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Floating Resins?

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Hi all! I am trying to make a copy of a topwater bait into something other than wood. I used alumilite 4 oz. to 4 tablespoons of microballoons. The copy floats lower in the head and higher in the tail, and when retrieved tilts all the way on it's side. I was going to try the 16 lbs. foam next but I have not had much luck with it before? Can any of you Gurus enlighten me?

Also, where can I find some of the dorsal fin material. I have used fly tying material ( mayfly tails and Microfibits), but these are to small.

Thanks to all.

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I know nothing about casting resins, but you can try using bristles from paint brushes for your fins.

I slide a wide putty knife into the bristles to separate them flat, and then slip a piece of blue tape in behind that, with enough to lap back over so the bristles are held in place, front and back, and slide the putty knife down tight to the base of the brush. Then I brush the base of the bristles, which I left untapped, with crazy glue, and cut them at the top of the metal bristle holder with an exacto knife.

I leave about 3/8" untaped, so I can put some epoxy over the crazy glue once the bristles are cut loose from the brush.

Try to keep the whole thing as flat as possible while you're gluing, so it fits in a smaller slot in the lure.

I find nylon bristles are softer, and more flexible.

Hope this helps.

Edited by mark poulson
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A couple of questions about the mold, is the pour hole on the top of the bait or at the ends and sometime if the mix is not mixed well the micro balloons can settle to one side or the other in clumps. Microballons can sometime float up through the resin if the A&B sides are really warm and thin I try to keep mine around 60f. Plus the direction of the pour can make a difference to. With some of my sold body cranks I pour tail first that way a lot of the microballons will settle around 2/3rds of the way back from the lip slot and give a good hard body at the belly weight area and give the bait a little more weight in the front for a nose down effect.

For top water baits you want to do the opposite and pour from the nose down and some of the micros well settle closer to the the mid to nose area giving the bait a tail down effect with a little more weight in the rear than the nose. If you pour from the top of the bait the micros wont flow and shift as good and settle in different areas with a little more on one side or the other that will give you a roll or a bait when not moving to laying on its side which sometime is good for a good dead stick. When doing a top pour I plug the pour hole with petroleum jelly and turn the mold on its long axis until the resins sets up that way the micros wont settle in one spot and be allmost uniform through out the entire bait. Or you could do a mold like I made instead of the mold haves being on the vertical plane of the bait its on the horizontal plane that way I can pour the bottom with out micros. and the top with microballoons that way all the buoyancy will be at the top and the bait sets upright in the water.

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You still need to use some blast weight in a resin bait. Sometimes the hooks and hangers are enough balast, but usually a little weight is required to get the proper action.

I have mixed straight resin and poured the lower third of the bait and then mixed resin with balloons to pour the upper 2/3rds of the bait. It works pretty good for a large topwater bait, but you must do it quickly so the two halfs adhere together and you don't get a large seam.

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Thanks guys, that makes sense! I was pouring from the tail because this gave me the best place to cut and sand smooth. I think I will try pouring from the top of the lure towards the head and see how it looks. What is the limit on adding microballoons? For mixing, I have taken an old spade bit drill and smoothed out all of the edges. Works great in the makita on slow speed!

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