Potter Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 Just started pouring and have set on this site for hours at a time reading. I get great ideas and get excited and then go out and try to pour and get so frustrated I have to quit. I have a hot plate because I'm kinda not to sure about the microwave thing. I'm tring to make a stik bait using salt. At first I had problems pouring and would never get salt in my bait and it would be left in the pan, did some reading figured that out. Also I made a nice POP mold using info on the site. Right now I have a problem with getting the plastic to stay at the right temp, could this be because I have a heat controlled hot plate? It kicks on and off depending on if it is on low or high or somewhere in between. My other problem is when I pour the baits out of the 4 I pour in the mold, none of them turn out the same color this is all out of the same pan. One will be light, one dark, and so on. Thanks in advance , I'll keep reading post and hopefully figure this out someday:?. I've used about a quart of plastic and have about 3 or 4 good worms to show for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drof99 Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 First off Potter don't get frustrated. With the help of all the guys here we'll get ya straight. I personally don't care for the hot plate because I was burning plastic. Other can help more with that part of it though I'm sure. Are you keeping your plastic mixed well? If not the salt can settle. Also if your plastic is too hot that will make the salt settle even more. Do you have an infared thermeter? They are not that expensive and will go a long way keeping your plastic to the correct temp. I bought mine for $25 at a hobby shop. They use it for checking temps of nitro RC cars. You can "shoot" your plastic without the thermo touching it and it'll give you the temp. You need to have your molds warm before the very first pour. I warm mine on an electric griddle but you can use the stove or oven. This will help your plastic flow better in the mold. As far as the color goes. You need to be sure you plastic is mixed VERY well. Something else to consider is the heat. If your plastic is too hot that will make your plastic burn or scorch. This will make the color get darker and darker the more it gets heated. Hopefully that makes sense. You have to have a really good pot I think for even heat on the hot plate. I'm sure other can help with that more than me. The microwave is very easy to use. The thermo will go a long way I think in helping out. Sounds to me that the plastic is getting to hot and changing the color on ya. Good luck and be sure to let us know how you're doing. Before much time you'll be pouring perfect sticks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delw Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 stir stir stir when you have salt. as far as the hot plate they work fine but you must stir so you dont burn the plastic. what color colors are you haveing problems with changing. if its a transparent color the more plastic you have it will give you a darker look for example lets say you pour a chunk bait. has a thick head and a thin tail. the tail will come out lighter then the head due to more plastic in the head. you can see this by looking at your cooked plastic and then scooping some up with a spoon. the plastic in the spoon will be lighter in color. another thing to do if your new to pouring is to put the color in AFTER you cooke the plastic that way you know what color your gettnig, as plastic is white when not cooked and when you cook it it becomes clear. also MAKE sure you mix colors extreamly well as colors settle very fast, some colors faster than others. I like to drop 2 1/4-20 nuts in the color bottles and shake the crap out of them before I use them.(every time) The changing of the color out of the same pan blows my mind as I cant picture it. unless your really burning plastic. do the baits have a yellow tint to them? Delw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delw Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 +1 to what DROF99 said as well, we just typed the same time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potter Posted October 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 Thanks for the quick responses. I have burned alot of it trying to learn I know, because for the first couple of pours no matter what they turned out the same color no matter what color I put into them, so I figured that meant I had to be burning it. Also I'm pouring in a garage so its cold during the day, so I go in at night and cut on the heat, so it takes awhile to heat up in there. I'm using regular table salt, could that be a problem? Also I'll be ordering a infared gun tonight, thanks for the tip! I've got a 300 bucks wrapped up in this so far and haven't really got no where. I mean its not that I'm not tring, I spend hours reading stuff on here and tring it. So maybe its a temperature thing, that will be my next go at it. Also I have a stainless steel pan that I have been using, and I also tried the small pans from lurecraft. Thanks again for all the help. Hopefully I'll be able to get the hang of this. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 I'm not a pourer, but I am concerned about the SS pan. These tend to be thin walled and transmit the heat too quickly and you get hot spots. You need to look for an old cast iron pot or a thick copper based pot, these will distribute the heat more evenly. Don't bother trying to buy a new one, very expensive. You may get lucky at a rummage sale etc, or maybe aunty Flo has one. This is just my engineering take on the problem, maybe someone could correct me if I am misleading you. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 If you go to a "Kitchen Supply" store you can pick up a heat disperser that goes onto your burner. It's used to keep the heat from burning what'a at the bottom of the pot. We had one for the pressure cooker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drof99 Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 I like what vodka said. I've got another idea. If you have a glass Pyrex (brand name) cup you can use in the microwave try it once so you know what is going on. I'd suggest doing this just so you know what is should all look like and the different stages it goes through. I also like Del's suggestion to not put the color in first. Run some plastic in the microwave for a minute to start. Then do 30 seconds intervals until you got it up to temp. It will go from white to getting gelled up and then back to clear. Once it gets to this clear stage that's when I'd add the color. I've used the pans from Lurecraft and that is when I scorched some plastic. Not saying it can't be done but I just had problems. I think the microwave will help out just so you see how the plastic looks when its ready. It should run off whatever you use to stir pretty fast when its ready. It will smoke a little but not so smoke is just rolling off it. The therm you ordered will help a bunch. For the salt I would look for something a little finer. That or take the salt you're currently using and run it through a blender until it is very fine. Another option is to buy salt from one of the guys selling here that is already fine. Yet another thing is buy some canning salt from the store. This stuff is already pretty fine and fairly cheap. Local grocery store should carry that. Keep at and you'll do fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Prager Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 My other problem is when I pour the baits out of the 4 I pour in the mold, none of them turn out the same color this is all out of the same pan. One will be light, one dark, and so on. It is possible that if they are inconsistent in color it could be that some of the sticks have more salt in them than others. More salt and the color will be lighter. Less salt will produce a darker bait. If you have a scale, you can check the weight of each. You can also squeeze the bait and feel the salt. Most guys like their sticks between 10-12 grams. You might also try pouring sticks without salt just to get comfortable with the burner set up you are using. They fish great on a shakey head or rigged wacky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potter Posted October 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 (edited) You can also squeeze the bait and feel the salt. I believe this is part of the problem as each of the 4 worms had a different softness to them, I ordered some salt from ozark a few nights ago to try. So when it gets here I'll give it a try. I have only experimented with one salt so far, so maybe this is where I'm going wrong. I'll try it tomorrow night after work and see what I come up with. I really enjoy trying to make them and reading and researching about them. I do alot of bass fishing and make my own BuzzBaits and Rods. I wanted to get into plastics, because I have found that Senkos keep going up in price and everytime I turn around someone is discontinuing a color I use. Thanks for the help and I'll keep you up to date on my progress. Edited October 17, 2009 by Potter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gone2long Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 Heat diffuser yes, When I first started I used a hot plate/burner and the first thing I did was to use a cast iron pan on the burner it kept the temp much more accurate and even so no need for a special pan aluminum works just fine. I also flour my salt in a cheap coffee grinder works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 Hard to add anymore than what has been said really. Table salt is your problem with tyring to keep the salt dispersed. It is not as fine as other salts and will fall fast in your plastic, espcially if your plastic is overheated. I would also give the mic a try. A Pyrex or Anchor brand cup will work. Get a 1 cup deal first. You can heat an 8oz cup of plastic for 2 minutes and then look at it. You are looking for the plastic to still be clear, no yellowing, plus some white on the bottom of the cup. If you see this, just put your cup back in for 15 seconds, take it out and stir good. Nuke for 15 more seconds then add color and flake. If your plastic is yellowed after 2 minutes, back down to 1 min and 45 secs. Doubt it will be though. If you are adding salt, try adding the salt in the beginning so you can cook the moisture out as you are cooking your plastic. The consistency you are looking for when doing your sticks is around pancake batter. More on the thick side vs the thin side. The salt you ordered will help tremendously!!! Keep at it!!! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBK Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 I had the same exact problems your having when I started pouring. Your pan is too big and too thick. You need a small, thin aluminum pan. I suggest checking out the ones from lurecraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potter Posted October 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 I blended up some table salt and tried it and had no luck pouring it, as only I stik came out. I guess I didn't get it hot enough, although it started to smoke alittle. Is smoke a sign it is burning? or is it ok to have some smoke? Well just to try something new I melted some plastic down and made a clear stik, no flake, color or salt. They came out perfect, although it had alot of bubbles in it. So is there a brand of plastic that is easier for beginners? I'm using LureCraft plastic right now. Thanks again for all the help. I need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamike Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 Potter, When I was doing hand pours, I always had smoke with LureCraft plastic. Remember you want good ventilation. If you're trying to get a clear bait with no bubbles, stir gently and slowly. Stirring too fast will incorporate air into the plastic. If the plastic was clear, then I don't think the plastic was too hot. Usually if clear plastic gets too hot it develops a yellow tint. All this will come with practice. The key is figuring out what not to do wrong as much as it is what to do right. When you get your heat and your pouring down, another way to be sure to get consistent color is to weigh it. A good starting point is about 1 gram of coloring per 20 oz of plastic. A lot of people use drops, but then you're hoping you squeeze the bottle the same every time, or hope that you don't add two drops when you only meant to add one. Doing it by weight, you always get the same color every time. A little more tricky to learn, but you'll always have confidence in your colors. carolinamike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potter Posted October 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 Well it was like being struck by lighting, it just hit and man did it work!! I got a Pyrex glass and a mic and I poured 8 straight sticks that all matched had the same salt, came out perfect! THANKS A MILLION! Couple things I found out by using the mic, plastic will smoke. Before when using the hot plate I thought smoke meant it was to hot and I would back off the heat, when really that meant I was close to a good pouring temp. Also reheating plastic in the mic, is so much easier than a hot plate. So I would say that anyone going to get into pouring, if your about to give up because the hot plate ain't working , try the mic and your confidence will sky rocket. Now I have to work on some better ventalation, the fan in the window just didn't cut it. I'll post some pictures, right now its time for bed. Got to be up bright in earlier to go test them stiks out on lake. Thanks again for all the help , I almost gave up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallie Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 I posted a picture of the diffuser in this thread: http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/soft-plastics/17845-start-up-colors-glitter-suggestions.html When I used the hotplate, I put this on it and three small pouring pots and it worked well. I think it was under ten bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallie Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Now that I am on page two of this thread, I see you went with the microwave. Keep the hot plate because you may want to use it for other baits with small appendages or to add spots of color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Jim mentioned about the moisture that salt will hold. I use my hotplate and an old aluminum pot to heat the salt up gently to get the moisture out of it before I use it in the plastic. This will help greatly with the bubbles. Just don't burn the salt by using too much heat. I know that some guys say they live in a "dry" climate; but trust me, there is still some moisture in the air and the salt will attract it. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
