mark poulson Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 The Yum jitter worm thread got me worried. I am down to my last bag of those worms, and I went online to find more. They are no longer made by Yum. Their worm was prone to breaking in half after a while, but they worked. And no one else seems to make a similar 7" trick worm that floats. I used to buy floating worms from Bass Pro that were kind of hard, but they don't sell them anymore either. I use them for shaky head fishing. They are buoyant enough to float the 4/0 hook in my shaky heads. So I'm faced with making a POP mold and pouring my own. I am wondering if a med. plastic by Caney Creeks will make floating worms, or is there another brand I should use, or another hardness. Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painter1 Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 When you add a lot of microbubbles the bait gets pretty stiff. You might want to consider a softer plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braided Line Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 Zoom has made a Trick (floating) worm for years as do others. Don`t know why your having a hard time finding .......floaters. Unless I miss read your comment. My local Bass Pro has a rather big selection of them. Been using the Zoom here in "weedy" Florida lakes and rivers for a long time. Plus the Zoom is soft and flexable. Stays on the hook and can take a pounding. All that is relative to how many bass you hook up on of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNC Molds N Stuff Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 Mark, Do you mean floating or FLOATING? I have played with making floating plastics for a while, but I have had only mixed success. Most will float (unless they are a sinking formula) but none will float more than the lightest tiniest thin wire hook. I tried microballoons and microspheres with poor success. All I really wound up with was marginal extra buoyancy and a stiffer worm. I think balloons burst at some fairly low temperature for plastics. They are also very hard to stir in as they want to waft off and blow away. I did some experiments with using a mandrel to create an air pocket, but I found that I needed a pretty substantial air pocket or the plastic would stick together closing the pocket when pinched and collapsed from normal handling. I think it was Mike who said, why not use one of those plastics that we whine about having bubbles in them for a floating worm. I actually played with that, but the baits didn't turn out with that many bubbles in them. Maybe its because I have designed most of my molds to allow bubbles to float up and squeeze out... Not always 100% successfully, but... Anyway, next time you get a bait with lots of bubbles try to remember what you did wrong so you can do it again. LOL. P.S. Since we have habitually dry climate here I think this stands out more, but I noticed I get more small bubbles appear when its more humid. I think tiny amounts of trapped air will expand the moisture in the air more, but when it cools it collapses again and the bubble disappears to miniscule size as the collapsing vapor creates a vacuum. P.P.S. I think most bubbles are just from stirring technique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-billy Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 I've been having good success making floating worms and craws lately. I'm using CCM medium plastic and MF microbubbles. I settled on 3 tbs of microbubbles and worm oil mixed together 50/50 per cup of plastic to get the buoyancy and flexability I wanted. Microbubbles will stiffen the plastic. The worm oil counteracts this. They mix together to form a creamy liquid that's easier to handle and stir in than straight microbubbles. Durability is still good. Using this formula my 6" Skinny Carrots will float a 4/0 skip gap hook. My 4" craws are bouyant enough to stand straight up on a 3/4 oz jig. Microbubbles will throw your colors off. Your baits will be opaque. You may need to use considerably more colorant when using them depending on your taste. However they open up more rigging options for you. I'm pretty excited about the action my floating craws and worms have, and the additional rigging options they give me. Give them a try. They aren't very expensive. Just start with small batches and experiment with ratios until you find what works for you. Add them after the plastic is up to temp. Don't overheat. I accidentally got a pot of plastic up to a little over 370 and some of the bubbles popped and formed a patch of goo in the bottom of my pot. Keep it below 350 and you shouldn't have problems with this. Wear a resperator when handling the microbubbles. They're TEENY little buggers that hang in the air. You don't want to inhale them. Good luck,and have fun.----Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamike Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 Mark, I'd like to kind of discourage you from the use of floating bubbles. They're not really that safe and they also throw your colors off. They're microscopic glass spheres with air trapped in them. As you know air expands when it's heated. Most people find they have to use a lot of these to get a bait to float. Keep in mind the softer the plastic the more bouyant the plastic. A super soft formula I know will float a 3/0 hook(Gamakatsu). And also a lot of people complain when they use a microwave on regular settings that Lureworks plastisol creates microbubbles. This might be what you're looking for. Either one of these alternative methods will help keep your colors more true and a whole lot safer for you. Remember if you breathe in those microspheres, they don't come back out, you carry those in your lungs for the rest of your life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-billy Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 You can mix the microbubbles and worm oil and store it long term as a liquid. You just have to stir it well before each use as they will seperate. That way you only have to deal with airborn microbubbles once per container of them. Just make sure you're wearing a resperator anytime you handle the microbubbles. Breathing them is definitely not a good idea, however they're glass sphere's not nuclear waste. A little common sense goes a long way. As I mentioned in my first post, they'll throw your colors off, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. You may find they give you new colors you like. I really like the color they turned my green pumpkin. I should mention, I cook my plastic on hotplates in cast iron pots that heat very evenly. I don't know how they'll work in microwaves or thinner pots that get hotspots during heating. If you cook on burners do yourself a favor and invest in some cast iron. Cast pots are FAR better than thinner cheaper pots. Since I got my 2qt cast pot with a lid my Presto is collecting dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamike Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 tbilly, wouldn't you agree that if you could do the same thing with the most economical plastic on the market and not have to purchase floating bubbles, respirator or oil for the floating bubbles, wouldn't this make more economical common sense? Besides no matter whether the heat's even or not, with glass spheres at over 300 degrees you will have breakage plus you will have breakage during cooling also. Thus is the nature of glass. I used Lurecrafts super soft for years and even a 4 inch worm would float a 3/0 hook. I guess it's just according to how much money you want to put into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Thanks guys. I think I'll stick to softer plastics. I've done enough to my poor lungs without adding glass spheres! hahaha If softer plastic is more buoyant, does that mean adding softener would make medium plastic more buoyant, too? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-billy Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 tbilly, wouldn't you agree that if you could do the same thing with the most economical plastic on the market and not have to purchase floating bubbles, respirator or oil for the floating bubbles, wouldn't this make more economical common sense? Besides no matter whether the heat's even or not, with glass spheres at over 300 degrees you will have breakage plus you will have breakage during cooling also. Thus is the nature of glass. I used Lurecrafts super soft for years and even a 4 inch worm would float a 3/0 hook. I guess it's just according to how much money you want to put into it. If you can get the results your looking for with straight plastic thats great. I'd say thats the way to go. I have no experience with Lurecraft supersoft, but I have used Calhoun and Chemionics supersoft. Neither was nearly as buoyant as the baits I'm making with microbubbles. So, it's not just about how much money you want to put into it, but also the end result. How buoyant a bait do you want? How soft do you want them to be? I prefer medium for my bass size baits. Using the ratio I'm using, flexability and softness stay the same as straight medium plastic and there's only a slight decrease in durability. I started using microbubbles because I was looking to make some HIGHLY buoyant baits. I got the results I was looking for using the method I described above. Obviously I'm not having a problem with the glass spheres breaking or I wouldn't get the great results I'm getting with them. Even heating absolutely makes a difference, not just with the spheres but with plastic bait making in general. It's a heck of a lot harder to scorch plastic in a heavy pot that heats evenly than it is to do it in a thinner pot that heats unevenly. Anyway, I'm thrilled with the way my floating baits are turning out and just wanted to share the info with my fellow bait makers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamike Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Mark, I've had to think about this a little bit and I might be wrong but I think that should work. I'm picturing in my mind the way the oil sits on the water and I'm thinking the plasticizer will act the same as oil, that's probably where the bouyancy of softer plastic come from, I don't know this for sure but if you would like, I can get you a positive answer on it tomorrow. One thing I know is that the Lurecraft super soft is very durable. Mark if you do use the floating bubbles, it will add a whitish tint to your bait and most of the time it's going to opaque your colors and I know you guys out west are all about light clear colors. tbilly, I'm glad it works for you. Man that what it's all about is sharing information with each other and different alternatives for achieving the same goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painter1 Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Tbilly & Mike, I really appreciate this type of discourse since it helps me learn from more experienced bait-makers. Thanks guys and Merry Christmas! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
