A.I. Angling Mid Mag mold

[dale]

Hello everyone. Dale here and I'm new to custom bait making. The two main channels I watch are Worlds Worst fishing and Marling Baits. Both are great channels and very helpful. I recently purchased a second mold from AI Angling (Mid Mag) and was wondering if anyone could help. No matter the temperature or pigment I use I get more flashing than I ever do on the core shot mold or any other mold I have along with what looks like tiny pinholes where the mold meets up and down the entire worm. I'm also making sure none of my equipment is too hot or cold before shooting. So far I've only been using products form Dead on Plastics and Lure-works. Anyone have an idea on what I could possibly be missing?

[Fishermanbt]

Welcome. Couple of things to try until the pros tell you what the problem is. Make sure you don’t have the mold clamped to loose or to tight, inject with slow steady pressure and hold a little pressure on the plunger for 3-5 seconds. To much injection pressure will lead to excess flashing.

[ctom]

Welcome to the Do-It forums Dale.

I have no experience with plastic from either of the sources you've mentioned, but I am assuming you're using a digital, probe type, of thermometer to assure you're getting the plastic fully cooked or up to a good injection temperature if you're re-heating or re-melting.

Pinhole can suggest air may be getting in the plastic and if these hole are consistent along the mold seam where the two halve meet maybe there is something there that is causing air to get in and affect the injection. The flashing can come from not having enough clamping on the mold. Most molds will take at least two good clamps while some will take up to four clamps and even then you need to be sure the clamps are evenly tensioned.

Again, I am not familiar with the mold you are having issues with but there'll be others who may know of it and have more specific help for you.

Again, welcome aboard.

[efishnc]

Hi Dale-

Like the fellas already said, I'm guessing clamping is likely your problem (both for the flashing and the pin holes), but one thing I would further investigate is the mating of the mold halves... clamp them together (as you normally have) and try to look through the joint while holding it up to the light... you could have some plastic debris or a small burr of metal preventing them from mating, or possibly some deformation of the mold (if dropped on a hard surface).  I hope this helps solve your issues with this mold.

Keep us posted.

[olsarge]

Hi and welcome.  I cannot offer you much in the way of help.  However, I have both the round and flat mid mag molds and they are extremely easy to shoot,  Something is wrong.  I would try everything these guys have offered and if you still have problems I would call angling ai and discuss the probs with them.  Offer to send them a bait or two.  They might have had a bad mold slip through.  It happens.

[Lines]

Hi and welcome.  I cannot offer you much in the way of help.  However, I have both the round and flat mid mag molds and they are extremely easy to shoot,  Something is wrong.  I would try everything these guys have offered and if you still have problems I would call angling ai and discuss the probs with them.  Offer to send them a bait or two.  They might have had a bad mold slip through.  It happens.

I am inclined to agree with olsarge. Sort of sounds like a defective mold may have slipped through the cracks.
Welcome to custombaits.com

[bassinfool]

Hey Dale,

I have a couple of questions for you that may help us to diagnose your issue; I see some have already asked a few of these but here you go:

What are you using to clamp your mold closed?
How many clamps and where are they positioned?
How hot is the plastic you're injecting?
Are you making sure to purge the air out of your injector?
How does your o-ring on your injector piston look?  If this is a new injector it should look fine but if it looks dried out try rubbing a little worm oil around it with your fingertip

When I have run into this issue in the past, it was normally solved easily by adjusting my clamp position and pressure and/or shooting the mold with cooler plastic and doing so slowly.  Hope these suggestions help and look forward to hearing if any of this helped you.  Welcome to the forum by the way! 

[olsarge]

Clamping should not be an issue with this mold.  It comes with screws/bolts to tighten it.  Mine shoots great with no clamping whatsoever.

[Les Young]

I just take the screws out & clamp mine including angling a i molds & don't have any problems whatsoever. I do this with all of my molds actually & just use plastic spring clamps . Some i have to put one in each corner & some i use one  in each corner if it's a tall upright mold i'll put one between them for a total of 6. I never have problems, but did until i figured out what each mold needed. Send Josh at angling ai a message & he'll know exactly what needs to be done or he'll replace it i'm sure.