Here's what I learned on the first pour

[Mic0157]

I broke down and started pouring for the first time tonight. I learned a few good lessons.

First.. I found out that white turns yellow after 4 minutes in the microwave. Lesson: get a thermometer.
Next.. Have the homemade molds sealed completely. Lesson: make better moods and seal them.
And.. Lastly and most interesting.. Don't forget that you bought 2x black so 5 drops goes a long way.

I'm just getting started but made a couple cool slug o type baits in 2 colors. Should snag something.

Now a question, the caney creek plastisol will be clear after heating right? I always add color up front but it looks very white to turn out clear. Anyways, I thought sharing would be good for somebody.

[Denny Welch]

Hey Mic...welcome to the forum and congrats on the first pour.  Depending on how much plastisol you're heating, four minutes can be dangerous.  If you haven't done it yet, it might be a good idea to watch Jason's pouring videos.

Be safe.

[MonteSS]

You do not have to add the color before heating the plastic.

Nuke for a minute or so and then 15-30 second intervals. Check it out. You will see the cycle that the plastic goes through.

From the white milky liquid to a thicker gelatin to the clear syrupy mixture that is ready to add your color, gltter and scent to.

....Bill

[jl3140]

4 minutes is quite a while, I don't have a thermometer but I made the same mistake when I started out pouring. I've found 1 min 30 sec in the microwave is about right for 1/4 cup of plastic.

[412BaitCo]

Yeah I did 3 minutes for my very first melt of plastic and let's just say working out of the basement I had to evacuate the house for a couple hours lol.

[basskat]

I hit the four minute button on my microwave once by accident. Next thing I knew was there was a fire in the microwave. Good thing I'm a firefighter. LOL

You'll waste several batches of plastic in the beginning, I still waste some ten years later. Hang in there.

[Mic0157]

Yeah I read on previous posts that once you get to yellow, your gone too far. The follow up batches settled in at about 2 minutes for 4 ounces.  I still can't poor worth a flip but I guess I'll get good at trimming first. 

Next... Scent.. You add that to the heated mixture? I guess I'll try that next. I found the glitter to be fun though. I went in deep and bought several colors so tonight will be another educational experience.

Regarding Jason's posts. I found the links but they didn't work on my iPad so I may need to try again with my laptop. This new hobby looks to be deceptively addictive.

[BareKnuckleJigs]

Roger on'na Deceptively Addictive!!!

Scent...I used to cook-in my scent oils, but not anymore.  Plastic Baits will absorb Scent Oil.  I drop scent in the bag before I drop the baits in, which helps the baits settle and helps me get them straight.  After a few days You'll notice the scent oil "going away"...it's being absorbed.  Once it's absorbed, Your baits are scented.

I read, on another forum, that Your scent oil (stabilizer, as well) will "evaporate" off while Your plastic is liquid/hot, so cooking-in scent will waste more scent than it's worth.

Also, effective scent oils are natural oils, and too much natural oils cooked in the plastic can go rancid and cause Your baits to turn cloudy/stinky/oily/nasty.  Emulsifiable Oils are the oils that can be smelled and tasted by fish, and these oils are natural, so if You are cooking Your scent in, do so sparingly.

[t-billy]

 Hey Mic, Welcome aboard. Are you making POP molds? What are you sealing them with? Elmers wood glue mixed 50/50 with water works great. It will seal them completely in one coat. I bake my pop molds at 200 for a few hours with the oven door cracked open to dry them. I flood the cavity and coat the entire face of the mold with glue mix, let soak for 15 min or so then drain well. You can blow excess glue mixture out of the cavities using compressed air or by blowing through a straw. Bake them at 200 for a couple hours and you end up with a nice durable, ceramic like finish. All wood glues are not the same. I tried tite bond once. It didn't work well. I've stuck with Elmers since then.---Tim.

[Mic0157]

My molds are POP and I sealed them with some craft sealant, can't remember the name. But the issue I have deals with not sealing all the cracks and crevices. There's a couple spots I didn't cover enough. I like the idea of Elmer's and letting it soak. I have some of that laying around so if need be, I can make a new set of mold and use that.

Thanks for the tips with the scent as well. I'd prefer to just soak the worms. The addition was something I read, but if soaking works too, I prefer that route. Would that take the place of work oil? I didn't buy worm oil thinking I could kill 2 birds with just the scented oil.

Once I get a worm I'm proud of, I'll post the pics.

[basskat]

I use Devcon to seal my plaster molds. That stuff is tough as nails and last forever. Make sure you get the 30 minute cure. The five minute cure will set up way too fast.

[Mic0157]

With devcon, are you thinning with acetone first ? I've done this with other applications.

[jl3140]

I had worm oil when I first started, then I bought scent and now I don't use the oil. I add scent to the plastic when I'm cooking it and again for bagging purposes.

[basskat]

Yes I thin it some. Not as much as if you were top coating a bait with it. If you get it too thin it wants to soak into the plaster.

[Mic0157]

New lessons...
Don't touch that, it's hot!! I failed to let the worm cool enough. Lol I had a bowl of water standing by so no big deal. After that I'm getting some really cool colors. I had an issue the sealant so I'm redoing the POP mold with devcon. Sounds tougher at least. I bought some more colors today so I'll be explaining to he wife what the stains on her kitchen towels are in no time.

I even sprung for some weight additive which brings me to my next forum question: after re-melting the plastic a couple of times, there are bubbles in the mix. Any tips on how to prevent or deal with that problem?