Custom Baits - Forum
Soft Plastic Bait Making => Soft Plastic and Plastic Baits - How To??? => Topic started by: raywillett on 09/08/13 17:23 UTC
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Is it necessary to shake x2? I just received my first order of x2 flor blue. I am not able to get the color shown in the color chart. I shook it up and tried again with the same results. A less than vibrant blue. Thanks
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X2 will settle, but at a slower rate. Did you add color before heating? That usually gives a more vibrant color to the plastic.
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Yes I added before heating, thanks
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What was the batch size? The ones used for the color plate I think were 4 ounces.
Also, all monitors show colors differently. The color plate should be considered a "close" color. You may have to add a drop or two more to get a rich, deep, transparent blue.
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I started with 4oz w 10 drops then went to 20. Next batch just started w 20
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I think any colorants settle to some degree given time. The X2 Colorants not near as badly as others but still do to a small degree. The fluorescent colors seem to be the worst suspects. I picked up a package of wood grilling skewers at the Walmart. They work very nicely for stirring colorants that might need it after they've set a while. They're long enough to reach the bottom of the bottle and help bring up some of the "good stuff" before shaking the crap out of it and adding to plastic. Relatively inexpensive and disposable. I've found those little buggers to be very handy for a lot of things in the tackle shop. I'm not sure how I got along with out them.
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I have the red and blue in X2. I took some nuts and bolts and put them in the bottles to help mix up the colorant. Works very good for me both colors are vibrant.
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Mic.
Would u say the blue will make a sapphire blue?
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The first thing i do when i get new colorant is drop in a stainless hex nut sized appropriately for the bottle. I put larger nuts, and more than one in my pint and quart sized bottles. (Thise are just the real popular colors- used to fill empty small dropper bottles with) That way Im ready to go. Like Jerry said the Fluorescent X2 colors do settle a bit more. A bit of shaking, especially on the Flouros and you are in business.
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I do the same thing, Mic, until yesterday, that is. I may have a first in the annals of Do-It / Soft Baits' Murphy's Law award. I shook a bottle of Red X-2 and had a nut in the bottle. I then started squeezing the 4 drops the recipe called for when the top of the bottle burst open. The split was about a half inch long and I guess I was a little surprised because I tried to fix it by squeezing harder. Yeah, I know, it doesn't make sense, but that's what happened. I must have a powerful squeeze because the colorant sprayed out like a fan onto my pretty white bench top and I must have made a split second decision to stop the flow with my hand. About that time TPO came into the shop and, thinking I had cut an artery, threw me a towel. A large part of my workbench is now a permanent pink, I still have a half bottle of red colorant, my red hands will probably return to normal in this lifetime and, best of all, I put in a whole bunch of black colorant into wwaaayyyy too red plastisol, added some red glitter and ended up with a really good looking bait.
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Denny, you could call it "Communion". :)
Remind me some time to find my pic of a couple years ago when I had a spirited shake session on a large bottle of Marine Blue and the yorker cap disintegrated. Thats why the shop was called Jacques Cousteau's Wonderful Undersea Garden for a couple years. :)
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Oh, and the time I spilled an open container of Mica Green powder on my bench, then right after i cleaned it all up, launched an open Gold glitter container across the shop. If you ever come up for a visit, wear a helmet before you get out of your car. :D
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My first order from Jason was for a mold and a bunch of glitters. When the box arrived it had a "dimple" on one side. I thought nothing of it wanting to get my hands on that mold. I grabbed hold of the paper packing and aimed for the waste basket and when I left it fly it looked like I was going to copper-plate the lower level of the house. The jar of .015 copper glitter had a hole punched in it by the corner of the mold in what was apparently some mis-handling by our illustrious postal service. That was a couple years back and we still see some random flecks of copper glitter every now and again when we vacuum.
And don't assume the tops are tight on your hi lite powder...yes, personal experience.
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I have the red and blue in X2. I took some nuts and bolts and put them in the bottles to help mix up the colorant. Works very good for me both colors are vibrant.
I put nuts in all my colorants, regardless of manufacturer. I have gotten in the habit of giving the bottle a couple of shakes before I add drops. Even if it is the second batch of the same color.
It may sound excessive but it just takes a couple of seconds and it is an automatic part of my process.
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If you pour lead, the sprues from smaller castings will work nicely as agitators too. Dull any sharp edges before dropping into the bottle.
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If you what sapphire blue then you need to go with 2X blue and not the florescent blue. I stopped buying the florescent colors. For me they're to weak for what I make. I make a lot of flipping trailers for my jigs. 4 drops of 2X blue in 4 oz. plastic to me is the perfect sapphire blue.
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In my experience Lime Green is the only one that wants to pack when it settles in x2 colors.