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Fish_N_Fool

Want to start pouring my own hardbaits

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I have a few questions about how to pour crankbaits and glidebaits that I would like to start making.

 I have plenty of mold making experience from making soft baits for many years, and I have made a lot of hard

prototypes for them out of both wood and clay, so making the master bait ( get your mind out of the gutter) shouldn't be any problem.

 First who makes the best pour-able  stuff to make cranks out of. The only ones I know of are Alumalite

 Is there anybody that pours a clear plastic baits here?  I have some baits I want to make that the bill needs to be clear.

Who makes a good clear resin that is strong enough to hold up to fishing ? Would a clear crankbait have to be hollow to float?

Could you mold clear bills to put into a mold and pout another type of lure materiel ? Sorry for the 50 questions, but inquiring minds need to know. :)

I want to make some large glide swimbaits for pike fishing as they are to figgin expensive to buy.

Edited by Fish_N_Fool
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I don't know if we are talking again, I know we were not at the last fishing show we both attended in Spokane.  LOL

Jokes aside, I can help some here.  Because you are good at making masters, you are ahead of the curve.

Best two sources I know of are Alumilite and Smooth-On.  I prefer Alumilite myself but while both are similar, both have differences.

Yes, I do clear baits, but they ARE NOT FOR BEGINNERS.  We can discuss them later.  The two ways are to make the hollow sides in two pieces and attach them, like most commercial baits, or to mold them hollow using rotomolding.  As for a clear that is strong, I am a fan of Amazing Clear Cast (longer working time and 80D Shore Hardness) or Water Clear, 72D, but a shorter pot life.  Both require degassing for a clear lure and/or bill.

Yes, a clear bait does need to be hollow to float, but how much depends the hook hardware, ballast, etc.  Like I said, it is NOT for beginners.

Yes, you can mold clear bills, and yes, you can pour another material around them.  SUDD can talk about how he uses a pre-made bill and inserts it into the bait after it is made.  I actually pour around the clear lip.  But, again, making your own bill still requires degassing ability and some experience.

Speaking for the Alumilite materials, I have poured the clear, the white, and the foams, all layered, and they adhere so well I cannot break them apart.  In fact the Alumifoam is so strong that a hammer does not easily break it, but it is the density of cedar wood.

Hope this helps some.  I will include the Alumilite and Makelure tutorial links to help.  I sure wish we had a good video storage link on this site, but YouTube also has most of this, just not in one place.

Good luck,

Steve

https://www.alumilite.com/store/pg/21-How-To-Videos-Alumilite-Mold-Making-Casting-Materials.aspx

http://www.makelure.com/store/pg/54-How-To-Videos.aspx

PS, remember that for the most part, what works for Alumilite will work for Smooth-On; just the products change.

Revised density graph.JPG

Edited by Anglinarcher
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53 minutes ago, Anglinarcher said:

I don't know if we are talking again, I know we were not at the last fishing show we both attended in Spokane.  LOL

.

 

Since I don't know who you are  I don't know if we are talking or not !!! LOL    As far as I know I didn't have anybody I saw at a show I didn't want to talk to.  But at least we are talking here so that's a good start.  You sound like somebody I should be friends with as you seam to know a lot about making hard baits. Maybe its time to kiss and make up, without the kiss part of course  LOL Tnx for the info. If you want to send me a pm on facebook  my page is here      facebook.com/rick.lawrence.3954

 

I just saw you live in Utah? how do i even know you? and what were you doing in Spokane at a fishing show? and what show was it? lol

Edited by Fish_N_Fool
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I lived in Spokane for many years, 17 or so, but moved to Louisiana with a Job and later moved to Utah to help family.  Wife kind of wants to move back to Spokane area, but ......

I don't remember the show name anymore, I know it was not the Bighorn show, but one of the fishing shows they use to put on.  I think it was at the fairgrounds, but it might have been at the convention center.  You had a booth in it, but that was several years ago.  I have not seen a real fishing show in quite some time.  We got into a minor debate on the "fish-n-fool knot", but it was nothing that big.

Strangely enough, I am not on facebook.  I leave that for my wife.  Kind of hard to complain about her being on it all the time if I was on it also.  ROFLOL
 

We can PM on this site, and when I visit my son to fish Rock Lake or Roosevelt, maybe we could meet up and I could help you if you have specific questions.

Take care,

Steve

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       Dang that was a long time ago,  sorry to say I don't remember it. That would have been the spring of 2009.

Hopefully you have seen the light and tie the Fish-N-Fool knot now.

 

On 11/9/2017 at 4:20 PM, Anglinarcher said:

I am a fan of Amazing Clear Cast (longer working time and 80D Shore Hardness) or Water Clear, 72D, but a shorter pot life.  Both require degassing for a clear lure and/or bill.

Hey Steve, can you explain how the degassing process works?

Edited by Fish_N_Fool
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Sure, when it is mixed, even when it is poured into the containers, it forms air in the mix.  The more you mix it, the more are gets in.  When you pour the clear mix into a mold, the air forms bubbles that hurt the clarity, if if bad enough, the strength.

There are two ways to combat the air.  One is to degass, the other to crush the bubbles.

To degass the mix you put it into a vacuum chamber, draw out the air pressure to near zero, let the air bubble out.  Depending on the material, it can take 60 seconds to three minutes.

To crush the bubbles, you can put the mix into your molds, then put the molds in a pressure chamber and pressure to 60 PSI or more and let the mix cure.

I tend to go with the vacuum chamber, let it degass, then pour into the mold slowly so it does not add air back in.

I have a video (pretty shaky but OK) that I can email you, but it is to big to attach here.  PM me your email and I can send it to you.

 

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Hey Anglinarcher, which clear resin would you suggest for crankbait bills?  I have never worked with clear resin so i am  unfamiliar with the differences between  Alumilite Clear, Water Clear and Amazing Clear Cast. The bill I am wanting to replicate is about .073" thick/thin

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On 11/9/2017 at 5:20 PM, Anglinarcher said:

I am a fan of Amazing Clear Cast (longer working time and 80D Shore Hardness) or Water Clear, 72D, but a shorter pot life.  Both require degassing for a clear lure and/or bill.

The biggest difference is strength and working time.  The Amazing Clear Cast, with a Shore Hardness of 80D, and a longer working time, is my choice.

Some don't like to wait that long, so if I am in a hurry, the 72D and faster cure of Water Clear is a good choice.

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