El_Weruso Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 I need help pouring and getting this bait to function. It's my first ever mold/pouring bait making I've done. I made a mold of a small 3" or so catfish and the mold seems to of came out good, it captured the fins and whiskers. It has a pour hole i cut out and a small vent hole for the air to escape as i inject with my aluminum injector. I'm currently just melting old plastic baits and suck up the melted plastic with the injector. My first issue i have is not all the details come out as you can see with the tail and the whiskers. Second issue is the bait flops on it's sides although it has a flat bottom. Do i need the plastic very melted? Do i need a jighook with a flat weight? Any tips help, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azfisher Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 Neil, I'm no expert at all, and hard to see from the pic, but when I've had those types of issues it's usually from not enough venting. I would try to cut small vent channels at each point of the tail and the larger fins. Not sure what to say about the whiskers... porkmeatballs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Weruso Posted April 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 22 minutes ago, azfisher said: Neil, I'm no expert at all, and hard to see from the pic, but when I've had those types of issues it's usually from not enough venting. I would try to cut small vent channels at each point of the tail and the larger fins. Not sure what to say about the whiskers... In the pic i circled where i created a air pocket but maybe i need another? Or when i pour have it slanted so it fills upwards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 Keep in mind that the plastic also has more surface area to cool over on a bigger bait. If venting isn't the issue you may want to heat your molds up prior to pouring so that they don't suck up so much heat from the thinner members (tail and whiskers). It could be that the plastic is cooling off too fast. Sweet bait though! El_Weruso 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Weruso Posted April 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 44 minutes ago, danthefisherman said: Keep in mind that the plastic also has more surface area to cool over on a bigger bait. If venting isn't the issue you may want to heat your molds up prior to pouring so that they don't suck up so much heat from the thinner members (tail and whiskers). It could be that the plastic is cooling off too fast. Sweet bait though! So maybe run it through some warm water before i pour? It's a silicon mold Thanks, i wanted to have it done in time for spawn but oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 32 minutes ago, Neill Hernandez said: So maybe run it through some warm water before i pour? It's a silicon mold Thanks, i wanted to have it done in time for spawn but oh well. You can pop it in the microwave just as if you're heating up the plastics! El_Weruso 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porkmeatballs Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 Yes, I would say that the plastic may be cooling and hardening before the plastic has the chance to fill in all the detailing. Another thought, as mentioned by my bro, is that the plastic is cooling way too quickly (the plastic may be too hot when injected). The faster the plastic cools, the more it tends to shrink. This can cause dimples in the sides of the bait, and may be the cause of your tail problems. For my own baits, I had to find the magic temp in order to prevent this problem. Not sure if this will help, but you can give it a shot! As for the bait rolling onto its side, I would suggest trying to make the bait more buoyant on the top in order to get it to run straight. Maybe think about creating an internal harness with a buoyant material on top and weight on the bottom. Great looking bait! Good luck! El_Weruso 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Weruso Posted April 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 16 minutes ago, porkmeatballs said: Yes, I would say that the plastic may be cooling and hardening before the plastic has the chance to fill in all the detailing. Another thought, as mentioned by my bro, is that the plastic is cooling way too quickly (the plastic may be too hot when injected). The faster the plastic cools, the more it tends to shrink. This can cause dimples in the sides of the bait, and may be the cause of your tail problems. For my own baits, I had to find the magic temp in order to prevent this problem. Not sure if this will help, but you can give it a shot! As for the bait rolling onto its side, I would suggest trying to make the bait more buoyant on the top in order to get it to run straight. Maybe think about creating an internal harness with a buoyant material on top and weight on the bottom. Great looking bait! Good luck! I never took that into consideration, i'm going to try that out. There's so much involved i find it easier to carve a bait lol Yeah it'll be tough creating a harness for a 3" bait hahaha Thank you though, i think i can create a modified version of a harness. porkmeatballs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonister Posted April 13, 2019 Report Share Posted April 13, 2019 Getchaself a foam ear plug and stick'er right in the top for your buoyancy. If I'm understanding correctly, you cut vent areas but not all the way through? If the mold is sealed, that tail section still can't vent without a place for the air to go. A carved pocket will not displace the air as it also contains air. If it's small enough and you have the ability, might also try a vacuum chamber if you can work fast enough El_Weruso 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenhornet Posted April 14, 2019 Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 You will need vent holes at any small appendages. Err on the side of more rather than less. Something that I have found in small baits is that the type of plastic is everything. Also look to a higher durometer silicone for injecting or look to vac 50 for making a good injection mold. El_Weruso 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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