Vodkaman

Now that's what I call a paddle tail!

Welcome Rich, I couldn't agree more. Their are a few of your countrymen on this forum.

This subject has been discussed before. I understand your feelings but with respect, I think that you are being a tad hard on them. If they sent the goods out in batches of what was available, then who is going to pay for the extra shipping, are they supposed to eat it. Also, when you place the order, they assume that you wanted everything on the list. With large or complex orders, you should make it clear on the order and/or back it up with phone calls, that if something is missing then cancel that component from the order and you will get it next time. Maybe the order firms should add another box indicating priority. If high priority is ticked, the item must be delivered, if low priority is ticked, it can be omitted.

Welcome. I like the name! We'll try to cheer you up.

Rossrods. That is the perfect situation for creating the moulds. I've been doing something similar with split masters. the problem comes when you are ready to pour the second half. I get a visible split line in the subsequent castings. If you pour the second half with a complete master, this problem will be greatly reduced. I've just read your post again. It is your intention to cast two separate halves. It will work, but again, the join will need a lot of dressing up. When I get around to foamies, it is my intention to cast the lead ballast onto the hanger wire. Position the hanger in the mould and pour the foam. This way the labour is cut down and the result will be much tidier. Pity you didn't start a new thread for this one, it's a big enough subject to justify its own thread.

Actually, just beyond the trees, to the left, about 150 yds, is a very nice lake. Never fished it though, too far from home. I thought about taking by tackle with me when we were doing the installation, but that would not have gone down well with my brother, left to do the work!

Pete and Bruce. Many thanks. Finally, someone has put this subject to bed. It has been a real pain for all new members, including myself, trying to figure out the enigma of picture posting. Thanks to you both.

Not as impressive as the Bridges above, but I am proud of it. My brother and I built this last year, he's the artist, I'm the engineer. What a team!

Nice one Bruce.

Robert, you are just going to have to ask questions. Engineers tend to get caught up in their own little world were everyone understands. Explaining is not our strong suit. A highly respected member recently said, If you don't want to post the question, a PM is fine.

I hope you are not as screwed up as I am! I am hopeless at names. I work in an office of about 30 guys, I probably know ten names, I've been there 8 months. I hope everyone wears name tags at the meet. I suffer mildly from face blindness, a guy in a bar came up and started talking to me about work, turned out he works in the same office, I just did not recognise him. I can remember phone numbers easily though. I tend to sit and analyse everything that I am going to do, to the n'th degree, before taking any action, sometimes for hours (can get messy if I am drinking lots of beer! joking). It's just embarrassing sometimes, I feel at a slight disadvantage. I used to think that I had just been lazy and not paying attention. Languages? forget it. I lived in Indonesia and Malaysia for the last ten years, I understand a lot of words, but hope to have a conversation one day! Yeah, being left brained is great fun! I can kick ass on the pool table though!

How long is the corkscrew, are they a standard length?

I think I could pour one of those in a two piece.

I just use plasticine for temporary masters (see the spider shown on 'hairy worm' thread). Quick, cheap, easy to work and re-usable. Including the sprue and locator depressions.

If you can't find them, you'll have to do it the hard way, glued paper templates and cut them out. I assume you only want to make a few for yourself, so laser cutting a few thousand is out of the question.

Mark, I thought it was just me. Pete, good luck with the tank, can't wait to see the results.

http://store02.prostores.com/servlet/aaronmartenslures/Categories They are scroungers! This link may help someone. It is the store link from http://www.aaronmartenslures.com/

Did a web search, could only find one reference, but no pics. If you post a pic, members may be able to help you.

I believe PVA (elmers) can be used in the same way. I did a quick web search, couldn't get the translator to work, but it looks the same.

I tried making a clay master once. I found it extremely difficult to control the shape, particularly maintaining symmetry. It is OK for making worms and simple rolled shapes. Also, clay can give problems when removing from the PoP, if the section is too thin. I am currently using balsa. True, balsa is delicate and can be prone to break when removing from the PoP. I counter this by sealing well with 50/50 PVA (elmers). This adds rigidity, in addition to a polyester resin top coat. If your master has legs, pincers etc, there is nothing wrong with making your master from several materials, each more suitable for the individual components of the lure. More experienced members could help you more if you were to post a pic of the pattern that you are trying to make. If you don't want to spill the beans, then a more graphic explanation of the shape or nature of the components of the lure, eg fat body, thin tail, 3mm dia legs etc. Also, if the initial clay pattern is not 100% correct to your design, car filler can be added and sanded using a dremel. Two part car filler is very convenient for this purpose, as it hardens very fast and is very strong, much stronger than the clay. Post some pics and let the members help you.

Here is a possible alternative method of drying PoP. I posted it in homebrew tools, as it is applicable to hardbaits also. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?p=76054#post76054

The general rule is soft pattern, hard mould. Hard pattern, soft mould. I tried several times to use PoP for hard foam castings, it was a disaster! The best mould material for alumilite is probably RTV. But you are concerned about the expense. I suggest you try the PoP, but don't use your valuable, irreplacable master for the test. Make a temporary master, but prepare it as you would your regular master. It must be sealed and finished smooth. It must be none porous, so the PoP has nothing to grip on to, maybe a coat of epoxy or something similar. Do several tests, removing the master at different time periods. Try after 30min, 2 hours and over night. Removing the master early is the easiest, but you run the risk of damaging the surfaces of the casting as the plaster is still very soft. If you are casting hard in hard, it is vital that the master is not die locked, in other words, you must be able to pull the master straight out of the mould with no twisting. For the same reason, deep flat sides should be avoided, too much surface friction, stopping the master withdrawal. Search for information on sealing your PoP moulds, there is a ton of it, also search release agents. Without a release agent, you might as well save yourself some time and throw the PoP powder straight into the bin. Best advice? Stick with the RTV.

Everyone agrees that using the household oven is not a good idea. Commercial plaster operators use drying ovens. There is no reason why the small production/hobbyist cannot do the same. So I have introduced this thread so that we can brainstorm the problem and arrive at a workable solution. I see the solution as a box, deep enough to mount a household bulb with sufficient air space around it. At the bulb end, a 2 inch dia hole. This is the air inlet. At the other end, a small 12v cooling fan (battery operated), as used for cooling computers. These fans move about 4

http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11049&highlight=photobucket This is a link with instructions of how I do it (post photo's of course!).

Thanks Dutchman, Finally found it! Just a pity they didn't explain why the oven is at risk. I understand the risk to the casting and accept that. Personally, I will continue, lowest heat and door ajar.