Essential series Xl swim ripper mold?

[Les Young]

I’ve tried temps from 300 to 350 & absolutely cannot get a good laminate.  It mixes no matter what I do. Looks like I’ll be making single colors with this piece of  ****.  Lol It’s an awesome mold for single colors but by far the hardest mold I’ve ever owned to try to do laminates with.  Why does it mix so bad?

[ctom]

Whoa nellie.....! Are you talking about 3" or 3'5" Essential Ripper mold? If so, those really are not formatted for twin injection. Never were. You can get reasonable split colors by injecting with a dud color, then removing the top two baits, right and left top ones and leave the rest of the injected dud color as a stopper, then inject with the twin injector, slowly. If you do not stop the plastic by leaving the lower portions in the mold, mixing will be your life.  I have that mold, and it sits with the dud color "stopper" in it from the first shot done using it. The mold is fine but it was never meant to do a full mold of laminates like the Slick Shiner that has individual injection ports to allow for laminates.

[21xdc]

Every mold should have laminates in mind by design.... 

I'm thinking that the ribs and angle top shot are the culprit.

[Les Young]

Whoa nellie.....! Are you talking about 3" or 3'5" Essential Ripper mold? If so, those really are not formatted for twin injection. Never were. You can get reasonable split colors by injecting with a dud color, then removing the top two baits, right and left top ones and leave the rest of the injected dud color as a stopper, then inject with the twin injector, slowly. If you do not stop the plastic by leaving the lower portions in the mold, mixing will be your life.  I have that mold, and it sits with the dud color "stopper" in it from the first shot done using it. The mold is fine but it was never meant to do a full mold of laminates like the Slick Shiner that has individual injection ports to allow for laminates.

Tom i'm talking about the XL series mold which does have individual injection ports.

[Les Young]

Every mold should have laminates in mind by design.... 

I'm thinking that the ribs and angle top shot are the culprit.

Mike it may well be. I know it's by far the worst mold i've ever tried to do laminates in.

[21xdc]

Reading and watching video links is not Tom's strength... 

[ctom]

Tom i'm talking about the XL series mold which does have individual injection ports.

Ah Ha! After looking at the mold I have to agree with xdc on the ribbing. I have the cnc molds that are converted to end injection and I have no issues with lams, but the cavities and inside surfaces are smooth, not the rougher sand cast. Anything that lets the plastic drag can mess with the end product.

[21xdc]

I shoot other essential series molds with great laminate results.... It's not the rough sand cast that causes it.

[Les Young]

I shoot other essential series molds with great laminate results.... It's not the rough sand cast that causes it.

I agree I’ve done plenty  of other essential series molds & no problems at all.

[ctom]

Slick Shiners inject the lam really nice, so my comment on the texture of the Essential Ripper was in regard to the less shiny surface of the ribbing. No matter, I still concur that the ribbing is the likely issue with the Essential XL Ripper.

[Les Young]

Slick Shiners inject the lam really nice, so my comment on the texture of the Essential Ripper was in regard to the less shiny surface of the ribbing. No matter, I still concur that the ribbing is the likely issue with the Essential XL Ripper.

We’ll you’d think do it would have worked that   out before  releasing it.  I’m not going to sale them anyway so hopefully I’ll get it figured out good enough for my personal use.

[ctom]

I do the Quakin Shads more than any other larger bait  and I have to be very careful with matching the plastic temps when twin injecting and I have found that a slower injection rate to be better too. I’ve also noticed that plastics with a heavy glitter load like I generally use in the Quakin molds might not separate  super clean, but I’m not selling and only a buddy and I are throwing them so fire me the issue is moot. And the bass have yet to shun them.

Molds are like people and might require you to change how you do things to get along with it. DoIt doesn’t just whip up a mold and throw it on the market without thoroughly checking for issues.

[Fishermanbt]

Les, any chance you could post a picture(s) of the lam issue?  Maybe a few baits laid out from worst lam to almost better?

[anyfish]

Could just be your mold?  Is it all cavities or are some better than others.  I dug my mold back out and did a purple/clear.  I think it turned out okay.  Maybe not a perfect line but I get separation. 

Here is a photo link (can't figure out how to get it to show in the thread). Shot at 330ish

https://custombaits.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=3533

[Les Young]

Chris if mine looked like that I’d be tickled to death but it’s far from it.