Deceiver Posted November 16, 2010 Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 Well, I've been combing through the forums learning all I can about pouring my own plastics. I finally decided to give it a shot. I was not sure if this would be something I would continue doing so I didn't want to spring for a mold. As such, I made my own POP mold using a tutorial from this board...and using POP "liberated" from my wife's stash of craft supplies. I chose a favorite, and now no longer in production, swim bait for my master. I pulled out the cleanest one I could find so as to make the best quality mold. I used some clear "blister pack" plastic for a form...it's a little bigger than needed, but worked just fine. You can see the double-sided tape shape in the finished mold! LOL!...Hey, it worked. For plastic, I dug into my stash of rarely used plastics and grabbed a handful to melt down. I heated them on the stove with extra ventilation provided via fans and open windows, etc. I melted the plastic in a small disposable baking tin...approx 3"x5"...which made it easy to bend a fine spout into a corner for pouring. The attached picture shows the result. Though you can't see it in the picture, the bait came out nice and shiny...no bubbles, etc. It is a little uneven on the back as I over-poured a little near the tail...easy enough to trim back I guess. Anyway, I'm very happy with this first attempt and now want to get deeper into this. I still have to learn to cook plastic from it's "raw" state and color, accent, etc...but I think I'll figure that part out. Oh man, my credit card is gonna start smokin'!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toadfrog Posted November 16, 2010 Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 Well, I've been combing through the forums learning all I can about pouring my own plastics. I finally decided to give it a shot. I was not sure if this would be something I would continue doing so I didn't want to spring for a mold. As such, I made my own POP mold using a tutorial from this board...and using POP "liberated" from my wife's stash of craft supplies. I chose a favorite, and now no longer in production, swim bait for my master. I pulled out the cleanest one I could find so as to make the best quality mold. I used some clear "blister pack" plastic for a form...it's a little bigger than needed, but worked just fine. You can see the double-sided tape shape in the finished mold! LOL!...Hey, it worked. For plastic, I dug into my stash of rarely used plastics and grabbed a handful to melt down. I heated them on the stove with extra ventilation provided via fans and open windows, etc. I melted the plastic in a small disposable baking tin...approx 3"x5"...which made it easy to bend a fine spout into a corner for pouring. The attached picture shows the result. Though you can't see it in the picture, the bait came out nice and shiny...no bubbles, etc. It is a little uneven on the back as I over-poured a little near the tail...easy enough to trim back I guess. Anyway, I'm very happy with this first attempt and now want to get deeper into this. I still have to learn to cook plastic from it's "raw" state and color, accent, etc...but I think I'll figure that part out. Oh man, my credit card is gonna start smokin'!!! Lure Craft makes hand pour molds a whole lot like that. Plus supplies. any old hand full of worms will nuke down to pour stage in about 1 1/2 minutes . cheapo porcelin pouring cups work good . Alot of folks use pyrex or anchor but I have had good luck with porcelin . You can get them from a couple of ounces to what ever size you need , also the spouts have generally a sharper taper allowing athinner stream. trust me you will need thinner streams . The more appendages the mold has the tougher it is to pour especially ring types and claws ect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted November 16, 2010 Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 Lure Craft makes hand pour molds a whole lot like that. Plus supplies. any old hand full of worms will nuke down to pour stage in about 1 1/2 minutes . cheapo porcelin pouring cups work good . Alot of folks use pyrex or anchor but I have had good luck with porcelin . You can get them from a couple of ounces to what ever size you need , also the spouts have generally a sharper taper allowing athinner stream. trust me you will need thinner streams . The more appendages the mold has the tougher it is to pour especially ring types and claws ect. Nice work now you are hooked for sure with results like that. Toadfrog Could you post a pic of the porcelin cups you are talking about.Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deceiver Posted November 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 Nice work now you are hooked for sure with results like that. Toadfrog Could you post a pic of the porcelin cups you are talking about.Frank TF, Thanks for the tips, very much appreciated. Would be interested to know more about the cups you are referring to as well. Frank, Thank you for the kind words. I am beyond please with how my first attempt turned out...SO many horror stories out there, but I guess that shows the benefit of posting boards like this...you can get a big head start by learning from others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longhorn Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 Great job..it's funny you mentioned seeing the tape reflected in the POP..some folks think that POP with Elmers doesn't show detail. That's an interesting bait. What got me started pouring was a minnow about 3" long with a straight tail that I couldn't get anymore. I still have those 35 year old molds. Welcome to the machine and show us your upcoming pours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deceiver Posted November 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 Great job..it's funny you mentioned seeing the tape reflected in the POP..some folks think that POP with Elmers doesn't show detail. That's an interesting bait. What got me started pouring was a minnow about 3" long with a straight tail that I couldn't get anymore. I still have those 35 year old molds. Welcome to the machine and show us your upcoming pours. Thank you longhorn. You aren't kidding about the detail the POP shows. I would've never figure that it would be so sharp. There is a gill slit and an eye on the side of the bait that I don't think you can see in the photo. It is a very fine detail on the original, and reproduced perfectly on the one I poured...I was amazed! The bait is one of my favorites. I fish it in the salt here in California in the bays, harbors and along the beaches. It's slender profile matches well with local bait fish such as the anchovy, sardine, and smelt. I feel it gets bit better at times because it is a bit more subtle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallie Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 TF, Thanks for the tips, very much appreciated. Would be interested to know more about the cups you are referring to as well. Frank, Thank you for the kind words. I am beyond please with how my first attempt turned out...SO many horror stories out there, but I guess that shows the benefit of posting boards like this...you can get a big head start by learning from others. X3 on the porcelain pouring cups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
