves and plenty of ventilation I knew a few surfboard glassers that were pretty screwed up from it. there is not a single solvent that is not bad for you just some are worse than others

One trick to make sure you get a good part two is to pull your original out of part one. Coat your RTV with Vaseline. insert your original back into part one of your mold. that way you do not get any Vaseline on you original and only on part one RTV.. make sure you seal your original first if it is sculpted out of wood I use clear poly to seal my original before i make my molds it will fill in the pours of your wood. and give you a good release from the rtv. Disregard this step if you make your original out of plastic or clay Hope this helps K.C.

Wear a respirator and solvent resistant gloves at all times when working with solvents, I have a permanent headache because i didn't wear one until it was too late one thing about a lot of solvents is that they numb you ability to smell them early on . with me i would not know it was causing damage until I started to not be able to feel my scalp when I washed my hair. granted I was using large amounts of Lacquer thinner daily and spraying contact adhesive with high concentration of toluene. granted this is not the same exposure that you get if you are brushing baits outside but each exposure is accumulative no matter how small it does its damage to brain and nerve cells and liver damage..just giving you a heads up from first hand knowledge and a lot of research wear the proper safety equipment and protect yourself we are not able to fix some of the damage these chemicals produce. Now go out and make some killer baits and catch a pig....

All you need is good old Vaseline if it is your rtv to rtv part line. just wash it good with dish soap afterword ...

I have to agree with everything you said Rookie. Ed and Lisa's eyes are some of the best and most affordable. I have used about 5 different eye suppliers now and they are are the best Quality, and their customer service is bar none. Ed will call you to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for.. and will not take your order unless they have the eyes in stock and the ship it out very quickly. they have earned my business from now on.. its not often that I will comment on someones business but these people deserve the business K.C.

If is got oil in it sure has not affected my baits I give them a heavy bath in it before I prime and I have zero fisheyes and if it had oil in it you would think that would be the first thing you would see.. correct me if I'm wrong.. (I just pulled the msds sheet on it and it states 91% alcohol 9 % H2o water...)

Isopropyl is great for giving you bait a prepaint wash , but like Mark said it just doesn't cut it as a solvent

Go to your local aquarium shop you can buy some salt and a salinity gauge there.. you can have it exactly the salinity to where you plan to sell these. there is quite a bit of difference between salt and fresh water and buoyancy. K.c.

Don,t take this the wrong way, but all the info is already out here. all you have to do is use the search function you can spend hours reading all the information on this site . hopefully you do not have an addictive personality lure building and this site can be addicting. when you run into a problem or a solution to someones issue please chime in you will always find someone that is willing to help.. Again welcome to the site and I hope you have a lot coffee your going to need it..... K.C.

use the search engine you will find tons on info on this subject. to answer your ? yes you want to use microballoons I use a 1 to 1 ratio. it will give you plenty of strength and all the bouyentcy you will need..

Try these guys they are quick shipping and cheap www.tcpglobal.com

Good old Vaseline is the best silicone to silicone release made just wash your mold out afterword with soap and hot water K.C.

I add 1 to 1 and have had o issues with this ratio screws hold well and is not brittle 200 swimbaits later no problems. hope this helps less MBs did not give me enough bouyentcy ..

yes alumilite will expand!!! you need to support your mold on all sides I use the the 3/4 plywood box that I used to make the mold with, and either clamp it together or use screws. I get no defection this way... K.C.

When pouring alumilite it is best to preheat your mold. Silicone works best for this... stick with what works best..you will save yourself a lot of headaches .

I use 70-25 tin sil silicone Molding Rubbers K.C.

I use Krylon plastic primer and have yet to have a bait delaminate A lot of people including myself use alumilite regular Alumilite - Products - Casting Resins - Alumilite Regular its the strongest, has the fastest demold time and its cheaper you can buy Micro balloons on there website also Alumilite - Products - Dyes - Fillers - Microballoons Alumilite is easy to use in fact I'm going to pour a bunch tomorrow . any ? feel free to PM me K.C.

I normally seal mine with krylon clear this helps seal & smooth the bait out gives you a good mold. did you carve scales?

Most people use Alumilite - Products - Casting Resins - Alumilite Regular Add 1 to 1 resin to micro balloons for floaters 1-1/2 to 1/2 for sinkers you can use the same amount of ballast for each using this method. RTV holds detail well but you will notice loss of some detail after about 30 or more pours.. Scales will show up but you have to take into consideration what topcoat thickness and how much hook rash will affect the scales, personally I like to paint on scales and go with a thick smooth topcoat for more durability.

Vodkaman I respectively have to disagree about cutting joints after the fact. If you make the proper jigs to hold your blank in the right position you can cut joints rapidly and accurate. I can cut 10 swimbaits in about 15 minutes. sure it takes time to make your jigs but the time saved buy not having to pour multiple sections could be negligible That said if he is not using the standard v joint and is using something like a piano type hinge then it is a no brainier you would have to pour in sections...

I'm Sorry I miss read the ? I thought you were asking about 1 piece mold verses two piece. I use aluminite regular and add micro balloons.. mold your original in one piece so you can reuse.to make more molds Cut your joints on a small band saw. you will have to build a jig to hold your blank level and parallel,,, draw a line from the mouth to the center of the tail use that to build your jig.. cut one side then flip..

Alumilite - How To's

Thanks Mark I already cleaned out a syringe two days ago exactly how you said. its so much cheaper buying the big bottles i should have done it a year ago. I paid $12 for the 9oz kit at the local True Value...