Making Your Own Plastics! 2024

Eric Buck reply :

I have been reading and trying to understand how to make my own plastic baits. I want to do this so that I can eventually "match the hatch" and also save money by making them in bulk for a cheaper price. After doing research I decided to order the starter kit through www.lurecraft.com. I'm looking for any tips or tricks in order to make this successful. I have never done this before, yet I am very excited to get started. Thanks for any advice in advance!

North Ga Hillbilly reply :

get an extra microwave if you have a lady that lives with you... Three times of melting plastics in the microwave and I got it explained to me that was a bad plan

A hot plate will let you keep it at the right temp and not scorch it, also be careful, that stuff can burn you real bad too.

Other than that its pretty easy to get the general idea, hard to get it perfect.

Good luck man

NGaHB

Eric Buck reply :

Thanks for the reply. I am in Afghanistan right now, and that will be how I spend some of my free time when I am not talking to the family. I bought an electric burner to heat it up so I won't have to use a microwave. I'm just worried with the swimbaits because It will be another 7 months before I am able to test them out. So if I make a bunch of them and they don't swim right I guess I will just melt them down and try again. Once I get this down I plan on getting some POP and replicating some of my favorite soft plastics.

Bass Dude reply :

I would do a search on this site about this topic. There has been a lot written about this topic.

It is a lot of fun and it's very rewarding catching fish on your homemade baits, but there are things to consider:

If you're looking to do this because it's cheaper....you're better off buying your baits. When you start purchasing colors, glitter, salt, heat stabilizer, scent, molds, plastisol etc.....This can become more expensive than buying your plastics.

It also takes up a lot of time, which is also an additional "expense."

In the beginning, you will have a lot of mistakes until you get good at pouring, you can reuse the plastic and repour, but you can't remelt them numerous times. Also, until you get good at mixing colors, you may ruin a batch of plastic or two. Which again will cost some cash.

I'm not trying to 'rain on your parade' but these are things to consider.

Eric Buck reply :

I appreciate the heads up. I plan on screwing it up, that's why I am trying to minimize my hiccups by asking people who have done it before. I appreciate you looking out for me though.

smalljaw67 reply :

I'm into jigs, spinnerbaits, bladed jigs (chatterbaits) and things like that and from talking with other tackle makers I have learned alot. One thing is you need to go into it with the mind set of doing it as a rewarding hobby that will give you your fishing fix during the winter or other times you may not be able to get out. If you look at it thought a money saving mindest your baits won't be as good as what they can be and it will ultimatlely become frustrating and Bass Dude is exactly right, you aren't going to save money, at least not in the short term. The good side to it is you get a feeling of accomplishment that is undescribable when you catch fish on something you made and it becomes addictive pretty quick, ask anyone who has done it for a few years and you will hear similar stories of guys starting out with one mold and now have dozens of molds, a bunch of different colors and all kinds of glitters in all kinds of different sizes. I just want you to know that despite the cost if is fun and rewarding but I still want to echo Bass Dudes thoughts as it will be a money pit at first and it will take years to recoup the initial start up costs if ever. I suggest you look through the classifieds on tackleunderground to get molds and plastic at good prices rather than trying to buy it all at retail. Good luck!

LunkerLust reply :

I have been saving old ripped up rubber baits for a few years now. Finally last year I took a 3/8 dowel 5" long and carved it into a senko shape. Then I took two pieces of aluminum sheet and hammered them around the dowel to make a very rough mold. I have to clamp the two pieces together. Then I cut up the old baits into small pieces and put them in a microwave in a pyrex cup. I stop it occasionally to stir the mix. When it seems runny enough, I pour it into the mold. After about 20 minutes, you can take the mold apart and "tah dah" a senko dinger. ( I do have to trim off a little extra)

Bottom line, I have been catching bass with these things, my best being a # 6.3

unionman reply :

I only use handmade lures. But I dont make them so its cheap for me. plus i can throw something that nobody around here has.

Eric Buck reply :

Thanks for the comments. Of course quality and performance will always have to outweigh cost. I guess my biggest thing that I want to achieve with making my own baits is matching the hatch with color. I think that will give me an advantage in tournaments that I fish if I can make a bait specific to the waters that I am fishing rather than trying to use a little of one color or another to see if they like that. I think that will be the rewarding part for me if I can use it to catch more fish during tournaments and improve my odds of winning.

loodkop reply :

I feel I need to give a friendly warning! If you start this hobby you won't be able to stop and the amount of molds and colors and glitters will just keep growing and growing and you will lie awake at night working out formulas for lures. You have been warned!

Eric Buck reply :

Thanks or the warning.

Eric Buck reply :

How is it dangerous?

Jig Man reply :

Dangerous... The fumes may be but I haven't seen any ill effects except for the third eye in the middle of my forehead.

Seriously, the danger comes from the plastisol which needs to be around 350° for good performance. I wear long pants because sometimes things go wrong. Ask a pair of my Levis with plastisol down the left leg. I wear glasses and heat resistant gloves from Bears. You should see some pics of guys hands and arms from plastisol accidents.

Be advised that moisture around plastisol will cause blow ups like with lead. Keep things dry and drink your beer or other beverage after you are done and are admiring your new baits.

Eric Buck reply :

I am doing this on my deployment ot Afghanistan. Starting to sound like it was a bad idea to do it over here.

Eric Buck reply :

I bought the swim bait mold off that site and planned on making those while I was over here. I am going to get some jig trailer molds and work out those also. I want to make my own colors that I know will work and play around with it. Happy memorial day to all you guys!

Eric Buck reply :

first pour didn't go so well. I cant get the consistency right. 1st time it was to thick. Second time it was not hot enough to set. Now my hands smell like garlic and I have nothing to show for it lol.

loodkop reply :

An infrared thermometer made a big difference in my pouring consistency. It sounds as if your plastic was too cold on both pours. Good luck for the next attempt.

Eric Buck reply :

might have been. It got thick real fast and I thought I messed it up but I think it melts again after it gets thick and clear right?

loodkop reply :

Yes, it becomes thick and clear and them thins out again. You should be able to pour a thin consistent stream of plastic. I try to pour at +/- 340F. Some molds I can do cooler and some requires hotter plastic but 340 is a good starting point. Be careful of over heating as well. I wasted lots of plastic starting out by scorching the stuff. Good luck.

Eric Buck reply :

Ya I had some black flakes in mine which means I need to stir better.

mikey5string reply :

this is a good thread for thise of use interested in starting. I LOVE soft plastics. I often find myself just admiring them, organizing them, gluing parts from one onto another to make freakish looking creature baits. I cant help myself when I go to a tackle store. I always leave with a couple bags. I go to school for graphic design and have always been into art/design. This could satisfy two of my favorite pass times!

I am interested in creating my own unique baits. Those aluminum molds look like they are cut from aluminum block. I suppose a CNC machine could scan a model and cut the mold from aluminum.

What is the first step in creating a unique bait? Could I make a sculpture from modeling clay and go from there?

Captain Obvious reply :

If you want a truly unique lure you can get a package of oven bake clay from Walmart for $5.

Make your bait then bake it. Once that is done make a POP mold. Pour a couple baits in the POP mold and use those to make a resign mold.

join Tackleunderground.com there is a video in the soft baits tutorial section that explains this process perfectly.

Enjoy

Capt.O

topdog5050 reply :

Nice info indeed.

Bigbarge50 reply :

great thread guys..... and thanks again for your service.... hopefully you can hit the water right after you get back

Eric Buck reply :

You have no idea how much I missed fishing. I get excited just reading about you guys catching fish!

popperpitcher reply :

On 7/15/2012 at 5:13 AM, mikey5string said:

this is a good thread for thise of use interested in starting. I LOVE soft plastics. I often find myself just admiring them, organizing them, gluing parts from one onto another to make freakish looking creature baits. I cant help myself when I go to a tackle store. I always leave with a couple bags. I go to school for graphic design and have always been into art/design. This could satisfy two of my favorite pass times!

I am interested in creating my own unique baits. Those aluminum molds look like they are cut from aluminum block. I suppose a CNC machine could scan a model and cut the mold from aluminum.

What is the first step in creating a unique bait? Could I make a sculpture from modeling clay and go from there?

I've been reading this thread with interest. I'm interested in making my own unique soft baits on an experimental basis. I have professional experience and capabilities for making small cast parts (metal and rigid plastic) but have never tried casting soft plastics.

Making aluminum molds via the scan/cnc route is a MAJOR learning curve. I have used laser scans in business and they are expensive and difficult to convert to a good CAD model. Once you have the CAD model you still have to use CAM to write the tool path program. Probably not a reasonable way to go unless for profit. Eventually this will change and there are other methods.

I am thinking of trying to make baits using RTV silicone rubber molds. RTV (room temperature vulcanizing) silicone rubber is a common mold material for casting polyurethane plastic parts. This would involve making a bait in rigid plastic or metal to use as a pattern. The pattern is used to make the RTV rubber mold which is used to mold the bait.

What temperature does the soft plastic turn liquid? What is the upper reasonable temperature to cast? At the typical casting temperature, how long dies it take to solidify? Is the mold heated? Is a mold release used in casting soft plastic?

It would be great to come up with a method for making small numbers of unique soft baits w/o breaking the bank.

bowman30 reply :

Here is a simple video to get most started making your own molds..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muhp1akAPQs

I like to draft or draw a design on a piece of paper, once I have that I will take a tin foil pan or some type of glass cook wear and mix up some plaster of paris. I will let that set up and then bake it in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes to complete the cure, I then grab my design and copy that unto the POP grab my dremel and grind and shape it the way I want (outside of course) ... After I finish with that I mix some water and wood glue (one part water to two parts glue, regular strength glue is a little to thick) and paint a couple layers over my new mold (helps the plastic from sticking and keeps a glossy finish to the finished baits).. This is a one part hand pour mold so you will have a flat side! Give it a try very easy and inexpensive.

Jig Man reply :

[What temperature does the soft plastic turn liquid? What is the upper reasonable temperature to cast? At the typical casting temperature, how long dies it take to solidify? Is the mold heated? Is a mold release used in casting soft plastic?]

The material starts out as liquid and as it heats it gels a bit then turns liquid again.

I have never checked the temp when it goes back to liquid. That is when I add colorant and glitter and don't have a lot of time to mess around. As soon as I get the color and glitter mixed in I continue heating. I use an infrared themometer and like to pour at 350°F.

It solidifies in a matter of seconds on the first cast.

I warm my molds in the winter to 75°-85°F before I begin.

I don't use a release agent as such but on some of my baits with inserts like tubes and slab busters I have found that a bit of cooking oil on the mandrels makes the job a whole lot easier.

mikey5string reply :

I am going to try to make a silicone mold. Do any of you guys use a silicone mold? I got the idea from a thread on tackleunderground. Looks pretty easy, cheap and allows for more rounded baits with an open pour.

SteveKickinBass reply :

On 10/1/2012 at 11:43 PM, mikey5string said:
I am going to try to make a silicone mold. Do any of you guys use a silicone mold? I got the idea from a thread on tackleunderground. Looks pretty easy, cheap and allows for more rounded baits with an open pour.

Were you able to get this to work? I'm interested in possibly trying to make my own too.

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