getting some tail[s]....

[ctom]

I shot 40 molds full of chartreuse in the 2" glider this afternoon just for tail stock. I want to get a box of these shot up for the fall fishing and I need tail colors to get that done. Now I need to squirt about 10 each of hot pink and hot orange. Then the box filling begins.

The air is damp enough to almost drip here this afternoon with storms forecast as likely for tonight and tomorrow. I had two 30" fans running while I worked and that helped to make things half bearable with the temps at around 80 degrees. The humidity makes it feel like its about 95 degrees. Had a few foam issues with the plastic too. A little trick I use when humidity make the plastic want to act up is to mix my batch and heat it to about 230 degrees, then pull it from the head and stir it well, then just set it aside for 10 minutes. Stir it again real well, then heat to the 350 needed and use. That rest period allows an awful lot of the gasses to escape from the hot but still thin product. That which has escaped would have become a rash of foam if the plastic had been cooked fully without the rest.

I lay the molded plastic "trees" out on plastic trays to cure a bit, maybe two or three days, then I cut the tails off "long" by about 1/8". The trimmed tails go into a quart sized freezer zip-lock for storage. When I need the tail pieces I take out what I need and re-cut the extra 1/8" off the tails as I use them so no oil that forms in storage gets in the weld when I shoot.   

[bassbuster]

great tip ,,,thanks

[Denny Welch]

"getting some tail"

You are getting sick and senile in your old age, Tom.  I was hoping one of these younger guys would call you on this, but I guess not. LOL

[ctom]

I really like having tails made ahead but the plastic we use tends to exude oil in storage. If the tails are cut to the length needed, then stored, they'll have to be de-greased before you can use them. If left a bit long, all I need to is snip them to the length I need and inject. The oil on the surface of the tails from storage make re-inserting the tail pieces back in the mold a snap.

And Denny, the senile wouldn't think of doing the tail ahead of needing any. lol back at ya!

[ctom]

Hot pink and fluorescent orange are done now too. 20 shots of each. Now I can switch molds and do this over again.

[TommySkarlis]

"getting some tail"

You are getting sick and senile in your old age, Tom.  I was hoping one of these younger guys would call you on this, but I guess not. LOL

I was gonna say something Denny - but just the thought of...................... .........well you know!

Ctom - please show us some pictures (lures only!)

[ctom]

When I get some finished stuff done I'll put a couple pictures up Tommy.

[ctom]

Ctom - please show us some pictures

Tommy....Here's a box of nine color combinations in the 2" Glider.



Top, left to right: Orange/Chart tail, Purple/Chart tail, Amber/Chart tail
Middle, left to right: Blue/Chart tail, Black/Chart tail, white/Pink tail
Bottom, left to right: Amber/Chart tail, Mo's Milk/Chart tail, Bluegill/Chart tail

All colors are Do-It X2 colors. The orange has just a tiny bit of tomato in it and some gold hi lite. The purple has been bumped a little with florida grape, purple glitter and violet hi lite. The Amber has a tiny shot of brown and sweet potato in it along with .015 red glitter. The blue is X2 blue with 2 drops of fluorescent blue and a toothpick dip of midnight blue with blue .015 glitter and blue hi lite. The black, pink and white....well. The junebug has some violet hi lite and .015 green glitter. Mo's Milk is per his recipe on site. The bluegill is clearplastic with uv enhancement along with equal portions of blue, purple, green, and copper .015 glitter.

All colors were done in a 4 ounce batch. The plastic used is a 50/50 blend of soft and medium in the tails and soft in the body portions.

[Do-it Rep]

 Great looking baits.  I really like the Mo's Milk/Chart tail

[ctom]

Mo mentioned in his thread that the color isn't well represented in a picture and he's right. This one really fires in the hand and in sunlight. I've made other colors using this same concept of hi lite and glitter only and hung the chartreuse tail on it and had excellent results.

All of the colors in this box are dandy river colors beginning about now but get better as the fall weather moves in and the water starts to cool.

[TommySkarlis]

Pretty awesome looking baits - only one more color needed at this time - pumpkinseed with an orange tail! 

[ctom]

Pretty awesome looking baits - only one more color needed at this time - pumpkinseed with an orange tail! 

Excuse me while I get my index finger out of my throat.  lol Ugly color. Are you in a roughie tournament?

[TommySkarlis]

They don't work at all for walleyes - but if you could make me a couple, I would try them again? 

[Botanophilia]

Excuse me while I get my index finger out of my throat.  lol Ugly color. Are you in a roughie tournament?

Ugly or not, it's a good color combo on a 7" RTW for bass, though I prefer motor oil/orange and that works just as well.  Haven't tried it for panfish baits yet.