2 piece stick mold pour solved, adding more salt

[sloegoe]

I have seen a few posts on how to pour the sticks. I found a way that works best for me and it's different from what I've heard. First of all your molds do have to be warmed if they are cold, this will allow the plastic to get all the way to the bottom without hardening. Set your mold so that it is straight up and down NOT at an angle. Get your plastic really hot and pour a thin stream staight down through the top hole being very careful not to get plastic around the hole or it will plug it up, if this happens move on to the next stick!

-Make sure that you fill the mold so that the cone you pour into is completely full, go back over it as the plastic cools if you have to. This will prevent you from making hollow nosed sticks.-sloegoe.

ps. you will never be able to get as much salt in your sticks as Yamamoto. If anybody out ther can let me know, I've tried flouring my salt and everything it just won't pour thin enough with all that salt.

[nova]

The only time I angle my molds is when I'm pouring a laminate. Other than that the molds are vertical.

I flour my salt as well and I can get 35 to 40% salt by volume.

[D.J.]

I also keep my molds vertical. As far as the salt goes, I flour mine. I can get a ton more salt in these sticks. Way more than Yamamoto. You can make these things sink like a rock if you want to. Just pour your plastic hot and stir frequently.

[millsryno]

You can definately get more salt in it than a senko. Flour it, use more softner, and make sure it is hot. I can get over 50% salt into my sticks! Here is my question though, when you guys flour your salt are you getting opaque worms? Yamamoto's are still semi see-through if you hold them up to the light.

[sloegoe]

when you flour your salt how fine are you getting it. I put mine in the food processor and it gets between normal salt and flour. My plastic gets real chunky with all that salt. Help, please and thanks guys.-sloegoe.

[Fleury9816]

I know the key for me when adding a ton of salt is to make sure the plastic is ALWAYS HOT. Even if it means stiring and reheating before the next stick. The minute it starts to cool and get thick its impossible to pour them.

[Senkosam]

My take on why GY's salted stick is semi-translucent (lighter colors only), is that his process uses larger crystals and his automation is able to mix-&-pour at the same time, probably whipping the plastic while pouring. Even using this process, his colors like watermelon, smoke and pumpkin are dark and opaque.

You can do the same, but it would require pouring only four cavities using a maximum ratio of unground salt-to-plastic, stirring the hot plastic real fast and then pouring immediately. Plastic cools and more pours with that much salt may be impossible. You may only get a few worms at a time, but the larger, crystal-to-plastic ratio would approach that of the Senko and more light will come through. Of course, you'd have to discard the super salted, unusable plastic, at the bottom of the pot or cup, after the last worm.

The StikO may use the same technique and their sticks are more translucent than Senkos, but they use less salt and the weight of their worms is not uniform. Some float at one end, some have much less salt and sink too slowly and a few sink horizontally, but never as fast a Senko.

Floured salt is the best alternative for our mass production and produces opaque plastic when the ratio is high, but salt always leads to stiffer plastic, so much more softener is needed to come even close to Yamamoto's softness. But again, durability is sacrificed and anglers question how much softeness is really needed to get a strike. I've caught bass on some pretty stiff worms (my first handpours).

To produce a uniform stick requires juggling many important variables and the end user has little idea of the discipline it takes to maintain even a little uniformity, plus the time for each lure when handpouring. Not to put salt in a sinking stick, makes it a near-surface worm. Put in too little salt and it's just another slow-sinking knock-off. I prefer always putting in at least some salt for bite-retention texture and casting weight in my cigar shapes, but little salt in my long thin jerkworms (ie. Trickworm shape).

[millsryno]

Sloejoe,

I blend my salt in a normal sized commercial blender. I blend it and blend it and blend it until there is no doubt it is floured. The salt is actually warm to the touch when I am done with it. I keep mixing in the salt a little at a time into my unheated plastic until I have the amount I want.

If you use a normal sized blender don't use the lid. Pour in about 1/3 -1/2 of the pitcher with salt. Turn it on as high as it goes. You will notice that the salt pulls down in the middle and pushes back up the sides as it gets blended. The trick is to use a spoon or a stick and keep pushing the salt on the sides back down into the middle. You will see a crater form. As long as you do this and make sure you have at least 1/3 of the pitcher full of salt you will not make a huge mess.

Obviously I never use up all the salt I blend. I put the lid on the blender and let it sit until I am ready to use it again. By this time it has gotten clumpy from a little moisture in the air. No problem, though. Just scrape the sides so it is not sticking to the pitcher. When you add some fresh salt and blend it up it as good as new.

SenkoSam, good info. Thanks.

[sloegoe]

thanks guys, great info as usual, all those techniques will be put into use today.-sloegoe

[nova]

I use a good coffee grinder to flour the salt. You have to mix your salt in the plastic before you heat it. The one thing you have to remember it that your stir it before, during and after. In other words; you have to make sure that the salt has not clumped at the bottom before you heat it because after the heating it is very difficult to get the lumps out.

[Senkosam]

What Nova says .....

I also use a small electric coffee grinder and since it only has one speed, flours salt in no time. I store the excess in a either of two ways:

double bagged zip lock bag with the air pushed out (good for pushing out any clumps later on) or a herb bottle for sprinking in powdered salt into the cold plastic and stirring.

Clear plastic flakes do a good job of keeping the salt in suspension but also require more softner.

[log]

So you guys put the salt in before heating? I've been putting it in right after it goes thru the thick stage and starts to thin out. But i only use 25% salt to plastic mixture.

Is there a big difference mixing it in before heating the plastic?

[nova]

If you put the salt in before you heat it will disolve much easier. It also won't clump up, but you do have to stir it really well to make sure there are no clumps.

By doing it this way you can increase the salt content very easily.

[Mojo]

Yup, what nova said. I used to put my salt in when the plastic was hot, and then spent 10 minutes trying to crush the clumps on the inside of the cup with my butter knife.

Now it's just add salt, softener and heat. No residue after pouring the cup if you keep it stirred well.

[GB GONE]

Don't forget about Senkosam's flakes!!! I have had some many comments about how soft my sticks are I could fill up the soft plastics area!!!

The flakes allow you to add more weight without adding so much salt. Plus the baits stay together better and the salt that you do add stays in suspension so well, I rarely have to stir after the first pour.

Your flake stays into suspension also!!!

IMHO..there is no beating the "flakes"..I won't pour sticks without them!!!

Jim

[millsryno]

SenkoSam,

How much do the flakes cost? What is the weight difference between salt and the flakes? For example, if you have a digital scale and can do this comparison, how much does a 1/4 cup of flakes weigh and how much does a 1/4 cup of regular ol' table salt weigh.

Thanks,

Ryan

[Senkosam]

Thanks Jim for the clear flake kudos. If I'm in the mood to pour smaller amounts of crystal-salted lures and I'm willing to stir like crazy & pour fast, I don't use clear flakes. But, if I have to pour a dozen or more baits, I use the flakes for suspension purposes and durability.

[GB GONE]

Not sure of the weight comparison but I can tell you this. If I add 2oz of just salt to 6oz of plastic and pour sticks and add 1 1/2oz of salt and 1/2oz of flakes, the flakes sticks are WAY softer, sink faster and wiggle like crazy when they sink.

I have tried a bunch of combinations in the recipe and found that this one is just great!!! I'm also adding about 1 1/4oz of softener...

Jim

[Mojo]

If I add 2oz of just salt to 6oz of salt...

He meant to say 2 oz of salt to 6 oz of plastic

Unless you like them really salty!