[captsully18]

Originally Posted by bojon

I have been told that Devcon two ton epoxy will withstand the heat.I have a dozen dipping rods on my table ready to dip in the plastic that are made of wood dowel covered with Devcon.I plan on trying them out soon.I promise to post the results.I have made wood dowel dipping rods covered with JB WELD,and they work very well.But JB WELD takes a bunch of heat easy.When dipping,the rods are in the plastic no more than about a half second,and then they are set aside to cool.I like working with wood,and dislike working with metal.Hope this method works.

Bojon, If you are interested in using a form like the one pictured above, I have several and would be glad to send you one to experiment with. If you are interested, e-mail me at captsully18@aol.com. You have been a big help to me and the least I can do is offer.

David

[Delw]

Originally Posted by Ed Brabant

Forgive me if this question sounds a bit duh but here goes. From what I gather the form is dipped into the molten plastic over and over like a tube. You then pull the finished bait over the form. What do you do about the opening where the form came out of? Also how many dips do you use? Thanks. Any pictures from a form like this?

Ed there are 2 very good threads on this about last year early this year(just search bass trix and posts by Delw), i will try to find them later this evening.
there are pictures and the stuff you need to make them and how to make them.

the best and cheapest way is to braze them using a kitchen knife and a spinner bait blade. in all honesty I would just buy them cause its not worth the time to make, thats just me though.
I dont sell the dippers any more and won't took way to long on the machine and it wasnt cost effective for me to do it on a cnc, not to mention it backed me up 3 months.I have to finish up 2 custom ones then anything left over if anything will be sold. I am only making the molds now.

it normally takes 3-4 dips, with the last dip being the tail some guys dip twice on the tail to have it thicker.
the whole key is how hot your plastic is. that will determine the thickness, the way you hold the dipper will determin the shape.
I know guys that have made perfect ones there very first time, and I know guys that it took weeks to get right.
Just remember the way you hold the dipping wand after you dip it and heat and you will be fine.

[Ed Brabant]

I did the search and saw what you meant. After about a 1/2 hour I took a butter knife down to where I think it will work. I will attach the colorado blade tomorrow with a bit of LB weld. I do have a question about dipping the bait. When you do the first few dips you only go up to the bottonm of the colorado blade. Sorry if it may sound obvious. After the 3-4 dips and I remove the bait the tail is dipped to seal the hole in the back of the bait. Dose this sound about right?

[Delw]

no only dip up to the edge of the colorado blade, the tail in the back will always have a hole in it. its no biggy as it doesnt hurt anything and the org bass trix baits are the same.
did you see the pic on how the back of the tail part is narrow? Thats how big the hole will be.

[Ed Brabant]

I may be a tad wider where the tail comes out of the back of the bait. But it is easier to remove the material from the knife rather than trying to put it back on. I am going to use all the scrap from my other pours as a color for right now. I want to perfect the geometry ofthe knife before I try the harder/softer dips that I read about. Thanks for the info and advice.

[Senkosam]

Originally Posted by bojon

I have been told that Devcon two ton epoxy will withstand the heat.I have a dozen dipping rods on my table ready to dip in the plastic that are made of wood dowel covered with Devcon.I plan on trying them out soon.I promise to post the results.I have made wood dowel dipping rods covered with JB WELD,and they work very well.But JB WELD takes a bunch of heat easy.When dipping,the rods are in the plastic no more than about a half second,and then they are set aside to cool.I like working with wood,and dislike working with metal.Hope this method works.

Seems like a popsicle stick coated with epoxy would work for slim swimbaits - good shape and easy to attach a Colorado blade.

[Ed Brabant]

I really like the popsicle stick idea. Cheap and really easy to make into the shape you will need.

[Senkosam]

Elmer's Glue might work as a coating. Tongue depressors would have a larger depth for wider baits and you could us that size blade to make the paddle and attach it with epoxy. A small sander or Dremel would shape it easily.

[Ed Brabant]

Tried dipping my preform last night. After 4 or so tries I would say the bait was a 3 out of 10 getting better. The problem I kept seeing was when I pulled the bait of the preform it would get messed up to say the least. Kind of when you pull the skin off the neck of a steamed clam. I tried doing it when it was warm and cold with the same results each time. I have a good finish on the pre form. I polished it with a 500 grit edm stone and all the tool marks are going with the direction that I want the bait to release. I am going to keep plugging away with it. And one other thing a presto pot is not the best to use for this. I will hit the yard sales this weekend and try and pick up a cheap microwave.

[captsully18]

Originally Posted by Ed Brabant

Tried dipping my preform last night. After 4 or so tries I would say the bait was a 3 out of 10 getting better. The problem I kept seeing was when I pulled the bait of the preform it would get messed up to say the least. Kind of when you pull the skin off the neck of a steamed clam. I tried doing it when it was warm and cold with the same results each time. I have a good finish on the pre form. I polished it with a 500 grit edm stone and all the tool marks are going with the direction that I want the bait to release. I am going to keep plugging away with it. And one other thing a presto pot is not the best to use for this. I will hit the yard sales this weekend and try and pick up a cheap microwave.

Ed, coat the form with oil. I spray mine with cooking spray that has garlic in it, then wipe gently with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Too much oil and the plastic will slide off while you are dipping. Please don't ask me how I know this . The coating of oil will stay until you have made your last dip. The bait will slide off with no problems (or so we all hope).

David