Mold Making-- Help!

[RiverSmallieGuy]

3 minutes ago, Bentrod425 said:

Each have their advantages/disadvantages.  POP is rigid and brittle, so, yes, undercuts, complex rigid masters will be difficult to make molds from.  POP is cheap and easy to work with and quite a few YouTube tutorials out there.  Silicone is flexible and allows you to mold some of those undercuts, etc, but unless you buy the two-part stuff made for mold making, then it can be a bit of a pain to figure out.  Either way, it's about having fun and making your own stuff, so hope you get some good results!

 

Thanks man! You too!

[Vodkaman]

POP warning - do NOT pour any white milky remains down the kitchen sink. It WILL settle and harden.

Dave

[RiverSmallieGuy]

3 minutes ago, Vodkaman said:

POP warning - do NOT pour any white milky remains down the kitchen sink. It WILL settle and harden.

Dave

Thanks Dave... I was thinking just now about how to dispose of excess POP, and thought about pouring down a sink in my house... Then I thoughts about it, and uhh... Plumber bills are considerably more expensive than RTV supplies... 

[Travis]

At some point you are going to need to make mold.  

[Hillbilly voodoo]

My opinion save a few $ and get some smooth on mold max 30. You will have a user friendly material to work with that will create a good end product 

Its so simple to use this Hillbilly can get it done right 
 

At the worst go mow two of your neighbors lawns for extra cash and boom your good to go

[RiverSmallieGuy]

3 minutes ago, Hillbilly voodoo said:

My opinion save a few $ and get some smooth on mold max 30. You will have a user friendly material to work with that will create a good end product 

Its so simple to use this Hillbilly can get it done right 
 

At the worst go mow two of your neighbors lawns for extra cash and boom your good to go

Yep! The thing is.... uhh, all of my neighbors (myself included) live on 1-2 acre lots and I only have a small 20" electric push lawnmower. My yard is 1 acre, and it takes about 5-6 hours to mow all of it. Definitely can figure some stuff out though. I have a ton of lures that I bought and don't really ever use, so, yeah could sell some of them.

[Vodkaman]

Don't throw out your failed silicone molds. Shread them or cut into small pieces and add to the mix for your next mold. This will save volume of fresh silicone.

I believe the silicone sealer (vinegar type) will also serve the purpose for regular silicone, but perhaps someone could confirm.

Dave

Edited March 23, 2022 by Vodkaman

[Hillbilly voodoo]

5 hours ago, Vodkaman said:

Don't throw out your failed silicone molds. Shread them or cut into small pieces and add to the mix for your next mold. This will save volume of fresh silicone.

I believe the silicone sealer (vinegar type) will also serve the purpose for regular silicone, but perhaps someone could confirm.

Dave

Dave is bang on about reusing old silicone 

I reuse every little scrap of silicone and you would be surprised on the % of old silicone you can use in a new mold 

[RiverSmallieGuy]

1 hour ago, Hillbilly voodoo said:

Dave is bang on about reusing old silicone 

I reuse every little scrap of silicone and you would be surprised on the % of old silicone you can use in a new mold 

 

7 hours ago, Vodkaman said:

Don't throw out your failed silicone molds. Shread them or cut into small pieces and add to the mix for your next mold. This will save volume of fresh silicone.

I believe the silicone sealer (vinegar type) will also serve the purpose for regular silicone, but perhaps someone could confirm.

Dave

Makes sense. I know that silicone bonds to itself really well while it cures. That technique would make the mold making a bit more affordable than it is.

[SlowFISH]

10 hours ago, Hillbilly voodoo said:

My opinion save a few $ and get some smooth on mold max 30. You will have a user friendly material to work with that will create a good end product 

Its so simple to use this Hillbilly can get it done right 
 

At the worst go mow two of your neighbors lawns for extra cash and boom your good to go

This advice is dead on.  For what you are trying to do, making a silicone mold and then making the lure with the right materials will save you a ton of trial and error - and trial and error cost money.  Even $5 bags of POP, sealants and mold materials etc add up.  I have pounds of POP, gallons of glue, sealant, etc that I bought and found didn't work for me and what I was trying to do or my due to my lack of expertise (ie patience!!).   I don't think there are many in this hobby that haven't purchase 10x (at a minimum) what it would cost to just buy baits... but we don't do it for cost - but because we like making things and want lures "our way".  Most of us over time figure out to spending a more upfront yields better results from the start, less waste and saves time and money.

Check out the Smooth On site - there are TONS of videos showing how to make molds, pour items, etc, etc...  Take what you see there and adapt it to what you want do.  This thread has a ton of advice, but the videos give a good idea of what it all means.

My take -

• POP is a good, cheap mold material - but you'll have to take days to let it dry if its cold/humid out - you'll then need to seal it which can effect your detail.  I think it's suitable for pouring softbaits where the bait flexes - but if you pour hard materials into it - don't expect it to last long (if at all) before it starts chipping unless you made a bait with considerable draft angles so it slide out of the mold easily.  Your drawing probably would be on boardline in my opinion.
• Silicones materials can be much easier - but cost more to start.  If you follow the basic directions reasonably well they will yield usable molds and parts and should last way longer than your pop mold.  That's what I'd do - and what many in this thread are recommending.  

  J.

[Hillbilly voodoo]

23 hours ago, RiverSmallieGuy said:

Yep! The thing is.... uhh, all of my neighbors (myself included) live on 1-2 acre lots and I only have a small 20" electric push lawnmower. My yard is 1 acre, and it takes about 5-6 hours to mow all of it. Definitely can figure some stuff out though. I have a ton of lures that I bought and don't really ever use, so, yeah could sell some of them.

So you just have to mow 1 lawn and you can get enough to build multiple molds 

[RiverSmallieGuy]

9 minutes ago, Hillbilly voodoo said:

So you just have to mow 1 lawn and you can get enough to build multiple molds 

So uh... Charge em' 75 bucks? LOL

[Hillbilly voodoo]

4 minutes ago, RiverSmallieGuy said:

So uh... Charge em' 75 bucks? LOL

The art to bargaining is let them make the first offer if you are going to hustle lol

kidding aside good luck and if you need any advice on silicon molds or have issues ask I have already screwed everything up and figured out how to make things work. I probably go through about 20-30lbs of silicone a year 

[RiverSmallieGuy]

5 minutes ago, Hillbilly voodoo said:

The art to bargaining is let them make the first offer if you are going to hustle lol

kidding aside good luck and if you need any advice on silicon molds or have issues ask I have already screwed everything up and figured out how to make things work. I probably go through about 20-30lbs of silicone a year 

Thanks man, hope you get to ice out soon! 

[RideHPD]

Look around at whatever hobby, craft, and/or woodworking stores you have locally, I'd bet you can find a small molding kit for well under $50 or someone who can help you put something together under budget. For instance:

https://www.michaels.com/alumilite-amazing-mold-maker-16oz./10673361.html

In the spirit of making every one of your dollars go as far as they can, as others have said, trying to cut a few corners repurposing material to make molds, etc. will end up costing more money overall. Not uncommon to burn through more material trying to make the non-purpose built product work when the initially-more expensive product will likely work with much less trial and effort. For you, finding a small enough volume to get started cheaply is the best route to go IMO.

And make sure to read all instructions and safety data sheets before buying anything, particularly what personal protective gear is recommended. Some of these materials can be hazardous to you, and while you'll be dealing with such small quantities working outdoors is probably good enough to be OK, some of them can have acute skin and respiratory effects if something goes wrong. Particularly so on bodies that are still developing, much the same as how alcohol can. Always good to protect your body when you're young.