CNC Molds N Stuff

I read a lot of groups, and almost 10115463547347367589706033523462% universally when somebody posts, "Want to sell as lot. Will not separate, and I MEAN IT DAG NAB IT," the first 5-20 response are, "Well, let me know if you decide to separate." It's a nice thought to just get out clean, but unless you are willing to take a huge hit on value it's pretty unlikely. Most of the groups also do not allow you to post eBay links. You have to list ON THEIR GROUP. If they didn't, I'd suggest posting your stuff on eBay one at a time as you have time and list your eBay link in the groups. You can still sell on eBay though. I don't know. do we have a classifieds board here? Yep looks like it. https://www.tackleunderground.com/classifieds/

I wasn't saying don't buy from Barlow's, by the way. Just that they are selling someone else's plastic. They aren't a plastic maker.

I was just getting ready to test a new custom mold for a customer. While I was doing so I looked through all my sample bottles from Bait Plastics. (I bought two of their sampler pack) There does not appear to be a super soft formula or a sinking formula, so if I were to pick them for my Club-Os for this season I would certainly have up my salt content and add softner. Hopefully my order from MF arrives soon, so I can test their soft sinking in the Easy Stretch formula.

Not yet. I'm experimenting. I always made my Club-Os with MF Soft Sinking 4:1 salt ratio. Sink rate was perfect, and only very slightly stiffer than Senkos(tm). My goal was the easiest possible formula work to fish ratio. I've got big fish checks, place and win money, and a few hundred+ fish days with them, so I figured it was good enough. Now it seems to be gone except for a gallon or two in my big jug, and I am looking for a new easy formula. When I make Club-Os I make a lot, so I don't run out to quickly. I did order some softner, but I hope to find a mix that is "good enough" without it like my old mix is.

That sounds right.

MF has a soft sinking available in the Easy Stretch line. I just ordered some to play with since the original soft sinking seems to be no more. I was going to order some Bounce, but I didn't see it available. I don't know what the heck Jeff is doing, but at least he is partially open for orders of some stuff. Barlows will just be buying from somebody else. I'd look at Bait Plastics if Jeff doesn't have what you want at MF right now. I've heard some of their plastics can have a slightly cloudy finish, but so far of the test samples I ordered I have not noticed it, and they have a bunch of options. I haven't run all the formulas yet, but I did buy their sampler that comes with a little of every one. PS. Hey Jeff! Where is that garlic bomb you threatened me with?

I forget who it was, but there used to be a de-facto expert here years ago who had put together a list of crazy dipping techniques that worked. I think he published a CD or something like that on it. I'm not crazy about dipping at all myself. Its just to slow for me. If I want tubes I make a mold with an insert and I inject them. I do slice, but that's still faster than dipping.

That is so weird. I'm not sure what is happening, but its doesn't sound like tempering. Various heat treating terms get thrown around all the time, and their slight misuse misunderstanding makes it hard to have a conversation sometimes. Tempering is used as defined above, to reduce the hardness of a metal that has been hardened. Why your hook appears to be getting harder from some sort of heat cycle is a weird one. Many alloys at maximum hardness can shatter almost like glass. By making them less hard through "tempering" they become tougher... or less likely to break or shatter.

Spring in green water light watermelon, later in the summer opaque green pumpkin, around other cover blue craw or even red orange. A lot of people just compromise. I throw opaque watermelon seed or opaque watermelon red flake pretty much all the time if I think I am imitating craws.

One of the old school hollow swimbait techniques (kinda like a BassTrix) was to use a butter knife with the light serrations ground off and the edge rounded over. If they wanted a conventional looking tail they just cut it that way. If they wanted a paddle tail they would split a Colorado blade part way and solder or braze it to the knife. One of the parts suppliers even started selling dipping blades with the tail blade already attached.

Am I the only one who thinks that sounds like a cut paste from an AI chat response bot?

Interesting head design. What do you perceive as the benefit of the downward protrusion?

I found that with stick worms you need to use soft sinking, or super soft and add a lot of salt until you get the sink rate you want.

I'm glad it helped. So many problems are caused or qualities degraded (*) by shooting some plastics to hot that often people dismiss going a little hotter as a potential solution to other problems. * (Denting, scorching, colors drift, drawing air hollows, toughness with hard plastics, etc etc)

What are you talking about? I'm not picturing a round spacer. I've made a few A-Rig head molds and I just don't see it. There are lots of things that work as crimpers for various things. One of the personal things (not tackle related) I make for myself is crimped with a bow string nock crimper. I crimp air hose with ear clamps and a tool that looks like a tile nipper. If I knew what you are talking about I'd try to figure out something.

I seem to recall their being some issues with International shipping of colorants. I think it was one of the things that caused changes in who could and could not buy and resell certain colorants from some companies. It could also have just been an excuse to stop working with intermediate resellers. There was some bruhaha about it here many years ago.

Rocket release or silicone oil film on the pin may help. Maybe even motor oil since it's so heat tolerant.

Sometimes a cavity will skin over trapping air depending on how it's injected. I'd try going hotter to reduce the viscosity, and shoot slower so the cavity fills from bottom to top allowing the air to float on top and get squeezed out the vents before they get covered. Not knowing what the coefficient of expansion is you may also have to hold pressure as it cools.

Another is duck feathers. They are not legal to buy sell trade for adornment/jewlery/clothing, but legally harvested they may be for "fishing lures." There are some interesting natural colors available in duck feathers. A neighbor who hunts may be willing to give you some. Especially if you help clean. You may even go home with a couple ducks for dinner, but don't count on that last part.

Go to a local tackle store and ask if they spool new reels for customers. My locally owned tackle store will give me a few feet of anything they have on hand to play with. I'm not even a big customer. Even if they won't give you some for free they might let you have some samples of various lines for a couple bucks.

Everybody tries to get bestest perfectest mostest on the first try and they waste time not getting things done. I like MF, but that doesn't mean they are best for you or even best for me for every application. Buy some plastic, make same baits, fish them, repeat.

Jeff told me he packaged up a garlic bomb for me the other day. I told him, "no problem. I'll just issue odor absorbing kitchen garbage bags to all my carriers." I think I took the wind out of his sails. My box has not arrived. LOL.

Black is a good color. The three biggest bass I caught last year came on black Curly Buzz Frogs (Jr and Regular). I did break off a monster on white though. My favorite stick (Club-O) color is a heavy salted watermelon / white pearl laminate. Anyway, yeah. Black is a good way to use up off colors.