where to start....

[jasonh]

New to the forum and of course have a billion and one questions..well right now only one real question that i know of for sure.... I am new to pouring never done this before and am wondering should i start out with hand pours or injection pours for soft plastics? i am leaning injection pours but wondering if i am jumping in too deep or does it really matter? I mostly fish for crappie and bass and LOVE my 1/16th oz jigs with soft plastics on em! Heck hybrids and stripers are fun to catch em on in early spring shallow.... i found a wonderful body i have been using but now want to tweek it with my liking over time and make em.....anywho where to start?

[Justin9j]

That's a good question.  I started with both.  I only get my hand pour stuff out every now and then.  But. I think hand pouring combined with injection is the ticket.  If you can hand pour then you can pour into a injection mold close it and inject another color.   There are other was to get a two color bait. As thin and small parts are very hard and impossible to hand pour. Or for me they are. 

If you start with a mold like a carrot. You could hand pour half and inject the other.  Or hand pour the outer half and inject the middle. 
That way you can find out if hand pouring is for you.  Plus a carrot mold is very forgiving until you figure it all out. 

Welcome ask away. 

Just remember Denny is ok to listen to on somethings.  Andy will tell you all about thermometer to use.  And mo and drew will make you want a airbrush. 

[basskat]

I've been hand pouring for years and to me injection is a lot easier. Once you get your plastic to the magic 350 degrees the first time injection is way more forgiving on the reheats. When hand pouring your plastic needs to be pretty hot to pour the small details. This can lead to scorching of the plastic if not careful. JMO I'd dive in to injection.

[gmintimidator]

I was in the same shoes as you about a year ago.  I bought a bunch of hand pour stuff second hand and began that way.  It was relatively cheaper to begin with as an injector was an added expense at startup.  I also found hand pour open style molds are cheaper.  Hand pour molds are also available in full round versions.

This is a crazy addictive hobby, but so much fun.  I joined a Bass Club and have learned very little from them.  They do a lot of talking but tell you nothing in the process to protect their secrets.  Here is the exact opposite.  Guys are more than willing to help out, troubleshoot problems, share recipes, ideas and tricks they've learned along the way.

To answer your question, either way is a great way to start.  If you're good/steady with a hand pour, you can make some phenomenal baits.  There are a bunch of guys who do impressive work.  If you're like me and not so steady, you'll find injecting much more satisfying.  Laminating plates can be purchased to make 2 colour baits easily too.  Catching a nice fish on something you made is so satisfying.

[Billmo]

Jason PM sent..  I tried to start with hand pour and if you are shakey like me then you will switch to injection really fast. LOL There are some guys that are really good at the hand pour.  but everyone can be good at injection..

[Lamar]

   I think injection is the way to go. But I've never hand poured a complete bait. A injection bait just gives you a finished bait look to me. The longer you read this forum the more you'll learn that there is no right or wrong why to make your baits. Just make them in a why you can catch fish with. Nothing else matters.

[MO QWACK]

Well both hand pour and injection are great ways to make a bait but I will tell you making a bait is easy... Art takes time and you need both skills to get the art your looking for. You will learn what does what over time.
I suggest you find a mold you really like to fish and try it. If a hand pour is available and cheaper try it. Buy a couple colors a pint of plastic and give it ago.
  From my experience you will be addicted and invest way to much money and have a great time. Lol  injection is the way to go for long term but hand pouring is an important skill to learn. Folks on here know their stuff!!! Ask as many questions as you can think of because someone can help. Don't let Justin fool you he can throw down on some plastic and Denny is a great guy. I only lied about one of those stick around long enough you will figure out which one  all kidding aside great people here with amazing skills..... welcome

[jasonh]

Thanks for all the replies....see i have been leaning on injection until i can get my consistency of the plastic i want to use right....then maybe possibly move to hand pour for some technique....but i do like the injection molds alot more to choose from and i am a stickler to detail.....lol....
Laminate plates? just read about that yesterday on here of guys using them...well i may not need to know about that right now..blah haha.... but will be looking into them fairly soon!!
Thanks guys....
by the way Mo i can tell this is a good forum more info on here just reading than I found on the texas fishing forum we have where 1000's of guys are on here all at once and not one bit of knowledge except negative thoughts of one another....

[efishnc]

As long as you are injecting and you like catching crappies on plastics, would recommend the Do-it's thumper fry as one of your first molds. 

Laminates add another dimension to plastic making, but you can make some crazy cool stuff just by mixing color and glitter combinations.  The main reason I would say this to a beginner is reusing any laminated plastics will make a color that is a combination of the two (which is generally not as nice); single shooting allows reusing old plastics to get basically the same color as the original.  I have some lami-plates, but I will only use color combinations that will make a desired color in the future (generally a clear with glitter that can be mixed with any color).  If you are selling your plastics, a laminate (or dual injector) can separate you from your competition, but as a hobbyist producing for your own use, it is not the most practical.

And it is addicting - enough for a second mortgage - without a little self-control.