Struggling

[j.burch]

OK guys I'm struggling with my colors.  I use all M F colors.  As soon as I add the salt on a watermelon recipe, it changes on me.  I know I'm supposed to add more drops, but how many?  It's not transparent either.  What am I doing wrong? 

[j.burch]

Also...the watermelon I'm using is called non bleed watermelon.   Is this a darker watermelon?

[mark poulson]

I cook my plastic with my salt and blast media already mixed in.   Also my softener and heat stabilizer.   After it's reached 350, I stir it a little, and then add my glitter.  That way, when I begin adding my color, I can tell what the finished color will look like, since both salt and glitter can affect color.

I try not to reheat past 330,  so I don't over cook the glitter.

If I want a darker watermelon, I begin adding black, drop by drop, and mixing it well after each drop, until I get what I'm after.

Adding some black flake along with my red flake at the beginning makes my water melon darker, too.

You'll have to experiment.  If a watermelon doesn't come out the way you want it, add some brown and make it a green pumpkin, so you can still use the plastic.

[SlowFISH]

6 hours ago, j.burch said:

OK guys I'm struggling with my colors.  I use all M F colors.  As soon as I add the salt on a watermelon recipe, it changes on me.  I know I'm supposed to add more drops, but how many?  It's not transparent either.  What am I doing wrong? 

 

I don't use salt - but based on many peoples feedback of using it - salt will make the bait appear more opaque.... sort of the negative of using it for things that you'd like transparent.

One recommendation I'd make as a fellow hobbist.... try to be methodical in how you cook, add color, salt, etc.... I like to think I can remember every step and how much of this or that I added... I can't unless it's black! LOL!  Even if you follow someone recipe - you'll have to make it a few times to get it as you will like it....

 

Also if transparency is key to you in a weighted bait - you might want to investigate the blast media instead of salt for weight... but that has negatives as well - most notably wearing out O-Rings, etc.  but some of the samples I've seen with blast media are fantastic.

 

  J.

[j.burch]

Thanks guys!  It's my OCD thats making me to wanting it to be exact.  Glad I am not trying to sell this stuff for a living!  I would go broke trying to make it perfect!  I did match the Watermelon sm gold lg black but it's not as transparent as all the other baits on the market....however, it did catch fish all day long on Saturday!! 

[rixon529]

9 hours ago, j.burch said:

....however, it did catch fish all day long on Saturday!! 

Isn't that really the only thing that matters?

[j.burch]

Yes sir

[RTM]

If I counted drops I'd never get anywhere!   I squirt the stuff in and go off looks.  I can nail it most every time from the last time I poured a color.    MF colorant seems weak to me so I add black on top to darken a lot.  I also glitter, color and salt after plastic is ready to go.

[CNC Molds N Stuff]

Mark is right about being methodical, but the back half of "The Pink Book" is all hand written notes of how I made successful plastics.  I can't remember every step.  Making baits is a very small amount of the time I spend in my shop.  I make a big batch of something I like and I forget about it for months. 

 

P.S.  The Pink Book is a shop notes binder I keep useful things in like tap drill charts, drill size charts, hardness tables, gage tables, etc... things I use everyday, and don't want to crack open the Machinery's Handbook for.