bluetickhound

I dont yet have a twinjector but having used laminate plates i believe the bond between colors would be better with the twinjector. With the laminate plates I have it is possible to pull the layers apart as the plastic cools while I'm changing out the plate for the upper half.

I was about to mention the High Rock system from Baitjunky's myself... I don't have it yet but I will be getting it soon. I was sold in Bear's sytem and still believe it to be top shelf, but for less than half the $$$ the High Rock system appears to be mote in my price range... No knock on Bear's at all... I just can't justify spending that kind of money yet... That and I already have the Presto pots....

I would like a wide frog that has the U vibe legs like a zoom horny toad. I just din't like the paddle foot frogs everyone sells...The frog mold I bought from BT has been troublesome to shoot and is too thin for the double hooks... The action on it is fantastic (it will roll, but you have to practically melt it on the retrieve to get it to do so....) and other than the difficulty in shooting a frog that doesn't either have a divot over one of the eyes or huge voids I love the actual baits, provided, like I said, I can get the mold shot correctly...

I think the touchdown worms are the ticket. I sent the link to my friend and I believe he's going to buy a few to see if they're the same thing.

+1 Baitjunky's glitter (.015) has been fantastic for me but almost everyone else's supposedly "high temp" glitter folds like the Atlanta Braves in the postseason.... Hobby Lobby has only failed me once and yes... It was the red glitter... I got some of the disco glitter from Hob Lob and it has been great.

I had a friend ask me if I had ever heard of these... I hadn't but wondered if any old timers here were familiar and/or even had one and would be willing to post a picture?

I guess the ggod news is that at least a few of y'all are making decent enough money at this to keep doing it. I don't kid myself that plastic baits are going to be my ticket to "financial freedom" but if I can get to a point that i'm supplementing my current income then I would call it good. Maybe I'm not setting my sights high enough... It's ok for right now, I can always adjust up (or down) as the demand for my product decrees.... Like I said previously... Crawl.... Walk.... Run.... If I do make a real go of it I know I'll have a lot of you here at TU to thank for your advice and encouragement!

He's already ahead of me, that's for sure!! Seriously though.... This whole conversation has been enlightening to me. What I've gleaned out of it is that yes, you can START a business on a shoesting but if you want to CONTINUE being in business it will require investment and not just money. Luck will play a small role but I have always believed that you make your own luck. The harder (and smarter) I work, the luckier I seem to be.... Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread.... I still haven't started actually selling baits (yes, I'm giving them away right now but not in the same quantities that I had been before, as it was apparent that folks here are right... Free baits will ALWAYS have takers.... Start talking money and the crowd thins out quickly....) but I want to be sure I learn how to crawl before I start trying to walk....

Good luck with your surgery and please (!!) don't be discouraged or disheartened about the plastics business. I'm 47 and considering getting into business myself. I wish I had had your gumption when I was 15!! I said it halfway in jest but if you were so inclined, learning how to run a CNC machine now could pay huge dividends in the future... Just something to ponder. Again, good luck and best wishes for a speedy recovery!!

If the kid's really sharp he'll go to trade school, learn how to run a CNC nachine and make a mint off of dopes like me who are willing to spend a ton of $$$$ on molds!!

This should hopefully answer the previous poster's concern...

I'm with Frank on this after seeing the picture. It also looks like a good ways to get to the bottom two baits.... If you decide to open the gates just be careful. You can always go back and hone out a little more but once done, you can't put it back...

Are you keeping the sprue filled as the bait cools in the mold?

I'd listen to smallmouthaholic ANY day before I'd take the advise of some lousy teacher who sounds like they never spent a day in their lives running a business.... This is still America (despite what the doom and gloom crowd would have you believe...) and in spite of all the obstacles, people can an do still start and maintain successful businesses every day. Get your head right, get ready to work like you have never worked before, invest not only your $$$ but the proverbial blood, sweat and tears and let the chips fall where they may. Some things will be beyond your control but if you play by the rules and give it your honest BEST, no matter what happens you can be proud that you had the stones to do what 90+% of people never even try... Even if your business fails, you should learn enough to try again armed with a better understanding of what it takes.... You hear it said a lot but most businesses survive because the owner flat refuses to let it die. Perseverance isn't the answer to EVERY difficulty you'll face but it will get you through a lot...

Well.... Last night i made a mistake that I may never be able to duplicate but it turned out the softest worms I have yet poured. I mean so soft that they're almost jello-like.... I won't mention the plastisol brand but I did neglect to shake it before pouring it into my presto pot.... I'm sure that was the real reason it kicked over so quickly and poured so thin. Even at barely 300' it was like water almost.... I was using a senko style mold and the baits came out perfectly formed with no bubbles or "dents" as I seem to have had a problem with in the past...As soon as I demolded I knew something was bad wrong.... After letting the baits cool they are still just as soft and pliable as any I have ever made (in the short time I have been doing this, that is...). In any event, after a bit of consideration, i am going to take these puppies out for a swim and see what the fish have to say about 'em.

X2 on the thanks! I had wondered if there was any sort of way to know if I was cooking my plastic correctly other than "if it scorches, you cooked it too long!"....

That should have read "best advice".... Not sure what "beat asvice" is but it sounds painful!!

Go to the 7th post in this thread and memorize it. Take it to heart. Live it. It's the beat asvice you'll ever get about going pro, so to speak.... http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/topic/26527-should-i-get-a-tax-id-number/?fromsearch=1

First off, wrlcome to TU!! Secondly, the search function should turn up a gold mine of info on this subject... All that being said... Resist the temptation to sell baits "under the table".... Selling tackle involves collecting and reporting taxes to the IRS. Even at 15, you should know that the IRS isn't an organization to be trifled with....

Yeah... Where I live there is a tackle shop that has everything from soup to nuts.... I figured out pretty quickly to stay away from that...

I have had a couple of those good guys offer to pay for my baits but I'm not set up yet to be in business and after reading the thread on "under the table" lure selling I'm scared to take a nickle before I could justify having done so to the IRS... That being said, I'm sure you're spot on about the other 95+% of folks.... The minute I'm in business they won't want any more baits....

If you want a real chuckle, check out the video link to their commercial....

Mark I started off using LC salt and I can't tell the difference between one of Gary's Senkos and the ones I'm making from a salt texture perspective... If I break open mine and his side by side they feel exactly the same... For whatever that is worth...

Mike, that is good advice for me also... I'm looking to get active here myself and had to slow my roll a bit... I am thinking now that within a years time I should have my chops up enough to get going but right now I'm just making (and giving away) a ton of baits. Folks are catching fish and asking for more, so I'm on the right track....

Now that the subject has come up, I'm going to try some of Baitjunky's Watermelon 500 and see how it compares... Living in Atlanta I get the joke (I-285 that surrounds the city is known as the watermelon 500 because folks drive like maniacs here!!) and Leonard provides some of the best customer service you'll ever find! When I get it and test it out I'll report back...