FishnFreak

Have seen a lot of good things said from people who pour and shoot MF soft and medium plastics for a variety of baits. I'm a hand pour fanatic mainly doing line through and weedless swimbaits. For this I usually use Caney Creek's Hard formula but am considering trying out M-F. Can anyone tell me how MF compares to Caney Creek? Also - what formula from MF is a harder blend for swimbaits?

Question for any of you who use Bondo products in creating a 2 piece mold: When using the Bondo Polyester Fiberglass resin for a two piece mold, do you use a clay bed? I was wondering how the resin reacted with the modeling clay. If you can't use a clay bed how do you accurately make a 2-piece mold? I have seen some pretty impressive 2 piece molds made with Bondo Body Filler. My experience with Body Filler is limited but every time I've used it its very thick and pasty. How are you able to make a pourable solution using Body Filler?. I mean I'm assuming the bondo body filler molds I say were poured... Thanks for the unput!

Wow... Guys thank you very much for your answers. I have been away from TU for a bit and I was thrilled to see all the responses. To echo a comment from above - I am shocked and amazed at the intelligence of TU members on this thread. As I said I am still very much gathering information and trying to figure out the best way to move forward. I appreciate all the software tips. At this point I agree that the best thing to do is just take a bite and keep on chewing! I appreciate the info as well about sending off CAD files to have the master or the molds machined for me by someone who knows what they're doing. That really makes the most sense. Y'all have definitely given me more than enough to continue thinking about! I appreciate the info...

I'm in the process of exploring the option to learn CAD software for the purpose of designing lures and molds. I'm a college graduate (B.S. in Business Management) and would love to think about being able to CNC machine aluminum molds down the road as a business idea. I'm under no illusions about the competition in the market place, the difficulty of the software or the expense of the equipment. I'm nowhere near pulling the trigger on any of this. I'm just beginning to unravel the pieces some and explore the possibility. For those of you who machine your own aluminum molds, what CAD software program is best suited for that? What about using CAD software to create a master lure from which to make smaller silicone molds? Any info on the best software for fishing lure/mold design would be great. As I said - I'm nowhere near starting any of this, but I am curious. What is a standard price tag on a CNC machine thats ideal for lure and mold creation? Not something industrial, but something a little smaller. I appreciate any answers!

Husky - you have changed my life. I am a newbie and have made several silicone rtv molds from Oomoo and Alumilite. While I will definitely use the "good stuff" again in the future, I will be using the "Husky silicone sauce" in a lot more of my molds. I sculpted a segmented slug from sculpey. I took my time to sand and finish the product well so that I would have many many batches of good slug jerk baits. I had made a POP mold and was pretty satisfied with it then I tried your original recipe for the 1/2 rnd silicone mold. HOLY COW! I was stoked by the way it came out! I have poured several baits in the mold and (other than the vinegar smell which will go away I've read) I couldn't be happier. I will try to post some pics in a later post. If you're on the fence about this process give it a try! Its by far the most cost effective way to make a soft master using a silicone mold. I am anxious to try some of the more advanced techniques guys have been describing in this thread. Thanks again and stay tuned for pictures later on. Will also post in the gallery as this is my official first creation of my own design (Not a copy of an existing lure).

Oh I forgot. This may get some interesting feedback, but there is a product that automotive stores carry called permatex one minute gasket maker. Its a silicone based product that is a super mess to work with but the advantage is that it will dry and it can be removed completely with no trace. Kinda peels off like a sticky rtv in my opinion. I wouldn't suggest using it unless the master has a flat surface thats being attached to the bottom of the mold box because it will blend with the rtv and leave ugly black spots in the finished mold. The spots are completely harmless because the permatex is a silicone product, but its an eyesore. Good luck and post on here if you find something better than super glue!

I'm a newbie and certainly no expert by any means but I have found that the cheap super glue worked best for me. I'm talking about the dollar general brand, or the ones wal-mart carries that have 4 small tubes for $1.87 or something that. From experimenting with both expensive and cheap super glue, it seems the high end glue doesn't hold as well. Why this is I'm really not sure... but anything that works best AND is the cheaper alternative in this hobby is a God-send.

Awesome! I appreciate the tip. I'll be chacking that out. I assume you can get that from Bear's website?

Guys thank y'all very much. JSC help me out - what do you mean by high lites? Is it some sort of additive for plastisol?

Thanks for the input Jig Man. I definitely made a solid brown the other day by mixing too many colors... Its all about learning! I'm having a blast though. Where do you buy your heat stabilizer?

Hello to everyone here on the forum! I'm a newbie to lure making and new to the TU sight. I have loved everything I've learned so far. Thank you for your thoughts and input that helps to stear us beginners. I have made a few POP molds, a few fiberglass resin molds and about 5 or 6 silicone RTV molds. I've had a blast and learned a TON and expect that learning curve to continue. I have yet to purchase virgin plastisol but I know you can remelt old soft plastics and pour that plastisol. I know this has to have its downside. Is the plastisol less reliable after its been re-poured? If hardener was added when it was originally made, does the "new pour" with the recycled plastisol turn out a little harder than normal? What steps or precautions do I need to take before remelting and pouring some of the discarded soft plastics I have laying around? Thanks again!

Hey y'all - thanks for making such a fantastic resource for new lure makers! I grew up with a love of fishing and a passion for the outdoors. It started when I was about 8 years old at a small, private pond with a bobber, bologna and lots of channel catfish. We (my new-to-fishing dad, my sister and myself) Even developed a rivalry with "Grand Daddy" - a channel cat well over 15 pounds that broke line, straightened hooks and swam off with the net the one time we landed him. I'm pretty sure my cousin eventually drained the lake and ate the monster but thats how it goes in Mississippi sometimes... From there I began bass fishing, thus my introduction to purchasing lures. I spent years buying all sorts of lures, learning how to fish for bass (any bass at all then). I eventually caught my first "monster bass" on a spinner bait in a 3-acre Missouri lake, on which I had spent 8 years learning to bass fish. In the past several years I have really focused my efforts on trophy fish - bass, striper, rainbow & brown trout. I love to fly fish for all of these fish with large, hand-tied streamers of my own design. I still pull out the bait caster when targeting bass on lakes like Guntersville and others in the northeastern part of Alabama where my family and I live. I have been amazed how well hand made lures perform so I've slowly begun to ease into this new and creative hobby. I am now almost 30, a proud young father of a two-year-old daughter who LOVES to fish. She has convinced my wife to go a few times but its when my wife isn't around that my daughter and I really haul in some big bass. She has seen some fish up close that are almost as tall as she is! Its been a treat seeing how much she enjoys spending time fishing with daddy. I look forward to many more days to come. And I will soon be breaking out the bobber and bologna... I just wanted to say hello to everyone out there and thank you for the expertise and experience you offer to TU members! I can't wait to get more involved and no doubt, post some newbie questions. Y'all are the best... David