Custom Baits - Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Blkstovall on 06/12/17 19:47 UTC
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So I'm new to the whole pouring my own soft plastic baits and for some reason I can't get them as "shiny" as store bought baits or like baits I see made on here, I've been working on getting my colors right and its coming along good except for getting that sleek shine like I see in other baits... thanks in advance
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Are you using Essential Series molds or CNC molds?
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I'm using the essential series beaver bug mold
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Essential Series molds are made with cast aluminum and therefore produce a matte finish on the baits. I have read of several forum members using high gloss, high temperature automotive paint to spray the inside of the molds. This will help create a bait with more shine. CNC molds are made with a smooth finish, due to machining, inside the molds.
Search the past posts for painted molds. You should find several.
Welcome to Custombaits.com.
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I'm going to see what post I can find, thanks for the tip
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Fish the Essential series Beaver before you do spray trick.
A lot of us prefer the finish on the Essential series...and I guarantee you the fish don't care!
If you really want a shiny bait, watch the YouTube video by "That Guy Skimpy" on how you do it.
https://youtu.be/f3IZmISLEjY
Andy
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In my opinion it's not really necessary to paint the ES baits. I agree with Andrew. Fish the bait. In the water you really can't see a difference. And as he said the fish sure don't care if the finish is smooth or not.
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If you want them to shine with out having to paint the mold pass a quick flame over them. They shine like crazy after that. It will also help weld if you are doing two color baits as well.
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I spray painted a few of mine. It does work well, but I later decided I actually preferred the matte finish on some of them and went back and cleaned them back to the way they were.
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If you still want to know about painting the molds, type "glossy baits" in the search box.
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In my opinion it's not really necessary to paint the ES baits. I agree with Andrew. Fish the bait. In the water you really can't see a difference. And as he said the fish sure don't care if the finish is smooth or not.
You'll also lose a lot of the small detail by painting the molds, not that it matters to the fish much either. Like so much tackle today, the shine is for the buyer, not the fish.
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Thanks guys, I think I'm going to try to paint them to see how it looks, and if I want to go back a little paint remover won't hurt
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spray wd 40 in the mold and they come out shinny no need to paint the molds
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Over time the WD40 is going to build up inside the cavities and plastics will start sticking in the mold.
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Yeah I tried to paint the molds with high heat spray paint and after a couple pours the paint started melting on my baits so I had to remove the paint
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The guys at Do-it can correct me if I'm wrong...but the reason CNC molds are shiny is because that surface is cheaper to machine than a textured surface. Thus, baits were shiny. If you wanted a textured mold it is big $$ due to the machine time.
If you think about it, minnows and fry have scales (texture), leeches have small ridges (texture) etc. Etc.
Not to be a cynic (but it does come naturally for me!) the guys that first started questioning the Essential Series mold finish were competitors that had to be scared shitless that the Essential Series molds were significantly less expensive than CNC and they did not have the expertise to cast molds.
I have fished the Essential Series stick baits right along with the CNC version and had a tough time telling which was which under water. The bass sure didn't seem to care!
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Yeah I tried to paint the molds with high heat spray paint and after a couple pours the paint started melting on my baits so I had to remove the paint
I'm gonna say you used the wrong paint. You need high temp gloss engine paint for this. If you get paint that withstands over 400 degrees you shouldn't have an issue with the paint coming off on your baits.
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I have four of the ES Beaver molds and I have one twin injector with four blending blocks. I do this so I can make four baits at a time. Two of my molds are painted, one is not and one is only one half side painted. If you think about it a craw is shiny on top and dull on the bottom so I thought I'd try it. The results are when I think one is working better then the others I end up digging through the bag of craws till they're all gone and then switch to a different one and find out that the bite has changed to it now. So either I've got the fish Gods on my side or the effort I put into making the bait have or not have a shine means nothing. Of course I always need to squeeze my lucky monkey before I go fishing.
(http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx308/lamar2b/Mobile%20Uploads/th_7109614B-2278-46D6-8FE6-5ABD0174379C_zpsuqrwuhiw.mp4) (http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx308/lamar2b/Mobile%20Uploads/7109614B-2278-46D6-8FE6-5ABD0174379C_zpsuqrwuhiw.mp4)
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I purchased all of the essential molds and painted them with the high temp paint (500° F), following the instructions from That Guy Skimpy. Although they do come out shiny, the paint does not hold up forever. You may get 100 or so shots before the paint starts releasing from the mold. It will begin at the injection point where there's friction from pushing in the tip of your injector. It will then start at the edges of the creature where the two molds meet. Eventually it begins coming off in very fine particles, resulting in a bait more textured then the original cast surface. Read into the comments on Skimpy's video and you will see the same thing happened to him over time. How long the paint last may depend on how often and how consecutively they are injected.
It took a lot of time to mask off the molds, cut out the spray area, and apply two coats of the paint (allowing them to dry 24 hours between coats) for 13 molds. At the end of the day you have to decide what your time is worth. If I want a shiny surface moving forward I'll buy CNC molds. If you're making bait for yourself then everyone is correct, the matte finish doesn't matter. The fish don't care. If you're trying to sell them then a shiny surface will catch more sales. Just my thoughts.
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Not that I care either way if they are painted or not, but I'm pretty sure I remember Lamar saying he dididn't mask his at all just painted the whole mold and scratched out the vents afterwards and they worked just fine. Beets spending all that time masking.
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I like Lamar's idea of painting half the mold. That's why we do-it! To have something no one else has.
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Not that I care either way if they are painted or not, but I'm pretty sure I remember Lamar saying he dididn't mask his at all just painted the whole mold and scratched out the vents afterwards and they worked just fine. Beets spending all that time masking.
Yes that's how I did it and it works fine with no flashing.
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Sure can't fault a guy for squeezing a monkey.