# plastic lure mold question



## theyounggun (Mar 28, 2010)

Hey everyone, its been a while since i've been on here. We moved and I haven't unpacked much of my building stuff yet due to hunting and school. Just made up a few prototypes for later though. Anyways, I'm going to buy some Alumilite lure casting plastic and that stuff and I was wondering how many different lures I can expect to make a mold of with the 1lb mold making rubber. Most of my lures are going to be 5-10 inches long. Thanks everyone and Happy Holidays!


----------



## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

1lb of mold material will make one or two molds imho. I have played around with the mold making a little bit. If cost is an object I would start using plaster molds for low volumes especially when you don't need great quality. You can get a 25 lb bag of plaster at lowes for about $10. You can probably buy the rubber mold making material at hobby lobby and they have a 40% coupon online. You can buy rubber molds starting at $10 if they have a design you really like. That is about as cheap as you can make them. 

http://www.lurecraft.com/catalog.cfm/molds/plastic-molds


----------



## theyounggun (Mar 28, 2010)

Thanks eatwhatyoukeep, I totally forgot that hobby lobby sells that stuff and normally has sales. That plaster idea sound like a good, cost effective alternative too. I'll give them a try. Thanks again


----------



## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

I have also been very curious of late about making plastic crankbaits with a mold. There are some pretty good video tutorials on YouTube showing some different techniques and materials. There was one in particular that showed a really nice 2 piece mold that allows for wire through construction and rattle chambers as well. It looks crazily addictive. I just know myself and I would make 2000 of them if I got started.
I would love some more info from people who have done or tried this. It would be way cool to make my own Shad Raps, Flicker Shads, Hornets, Big-O's etc. Any pics or vids floating around out there?


----------



## theyounggun (Mar 28, 2010)

All Eyes said:


> I have also been very curious of late about making plastic crankbaits with a mold. There are some pretty good video tutorials on YouTube showing some different techniques and materials. There was one in particular that showed a really nice 2 piece mold that allows for wire through construction and rattle chambers as well. It looks crazily addictive. I just know myself and I would make 2000 of them if I got started.
> I would love some more info from people who have done or tried this. It would be way cool to make my own Shad Raps, Flicker Shads, Hornets, Big-O's etc. Any pics or vids floating around out there?


Just got the casting kit today. I'll keep you updated through the week as I work on it. It looks pretty sweet. :B


----------



## Pikopath (Jan 18, 2009)

I have been doing some molding... Not with the alumalite products tho, it was to exspensive to ship over here. Fortunately I found a distributor of silicone and plastic product just 10 minutes from my house  And my experience with that brand of plastic, is that when I have enuff microballoons to make my baits bouyant, its actually soft enough to bend it in my hands, then I got a tip from Tater Hog, that I should live the stirring sticks in water, and that helped alot, the plastic almost "boiled" and made it more bouyant, but consistency was harder. (If you ad much water the plastic goes ballistic) I ended up with using a PU foam core, and the prototypes Ive made, have run good, will be experimenting more in the future with this medium, but I think it will be more aimed towards sinking baits.

Michael


----------



## Photog (Jun 18, 2010)

Pikopath said:


> I have been doing some molding... Not with the alumalite products tho, it was to exspensive to ship over here. Fortunately I found a distributor of silicone and plastic product just 10 minutes from my house  And my experience with that brand of plastic, is that when I have enuff microballoons to make my baits bouyant, its actually soft enough to bend it in my hands, then I got a tip from Tater Hog, that I should live the stirring sticks in water, and that helped alot, the plastic almost "boiled" and made it more bouyant, but consistency was harder. (If you ad much water the plastic goes ballistic) I ended up with using a PU foam core, and the prototypes Ive made, have run good, will be experimenting more in the future with this medium, but I think it will be more aimed towards sinking baits.
> 
> Michael


So the water made a reaction that caused bubbles? hmmm. Was the outside still smooth or did it get pockmarked?


----------



## theyounggun (Mar 28, 2010)

That seems pretty interesting. Sounds better then the 15.00 shipping to get microballoons. They are only 2 hours from my house and shipping is that much. Can only imagine what the price is for you Pikopath.


----------



## Pikopath (Jan 18, 2009)

Actually, RTV products are often produced in EU, so they the brand I use is a buck or 2 cheaper than Alumalite products besides I dont need to have things shipped 
Tater Hog told me that he usually made the castings in summer time because of higher humidity, Norway dont have to high humidity, even in summer, so he gave me the tip about leaving the stirr stick in water before using it, and I would ad humidity that way. I also once tried to colour my plastic with some water based paints, and I was afraid it would take over the kitchen  It was a foamy bubbly monster. The surface is actually ok, but it depends on how heavy the reaction is. My main problem was holding the mold together.








The problem is that the plastic hardens in the outer parts first, so the core expands with nowhere to escape.

Michael


----------

