Canga~

i use bait plastics for my plastisol and a few colorants, lureworks for most of my colorants and glitter. they are great, imo.

bugmolds has them in both stone and aluminum in several sizes and cavity counts.

there is 3 manufacturers of injectors worth getting IMO, basstackle, fat guys fishing and N2 manufacturing. i own 3 basstackle (10oz single, 6oz dual and 3oz triple) and a 6oz dual fgf injector and they have all been great. i dont own an n2 injector but i hear great things, so i wouldnt hesitate to go that way either. there are a few others that make a good injector, like lurecraft (i dont like the screw on nozzle, i have one and its tedious after a bit, very secure though!) and bait junkies (very limited availability, if at all).

once you get through the essential series you have move on to something better, the doit in my experience yellows much faster than many other plastics, and it was full of bubbles. there are several better plastics out there for less money than the ES plastic. try a soft(er) blend for senkos, but until then softener should help, might take a bit of trial and error to get the softness you want.

send them a message though facebook messenger, they have always gotten back to me using that media very quickly. they have said before in their lives that email isnt the best way to get ahold of them.

yeah a 9oz single or 6oz dual is plenty to fill 8 cavities, i can do 10 3.8" BA shads, 4 3.75" hammers, 8 3.5" rip shads and probably have some plastic left from a 6oz dual.

the fat guys fishing mold is awesome, i have the 3.5" rip shad and it shoots great and catches fish, they also have it in 4 and 8 cavity molds with the 4 cavity being around $140. its getting replaced in my mold lineup in favor of the 603 from BTS (another keitech style, with a top hook slot). FGF is having a great black friday sale all weekend with bigget sales at specific times on Friday and Monday (check their website for specific times). with the sale the 3.5" rip shad 8 cavity mold would come in around 150

yellowing can be mitigated by using a heat stabilizer, not sure if the plastic you have available has it added form the supplier, but it can help! if bubbles are your main problem i would get a vac chamber to start, it helps immensely. as for time saving, using larger amounts in the microwave can help keep it hotter longer, but there will still be reheating required, but it can work until you get the presto pot.

the hook up tackle makes a "whats new at the hook up tackle" video every sunday, they talk about the cover scat all the time, and sell the shit out of it. i personally havent bought any, but they seem to get good reviews and catch fish.

the video that Epic Bait Molds did of the bait plastics facility a while back had some interesting insights on the subject of Phthalates in the plastisol we use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbFc63ZnXwY

weird, i have used thousands of the matzuo sickles and very rarely had any issues with them (maybe 1-2 per 1000), i really wish they wouldnt have gone bankrupt, i loved those hooks. the victory sickles are ok, but they dont stay sharp as long as the matzuos, though my customers dont seem to mind, they love the sickle style

if spending $15 at a shop is too much, this isnt the hobby for you! i get most of my hooks from barlows so its never been an issue for me to spend 15, have been shopping with them for years now and never had any kind of issue, and will continue to do so!

yeah i now have a few molds from epic and they for sure wont be the last from them. they not only have great molds but their customer service is outstanding as well.

not sure what the price of plastic has to do with getting a vac chamber, but bait plastics is 126 for a 5 gallon bucket with free shipping (25.20 a gallon shipped), and IMO its great plastic. i never tried MF because they were so much more expensive than everyone else (other than lurecraft), but i have never heard a bad thing about it, just cant bring myself to spend 60 on a gallon of plastic (or 40 per for 5 gallons!)

IMO, get a 5 gallon pot, at a MINIMUM 3 gallons. the 5 gallon i have fits 2 4 cup anchor cups, 3 2 cups and 4 1 cup. i had a 3 gallon to start and it only fit 1 2 cup anchor or pyrex, it got annoying to try to degass 2 sperate cups to make a laminate!

i used do-it essentials when i first started and it is by far the worst plastic i have used. it yellowed/discolored super easily (with heat stabilizer), has a horrible smell (imo), had massive ammouts of bubbles, and tends to get very oily after sitting for a little while. if you like the do-it stuff, by all means keep using it, but there is better out there for a better price. i would suggest calhoun or bait plastics, i have used both and they are amazing plastics and cheaper than the do it. neither of them has had any of the problems i had with do-it plastics, either.

dont try to microwave it, i had seen some stuff on facebook about people using a micowave to heat it, so i figured i woul dget the trial (1oz or so) that they have on the site. long story short it exploded my pyrex before it got to 300 (needs to get to 400 i believe). when it says on the package "do not use in microwave" believe it!

just went to all three sites (bait plastics, calhoun and dead on), checked 5 gallon buckets to my door (wisconsin). to my house bait plastics is the least expensive. could be different to other places! bait plastics : 126 dead on black bucket: 142 dead on white bucket: 158 calhoun: 150

its kind of sad, dead on gets a great reputation from youtube, but if you watch the videos saying how clear it is, you cant even see the sides of a 1 cup pyrex, and it always has bubbles in it. i use bp and have been very happy with it, might try calhoun again but im happy with bp so no real reason to change. either way ill never try dead on after hearing what real bait makers have to say. youtube and some facebook fanboys sell a lot of dead on, not for me thats for sure!

as a disclaimer, the are just getting started in lead molds so the selection is limited, and they are CNC molds so they are pricier than do-it. https://fatguysfishing.com/lead-molds/ Fat Guys Fishing is now making lead molds, they have a EWG ball head and an EWG ned head on their website now (in several sizes of both) and are adding new products every day it seems, they posted a 14 cavity standard ball head jig on their facebook a couple days ago, bt its not on their website yet. i personally have 18 of their soft plastics molds (and a dual injector on the way) and have not had a problem with them, the customer service is great and the molds shoot perfect. i will be getting some of the lead molds eventaully, when they release some of their other sizes, but will not hesitate to do business with them!

they make a much cooler looking bait than a standard laminate, but IMO they dont catch any more fish than them. they do, however, catch a lot more fisherman!

they make an ok product, due to my experiences with them i wont recommend them. they are hit and miss with the quality and the customer service. best advice i can give on them is to do your research first, look up reviews on the facebook bait making groups.

n2 manufacturing gets good reviews on the bait making groups on facebook, seem to have quick turn around times. basstackle is pretty hit or miss on injectors but can check them from time to time and get lucky. i know fat guys fishing is working on making injectors, not sure when they are going to release them though and if they will have dual kits available right away or not though.

shipping is free, and its a solid not a liquid so its like 6lbs of pellet type stuff in a gallon container, not sure if it measures cup for sup with liquids or not. but i agree its a crazy price, they have samples of it up for 2.99 so i might try it a little on my next order but wont be making many baits in it for sure!

not exact copies (obviously), but angling ai has the "action worm" in 3.6 and 4.1" available in a 5 and 10 cavity. fat guys fishing also has a 3.5" drop shot worm thats similar available in 6 and 12 cavity versions, both companies also have them in open pour versions.