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CNC Molds N Stuff

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Everything posted by CNC Molds N Stuff

  1. Ummm.... You don't differ at all. Read what I wrote again.
  2. Just so you know. It's very unlikely you will ever get a sharp demarcation like using a laminate plate and shooting twice.
  3. It may be possible to use a different hook with that mold. One I recently looked at in another thread will take flat eye hooks or jig hooks.
  4. Several people I know of use bismuth (inspite of its high price), because they can not use lead.
  5. Yep. What he said. Generally if the two plastics are very similar in composition you can go by temperature. The lowest same temperature that shoots okay will usually give the best demarcation between the layers in molds that don't blend them by their nature like those with big hook slots. However, the color amount, powders, salt volume can affect the viscosity at a particular temperature. This is where a little more experience can pay off. They need to be close to the same "viscosity" near the lowest temperature where they shoot properly. I see temperature hyped as the be all end all on the social media groups all the time, and I have just gotten tired of correcting it. Here are others I see almost every single time I read the groups. (These are generally correct, but not always.) Reduce flashing? Shoot colder, hold less pressure. Won't fill? Shoot hotter, shoot slow. Denting, shoot colder hold firm pressure longer. Combination of problems... experiment.
  6. I have it set to start at about 4:50 where they are in front of one of the machines, but the whole video is informative if you would prefer to start at the beginning. In fact one of those CNC "router" pouring machines is shown in the beginning clips. I think you get a little more glimpse of them later in the video also. After watching this video somebody with the knowledge, drive, and skill set could make their own injection machine, but if you want to make plastics you have to decide. Do you want to make baits, or do you want to make machines? I say this as somebody who has retrofit and built a few other types of machines in the past. In machining we often say, "Do you want to make parts, or do you want to make machines?"
  7. If you are interested in seeing how big machines run there is a decent video from the Southern Plastics plant on YouTube. They also briefly showed a bit of "robotic" open pouring using modified or purpose built CNC gantries. That's exactly how I told Carolina Mike it would be done when he was saying it was more likely Robo was just using cheap Mexican labor to hand pour. LOL. Maybe they were, but machines cost less to run than even Mexican labor. I was also doing some work for maquiladoras around that time and knew first hand that while labor in Mexico is less, it's not cheap like some places in Asia.
  8. They are CNC machined. I think they started out using cutouts and drops from a cabinet and sink installer who was using the Russian version of Corian(tm). I seem to recall somebody asking lots of questions about machining the stuff on some of the machining groups I read about the time we started to see some talk about "stone" molds. It's my understanding (I could be wrong) you should worm oil your "stone" molds before injecting, but otherwise people are mostly happy with them. I knew where one of the cabinet guys was dumping his drops and cutouts some time back, but when I went and looked it was all real stone. Granite, quartz, marble, etc. No plastics like Corian. I did pick up a few nice pieces of cut and polished stone I use for a variety of things in the shop. It's not flat enough for inspection work, but its flat enough for lots of other things like sharpening and sanding.
  9. I just looked. Ricks machine (unless he has something else not on his website) is just a redesigned and improved version of his old injection press. It's nothing like the shooting star systems. Old or newer.
  10. It used a dual syringe type injector with a heated valve block between the pots that the injector set into. I have one complete I picked up used. I just use the pots and stirring systems. No. I'm not going to set it all up and take a picture. The old Bear's videos are probably still on youtube. Of course the new stars are much improved. Just making insulated pots was huge. I have no idea what Rick is making these days.
  11. I've always thought the Shooting Star system was a great idea for small scale production. Ever since the first ones sold by Bear's Baits ages ago made with Presto pots.
  12. The 91768 is a 28 degree hook. If you look at the do-it weighted hook molds there are probably lots of different hooks that will work. The hook eye angle really has little effect on a weight that's down on the shank.
  13. Victory has a direct replacement for the 91768. 10768.
  14. The story is Gary Yamamoto had a mold made that didn't shoot properly. Every worm came out the same with a tail that looked like it had been cut off. No clue who made the mold. They decided to try it, and when they started whacking fish with it they started marketing the cut tail worm. Later molds were made that way on purpose. Of course its a much repeated story out west, so who knows how much truth is in it after many retellings.
  15. I have two old Bear's stirrers in Presto Pots. The gear motors are pretty impressive. They will push the plastisol through transition phase, and cook the plastic until it's fully cooked without burning, but it takes a long time. Almost forever on a cold day. You can not kick the plastic in a pot without a good constant pouring system that lifts as well as stirs so you don't get hot spots at the bottom. Usually though I kick the plastic four cups at a time in the microwave and dump it into the presto pot. When it's full I put in my additives. Then I melt plugs and runners 90% in the microwave and dump back into pot as I go. I have one blade marked on the stirrer, and always dump remelts behind that blade. That way I can keep shooting until it's 100% and flows through the holes. I can run a gallon (just a smidgeon under) this way and when I'm done only have the layer my injector won't pick up in the bottom of the pot leftover. I've run a couple brands and blends this way without scorching. I'm sure somebody will say, "Well I never..," but in my opinion you can't run a presto pot very efficiently without a good stirring system. Even if you are not cooking in the pot.
  16. As a retired specialty contractor insert appropriate insult about generals here. _____________________________________________. (Non-contractors wouldn't appreciate the humor.) I always had mixed feelings about small jobs. Sometimes small jobs were just a pain, but sometimes small jobs turned into big jobs. They offered me an opportunity to show customer I knew what the heck I was doing. Fixing a microphone turning into a new phone system. Hunting down an amplified handset for a hearing impair associate turning into a new video surveillance system. I have tried to tell Jeff that out of the hundreds of tiny orders that don't pay to do will come the next big customer. We argue when we talk, but we also sometimes listen. When he gets more settled and organized in the new warehouse/manufacturing plant I expect things will get more back to normal. I just wish people would be more understanding. He's doing a hard thing right now. Nobody begrudges people getting what they need when they need it. There's just no need to be unpleasant about it. In the machine shop I do small jobs for people who ask nice or bring me a case of my favorite beverage instead acting like their doing me a favor to burn my time negotiating over tiny jobs.
  17. That's not precisely what I said, but he was being overwhelmed by small orders. Small orders cost more to process than they make. I think he's planning to institute a minimum order like Barlows does and eliminate some of the smaller quantity options as things come back together.
  18. One of the bragging points these days is heat tolerance. I wonder if the remelts are gassing out more and that's why they seem to finish better.
  19. Also, if you want more exact result "just about" any old POS desktop mill will cut slots more than accurate enough for core pins. Yeah, I know. Even a cheap POS mill is still a big investment for a hobby bait maker. I suggest you do not try it with a drill press. The danger is not very low, but not zero. The bearings in a drill press are designed for force only in one direction. The wrong direction for milling. In addition the chuck is held into a drill press only by friction. The act of side milling (cutting a slot) can actually pull the chuck out of the drill press. That being said, some high end drill presses (much more expensive than a POS desktop mill) might manage it with care. In order to keep things "affordable" I tend to make molds with the minimum amount of metal to safely make the bait. This means in many cases I would have to make a different base version to make a core shot version. If people are willing to pay for my time and materials... Vogue. Vogue is the word I was looking for, although chic is a fair substitute in this case.
  20. Just talked with Jeff. He brought the site up, but turned off several categories that were not ready to ship yet (still packed up). The items were still searchable, and he got orders for stuff that's still in crates, so he had to shut it back down until he has time to turn off stuff individually. In the mean time people can call to place orders for plastic. Nothing small.
  21. Happy New Year Everybody!
  22. MF was filling orders much of that time for customers who were actually ordering serious business quantities of plastic. Jeff NEEDED to move out of the old business situation more than he needed to make you happy. He is happier and will be healthier (in more ways than one) in his new situation. In my case I am happy he brought the site back up. He did not need to in order to keep MF making money. I had actually come onto Tackle Underground to admit I might have been wrong (He didn't open right after Christmas) when I saw the post that the website was back up. I am happy for him. If I was dependent on him I might have been upset, but I did call him and we talked. I knew if I had needed a decent size order of plastic he would get it to me. Maybe its because we are friends, but he was shipping to other commercial customers as well. Atleast those who were always order more than a few gallons at a time. I disagree with that model myself. A customer who orders 50 molds gets the same level of service as those who order one or two, but I am a product of a different time in the tackle business. On the other hand I did order several grades of Dead On to try. So far my results are meh, but I might be doing it wrong. I've only been pouring plastic for a decade or two, not counting the plastic I poured in my Uncle's basement when I was a kid 40ish years ago. I don't know everything like some of you guys. I also ordered a couple samplers of every grade sold by Bait Plastics. I haven't gotten in to those yet. Maybe even for me, closing down small sales might have cost Jeff some business, but I don't begrudge him the time he needed with his head focused on what was most important to him. Also, I always recommend to my own customers the plastic I think is best for their application. Now it might not always be an MF grade anymore. I doubt Jeff will take it personally. He already knows he doesn't make my favorite watermelon. Of course while he was shut down I had to suggest things people could get. I don't have a corn cob up my bung hole over it and I am sure neither does Jeff. Speaking of bungs. Those plastic faucets he sells have been useful to me in many things besides 5 gallon plastisol jugs.
  23. I'll have to wish Jeff a Happy New Year and order some fill in items for the test bench.
  24. My first core shot (new style with a rod) was done on an existing mold without modification at all. It depends on the mold. Video: https://rumble.com/v2ds4fa-my-first-modern-core-shot-injection-molded-bait-using-core-pins.html Crazy part is with that exact same mold a customer wanted me to make one special to shoot core shots. When he saw my video he wanted to pay me to make core pins for it. If he is willing to pay for my time... I figured when he saw the video he would just buy the mold and make his own pins. Most of the first core shots I've seen done when this method started to become chic were using unmodified molds people already had. They just cut a rod the right size to wedge in there. One guy had me make a core body mold. He thought a tail mold wouldn't work for it. He shot the body with a core pin, and then dropped it into the main mold. Interestingly another customer asked me to do a separate tail mold for the same bait. (One of my designs). Both customers were happy with their results, so ... there is more than one way to skin a cat. My very first core shots were done using a slide bar mold. I shot the body, and than as fast as possible opened the slide gates to shoot the tail and force plastic back out the body sprue.
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