thill

Led Hed, I've searched though the case, and I don't see a vise. That's too bad. I downloaded the instructions, and it turns out I had pretty much figured out how to use it. I don't use spinners, so the uses are limited for me. Mainly I use it to make bottom rigs for the kids when we fish for croaker and spot in the summertime. Thanks for the help! I really appreciate the resource of knowledge that you guys provide. -TH

I pay $0.25-$0.30/lb from the local recyclers. Really scored great and found some pure lead bar in the pile and bought 200# of it. This lead is so soft and perfect, that I literally get no mis-pours out of 200 jigs. Awesome stuff. -TH

BIG THANKS, Clamboni! I saw that it says DH Thompson on the bottom, but I found nothing on that site. This does look like the Boggs, but mine is made from cast aluminum instead of the plastic, which I guess is good. Probably an old model. I've had it 10 years or so, and who knows how old it was when I got it. I've got to go download the manual. Dial-up is SLOOOOW... Thanks again. I really appreciate it. -TH

A friend gave me a suitcase filled with luremaking stuff from a friend that had passed away. Most of the stuff I knew, but this one seems like the foundation of the set, and I don't know what it is or how to use it: All I know is that the knob at the bottom right does a great job of bending wire. Maybe the sleeve with the crank is made to twist inline spinners? If anyone knows where I can get instructions, that would be great. I'm slowly figuring stuff out, but help is always faster! Thanks! -TH

TK1, I use them to pour lead all the time. Braveviper, If you mix the rocktite or portland into your POP, it will last for years, IF you make sure it cures and dries properly. To do this, first you let the lure harden, then make sure everything is right. Then, WET the mold again after a day or so. This completes the cure. After about 3 days, you can put the mold in a 250 degree oven for a couple of hours to help speed the drying process. After that, I typically spray high-temperature spray paint on the molds to seal them and make them smoother. This takes a little more time, but the molds will last for years. Smallie, I don't know the numbers, but they are standard burrs and stones I get really cheap from Harbor freight tools. The stones wear out pretty quickly, but work well while they last. The burrs work well, but you have to clear them from time to time. On the website, www.uscomposites.com, they sell RTV Silicone, Casting Resin and mold resins. Look carefully, because they are there! I hope this is helpful! -TH

Just ordered a fluid bed from Dayooper/TJ's, and can't wait to get it! -TH

Man, I should have looked here first! I just read that a great fluid bed membrane is a piece of canvas with several layers of coffee filter on top. Please understand that I'm just starting the process of building my own bed, so this is merely hearsay. -TH

Bruce, Thanks for the welcome! I forgot to mention that if Rocktite isn't available to mix with POP, regular Portland Cement works well, too. Really makes the mold a lot more durable. No need for me to post pics of my stuff, since most of mine are are just home pours of commercial lures. I got into it to save money. I have a secret weapon lure, but I've stopped posting pictures of them. Gotta keep something to myself! Looking forward to interesting exchanges of ideas. Best wishes! -TH

Guys, Thanks for the feedback. This lure is in it's 7th year of production, and is more in demand than ever. But I've gotten tired of the nights of pouring plastic and mixing colors, so I've stopped taking orders. The startup costs I've gotten to get the lures produced for me run from $3500 to $7500, and it would take a LOT of lures just to cover those costs. Hard to pull the trigger when you are not sure you will even recover your startup. -TH

I certainly hope I didn't offend anyone! I was just posting my experience with 3-G since it seems that most people didn't know much about them. When I ordered mine, they sold "hand pour" in three textures, Hard, Medium and Soft. They were all virtually the exact hardness as Lurecraft plastic. I really, really really loved their Soft, as it was as soft as the Lurecraft, but stretchier and tougher. I also really loved the fact that stabilizer was already in there, and the stuff simply did not discolor. But man did it smell like stabilizer! I added LC apple scent to my lures, and that covered it VERY well, and the fish loved the lures. Again, this is NOT intended to put down any other maker or anyone who uses product. Just passing on my personal experience hopefully to help others. -TH

Keep that puppy alive on a lip-stringer, then put it in a cooler with a bubbler and some blue stuff from BPS to keep the fish calm and safe. Get it weighed, take good pics and then release it for next year, and get a fiberglass mount made from the pics.

Daiwa has been kicking Shimano's butt again for the last few years, now. They put out reels that are just as smooth but more durable, for much less money. My shimanos are going up on Ebay one by one... -TH

Better yet, fill the reel with braid. Much better line capacity, and you can use a smaller and lighter reel for the same line capacity. Doing this, I've gone from 4000 size spinners to 2500 size spinners. Popped a 50 and 42 this year, no problem. Not to mention a 40" redfish that suprised me, way up in MD waters of the Bay. Strong, those reds. -TH

I came up with a lure design some years ago that really proved successful at picking bigger fish out of a school of mixed ocean fish. They really worked well. Friends pressed me to mass produce the lure, after getting a patent. But observing that even patented lures quickly gathered knockoffs, I came to the conclusion that I would be better to keep my lure to myself and close friends, and enjoy how well it works! I think, because the lure really works, that within a year or two, the big boys would be making knockoffs that would push the original right out of the market. Then the fish would get used to seeing them and their success would drop off. In the end, I would have just wasted my time, effort and idea. What do you guys think? Small and successful, or go big and try for the $$$? -TH

A lot of colors fade/change after being mixed for a while. Especially greens, in my experience. -TH

You might want to try some of the higher temperature powder paints. They are good up to about 400 deg, which is plenty for the molds. Don't know what to suggest for the pot...

Greetings all. I'm new here, but I've been making soft plastics and jigs for about 9 years now. Wish I had found this place years ago. Might have saved me a lot of trouble! Anyway, for you who use plaster of paris (PoP) to make molds with, if you add about 1/3 Rocktite hydraulic cement to your plaster, and mix well BEFORE adding water, you will end up with a MUCH MUCH smoother, more durable mold. It sets in about the same amount of time, but will not pull nearly as much moisture from the air as pop and the edges will not chip on 2-sided molds. I've got jigging spoon molds that have lasted me years, and are still fine. Not quite as perfect as the molds I've made with aluminum and a Dremel tool, but pretty darn good nonetheless. Also, "metal chick" on ebay sells some nice machined aluminum for mold stock. Print your design from your computer, then cut out the outline, making a stencil. Use a fine-tip sharpie, flipping it to make mirror sides, and then use the dremel to bore it out. I use a mini cove bit, then a stone to smooth everything, and the results have been great! Also, casting resin from Chemical concepts makes one heck of a plastic mold, but it doesn't cool like the aluminum ones. Still, they work great. They also sell urethane mold resin that works GREAT for pour lures like Sluggos and BA's. I'm still using my originals, almost a decade later. Cheaper than the silicone, but not quite as flexible. But economical to make a bunch of molds. (and as you may know, lots of cavities to pour is a GOOD thing!) Anyway, I've been doing a lot of reading here, so I thought I should chip in with a few hints. Probably old news to most of you, but hopefully, it may help someone. Best wishes. -TH

Strange, but I'd have to completely disagree! My only problem is that Robert put too much heat stabilizer in the plastic and it smelled. Was very hard to burn or discolor, compared to LC plastics, and the consistency of the cured product was 100% perfect every time, and it doesn't separate like the LC does. But maybe I've gotten it more recently than you? This is just a comparison to LC, because it's the only other plastic I've used, but I really like LC as a company, and their product smells MUCH better! Still, if you have any contact info for 3-G, I'd greatly appreciate it! My numbers don't seem to work anymore... -TH

Hi, This is my first post here, so hello to everyone, glad to have found you. I was curious if anyone has contact info for 3-G plastics? I used to buy soft plastic from them, but now their phone numbers aren't working. Are they out of business, or have they moved? If anyone has contact info, that would be great. Thanks. -TH