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Pete

foam question

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there have been many questions regarding expandable foam, but I haven't seen anyone ask if 8lb foam was useable for bass/crappie cranks. I know some of you guys use the 16lb stuff, just wanted to know if the 8lb stuff would hold up before I buy either one.

-Pete

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Hi husky,I pay about 40$can. for a 2.4lbs kit of feather lite and I can make 8 of my cranks,the foam is about 37$can. to make the same 8 lures!!!so for about the same price I have a much better product!!!It's like the legend and hooker baits,foam is to soft,fragile compare to the feather lite resin!

Cheers,Muskydan666

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Hi husky,I pay about 40$can. for a 2.4lbs kit of feather lite and I can make 8 of my cranks,the foam is about 37$can. to make the same 8 lures!!!so for about the same price I have a much better product!!!It's like the legend and hooker baits,foam is to soft,fragile compare to the feather lite resin!

Cheers,Muskydan666

Dan,

The Foam I get is 16 lb wt which I pay $48 U.S. for 16 lbs. That would make many more than 8 lures, more like 100. This product will come out as hard as a rock.

"

16 LB Density Urethane Foam Common Applications: This 16LB density foam is essentially as hard as a rock, you would need a hammer in order to make any dents in this product. Can be used for sculpting or the casting of objects that require superior toughness and strength. More questions? [Try our Foam FAQ.]

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Dan, Husky is right. I also use the foam, 16# density is under $20.00 for a 2# kit. With the 2# kit, I can make over 100 of my topwater frogs.With shipping added, it works out to less than .25 per lure. Just be sure to keep the product in a warm place and work in a warm area for best results. If you are topcoating with Devcon II or any other epoxy, wait about a week before topcoating as it may take a while for the resin to fully cure.If done too soon,the release of gasses in the resin will make small bubbles form under the topcoat if applied too soon. Good Luck, Joe

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:wink:

Dan, Husky is right. I also use the foam, 16# density is under $20.00 for a 2# kit. With the 2# kit, I can make over 100 of my topwater frogs.With shipping added, it works out to less than .25 per lure. Just be sure to keep the product in a warm place and work in a warm area for best results. If you are topcoating with Devcon II or any other epoxy, wait about a week before topcoating as it may take a while for the resin to fully cure.If done too soon,the release of gasses in the resin will make small bubbles form under the topcoat if applied too soon. Good Luck, Joe

Thanks Joe. The key with using foam is to use it relatively soon after purchasing it, washing the lures to remove all traces of Mold release, Let them cure out before finishing, dip them in a plasticoat of choice, and then finish as you would any other lure.

While there are better products, many of them are cost prohibitive. At Shopmaninc.com, you can get 4 lbs of foam for under $20. When you're making a lot of big baits, that is a huge savings. When finished in accordance to the steps I mentioned, the results are quite comparable with other products.

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Hi guys!!The foam is i used is the smooth-on 15lbs and i pay about 35 $can. for 8 lures!!!!And that stuff is not very solid!!!!the hooks was making some very big damage so that is not good for me!!!3 hours of fishing and the hooks as make a 1/8 grove in the lure!feather lite is much more solid!!!!So better for me!!!cheers.Dan

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Hi guys!!The foam is i used is the smooth-on 15lbs and i pay about 35 $can. for 8 lures!!!!And that stuff is not very solid!!!!the hooks was making some very big damage so that is not good for me!!!3 hours of fishing and the hooks as make a 1/8 grove in the lure!feather lite is much more solid!!!!So better for me!!!cheers.Dan

Then my recommendation is not to use Smooth-0n foam. The 16lb wt foam from shopmaninc.com is rock hard, harder than most woods! I've literally hit it with a hammer and it stood up to the punishment.

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What kind of mold are you going to use? Would a plaster mold work?? And where can you get expandable foam?

All supplies can be got at shopmaninc.com.

Use either the Urethane rubber or the Tin Sil RTV in the highest Shore hardness. While Bondo and Plaster can work, the come in a distant second to the Urethane and Silicone Rubber.

PM me if you need to know more.

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Hey Husky,

Can you tell me a commercial lure that is made from this type of foam? I would just like to get a sense of this matterial in action.

Bruce

PS: The St. L lambs are PO'd about the Packer crowd, colors, cheering during the game at Lambeau South - can you believe all the time taken went Brett beat another of Dan's records... Go Packers!!! Usher, give me back my "medicine"....

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Hey Husky,

Can you tell me a commercial lure that is made from this type of foam? I would just like to get a sense of this matterial in action.

Bruce

PS: The St. L lambs are PO'd about the Packer crowd, colors, cheering during the game at Lambeau South - can you believe all the time taken went Brett beat another of Dan's records... Go Packers!!! Usher, give me back my "medicine"....

I don't believe any commercial lures are made from it. I found it quite durable and it performed well. The downside is that it is messy and can, at times expand differently based on temp/humidity.

Your best bet would be going to Urethane resin and micro balloons.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10995

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Husky, you sound like you have given up with the foam! I only got to play with it for a few days before I moved to Malaysia. I wish I had brought it with me. I experienced the variations in expansion. It seemed to be relative to how much airation was introduced in the mixing stage. I would imagine temperature would have a profound affect also. I did learn that PoP was not the mould material, every attempt was a disaster. Now I have RTV and no foam!

I have done some experiments with the resin (50%) and air in a mould and rotating until the resin goes off. This leaves a centrally located bubble to provide the buoyancy required.

I did not succeed totally, as turning the mould by hand was inconsistant. I estimate that one rev per second would do it. Unfortunately, I don't have the equipment to test this out. The resin 'goes off' from liquid to rubbery in just a few seconds, this is the reason for the speed. Testing with even higher speeds may be necessary.

Has anyone tried this technique? If not, I invite one of you to have a go and report. It may be a while before I am in a position to test the method.

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