Sanddab Imitations?

Sweet. I was able to get the bad out of the mold. I cleaned the mold up a bit with a dremel. I plan on pouring the mold this afternoon. I have a tackle making book that says to coat the mold with high heat enamel paint so I need to run the the hardware store this afternoon. Matt, so you used the LC500 plastic? Where did you get it?
 

Hi ewb, I get the LC500 from lure crafters. 

I tried the high temp paint, but the solvents in the plastic can make the paint come off onto the lures at times.  I have found that a mix of 50/50 white glue and water works well.  I let the first coats soak in, then dump out the excess. Then paint light coats on to build up the finish (let it dry between coats).  It keeps the detail sharp and seals really well.  I just use WD40 or Pam as a mold release.

You can also use thicker white glue.  Actually I have found that a first coat of full glue works well if you want to speed up the process.

You can also use thinned epoxy to seal the mold.  Epoxy with a little denatured alcohol mixed in.  Paint on in light coats again.

I learned these tricks off of Tackleunderground.  There is a lot of experience with POP molds on there.

Matt

  Well I modified my last master.  I thinned the back down toward the tail, thinned the tail and put a flex joint in the tail, where it attaches to the body.  I also thinned the sides fins down. 

I then made a new master mold.  This new batch of putty really bubbled on me, worse than I have ever had happen.  Not sure why.  Any case to salvage the molds after they set, I made a thin slurry of putty and rubbed it into the small holes with my finger.  Worked perfect!  I then sealed the mold with the thinned epoxy.  The epoxy worked much nicer than the white glue I had been using.  It leveled better and made a really smooth bait.  The white glue works well, but takes a long time to build up the coats.  The epoxy only took one coat.  Time will tell how well it holds up.

I have not gotten any heat resistant black poly glitter for the dabs yet.  So I used the marker and flamed these again.  I loose a bit of detail, but it glosses the bait nicely and sets the ink.  The bait looks decent!  The sides are much thinner and should add to the action.  The tail still isn't a real great swimmer, but the thinned bait really moves and undulates.  The thinner dabs use much less plastic.  I am sure it is hard to see the changes, but I am pretty happy with the outcome. 





While working on my modifications, I used the rest of my clay to make some rubber fan tail shrimp.  I figure they will work great as shrimp flys.  I used a red crayon, and added it until I got the orange/shrimp color.  I also did a few brown ones.  They are small at around 2.5 inches.  They should match up to a 2/0 to 4/0 hook or small jighead.  I hope they work well.



I tried a small squid bait, but all the legs were too hard to pour.  I will just make some tubes.  I want to try a lure I saw, where a guy painted his lead knife jigs white, and then stretched and glued a white squid hootchie on the bottom 1/3 of the lure.  It looked just like a squid!  Great idea I though.

ewb, how are yours coming along?  Any new ideas or additions to your lures.  How did that bigger fan tail work out.  I bet it gave you some nice action.

Thanks, Matt

Sorry for the delay. I had some minor set backs so I walked away for a day or two

I saw your reply about the high heat paint right after I painted my two molds...and sure enough, the paint came off on the plastic. So I scraped most of the paint off. However, if I seal it with epoxy (or white glue) I should be ok. Right? Are you just using a simple 30 min epoxy and painting it on?

Here are my two molds (I salvaged the first one. I able to pick out the the clay model so I now have two). As you can see they look terrible (silver paint) but they work. I also melted some old plastic tube baits down and made a test Dab. Looks good, really floppy and seems durable. (again, looks like crap with the paint on it). I did a test in a large bucket of water and I think I need to beef up the tail. Its doesn't seem to flap like a swim bait. But I wanna try 'jigging' it in the neighbors pool since that is the real intended action.

The detail came out good on that ewb.  Yes, I know about the paint from previous experience  .  You can remove most the paint with some mineral spirits or paint thinner.  It won't hurt the plaster.  If you used mold release (oil, pam, WD40) make sure you degrease the mold before trying to reseal. 

The slow set epoxy works well.  I just put a little in a cup, dip my brush in the denatured alcohol and stir it up with the brush.  I sometimes need to add a drop or two more of alcohol depending how much I am mixing.  The alcohol with further delay the setup time.  I find that flux brushes seem to work well.  They are stiff enough to spread the epoxy or white glue and don't loose many bristles.  I just wash them out in a cup of alcohol, and they last quite some time.  I use the same coating for my lure heads and flutter jigs.

I think to get a true swimming action, we will have to make two part molds with a full swim tail.  Hard to say if it would work well do the the hydrodynamics of the bait.  Water may just not flow over the bait very well due to the width/shape.  Hard to say without experimentation.  I am under the same believe that they are jigging baits.  Maybe let them sit on the bottom, and then jump them along with small twitched to make the bait flex like a sand dab?  Time will tell what technique to use.  I don't think swimming the bait would work well anyways on the northcoast.  I think snags would be to prevalent with that technique.  However over a sandy or flat bottom?  Could be good dragging it along the bottom.

You might be able to scrub the paint off your cast fish with some soap and water.  Paint rarely drys well on the Plasticine surfaces.

Matt

Matt,

Thanks...I just made yet another dab (drying as I type) I went for a lead head style and I put a small 'crease' at the tail/body connection. Hopefully that will cause some flutter. I also made the head thicker so the lead head will have some meat to dig into. We'll see

When you mold in POP do you fill the tray with POP and then place the dab face down OR do you lay it face up in the tray and pour the POP over the top? I've done both but not sure which is ideal. I think you can see from my pics that the one on top was placed in the tray first the one of top was 'suspended'

You guys got a BAD case of TMS Tackle Making Syndrome
The Lingcookies are looking yummy, 
  Tad 

I admit it, I am a tackle junky....   I just got done powder coating a mess of 8oz leadheads.  My only choice is to take others down with me, and infect them with the disease.  That at least will make me seem normal.....I hope 

I have had best luck with pressing a bait into the top of the POP, and using a flat plate to hold it level with the surface.  I have done the pour on top, and if the bait isn't perfectly level; the pop can get under the master and bind it up.  At the least it increases cleanup.  If you place clay on the bottom, and press the form in place, you can then pour the POP over the top more effectively.  I like simple and easy though 

Matt

FINALLY SUCCESS! Here is my latest try. I re did the dab, made a new POP mold. Which I coated with thinned elmers glue (and a light coat of WD40). I melted down some pearl and black flake tubes (with a couple motor oil grubs) and here is what I came up with. I made the face/head area a bit thicker so a lead head jig will work or you could rig it on a drop shot. Time to order some plastic. The first pic is a bit blurry but its shows the color better. Now I just need to air out the house before the wife gets home.....yuck!

The LINGZILLAS won't stand a chance with those floppin around in their faces!
Nice work guys, I knew you guys would nail it

I'm interested in this thread because my father (80yrs. old) Is a Military Miniature enthusiast that has molded and cast hundreds of Miniature Marine sets. He used the same processes and would cast in lead, then hand paint them to collector quality detail, then sell them or trade them with other collectors.

Oh ya, I'll help test em fer ya

Tad