Pouring Your Own Plastics

[Brett's_daddy]

This sounds like a cool idea but briefly looking into it the start-up cost seems steep plus it seems like you are limited as far as what types of molds you can get (i.e.-you can't make your own molds)...can anybody shed some light on this subject for me?

[Jig Man]

If you do some searching you will find all kinds of molds out there.  Bear's baits, lure craft, janns netcraft, barlow's, Jacobs, bait junkies and on and on.

 

Don't think you will save money with making your own baits.  It is very rewarding to catch fish on something you have made in a color or size that you know that no one else has.

 

You can make your own molds from plaster of Paris, rtv silicone, regular silicone and corn starch, and resins like bondo fiberglass resin. 

 

What you can do is endless.  It can go as far as your imagination can take you.

 

I suggest you spend some time at www.tackleunderground.com .  Be sure to read the don'ts for newbies it may well save you time money and perhaps personal injury as the material you are using will be from 330° to 370°.

[Glenn]

Perhaps of interest:

 

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/pouring_plastic.html

 

[SFL BassHunter]

You won't really save money unless you do it consistently enough, and stop buying baits from the store. It's an interesting hobby if you have the time to pour. You can make a bunch of baits in a two to 3 hours with the right molds.

 

Personally I like simple baits for hand pour. Stuff with no appendages, like say a stick bait, trick worm, swimbait. Just cause if you pour outside the cutting is minimal.

 

For more complicated baits I much rather do injection molds.

 

You can also make your own molds. They sell silicone based products to make molds.

You can also use Plaster of Paris to make your own molds. This is the cheapest way. But again these are good for hand pours. Less appendages on a bait is best.

 

My suggestion I do a bunch of research. There are some great youtube videos on pouring plastics. Also do some searches here on this site, there should be plenty of info. Once you have more specific questions we can probably help you out in answering them.

 

Lurecraft has silicone molds that are cheap. I have a few swimbait molds, and they are fantastic. These are hand pours and in my opinion the way to go if you want to get started without spending a ton of money.

[Bigchunk]

All I can say is, VENTILATION! The fumes are not good 

[NorthwestBasser]

Bear's baits has great starter kits at a reasonable price. You get liquid plastic, a gallon I think, three colors, three glitters, a scent, a mold of your choice, and an injector for about 170 bucks

[smalljaw67]

There are a couple reasons to start doing this yourself. The first reason is it can be a fun and rewarding hobby, the second is you can make color combinations not found on store shelves, and for those reasons it is worth it to do it. If you are doing it to save money or sell baits then I highly recommend you don't do it, and the main reason are that it will take a long time to recoup the start up costs unless you really go through a lot of baits per season, and I do mean a lot. If you are thinking of selling baits, well you have to remember, there is a learning curve and as someone who makes tackle and has had a business doing it I can tell you that the profit margins are really low and the only way you really make anything is by selling volume and it takes a pretty large investment to make that kind of volume. You also have to factor in the amount of free time you have to do it and the possibility that you may not like doing it, and if you do like doing it you'll end up finding out that you spend more money to make your own. I know a lot of anglers on both sides of the fence, some invested only to not like it and sell off the supplies they bought at a significant loss just to get back some of it, and there are some guys that have spent literally 10 grand on molds, glitters, colors, special pouring equipment and melting pots, it can add up fast. So think it through, do your research and decide if you want to get into it, as I said, awesome hobby but if you only want to save money then I believe you will save more by just continuing to buy your baits.

[Raul]

You don't start pouring your own baits to "save" pal, you need molds, plastisol, hardeners, softeners, salt, metal flake, dyes and all that stuff cost money.

 

You pour your own baits because it adds another dimension to your hobby: the fun of making them and the satisfaction of catching fish with something made by yourself.

[jr231]

It could save money in the long run... Especially if you fish GY soft plastics lol 

[Brett's_daddy]

Nope, not interested in selling baits...more to create my own colors and possibly even my own unique looking baits. The start-up cost will probably mean I don't do it this season though...I've blown my "new for this season" budget on 2 new rods, 2 new reels and several new baits/lures...lol.