crotalus

Is the ultra stretchy, floating style of plastic available to the home pourer? I've been looking around online and can't seem to find it. Is it a completely different material than plastisol?

well, sort of? It's not necessarily super tough, just real rubbery and translucent. guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and take my chances with the lure craft stuff.

Ok, I've been making hardbaits for a while now and want to get into pouring soft stuff as well. I am trying to figure out which plastic to buy? I don't want plastic worm style plastic, if that makes any sense? I want the swimbait type plastic, like used in ospreys and other line thru, top hook, type swimbaits. It just seems to be a different type of plastic than, say..... a zoom worm. Or to make it more simple, does any one know which plastic/s osprey uses? Thanks a bunch guys, I hope you guys can drop some knowledge on me haha! Eric

Just from looking at the bait I have a theory. I have made many baits similar to the one you are making. I never did achieve the large wake and tail kick I wanted with that hinge design. It does work, but if you really want a ton of slow speed action you need to give the tail section more freedom. I started by looking at the rapala jointed floating minnow. That bait has serious action! Its more rounded, made of very light material (balsa), and has a very free moving joint. lots of space in between sections and only two screw eye attachment. Once I keyed in on some of those concepts my wake baits went from ehhh... to holy sh*t! For me, I had a lot more trouble with taller, thin baits, with tight joints.

its the micro balloons. the more you add the more it expands. With mine anyway. I think its the heat of the plastic expanding the air in the microballoons and then it hardens, leaving you with a product larger than your master or mold space. I have not yet found an alternative, except less balloons.

Microballoons, yes, the resin is very similar to the smoothcast 300. typical casting resin. The pot life is about 3 minutes with a 10 minute demold time.

I just started casting some baits from polyurethane resin and am looking for tips on how to get rid of or reduce the little bubbles in the cast bait? Thanks Eric

I've been searching for sst screw eyes, looking to get them around 1.25" long with a small eye so they are discrete. Wheres the best place to get them? quality is a must.

I will definitely make a detailed log and take notes. thanks for the advice. I'm thinking about trying Smoothcast 60D.

Thanks A-mac, how do you like the aero marine? Do you get many bubbles in you cast lures?

I've been doing a bit of research on polyurethane casting resins for making multi jointed swimbaits, there are so many to choose from. I'm looking for something that is very strong, has some give/flex, and can take microballoons. What are guys like Mickey Ellis of 3:16, and nate of nate's baits using? What are you guys using? Dascar? Alumalite? Smoothon? Freeman?.........? Too many. thanks Eric Lightfoot

I've been making my own hand carved lures for a few years on and off. I am now to the point where it is consuming me and I love it. I want to move from making wooden baits to molding my own from resin. I thought I would be able to just mold a carved wooden bait, but that has proved very difficult to make a perfect master. It is too much work to keep carving wood, messing it up, and then having to start all over. I was thinking maybe, get a bunch of dense styrofoam to carve? That way, baits can be quickly shaped and detailed, and if you mess it up, no big deal. The reason wood is so difficult is because I'm trying to make multi-segmented swimbaits with integrated hinges for joints. I was wondering how others have gone about this? Or even how big name lure companies go about making prototypes and how they shape their mold masters? Thanks Eric