Smallie

I haven't but I believe Mike Iaconelli did a video where he put a spinnerbait blade on the end of a senko.

I have found that the Pumpkin closest to Yamamoto's #196 is MF's Pumpkin #34.

I believe they are knock offs of the old open pour molds sold by Bob's Tackle Shop. I recognize most of them from back in the day because I have the aluminum models. If you don't want aluminum open pours, these will save you a few bucks.

Al, not to be an A$$, but I offer that when the sticky was started, a number of experienced members posted recipes. Within a year or so, the discussions and question posts began. Not sure how big a job it is to clean it up but it would be nice. Maybe as a moderator, you can just delete and not have to go into the HTML file and manually delete line by line.

Plaster is a cheap way to get into mold making and it is available locally. Go to Home Depot and get water putty. It works like plaster of Paris but is stronger. The bull worm is a good worm to start with because it has a flat side. This is what I do but there are variations that will work as well. You will develop your own process if you keep making molds. My process may take longer than others but being retired, I don't rush anything. Go fishing if you can't keep yourself from fiddling with the mold. Superglue the flat side down to a container. I use the Styrofoam containers meat is packaged in at the supermarket. Mix up the putty and cover the glued down bait. Let it dry overnight and carefully remove the mold from the rest of the pieces. The mold has to dry and then be sealed. Some people put them in their vehicle this time of year to do this. I usually set the mold on top of my oil fired furnace and wait a week. Once dry, you can seal it in a number of ways. I prefer to use Elmers white glue that is thinned with water to a 50 - 50 mix. Pour it in to fill the mold cavity, let it sit five minutes and pour the glue out. I like to take some of the glue being poured out and wipe it on the surface of the mold with my hand. I set the mold upside down on newspaper with wooden skewers as spacers to keep the mold off the newspaper. Let it sit overnight and remove the now stuck on skewers. Roll them to release rather than pull them off. Let the mold dry another day and it is ready to use. As I implied above, you can find ways to speed it up if you want to.

Picture link does not work. Please update. Thanks, Dave

Has anyone tried a Stirio automatic pot stirrer? Amazon has it for 30 dollars with free shipping. And Lurebaz - lucky for you, they are available on the Amazon UK site. It uses rechargeable batteries so its run time may be limited. It may be possible to rig a DC voltage source to it.

I don't know if this is the post Les is referring to but the movies work for me using Window Media Player. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/22062-dipping-tubes/?hl=bojon#entry164521

It is funny how too much stabilizer yellows the plastic. When my white gets a yellow tint, I use it to make a yellow perch swimbait.

I used a Fry Daddy to make a small pot. It's temperature is regulated by a snap disc to maintain a temperature of 375°F which is too hot. I purchased a fixed limit snap disc that regulates the temperature between 285° and 325°. I bought it from White-Rodgers company because that is the manufacturer of the one that came on the Fry Daddy. You probably could get one cheaper on eBay.

I have had good luck with Diamond Crystal - The Finer Salt - from the grocery store. Look for the red and white label. It comes both Iodized and non-iodized. It is ground very fine and doesn't settle as bad as others I have used. Best part is the store is five miles from my house.

I have the same mold. I found a piece of tubing at work that fit the rod with minor clearance and I jb welded it to the rod. I lined them up in a metal working lathe so they would be concentric. It cut the tail thickness in half. The bad news is the plastic does not flow completely into the tail. I cut the tails at the orignal thickness with a home made version of Lure Crafts cutter. I mounted it on an arbor press. I got the idea from this thread. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/7902-tail-cutter/?hl=%2Btube+%2Bcutter

I think he means adding water to allow a thick coat of RTV to cure. There are some threads about making molds from RTV on this site.

. If you are going to agonize over 30.00, this hobby is going to drive you crazy. As far as Plaster of Paris, you can buy smaller buckets at Walmart or hobby stores.

I made this soon after it was posted in 2009 and it is still going strong. I already had the arbor press. My version has a aluminum block that holds the utility knife blades and it clamps to the ram. I put a piece of sheet rubber on a steel plate to cover the surface the ram works on. You have to play with the blade spacer thickness till you get tails you like. My version works great.

Smooth-On, Tap Plastics and places like that sell a thinner for silicone that should work.

Go to the Walmart and look at the Storm swimbaits. Pick one that is translucent and you can see how their internal weight is shaped. You will find that it is shaped somewhat like an Erie Jig.

Keep in mind that the height of the partition influences whether you get a laminate or a swirl. If I remember correctly, the higher the partition, the more likely you get a laminate. If you are looking for swirls, the partition should be below the pour spout.

I put my baits on ceramic tiles to cool while I pour them. They get bagged when I am done pouring. Dimples, dents , curves etc don't matter. It won't affect how well they catch fish. If you are trying to catch fishermen, that is a different story.

Sculpy is nice because you can harden your master and then add more clay to add additional features, repair a mistake or something you don't like. Don't know if that is possible with clay. I buy mine at Walmart and they always seem to have it.

If you don't find the blades at Fleet, go to a fabric store or craft store and ask for Rotary Cutter blade refills. Joann Fabrics has a large selection on their web site.

<snip>The bait business is nothing to be taken lightly, it is very very competitive and very cutthroat.<snip> X10

Actually, it is the one in Cami's video. I didn't watch it last night and decided to do so now. Pardon my Nyquil buzz.

Guess I don't know how to post pictures anymore.

This is what I use. It is a Weller tip but I don't have the number.