question on stablizer and softner

[KP Guard]

I got my first gallon of "alumisol" today! this is the only Canadian supply I can find for soft plastics locally in Kingston. I have my first order for 100 x 6 in stick baits "yay" the customer wants them salted I am planning on doing a 5 to 1 plastic to salt mix and will be running the salt through a coffee grinder and adding after heating the plastic to 350. I plan on making 16 ounces at a time of the colours he wants and I am wondering if anyone has a formula for how much softner and stabilizer to add per 4, 8, 12, or 16 ounces.

Also can someone tell me how to add a picture that will show up in this part I would like to up load my logo and get some feed back from you all on the graphic and the name. thanks

Mike Deslauriers

[Denny Welch]

Hey Mike,

Congrats on the first order.  Now get ready for some chaos, because pouring 100 6" sticks, with salt, in 1 cup increments when you haven't poured anything previously is a huge deal.  Depending on the diameter of the sticks you could run short of plastisol as well.  I suggest you find a temporary "best friend" on the forum and see if you guys can work through this whole thing. Good luck.

Any takers?

[KP Guard]

Lol thank Denny, Just s little something about me when I put my mind on something I achieve my goals, I am not hand pouring I have a 4 cavity injection for these, and I have some experience with remelt of commercial baits so not going in completely dry. I just wasn't sure how much softner and stabilizer to add to a 16 ounces batch to off set the salt, I have read aall the thread back a ways I just didn't see specifics for amount of those 2. I will post some pics when I am done but some basic guidelines on the amount for 16 oz batches would be helpful thanks all

[TTDuckman]

I can help you out.

First, what colors are you going to make?  If you are making darker colors, watermelon, blacks, green pumpkins, you won't need stabilizer.  If you are using light colors or any purples, you will need some (maybe 15 drops for your 2 cups).

On softener, it depends on what plastic you are starting with.  FYI, 5 parts plastic to 1 part salt is not very much salt.

The standard senko recipe is:
1 cup plastic (regular)
1/2 cup salt (popcorn salt works great or any really small grain)
1/4 cup softener

The first time you make sticks with this formula, you will swear that it will never get pourable as it is very thick until it gets to a good temperature.  If you add the salt to already heated plastic, you will have to heat it again before using it as it will drop the temperature.

Tim

[KP Guard]

thanks Mr duckman, he wants the gy chartruse with black fleck, pumpkin with red fleck, rainbow trout and the red with black, I have a local machine shop making the lami plates for me on Monday so I was gonna start with the chartruse and pumpkin I have 2x colours for both.  should I add softner for those two?

[KP Guard]

fyi the plastic I am using starts with a "30" shore rating and says it can go to "0" with softner if that helps you determne how much sofnter I should start wth

[TTDuckman]

Is the customer expecting your sticks to have the softness and salt content of the original senko?  You will need stablizer for the chartreuse.  If your customer is expecting a salt content close to GY sticks, you will need to use a formula very close to the one suggested.  When it comes to shore ratings, I really can't help you there, but it sounds like medium.  I have been doing soft plastics for about 8 years.  It is important to know that high salt content will make the baits less transparent. 

Salt does two things: makes baits sink and makes them less durable.  Some people use the HD additive sold by CCM/Do-it.  I do not have experience with that product.  As far as selling baits, salt will work for sinking. 

Tim