kidlizard

I also have a local sign guy that does great work and is a personal friend. i would be happy to put you in contact with him. I think the 6X10 signs run around 100 bucks, but could be well worth it after a couple years worth of tournaments. I believe these things last a long time if you take care of them. John

What kind of finish are you getting using these resins? We have been working with polyester, but not getting a good shiny mold. Do you coat your molds with anything like Devcon? Anyone got any advice on this? I thought we had it figured out with the resin, but I am not satisfied with the dull baits I am getting from it. It also shows imperfections in the master really well. Does anyone know if devcon with adhere to resin and hold up to the heat? Thanks alot guys, its good to see some posts starting to crank up. John Huffman

i would be interested to have one on our site......thanks john

No, I have not tried any type of silicone. I bought some to try G8Rs method for a clam shell, but I havent gotten brave enough to do it yet. The resin is very thin liquid when you pour it, and it has no effect on the lure as far as distorting it goes. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you. John

Guys I am interested in getting one of dels senko molds also, but I was wondering how many I need to produce efficeintly? Whats the turnaround time per mold? Can one mold keep me as busy as possible or do I need 2 or even more? Thanks John

Well Guys, Looks like I might finally be able to help someone else for a change.....I mold original soft plastic baits all the time. Its not that bad, but a few tips can save you all the heartache I have been through to figure this out. I start with a small "FLAT" metal pan. I then add scotch double sided clear tape to the bottom. Then I put the bait in place making sure it has a firm grip with the tape. After that I vasoline the whole thing bait and all with the lightest coat possible. Now I use fiberglass resin (bondo works well for small quanities and can be found at wal-mart, but I get it by the gallon at the auto parts store) Mix the resin very thouroughly!! I even add a couple drops of worm dye right before I mix, and it makes it very visible when you are done mixing. Finally I pour the resin over the bait "SLOWLY", wait about 30 minutes while its still warm and pop it out. The plastic bait ussually comes out of the resin easily, but will be very soft and gooey due to the heat from the resin. The last tip is not to add too much catylist, because it will get too hot and melt the bait. Any of that make sense???? A little sanding and cleanup from the goo and your ready to pour a few baits. ( the finish is not as shiny as plaster, but I am working on that) Now for plaster. I basically do the same thing with the tape and vasoline. Then I mix the plaster thouroughly and bang it on the table to bring the bubbles to the top. (you have to work fast, sets up quickly) Then I pour just enough to cover the bait, and move it around with my finger to be sure the bait is covered all around the crevises and to remove air bubbles. Next fill the mold to the top with plaster, and lightly shake the mold to bring remaining bubbles to the top until it starts to set. Finally cure the mold in the microwave by heating for 3 minute intervals and setting it out until you see no more water vapor coming from the mold. (if you want to do any shaping of the cavity do it before you cure, its alot easier. I use small wood carving tools.) Now coat the mold with Devcon. (2 coats minimum) I always add a drop of food coloring to the devcon before i apply it because it gives you a visual reference so you wont miss any spots. No matter what the package says, wait a day between coats and another day before you pour. Just makes it all the stronger. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions if you think I can help you. John I forgot to mention that this is only for 1 part molds. I havent gotten brave enough to try the 2 part, I think I am going to leave that to Del.

Not that we need it yet, but I was wondering how the heck the big guys do thier packaging. I know they cant all be done by hand. Anyone know how its done? Also is thier any way to speed the process on a medium scale? Thanks John

Ryno, I dont know what kind of plastic you are using, but we have recently been using 3-G. (currently testing calhouns) With 3-G plastic, pot cleaning was a major pain until we added heatstabilizer. For some reason after adding the heat stabilizaer, clean up is a snap. We just loosen the nuts enough to allow removal of the pour rod (never overtighten because its not necessary) roll down the plastic to the bottom and the whole thing pops out with no scrubbing at all. Its really great!! Sometimes some flake will be stuck to the bottom, but I just use a spoon and loosen it up then swish around some alcohol and pour it out. I then wipe the pot down with some worm oil and ready to go. Takes about 3 minutes. We add 3 oz of heat stabilizer per gallon. Sometimes a q-tip will help get the flake around the pour spout. Try not to scratch up your pot with wire brushes, because it makes cleaning harder. Hope this helps.........Good luck, a pouring pot changes everything. John Huffman

Thanks Guys, I have emailed dell about some custom work, and I will probably be getting some of his standard flippin worm molds. (hope you dont mind Fireball) I hate to offer the same thing as someone else, but my pro-staff is demanding a finesse type straight worm, and those look like the best I can find molds for. I will let you know how it turns out. John

Hey Del, I know we talked before, but I am ready to discuss some custom molds. If you could email me at your convienance please......john_huffman@kidlizard.com or kidlizardbait@yahoo.com Anyone who would like to comment on thier experiences with dels molds, I would love to hear them. I have seen some of products and they look great. The questions I have are, how much does heat build up in th molds slowing down your cycle time? Also anyone who uses the senko molds, how exactly do those work with pouring pots? Pictures are welcome also. Thanks alot John

Those look great! I like the blue color, looks like Zooms powder blue. Nice Job

Modge podge works, but you must allow it to cure for a few days before you apply the devcon over it. Over time it will peal no matter what you do. I would just suggest that you stick with epoxy. I have never tried polyurethane.....How is it applied, and what are the advatanges,or disadvantages compared to Devcon? How does it hold up? Thanks John

Hey guys, Whats the contact info? We will give them a shout. Thanks John

Guys, We need a supplier for 4mil bags. 6" x4" Anyone know where the best deals and reliable sources are. Thanks John

We have learned the hard way........DEVCON is the only way to go. Try 2 thin coats and dye it with food coloring. This really helps you see how to pour especially those white baits. Had the hardest time pouring white baits in white molds......ahhhhhh.........Good Luck John

Guys, We are looking to offer kits with our products. Anyone know a good place to get plano or a generic brand of clear boxes suitable for making kits. Of course the key here is cheap!! Thanks John

Del, Thats a great looking tube.......With the skirts being adjustable that is going to be awesome. You make these aluminum molds right? When you have a few be sure to post, i would like to get my hands on one. One question though, how do you fill these molds? Do you have to have a syringe or will a production pot work? Thanks John

Thanks G8R! Any idea on how many 2 cavity molds I would get out of a liter? I just found your tutorial on 100% silicone. (awesome) I assume this could work with a "mother" mold also? I think I will give it a try. I just want to make hand pour molds, not ready for the 2 part stuff yet. With silicone can I use a regular soft plastic as the master, or will I have to make one out of resin? Any suggestions with the one piece molds from silicone? Also can I add color to the silicone for visibility reasons. I think I read somewhere from you before that water based paint can be used as the catalyst? Thanks John

We finally got a chance to meet with a CPA to get the buz all legal and some advice. Wehen I told him about the 10% excise tax on lures he kind of acted like I was crazy. I know its real, because evryone talks about it all the time. Our CPA said he searched for it, but says he didnt see it. Is this guy nuts? Can anyone point me in the right direction to find this tax law? I would like to show it to him before he leads us down a bad road. Thanks John

G8R, Thanks for the info!! One more question.....where is the best and cheapest place to buy RTV silicone to give this a try. I have a few lurecraft molds, and I would like to experiment with those first. Then I will also try out the plaster and let everyone know how that turns out. Thanks again...John

Red, What is SC300? I assume thats the resin to make the master with. Where can I get it. I have experimented with bondo resin like you said, and it gets really hot and the shrinkage is very noticable. With the SC300, do you just mix it up and pour it over a RTV mold, then pop it out and duplicate? That sounds really easy. What about making copies from a plaster mold? You think it would work. Thanks in advance guys.....John

Sounds like you have the RTV thing down. I have been trying to put off using it because of the expense, but the plaster thing just isnt working to great for me. PLease post pics of the process and all materials used. I would like to give this a try. "Exact" duplicates in plaster are a real pain. Looking forward to seeing the results. Thanks John

I heard somwhere that adding salt to plaster helps make it stronger and remove air bubbles. So I tried it out. Well I think I added too much salt (2 cups salt per 10 cups plaster). The results appeared great at first, but when I cut my molds apart ( i pour 4 or more molds in one big flat pan at a time then cut) the plaster was not cured all the way through and the molds crumbled very easily. I always lay the plaster on a heater for a few hours to speed the curing, but I guess I didnt allow enough time. Maybe I added too much salt.... Does anyone know what I did wrong? Thanks.....John Huffman

Hey fellas, I recognize a few names here, and its good to see so much activity on a new site. For those of you I dont know, I look forward to meeting you. I will gladly offer my 2 cents to anyone who may need it, but mostly I always need the help... So thanks in advance to everyone. John Huffman