Newbie plastic molding questions...

[joe bag o donuts]

So, I was browsing around Barlow's site and the more I did the more I felt the bait monkey telling me how cool it would be to make my own soft plastics. I definitely use enough of them.

So, now I have a few questions.

First, can I make my own molds to pour the plastic into, and if so how's the best way to get a good seal between the two halves of the mold.

Second, what's a rough estimate on how many regular sized worms a gallon of the plastic mix could make?

Also, is it a good idea to get the softener or is the consistency already pretty good?

Thanks for any and all responses.

[Jeff C.]

There is stuff out there you can make your own molds with,,

how to seal the 2 halves if the mold is not aluminum? I do not know,,

I think you can make a 1 pc. mold with an open top.. ( having a flat side on the bait ). say with a worm, mold 3/4s  or more  of the way around it.I have had good luck with flat side worms.. senko style and rigged,,I really think the color. scent & presintation is way more important than the worm itself..I have caught many fish on tatered senko's..

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I will check my notes on how many worms from a gallon,,

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also take in that,,,,

you will need,,

molds

color

glitter

scent

plastic

salt

other additives if wanted

a way to heat the plastic

a way to pour the plastic

a place to make the baits that is well vented..

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I make my own and love it..

but it ended up being a lot more than I thought it would..

Jeff

[Siebert Outdoors]

senkosam has a great tutorial on here.  Check it out.  It will show you pretty much all you need to get started.

[joe bag o donuts]

Thanks all! Keep the suggestions and advice coming.

[frog_addict]

I have just started making some plastics myself, WOW are they ugly! I have used them fishing and have caught plenty of fish on the "flat sided" bait. I have concentrated on heavy cover so with the experience I have had in heavy cover it really isn't important for both sides to be finished. I tried molding some then went and fished them and made modifications from there depending on how they presented in the water. Good Luck!

[SENKOSAM]

Fortunately bass aren't into what is attractive and sometimes ugly is good!  ;D

My first sticks from Lurecraft.com molds produced flat sided baits and those baits caught a ton of fish the first year! I didn't even use salt or softener and they got clobbered!

Lurecraft.com has many fine silicone molds and have copied hundreds of unpatented baits.

Some detail may be lost in silicone, but the action is adequate to catch multi species. In fact most swim grubs and swimbaits require silicone because the attachment to the tail must be thin. Lurecrafts full round Senkos mold is nothing more than a block of silicone with a cavity running down the middle. The different size molds all produce perfect full round baits but each mold only has one cavity. The 6" is a thicker stick and preferrable to thin sticks at times.

Good service and decent prices for most lures you can't make from hard mold materials. Check them out.