Jump to content

TroutSupport.com

TU Member
  • Posts

    135
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Everything posted by TroutSupport.com

  1. I've had stuff cut off as well. I totally agree with you about protecting ourselves. And I'm sorry your wife had to go thru that. Should all be fine after its removed. Sun Screen is mostly chemical... not really the best option. Chemicals cause just as much skin cancer as the sun. If you use a sun screen find the most natural version you can. The best is to cover up with a fabric... face cover etc. How many people have had a cancer inside the area a shirt covers. I really like my Simms shirts. They are light and have a breathable mesh on the nose / mouth area.
  2. I used the US Reels and loved them. They do increase cast distance. My opinion of why they didn't sell well was that they were a little heavier and a little bigger than what the market is looking for. A lot of people didn't trust the technology...but the technology was great... They didn't fair well with the salt crowd mostly because of corrosion issues, although their salt 1 held up fine with maintenance similar to all my other reels. however, the salt 1 (US Reels) came stock with a huge toque handle and that didn't attract the lure style fisherman like most of the saltwater community is for that category baitcasting reel. I still have the reel and can probably cast 5 - 10 yards farther with it than others. If someone was to use the wavebar technonology in a low profile (sim to lews, or shimano 50series baitcaster) that was in the 5oz range, and was made with quality components that held up to saltwater I'd jump on it in a heartbeat. Did they reduce backlash... maybe only slightly. Once you have an errant overrun...it's hard to stop. Certainly didn't backlash more than other brands....maybe a little less. The market is very smart and will wait and see others opinions before jumping on new technology. I wish I understood german LOL I think we haven't seen these in the states because the original owner of the technology had a patent for the US...at least that is my guess.
  3. Spike it has several different glows colors from the basic glow to others. pretty cool... oh, and glow eyes too... killer.
  4. The Mustad ultra points are a good light wire hook that are sharp and strong. 4/0 and 5/0.
  5. The Lurecraft hard is a nice durometer for saltwater use.
  6. Is there some way you can make a jig to hang multiple baits at roughly the same elevation? That way you can dip maybe 5 or 10 at a time?
  7. ;-) What'.... who has ADD ;-) LOL... I'm just obsessive compulsive and have a perfectionist raquet...that's plenty. X2 on the info though.
  8. like your thoughts bob. I guess that's why a lot of tackle makers will not do the slot so it allows for more variability in hooks sizes and types....
  9. Thanks guys. Good input. I like the idea of the hook slot, seems like the hook will wiggle out and up every 4th cast or so... t
  10. What are your opinions on weedless baits with hook slots (I'm referring to a top hook slot, where the hook hides down below the plastic in a slot) vs no hook slot (buried point in plastic). So far I've found that both tear pretty good. Ie. after the non-slotted design gets a few hook sets it tears and it's time for a new lure... I can usually work to get up to 4 fish on this version with about a 75% hook ratio. Looking at trying a deep slot on the top to have the hook rest in. My concern is that it will only get 2 fish before it tears and doesn't hold the hook in. I am wondering what the hooking percentage is on it compared to a buried point like above (non-slotted). Seems like the hook gets buried in lure on hook set and there's more missed fish. Any thoughts on this dilemma?
  11. How's your heat? I know when I use black it discolors when i get it too hot.
  12. Get your dyes and colorant and glitter from Spike It and Lure Craft... it's for plastisol and high temps. have fun, t
  13. I think these guys are in denmark... http://lurefactors.co.uk/index.php?route=information/contact
  14. Some of the craft glitter is labeled high heat... but only the ones you get from specific plastisol related companies can take the heat we put on them. The numbers for the others sound right...
  15. Can't really go wrong with Spikeit. It's reasonably clear, not a wet plastic...which means it will stay on the hook better. doesn't shrink tons either. good all around, not a bad place to start either.
  16. if you are worried about his or your health, try a Phthalates free type. This will only be 'better' and not totally harmless. Don't sniff the fumes, use a respirator, and use a ventilation system that pulls enough air.. there is a thread on ventilation right now that is worth reading. I wish I had built a bigger / stronger vertilation system to start with. Also, look out when using 'micro ballon' to make plastics float. Similar for any lightweight powdery substance. Use quality respirators that fit correctly... not something to skimp on. They are very inexpensive compared to the long term costs.
  17. I think that's part of the fun,... being a mad scientist. great job and thanks for sharing.
  18. plus, I would think the cuts would be inconsistent... It might be good enough to prototype... IMHO ...but not for production.
  19. I know you can put the cured eyes they make... which I am pretty sure is pourasol ... you can put them in a mold and the plastic will heat sufficiently to the eyes and it sticks well.
  20. actually those spike it eyes can be put in the mold as well and it will pretty much adere to the bait during injection. hard enough to get off...
  21. Well, I hemmed and hawed at answering this but maybe it will answer some things for those that want to know and save some others the cost of finding out the hard way. There are obviously lots of variables and never any hard numbers...i'll just convey what i've found out for injection molding. If you want the lure to be poured that's altogether different numbers. If I got the route of having someone else pour (inject), what is involved to go from my design to a packed for sale product? I'll answer this for injection molding...not hand pouring. You have to have someone draw the part in solidworks or a cad program and have someone produce a production mold. The production mold has to fit onto a production machine...so you can't just have it done by anyone unless they can get the production machine sizes and location of ports, injection, mounting, ect. typical mold 25 cavity is about 4-6k. The more cavities you have the less the final part will cost for someone else to do. the quote i got looked like I could get my bait done by someone else and package it for about 1 - $2. Maybe as low as .60 cents depending on size of bait. Retails for $3-5. You still have marketing cost, shipping, business cost, do able but not much room. and also if your selling the bait retail for $5 the retailer will want to buy it for 2.50 - $3. not much room at all. How is the process started? You jump in ...rear end first.... actually head first if you can help it. What are the upfront and long term costs? can't cover that one completely but if you have someone else do it there might only be your cost to house the project and any lost opportunity cost of the money you spent... If you do it yourself there will be some maintenance cost. Also, if you do it yourself you may have health cost depending on how well you protect yourself from interaction with chemicals (phthalate, plasticizers, etc.) and fumes. But that will come much later if it does. Also depends on how much your time is worth.... How do I insure my designs are protected? tough question...lots of variables. Only real way to protect it is to invent something that you can get a utility patent on, much harder than meets the eye. Design patents will only protect your specific design. someone can take your idea and shape shift it a little and it wouldn't infringe. It would only stop people from taking your bait and doing a 3d scan and producing a mold... actually it covers a little more than that but not much... the rule for a design patent is that 'to the untrained eye or person' does the infringing part embody the original. Utility patent is 5-10k + fees for maintenance, design patent 1-2k no maint fees. Also, in order to protect it you must have enough money to protect it. There are contingency attorneys but you'd have to prove that their windfall would be very large before a contingency attorney looks at taking the case. Is there a minimum purchase requirement for something like this? If you mean a minimum production amount for someone to produce your bait,.... yes, more than likely but there are guys, even on this board that will really work with you on getting started like Carolina Mike...has a good reputation for smaller runs and working with his clients. How do I go about having custom hooks made? That's a little bit different, but still doable... find a hook maker and work with them until you're happy.. it will take a production run of about 10000 units to start probably. Might consider just using one thats already designed. What is the advantage of purchasing my own production equipment vs subbing the pouring out or is there? Advantage here is that you won't be paying for their labor or profit what have you.... but your cost to do that come with a high cost. Injection machines cost in the neighborhood of 12k-20k... So if you have that kind of money or more then you still have to learn how to use it...but that's probably do able. I wouldn't invest that sort of coin until you know for sure the market will support that investment. And you may at least want to house it in a separate building from your house if you're going to do that sort of volume... so you may have some cost associated with that as well if you really want to protect your and your families health. Also, consider the market your entering and your marketing power and depth.. it takes time to build a customer base and an unhappy customer base can kill your business in a heartbeat as well. Even with the internet all sales are still mostly word of mouth. Customers that arn't exactly sure if they are happy are not don't really sell your product either. But if you have something out of this world, and provide good customer service then you have a chance. There are more than a couple companies that are making it doing it this way. There are probably many many that fail as well. I hope this helps.. i'm sure others could put in cost if I am way off on something, and I don't mean to scare anyone with numbers...there are certainly creative ways to do it very low cost... and with high personal effort. Good luck,
  22. I believe you can also search Google Patents for any other preliminary patent searching / investigation
  23. You are way ahead of me on that, but I have been pre thinking it. See if alternating the baits forward / backward helps at all, even in the plastic clamshell that might need to be done as well and it save space.
  24. Thanks Mike, I appreciate your help. That's what I wanted to know. I've been prototyping with the hard...plus about 6% hardener and giving it the pressure as much as I can force on a single hand injector. thanks again for all your selfless help to me and others on this board.
×
×
  • Create New...
Top