HickoryHollow

Now you are in my area of expertise. I made tureen ware and sold it for years. First the bad news. Pine is a terrible choice for your cutting board. The problem is being too soft and letting bacteria enter. Tureen ware is usually made from the wood of fruit trees. Apple, Cherry (even wild cherry) and Pair are all good choices. On the side that will be used to cut, soak it good with peanut oil. ALL petroleum oils are toxic, and all other food grade oils will eventfully turn rancid. Peanut oil will not. Of course that is assuming the entire family is free of nut allergies.

As an X-taxidermist, I can tell you this much. Real fur of ANY kind is out of the question. The hide of animals is preserved by drying. The roots of the fur is held into the dry hide. If it ever gets wet, the fur "slips". That is what they call it if it falls out.

Ok, Update on the Christmas craft show.......... There were hundreds of people stopped at my booth and commented how beautiful my hand carved lures are. Prices ranged from $3.95 to $9.95. Total sales? $14.80 But tomorrow is another day............ lol

I have watched that video before. I would really like to see how easy the dipped swim bait is to get off the form. Not that I doubt it at all, but just would have loved to have seen it slipping of there. And...by-the-way....the swim bait looked REALLY GREAT!

Ok, here is the outcome of my little experiment with GE silicone. I made a little "fish sculpture" of modeling clay. I put a ton of details in that little fish. I made gills, scales with mesh, and vanes in the fins. I then mixed up a batch of the silicone and water. It makes a nice mold in general, but the water doesn't "thin" the silicone (nor is it really supposed to). It is so thick going over the blank, it didn't pick up any of the detail at all. When finished, and a soft plastic prototype was poured, it was pretty much (an almost) fish shaped blob. I was very disappointed after all the work I put into that little "sculpture". But hey.....nothing ventured, nothing gained...it was worth a try. Just thought I would pass that along. Tim

There is a local Christmas Craft show near me in a historic town called Zoar. Normally, you have to apply for the show a year in advance, and it is a juried show. A committee decides of your craft is worthy of their show and you may or may not get in. I made a call a couple of weeks ago. I sent pictures of my lures. The thing that REALLY caught their eye is they have NEVER seen hand made fishing lures at any other craft show EVER! They let me in. The show dates are December 7th and 8th. There are about 10,000 people come to the show over the 2 day weekend. Not as large of attendance as I have seen with some of the other crafts I have done show with, but these people come to buy! Mostly looking for Christmas presents. I hope there are lots of women there looking for an unusual gift for their "fisherman husband". I am hoping to do well, I guess we will see!

Slammingjack, Awesome information, thanks for posting it! Tim

How would you like to loose that in a submerged tree limb?

Nova, That's a pretty great looking frog there. Can you give me more information where to find a mold and how it works? Thanks, Tim

From what I understand.....that is if I do.......mixing a couple of table spoons of water in the silicone changes all that. I guess clearification of that is one of the things I am looking for. Tim

Also, I was wondering, if I use the same exact process as I used when making "amazing rubber" molds it that the right thing to do? After mixing the silicone I mean. Secondly, will the mold be as flexible when complete as "amazing ribber" Thanks, Tim

Here is what I planned to get at Lowe's. Anybody see a problem using this? GE 9.8-oz Clear Silicone Window and Door CaulkItem #: 35166 | Model #: LW012X4 |$18.76 Description 9.8-oz Clear Silicone Window and Door Caulk 100% Silicone Permanently Weatherproof NAHB Research Center Green Approved Unlike Acrylic, Silicone is: PERMANENTLY Waterproof, Flexible and Shrink/Crack Proof Non-paintable - For a paintable & permanently waterproof caulk, look for Groov by GE Adheres to: most wood, metal, vinyl siding, drywall/ plaster, glass & Plastic Typical Uses: Windows, doors, siding, trim, molding, baseboards, vents, around wires/ pipes and other attic/ basement applications

I usually make about 5 oz. batches of plastic. How much anise oil should I put in a batch? (drops)

Just a heads up.....I'm not sure if it is a national thing, or just our local Lowe's but they have 9.8 oz tubes (in a 4 pac marked buy 2 get two free) for $11.84 for all 4 tubes. This might just be a good time to try this out! Tim

lol....that's what I felt like yesterday in "the lab".... pour one, try something.....pour another......then suddenly, it came to life and sat up on the table!

So, how did the ear plugs work out? I have poured about 6 of the frogs with beads in them. Works great so far!

Thanks Travis, Great information, and those are some really nice molds you made!

So far, just hand pour....just getting started..

I am psyched! Not only because it worked, but because for once, I think I can offer something of value to the forum! I have been reading about soft plastic not floating very well. I have been working on frogs, and yep, they float, but barely and I haven't rigged them yet. I am sure with the addition of a hook, it would pull them right under. I don't like working with micro balloons, and from everything I read, they don't work that well anyway. I spent all day playing, experimenting and pouring frogs. I finely hit on something that really did work. On the shelf, I have thousands of beads from making spinners. Amongst them were some 8mm wooden beads (of course with holes through them. I put a little blob of epoxy over the hole on each end to trap the air inside. I then poured a frog. Just as the plastic got a little thicker, I inserted a bead just behind the shoulder of the frog. It is back far enough to allow for the hook shank and up far enough to allow for the hook through the tail area for a Texas rig. Between the buoyancy of the wood, and the trapped air bubble, they float really nice. Even when pushed to the bottom of the sink, they pop right back up to the surface. With the addition of the hook, I think it will set the head a little above the tail in just the perfect position. I think this is going to work out! Tim

SlowFISH, I guess you didn't tell me anything I didn't already have figured out, or at least suspect. I have already "jumped in" and the credit card has already been out. lol.....And actually what started this is..... " or you have a great idea or thought that will make you enjoy fishing even more.... then jump in" Yep! That's me.....always thinking....... Tim

Oh, one more question. If you went to the gallery, you saw I am pouring frogs. Also, as you guys probably already know, they float, but barely. I have read about using micro balloons in the plastic to make it more buoyant. We used to use micro balloons to thicken epoxy resin when I used to build hovercrafts. If it thickens soft plastic the same way, it would be harder to pour. Are there any alternatives to make Mr. Frog stay on top of the water? Thanks, Tim

agarrett, Wow, your post was great, and very, very helpful! I made my first mold from the amazing rubber last night. It didn't come out too bad, but there is room for improvement. I will go post pictures in the gallery of the process and my results. Please feel free to criticize, that is how I will learn! Oh, and I already learned not to drip hot plastic on my fingers!! I will remember that one! Thanks, Tim