making your own plastics - couple questions

[crankbait2009]

im starting another hobby and this time I'm getting involved in making my own plastics.  Have a couple questions about techniques. 

 

Some plastics have a different colored tail. how do you create that effect? I see molds where you'd make the tails separately, but how do you attach it to the worm itself? When don'e, it looks like it's all one piece, naturally. I was searching on YouTube for videos, but I guess I'm not putting the right title in the search field.

 

also, if you want a crystal clear plastic, which has a translucent green appearance.  how would you go about achieving this?

[WRB]

Hand pour is just melted plastic poured into an open cavity mold. Hand injected isn’t different from high production multi cavity molds it’s a hand injected melted plastic forced under pressure into a single cavity mold  to achieve fine or thin details.

The highest quality hand pours are Roboworms robotically poured into open cavities. 
Tom

[Alex from GA]

I personally use a dipping dye, JJs Magic for the tail.  

[crankbait2009]

I guess I should have explained the process that I will be using.  I have two aluminum molds that will be filled via the injector.  

 

I thought about the dipping too, certainly a lot easier.

[Jig Man]

I do that a lot especially with baby brush hogs.  I shoot the tail color into all of the cavities of the mold.  I open the mold and with an exacto knife the bodies away from the tail leaving the tails in the molds.  Then I close the molds and shoot the body color.  The heat seals them together.  
 

You don’t have to rush but you waist time getting done.

 

As for the green you mentioned, I would try a sample say 2 oz plastisol get it properly stirred and melted choose the green you want then put 1 and only 1 drop of colorant in the plastisol and stir it well.  If that isn’t enough add a 2nd drop.

 

When you get it the way you want it write down your recipe so it will be repeatable.

[ooga0341]

Most of the main mold makers offer tail molds for a lot of their molds, or as stated above shoot one color, cut the tail, place back in the mold and shoot next color. To make multi color laminates you can buy a laminate plate for the mold that you have if that maker makes it for that model, a dual/triple injector, or the tinfoil method (this is how i do it).

Open pour molds allow more creativity and are a lot cheaper, but take some practice.