JRammit
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Everything posted by JRammit
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Now that's sexy right there! Nice work!... Clever joint design, form and function together in harmony And nice touch with the marabou too! -
Anything else I can do to make these baits look better?
JRammit replied to Rippinlips26's topic in Soft Plastics
Long as the mold cavity is sealed, sealing the clay isn't important... I use wood, so that's why I mentioned sealing I seal my molds with epoxy too.. Super thin!.. So thin that the first coat soaks almost completely into the dry plaster... Then I'll give it a second coat, and even a third if needed That could be your problem, maybe another coat of epoxy in the mold cavity.. And PAM -
Anything else I can do to make these baits look better?
JRammit replied to Rippinlips26's topic in Soft Plastics
Also looks like you may have a slight sticking problem... Spraying PAM in the mold will help (which you probably do already)... PAM sprayed on top of a good sealer will eliminate the sticking problem all together Not waiting long enough before demolding can also cause sticking issues... I set a timer for 4-5 minutes before demolding -
Anything else I can do to make these baits look better?
JRammit replied to Rippinlips26's topic in Soft Plastics
From a glance, I'd guess you made the masters from clay... I like a hard substance, like wood or PVC... Less prone to distortion, cracking or pesky finger prints Also, a good sealer on the master and the mold (if plaster mold) will give you a sleeker, shiny look Btw I like your craw design! Nice flappers on those! -
Man I like the grain pattern on this one!... Makes a cool lookin spotted nose too! Superb carving as always! -
Thanks!.... Never seen the pro trap.. And I been fishin rattle traps since I was a kid -
Yea, had trouble getting to it... So I went through Google... There was an ICast video from May 2013 featuring it..... I built my first prototypes in May 2015
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Well I'll be damned!... Google let me down.... I must have searched every word and phrase EXCEPT "float back" However, I did find a patent on this concept, over 20 years old and expired.... So I'm not sure what aspect they hold a patent for?? Only issue I see with theirs is the breaking off... If you've ever seen a crankbait back away from a limb on a pause, you know it doesn't float strait up..... There's no telling where the bait will surface, you could still lose it, especially on a windy day..... I like how mine is free to float up the line, I know right where it's headed But I do like the "through belly hook".. Genius!..... And it looks like they beat my by exactly 2 years
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Yes... I've caught a few It's give and take with the catch rate... Having one treble instead of two is obviously a handicap.... But on the other hand, once they're hooked, it's hard to lose em! And yea, there's plenty of separation between the hook and lure during a fight... Since fish don't tend to swim in a strait line once a hook pokes em in the mouth, the water actually pulls the bait away from the fish when it changes direction
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Oh, and one of the biggest questions in the beginning was weather or not I could get a decent swimming crank bait without the mechanical freedom of a split ring or snap ring connected to the line tie.. Like a traditional crank bait You can be the judge.. Here's a test swim of this bait in our pool.... Apologies, not the best camera work
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Yes, you'll need a smooth surface to pour the mold around.... Weather it's RTV or plaster 30 minute epoxy is my choice... Thinned down with a little denatured alcohol... Just make sure and rotate the master until the epoxy begins to harden, or you'll have droopy spots
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Thanks! Such a simple idea, I couldn't believe it hadn't been done before..... And when I google it, I come up
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This is the 5th generation of my ongoing project... The Slip Crank This one is a medium diver (7ft).. Carved from PVC.. Painted with Krylon.. Tule scales.. D2T topcoat THE CONCEPT: An "un-losable", "un-spitable" crank bait... The line through design means the hook is not attached to the lure... We all know a crank bait floats at rest, so in the event of a snag, you stop reeling and the Slip Crank floats up the line for retrieval .... You lose the hook, not the lure...... Also to this credit, the detached hook means a fish can spit the lure during a fight and lose any advantage provided by the leverage of said lure To get the idea, here's an old video from the second model I ever made FIELD TESTING AND DEVELOPMENTS: First and foremost, in almost 2 years of making and fishing these Slip Cranks, I have not lost one yet.. I throw them into any cover with confidence, sometimes even purposely looking for a stump to snag just so I can watch my little creation do its job Second, there have been plenty of developments, but none as big as the "tuning eye"...... We all know how to tune a crank bait by bending the line tie.. But what if there is no line tie??.... I tune my slip cranks from the rear... The hook (and bead) rest on a wire eye located behind the exit point... By bending this eye left or right, I can change the pull angle of the hook.. Effectively tuning the bait Before this discovery, I almost gave up on the idea.. I could only get 1 out of every 4 or 5 baits to run true.... But now the game has changed!
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Mold making is a labor of passion... It's not for everyone, and it will test the will of even the most stubborn hearted! (me)...... You'll come to embrace failure as part of the game.. But don't get discouraged, failure is the first step toward success! You've already decided on your first project, and RTV silicone is a good choice of material for that application..... But don't rule out plaster for future projects... The stakes are higher with RTV, at around $30 a pound, screw ups hurt more!.... Plaster coming in around $1 a pound, you won't even blink when throwing a failed mold in the garbage (or 2 or 3 in a row) I haven't done a line thru swim bait yet, so I can't help much... But I can recommend a product from Spike-it called "Bond Coat".... If you plan on molding a weight in, this glue will bond it to the plastic (at least that's what the description says)........ And btw, you can get everything else from them too.. Plastisol, colorant, glitter.. They even sell their own brand of RTV silicone Oh, and don't buy too much RTV.. It has a shelf life, it's good for 9 or 10 months, after that use it or lose it...... I learned the hard way
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5 minute epoxy is a different animal than 30 minute... I'm no chemist, so I can't explain the details.... But I think it's something to do with the different catalysts As for saving the old mold, I'd probably try covering the old sealer with a few coats of 30 minute.... Worth a shot before you scrap it Also, since Mark mentioned the moldy problem.. Make sure and store any 2 piece mold open.. If you store it with the 2 halves closed, you could end up with a biology project
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Finally got around to expanding my tackle box I don't have a spinner bait mold, so I just modified a ball head mold I do have... Fashioned a makeshift wire bender from a 2x4 and a few nails... Picked up some pre-tied skirts and BB swivels from Cabelas... Robbed some blades off my old dollar bin spinner baits.... And boom... My own custom ball head spinners -
Having a convenient place to test a crank bait is the most valuable tool imo Last summer I bought an above ground pool "for the family"... It's a great test tank! But buying a pool just to build fishing lures may sound too extreme to some people.... So anything that holds water can be of use Bath tub, kiddy pool, cow trough... Anything you can run the bait thru to see it run true before putting all that work forth to finish it As Mark stated, this is where PVC can be your friend... You can test different lip sizes/shapes.. Line tie locations.. Ballast placement and all before painting or sealing
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Youre getting air trapped somehow If it's an off the shelf mold, it should be properly vented, so you may have air in your injector... You'll want to evacuate before you shoot (pushing plastic out with the nozzle pointed at an upward angle) If this is a home made mold, you'll need to cut a vent in the problem area, or enlarge the vent(s) you already have
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Mine are hanging proudly on the wall in my work shop... In order from my first ever, to most recent.... Nice to see my progression every time I step in the shop This also takes some of the pressure off.. Now when I screw one up, at least I'll have a new decoration
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look at Ace Hardware.. They're the only place I know of that carry it in store (Lowes and Home Depot don't have it)..... It will say "2 ton" on the package i use it so much that Santa stuffed my stocking with half a dozen tubes of it -
Yes... You should associate "ballast" with the word "balance" Think of a cheap foam cigar bobber from Walmart... It has a lead weight on the bottom to keep it upright... Take away the lead weight and it loses its "balance" and falls over on its side Same with a crank bait
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Devcon 30 minute.. I put that sh** on everything, just like Frank's Red Hot Sauce i tried the microbaloons in a solid frog body before I decided to go hollow... Didn't like them!.. My baits aren't the prettiest in the world, but those microbaloons made em flat out ugly!
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Yes, pine sealed with epoxy... I only shot maybe 10 frogs, no issues with the insert I also use a poplar dowel rod sealed in epoxy as my injector... They'll last several months and well over 100 shoots before re-sealing or cutting a new one Man that's quite a load!.. Mine would float a 4/0 worm hook, don't know if they could hold up a double hook though
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Yes, I went thru a thousand ways in my brain, in the end this was the most simplistic The hollow shooting method works great, no failures there... Every bait was hollow, and they all pulled off the insert with ease (insert was sprayed with PAM before each shoot)....... Everything was fine except field testing and the legs only kicked when the bait sank.. They did nothing on the surface
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I know a guy who cuts up dividers from old Plano trays..... I'm not sure what thickness they are, but they're pretty lite
