E-Core

[CNickerson78]

I been wanting to try an e-core shot. What are you all using for the core I was thinking about cutting a wire coat hanger not sure if that's a good idea

[Lines]

It should work well, as long as it has a smooth finish and is coated with worm oil.

[ctom]

Lots of wire stock will work. Be sure to scrub a coat hanger wire with some steel wool to remove the bronze shellac that they're coated with right down to shiny metal, then oil before inserting in the mold.

Fabric stores that sell knitting materials will often have packages of very small knitting needles, often called sock needles, that are anodized aluminum and come in three or four diameters to a pack. These are trick and cost about $8 a package. Brass rod from a hobby shop or a home center Like Menards or Home Depot is easy to cut to length and works well. Finishing nails in 4 and 6 penny are good in many molds and larger molds will handle larger nails. I've done core shots using a twin injector on 1" Nanos using small brass brads as the pins. There are tons of ways to get the ecore done without breaking the bank, but the clothes hangers work too.

[CNickerson78]

Lots of wire stock will work. Be sure to scrub a coat hanger wire with some steel wool to remove the bronze shellac that they're coated with right down to shiny metal, then oil before inserting in the mold.

Fabric stores that sell knitting materials will often have packages of very small knitting needles, often called sock needles, that are anodized aluminum and come in three or four diameters to a pack. These are trick and cost about $8 a package. Brass rod from a hobby shop or a home center Like Menards or Home Depot is easy to cut to length and works well. Finishing nails in 4 and 6 penny are good in many molds and larger molds will handle larger nails. I've done core shots using a twin injector on 1" Nanos using small brass brads as the pins. There are tons of ways to get the ecore done without breaking the bank, but the clothes hangers work too.

Thank ctom my wife has tons on knitting needles I'll just have to get some worm oil I don't have any

[ctom]

CNick....

Here's a picture of those Nano's done e-core style with the mold and the brass brads in it. This makes a 1" bait and as the picture shows its a nifty one done as an e-core with a twin injector. I work with a lot of small baits, but this may not be for everyone....there's a lot going on and a guy has to have good concentration. BUT.....it can be done.

[CNickerson78]

CNick....

Here's a picture of those Nano's done e-core style with the mold and the brass brads in it. This makes a 1" bait and as the picture shows its a nifty one done as an e-core with a twin injector. I work with a lot of small baits, but this may not be for everyone....there's a lot going on and a guy has to have good concentration. BUT.....it can be done.

those are fantastic. I wanted to do the E-Core on the ripper

[ctom]

Here's yet another Nano done e-core, this time using three different glow colors. Red and green are pretty apparent the light one is blue glow.



Starting with a larger bait is almost imperative to get the hang of things and honestly its safer. On the ripper....don't be too anxious to pull the pin from the bait....I've had liquid plastic leak out if I pulled it too quick. Give the bait with the pin in it a minute or so to rest and firm up good. Longer is better.

[CNickerson78]

Here's yet another Nano done e-core, this time using three different glow colors. Red and green are pretty apparent the light one is blue glow.



Starting with a larger bait is almost imperative to get the hang of things and honestly its safer. On the ripper....don't be too anxious to pull the pin from the bait....I've had liquid plastic leak out if I pulled it too quick. Give the bait with the pin in it a minute or so to rest and firm up good. Longer is better.

I take my time still trying to get the hang of it. My next order will have worm oil and a twin injector I hope

[Lines]

A light coating of mineral oil will work in a pinch. Soaking baits in mineral oil seems to harden them.

[CNickerson78]

A light coating of mineral oil will work in a pinch. Soaking baits in mineral oil seems to harden them.

Thank you Lines great tip

[efishnc]

Not sure of the various cores you have seen, but the basic rule with this technique is the farther the core color has to travel, the hotter the second color has to be (which might ruin the plastic or color) and/or the larger the core cavity has to be. 

A couple of key examples are the E-cores with a twist... I started with #14 copper wire and did not have one shoot successfully (in the 3.75 swimbait); when I switched to #12 wire, things went to a 3 out of 10 success rate.


Not being able to use a larger wire in the swimbaits was quite disheartening; however, using #10 wire was possible for a twisted core in the 7 inch lizard and resulted in a 100% success rate.


Similarly, the sexy core (http://custombaits.com/index.php?topic=9697.msg74840#msg74840) and the candy cores (http://custombaits.com/index.php?topic=10196.msg79204#msg79204) both use the same flattened copper tubing producing a large core channel, but the length of the tube worm is just too far to allow the skirt to fully develop before the plastic cools.

[olsarge]

Efish.  I never tire of looking at those.  Great work

[efishnc]

Thanks sarge -

It is always fun tinkering to make something new/different... I have a few more designs up my sleeve, but nothing as novel (in the plastic department) as what I have already done, at least not yet, and I doubt I will attempt anything new before late spring or maybe even sometime in the summer as we have been in the process of buying/moving/selling over the last few months.  It's no fun to move at any time of year (especially with 20 years of life's accumulation), but it's even less fun with the cold and snow.  The real consolation is this will be our last move as we look to this as our retirement home... 40 acres on the river with 1400ft of frontage.