Core Shot for 2.5 inch Fry Mold

[NBullard]

Long time no see!

I recently bought the 2.5 inch fry mold and I'd like to get the tails a different color than the body. I am aware that i can just cut the tails and shoot the body color second, but i'm afraid that the bond won't be strong enough due to the tail shape. A core shot would be a much stronger bond, but i'm not sure how to go about coreshotting this mold.

any ideas on how i could achieve this?

[ctom]

I use nails laid in the cavities of my 2.5" fry mold. Honestly I've been cutting and re-inserting tails for years and the welds when filled with the body color are solid as solid can be. The ecoremethod still involves cutting and replacing the body for re-injection so time-wise you gain zip and if the weld is iffy with the ecore you still will lose the tail on short hits. Either or works.

[NBullard]

I use nails laid in the cavities of my 2.5" fry mold. Honestly I've been cutting and re-inserting tails for years and the welds when filled with the body color are solid as solid can be. The ecoremethod still involves cutting and replacing the body for re-injection so time-wise you gain zip and if the weld is iffy with the ecore you still will lose the tail on short hits. Either or works.

Thanks ctom, Where do you cut the tails? i'm assuming if i cut them off with a little bit of body still on it will hold better?

[ctom]

I cut the tails as you suggested leaving a small, but wider, piece of the body attached for a better weld. The ecore process can make some very interesting baits if clearer plastic is used for the body. Actually, hand pouring some darker plastic in the belly halves then dotting some colorant right out of the bottle atop of the bellies then injecting a clear plastic can make for some incredible looking baits. And all of the fry series baits can be manipulated easily like this.

These are Nano-fry baits I ecored using a colorshift pigment in clear then injecting black thru the core into the tail. These are 1" long if it helps give an idea of how versatile the frys can be. But for all intents and purposes the cut and re-injected fry baits will weld up nicely.

[efishnc]

It is much easier (IMO) handling the bodies and getting them back in the mold properly than the tails, and I also feel the E-core weld is stronger because it is not on a single plane (like it is with the traditional tails swap method), but the weld should be the least of your concerns (as long as you are adhering to proper temperatures and cleanliness)... another method is to use a heat gun, hot knife, or torch to melt your desired bodies and tails together by hand which probably produces the best weld.

[ctom]

efishnc...." another method is to use a heat gun, hot knife, or torch to melt your desired bodies and tails together by hand which probably produces the best weld."

This works but maybe not the best as getting things to look decent is a challenge. Then there's the burned finger tips and hot plastic stuck to everything.

Getting the tail sections back into a mold is no more troublesome than getting a body back in the mold and in the end both techniques work equally well and this is what I would suggest for anyone wanting to move into tail colors. The torch, hot knife, candle flame....whatever is pretty primitive and is why there are molds.

[efishnc]

Generally speaking, I can manipulate lure bodies back into molds far easier than their tails with my hotdog fingers... difficulty comes down to the size of the pieces I'm working with.

As long as there is a mold, I definitely use the mold.  I only use a flame or heat gun when making "franken-lures" (joining bait parts from dissimilar molds)... my long-standing favorite is a Mogambo copy with the Stump Thumper tail, but I also do this to beef up the crappie fluke... for me, having the specific bait/action is more important than perfect seams. 

For selling baits (and personal preference), detailed appearance can be key, but it's largely a non-issue to the fish (or they wouldn't bite most lures tossed their way).

[Skimpy253]

I cut the tails as you suggested leaving a small, but wider, piece of the body attached for a better weld. The ecore process can make some very interesting baits if clearer plastic is used for the body. Actually, hand pouring some darker plastic in the belly halves then dotting some colorant right out of the bottle atop of the bellies then injecting a clear plastic can make for some incredible looking baits. And all of the fry series baits can be manipulated easily like this.

These are Nano-fry baits I ecored using a colorshift pigment in clear then injecting black thru the core into the tail. These are 1" long if it helps give an idea of how versatile the frys can be. But for all intents and purposes the cut and re-injected fry baits will weld up nicely.

Those look great !!!!!

[ctom]

Skimpy....the sunfish love them. Crappies seem to enjoy them as well but the sunnies just flat out hammer them.