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Lucky777

Rookie starting up. Need insight

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First off this is my first post so hello to all. I am very new to custom bait making and have been watching videos and tutorials from you tube and make lure. I've learned a lot from them but I know I still have a ways to go to become as good as a lot of ya'll on here. I've been watching this site on the side lines for a short time but am impressed on the techniques and lures ya'll come up with. I fish mainly salt so I don't plan on making creatures or any of the crazy fresh water stuff I've seen. I am just now starting up with this expensive hobby and my wife and I know both it will be addicting (I warned her). But hey, at least it is a good type of addiction, yeah?! Anyways, I'm trying to get  a feel for how much it will cost me to get all the tools to start up this hobby. Not sure how everyone feels about Make Lure but I was planning on getting there start up plastic lure kit which is $80. It comes with 3 colors to add to plastisol but I was curious as to where ya'll buy your coloring and glitter from. I've seen some sites but I wanted to ask the masters of the underground. Any and all helpful advise in this hobbie is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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Some people would want to start with aluminum molds and a high quality injector.

I like starting bare bones and you can do it for less than $5 with Plaster of Paris

Find a soft plastic lure you like (you can modify it with superglue if you want to make something different)

Plaster of Paris makes really good one piece molds of soft plastic lures.  With double sided tape, you will capture about 98% of the prototype in the mold.

All you need

1.  Plaster of Paris $3-$4 at Walmart--it's usually next to the drywall spackling, etc

2.  water

3.  three or four containers with a flat bottom (no design on the bottom where the lure goes)

4.  double sided tape

5.  non stick cooking spray

6.  three or four of those 26oz plastic paint mixing containers

7.  Wood spoon and a metal spoon

8.  Some old plastics to melt down

9.  three or so 2cup pyrex cups

10.  ventilator/mask, and heat resistant gloves, goggles, long sleeved shirt.

11.  wood glue to seal the POP mold

 

Edited by uttexas
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If you start with

1- 4oz injector 

1-aluminum mold

1-gallon of plastic

2-small Pyrex cups

3- colors

3-small glitters

your looking roughly around 350 dollars ,however as previously posted it can be done much cheaper .but what's the fun in that. Lol . It can be done as cheap or expensive as you want . But it does get expensive in a hurry .  I think I have 3-4 thousand in it by the time I account for molds , multiple injectors (single and double) and everything else. Good luck on your new "hobby"

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By the mold for you most used lure. Get colorant, glitter & plastisol &  Pyrex cups & have at it. True is can be  an expensive, but it's a very addictive & rewarding hobby. Spikeit outdoors, lurecraft, baitjunkys.com are all good  to deal with molds glitter & colorant & there are plenty more. Actually there is a sticky at the top of the soft plastics page for you to look through too. 

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Thanks for the advise guys. I do not plan on buying an aluminum mold. I have a specific mold design in mind and it's my own design. I might be jumping the gun in lure making by doing a design of my own but I'm pretty sure making a mold out of RTV isn't too difficult. (foot in mouth). I have about 5 years of experience in customizing plastic models so that might help my learning curve a little. As for the POP mold...How smooth is the mold? Does it pick up the detail like RTV? How much different is it from RTV outside the obvious (price, chemicals used and mixing ratio)? I also have experience using CAD software and have debated using 3D printing (Resin) to create a mold. Anyone tried this approach as well?

Edited by Lucky777
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RTV has a much lower rate of failure (at least it does for me).... But POP is WAY more forgiving of mistakes financially 

That's something  most don't take into consideration... When you're figuring up your costs, make sure you factor in F'ups:o... Especially if you're making your own designs, cause then you have mold failures AND design failures to battle with

But don't be scared off by this... All the cussing and throwing stuff is more than worth it when you finally get it right!!!

If you haven't picked a supplier yet, check out Spike-It (Lureworks)... They're the only vendor I know of that also sells RTV... I use the 40 strength...... But, they don't sell release agent, which sucks.. But they have everything else you need for plastics, one stop shop, save on shipping!

Your design will also dictate which mold material you can/can't use.... You actually can use a hard master in POP, but there are some limitations...... RTV gives you more design freedom

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