How To Prevent Bubbles When Hand Pouring

[txmedic033]

I just started hand pouring and I'm using Do It Crystal Clear medium plastic.  It says that it is degassed already, but I get lots of bubbles.  I make sure the bag is mixed and I get lots and lots of bubbles and foam when I am pouring.  I would rather not buy a vacuum chamber right now and I just bought 2.5 gallons of this bubbly/foamy stuff.  Any advice?

[FATFLATTIE]

Heat more slowly and monitor the temperature throughout. Stir very slowly as well.

[txmedic033]

I tried heating slowly, stirring slowly, pouring slowly, and every other slow thing that I could think of and it didn't help.  My plastic was bubbling up before it even hit 300 degrees.  I contacted Do It Molds and they offered to ship me another 2.5 gallons of plastisol for free.  They said that I must have gotten a bad batch.  Great customer service!

[jboquet23]

Are you checking the temperature of the plastic?  When I have a problem with bubbles, I bring the plastic back up to 350 degrees, I stir slowly, then leave it sit for a minute and let the bubbles float up, and slowly stir again. I may have to reheat and repeat this a couple times before the bubbles come out. It's hard to get the bubbles out if the plastic is only around 300 or so degrees.

[smallmouthaholic]

I tried heating slowly, stirring slowly, pouring slowly, and every other slow thing that I could think of and it didn't help.  My plastic was bubbling up before it even hit 300 degrees.  I contacted Do It Molds and they offered to ship me another 2.5 gallons of plastisol for free.  They said that I must have gotten a bad batch.  Great customer service!

 

MF doesn't bubble-period!

[camrynekai]

MF doesn't bubble-period!

1+

[Slammingjack]

2+

[txmedic033]

Tried a new batch of Do It plastic and have zero issues.  I just got an old batch when I bought the lot of plastic injection stuff a few months ago.

MF doesn't bubble-period!

I better not for that price!

[smallmouthaholic]

Tried a new batch of Do It plastic and have zero issues.  I just got an old batch when I bought the lot of plastic injection stuff a few months ago.

I better not for that price!

Consistency , dependability, non -yellowing,no settling w/o any bubbles and a non-sticky finished product (no matter how old the product is) determines my plastisol preferences.I've heard all the excuses why various plastisols bubble and one settles out like concrete. I have experienced the aforementioned problems over the years.Time is money in business and I adamantly refuse to babysit & deal w/ raw product annoyances before I even make the finished soft-bait products . Learning how to re-use various colored sprues / cut-offs will greatly reduce your initial plastisol price. To  each his own-peace

[Frank]

Consistency , dependability, non -yellowing,no settling w/o any bubbles and a non-sticky finished product (no matter how old the product is) determines my plastisol preferences.I've heard all the excuses why various plastisols bubble and one settles out like concrete. I have experienced the aforementioned problems over the years.Time is money in business and I adamantly refuse to babysit & deal w/ raw product annoyances before I even make the finished soft-bait products . Learning how to re-use various colored sprues / cut-offs will greatly reduce your initial plastisol price. To  each his own-peace

I read these posts over and over again in many threads but no one ever mentions any problems with this plastic well rest assured it not perfect,it's yellower than the one I use, it does bubble when it's is left for awhile and reheated and releases oil in the bag over time. Which will tear up a bag(looks like you cut it with a razor blade)that's not a laminte bag. Now this experiance come from using drums of this plastic not gallons. There are more draw backs but no need to go into those. At least when I say I use Spikeit plastic I don't say or deny that it does not have its own nuances. And if you say the bait don't get stickey even over time them pm me you address and I will send you some old spruces and you can see for your self. If you do take me up on that you will find another nuance when you open the package. So guys when you say all the good thing don't act like it all perfect.

As for the comments on this thread about price, price does not guarantee no bubbles. But it can be delt with.

[smallmouthaholic]

Frank,

           I'm not interested in a pissing contest.I speak from using hundreds of gallons from various manufacturers-not gallons.

Yes- MF plastisol will release oil over time and i have found a way to deal w/that through experimentation.I shoot 1000's of laminated swim-baits a year and demand a white base to enhance the natural,iridescence flash of a real bait fish when I 'm finished. Plastisols that yellow and /or turn slightly amber under prolong heat(even w/ mechanical pot stirrers,temps from 305-315 and added stabilizers) are not for me.MF was the only plastisol to do this using hand injection and the heat associated w/it. Lure craft, Chemionics, Spike-it and Calhoun's could not give me the results i wanted.All of the aforementioned names worked well for darker colors.I don't have time for baits that remain sticky for 2-3 days after shooting.
                             To each his own-Peace!

[DaveMc1]

Hmmmmmmmm

 

Spike-It's Plastic, Spike-It white colourant as well. Ultra Molds 2.5 Gallon stainless pots too. Minimum batch mixed is 2 gallons. I somehow don't seem to have an issue getting a nice clean bright white. If it yellows in the slightest I won't package it and put it on a store shelf. When I run these too I will shoot a few thousand a week. A lot of subtle light colours (pearls, hilites etc) too. 

 

 

 

I firmly believe there is no such thing as the "Perfect" plastic. They all have draw backs. DON'T buy into all the hype, try as many as you can and find the one that works best for you. I have found what works best for me and just because I use it doesn't mean it will work best for everyone. 

[Frank]

Well if you have figured out how to deal with the oil please let some in on your secret. But no one ever mentioned that before did they not even you! And when that happens they get stickey! It's not about a contest it's about a whole truth. Perfect plastic is in the eye and mind of the user. If some one never wants to change how they work then stick with what you are using. If you want advise then why not give the whole truth about what you use not just the great things. Is what I use perfect, no but I can tell anyone how I fix it. Does it take more time yes but I get payed for it in savings. But thanks for reaffirming what I stated as you could have denied it.

[alsworms]

What bugs me is I'm seeing more and more posts about people getting "bad batches" of plastic.  How is this happening, and at what point will the customer be done with it and move on to another brand?  We have had more than our share of plastic wars on here (and I'm by no means trying to start another one,) but I'm left shaking my head when I read this bad batch junk.   I think with the advances in plastisol, that should be a thing of the past. 

[majic man]

90% of the time its the user, Not the plastic. Just saying. 

[alsworms]

90% of the time its the user, Not the plastic. Just saying. 

 

I think that's a bit of a stretch.  Sometimes it could be the user if he/she is introducing moisture in the mix, or perhaps stirring with wood or some other material that would cause the bubbling, but for the most part I've found it's the plastic.  When I poured, I used half a dozen or so different brands.  They all bubbled but 2 of them, and one of those 2 hard packed.......badly.  

 

Please don't take this the wrong way.  I'm not endorsing any brand of plastic.  I'm just saying that unless you've figured out how to get rid of bubbles (or maybe just deal with them,) then good for you.  I didn't have that kind of patience.  Reading about bad batches drives me crazy.......and I don't even pour anymore! 

[Slammingjack]

Yep oil in the bag is a pain. But they don't dry out     Yep they yellow easier then some others. Never had a whole in the bag thing,  yet. My thing is I hate bubbles. Do get some on remelts sometimes , not that bad. You don't end up with foam head. That's only ok in beer.  I did like Spike-it price, but was very disappointed in the bubbles and the smell of it. Wife told me to "never  buy that smelly stuff again" Happy wife, happy life. 

[majic man]

Al, I was referring to the Bad Batch theroy.

[Vodkaman]

I don't pour, but I think it is moisture.

 

Dave

[smallmouthaholic]

Well if you have figured out how to deal with the oil please let some in on your secret. But no one ever mentioned that before did they not even you! And when that happens they get stickey! It's not about a contest it's about a whole truth. Perfect plastic is in the eye and mind of the user. If some one never wants to change how they work then stick with what you are using. If you want advise then why not give the whole truth about what you use not just the great things. Is what I use perfect, no but I can tell anyone how I fix it. Does it take more time yes but I get payed for it in savings. But thanks for reaffirming what I stated as you could have denied it.

Frank,

           I refer to sticky baits as the ones that stay sticky for 2-3 days after injecting.MF is not sticky 2-3 days after injecting.- it is not sticky immediately after injecting.

 

          Any plastisol will bubble and yellow if heated too quickly including MF.Some will bubble profusely no mater how slowly you heat them and stir.Bubbling is not a problem(in my experience) when plastisol is heated from scratch in pots w/ continuous, mechanical stirrers .

 

          There are plastisols( in my experience) that turn an amber ,yellow color after heating from scratch in pots w/ stirrers. Put that brand in a microwave and you'll have a yellowing nightmare. I nose dip one of my line of baits before packaging for extra strength. The plastisol is heated slowly in a microwave then place on a hot plate.MF was the only brand that stayed clearest the longest. Eventually it will yellow.

 

          Oil/cut bags- never had a cut bag from MF- never! I have not experienced liquid oil in bags. Baits have gotten slippery. Now if you salt you baits and put them in bags,the problems w/ gooey baits appears after 6-9 months.Salt attracts moisture. I use hanging racks to cure some of my baits while others lay flat on H.D. cardboard to cure.Tube bait tails,externally salted after injecting w/ MF (and other brands of plastisols)and packaged,will MOST definitely result in a gooey mess 5-9 months down the road.I've had the same gooey mess w/ other brands of plastisol and salted.packaged tubes,craws worms and creature baits.I don't store finished tubes in plastic bags,nor do I salt them until I'm ready to ship & package. I do not use any external salt before packaging other baits.I add a bit of scented worm oil for slip and ease of packaging.

 

          I hope my detailed response satisfies your curiosity as well as answering you questions.Do I like the higher price associated w/ MF- NO!!! Do I like the results w/ less aggravation-YES!!  It's a trade off for sure.I have specifically avoided mentioning other brands of plastisols  that I have extensive experience using,since it will start another discussion that easily gets out of hand. One man's poison is another man's passion!

[alsworms]

Al, I was referring to the Bad Batch theroy.

 

I thought I was too.  Lol. Customer says they have tried everything recommended by the members here or the owners of the plastisol, yet they still get bubbles.  Solution?  Bad batch.  It's just hard for me to comprehend this. 

[majic man]

Well, 90% of bubbles come from mixing it like its a milk shake. Yet guys still blame it on the product. Foam is a totally different story, I do believe foam is moisture. Micro bubbles are induced when the product is made in the factory or mixed by the end user. Most manufactures mix resin based products under a vacuum, so that air is not induced. I know MF says he doesn't, Maybe he figured out the magic trick. 

 

I heard the theory that air is moisture etc, But take any plastic and shake the living snot out of it, and you get micro bubbles, Some has a lighter viscosity so they escape easier then others. Now heat it really fast and you get a hot air balloon in the plastic. 

[FATFLATTIE]

Al, I have certainly experienced a bad batch. One of the four 2.5 gallon boxes of do it essential plastisol I have purchased bubbled really really bad no matter what I did. The others I haven't had that issue with. So I feel like you can certainly get a bad batch of plastic. I just can't see any other reason why I could get such different results doing the exact same thing?????

[alsworms]

Well at least I'm happy to hear you guys are getting comped for the bad batches. 

 

I really didn't even shake mine.  Just a couple tips of the 5-gallon drum and I was good to go.......and to be honest, I don't even know if that was necessary! 

[Frank]

Well as for the bad batch theory most of the complaints I have read about is from purchases a second party. Meaning it not the maker of the plastic but the repackagers. Bad batch might come from the person not mixing it well at the resellers place. Do they take as much care as we would if it was at our place probably not. I have a system to get it out of a drum and into five gallon buckets and I stick to it. But once I did have a problem and had not mixed it up well enough and had to pour it all back in and remix. Now if I was selling it, it would have gone out and messed up the one who bought it. By replacing it makes for good customer service.

One thing that I have noticed on some plastics if they set around for awhile the ones that did not bubble will real bad. Some will even yellow before it gets to temp.

Last time we had a discussion about moisture/air a lot of people said it was moisture and I kept saying air. Same thing in a way but one thing moisture under a vacuum will boil out at about 16 in hg and air will not get out till at least 29.4in hg. It take at least 29.4 in hg to get bubble free plastic. Jeff at Mf called me and said he never heard of air like that and I believe him cause there is not just one way to make plastic. Some components cost more and some less. There are many plastisizers with just as many price ranges so end user price will vary. The dry ones will hold small air pockets and won't release till under a vacumn in the range stated before. But if you heat and they are still in there they expand and you get your bubbles. If it was moisture it would boil out by the time you got to 212 deg and been gone.

Mix it vacumn it and microwave all on high and no stopping my way and no bubbles. Notice I did not say stir it!!

Al I an guessing you were using Mf plastic. Tipping the jug a few time will not mix it well. Back when I was using five gallon square jugs I did that but in the summer time I noticed at the end it had some settling on the bottom, I mixed it in and realized it was way to hard. My mistake but from then on I always made sure the bottom of any plastic container did not have anything settle. And it is a pain in a square jug. If I had to do that now I would pour it in a five gallon pail with a removable lid, this way it takes less than 30 seconds to mix five gallons with a cordless drill. You guys buying plastic in bags, I know it is cool with the valve and all but there is some settlement in the cracks. That's probably hardener and needs to be in there so I suggest mix it well and put in a pail with removable lid. Way way easier to make sure it is all mixed well.