guiley

For those of you that are doing this as a business or side business, do you carry product liability insurance on your lure business? Has anyone ever been sued because of an injury involving their lures? I'm trying to decide whether to throw down a couple of bills on insurance. Thanks!

B&D, I sure hope you're paying the 10% FET because I wouldn't want to be on record as advising folks to ignore the IRS. Anyone have any horror stories about someone getting nailed for not paying the FET? My advice would be to stay legal.

Does anyone know what the shinkage factor is for calhoun soft plastic? If I want the worm from a 2 piece mold to be 1/4" in diameter, should the cavity diameter be 1/4" or does it need to be bigger to allow for the bait to shrink as it cools?

I currently sell my lures direct on my website. If I were to sell my lures through retailers - either direct or through a wholesaler/distributor that sells to retailers - I would need to make sure that my website price is the "suggested retail price" so that I am not undercutting anyone. I understand that wholesale to retail markup is in the 40% to 50% range. What is the typical markup of a wholesaler? Does anyone have any advice about working with wholesalers versus dealing directly with retailers? Are there any pitfalls when you involve wholesalers such as legal issues with distribution rights, etc.?

I was looking at my 2006/2007 Hagen's catalog this morning and notice a full-page ad in the back for "Lorie Kay Live Bait Creations". They have a website at www.loriekay.com and seem to have a non-plastisol soft bait mix that they sell with injection molded pouring molds. There isn't a lot of information on the website about cure time, process, etc. Has anyone out there used this or any other non-oil-based alternatives to soft plastics?

I'm aware of two methods. The method I've personally used is the temperature controller/thermocouple method. The thermocouple I used is a 6' long 3/16 diameter stainless steel probe. I drilled a hole in the top of my pour pots and inserted the probe between the aluminum casing and the steel interior so that it is resting on the heating element that goes around the bottom of the pot. I use a small clamp to hold it in position and can unclamp the thermocouple to switch pots. This temperature control is fantastic. I can fill the pots, start the plastic heating, and come back to the plastic literally hours later and it will not have scorched. I wired the output of the temperature controller to an outlet so I didn't have to rewire the pots - the temperature controller turns the outlet on and off to maintain the proper heating element temperature. Don't try to put the temperature probe in the plastic! You'll burn the heck out of it trying to get the plastic to temperature. The other method is simpler and was employed by a guy I know. He wired the pot to a regular dimmer switch. That way, he can regulate the temperature of the pot just like a knob on the stove burner. He has had great luck with that method and a dimmer switch costs less than $10. I'm not sure if he can leave the pot unattended for a long time. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice and pictures sloegoe and redg8r. Do you usually do any carving of that final polymer clay 6 cavity master to sharpen up any of the details before you coat it? Brian

sloegoe, I am planning on a one-sided mold, but using a master that is round with a flat on it just big enough to get the bait out of the cavity. If the worm is 1/4" in diameter, the mold cavity would be about 3/16" deep and a cross-section of the mold would look like a circle with a flat top. I've heard this called a 3/4 round mold. In order to cast the mold, the mold material or the master has to be soft enough so you can get the master out. I think RTV is soft enough to get a solid master out of the cavity. But this is my first attempt at mold making and I am looking for advice. Thanks! Brian

Since I have given up on getting a custom aluminum mold made for reasons that have been covered by other posts here, I am working on making an RTV mold. It is basically a 6" worm mold (see www.guileyworm.com for pictures) and I would like to have 6-8 cavities. I will need to have the master machined since I don't have an exact bait to use as a master. I am looking for some advice from those of you who have made molds before. First of all, what is the best material to use if you are machining or carving a master? I am considering aluminum or delrin. Secondly, should I machine 6-8 masters, or machine 1, make a mold of it, and pour the 6-8 masters in that mold. I am wondering if I will loose a lot of the sharpness of the original master if I mold the new masters from it. Any pointers or advice would be appreciated. Brian

Lurecraft sells gallon jugs for $1.40 each. I've kept their plastic in those jugs for years and never had a problem. Another trick is to toss a few nuts and bolts into the jug to help with mixing.

Whose watermelon color? I had that problem when I first started pouring and I was using the M-F color from Bass Pro Shops. I've never had that problem with Lurecraft colors. Brian

I started pouring with aluminum back in May and had the same lines you're describing. Preheating the molds made them go away. The problem with just pouring with hotter plastic is shrinkage - the hotter it goes in, the more it shinks when it cools and leaves dimples on the bait on the open side of the cavity. A cooking griddle is just perfect for preheating the molds - I heat mine to 150 degrees before I start pouring. Coincidentally my wife got a new griddle for Mother's day so I can keep the old one in the worm shop. Brian

I've had pretty good luck with both LC and Calhoun throwing a few nuts and bolts into the gallon jug or bucket before you shake it. I also put a small hex nut into the LC colors to help with mixing. It works like the ball bearing in a can of spray paint. Brian

I have not ordered imprinted bags yet, but Associated Bag (www.associatedbag.com) offers this service. For single color imprinting on a small bag, their quote was a $40 setup fee and $105 per thousand imprinting charge. Good luck. Brian

I use the small Lee pots and stir them with craft sticks - they're cheap, they don't get hot, and they're flat. I leave them on the rim of the pot while I'm pouring. Brian