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Worm Making

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danflytr

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I have been holding on to some soft plastic about("1/2 gallon (("two quarts")))! I had this stuff for about 30 years now. I didn't use it up because the worms I was making where too soft. Recently I found a website where they sell hardener for this type of plastic and bought an injection mold and skirt insert to make my some saltwater skirts for my powder coated jigs. I am mixing bucktail and plastic on different jigs("bucktail would cost too much") for 2000 plus jigs. I don't sell any of them but I do snag a lot so that is why I make so many!  Also I give them out during Christmas time to my Buds who fish in Northern Cal. I been making fishing lures now better than 50+ years but making softbaits is new to me! I have also bought some used Purex measuring cups and a microwave oven from a thrift shop("only to be used to make soft plastic baits")! Any one else into this and if you are do you have some advice that you can give? I have been trying to learn all that I can from the UTube videos online :) Thanks in advance :) 

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Jump on in and give it a shot. This will give you an idea of what you still need to know. We'll ventilated place and gloves that offer heat protection are a good idea. Add the coloring to the plastic before you heat for better colors. Scents and glitter after heat. Start the heat at 1 minute, stir, then 30 second increments. Clamp the injection mold if it does not have its own clamp. Shoot the plastic, shoot any excess melted plastic back into the cup, then clear the rest out of the injector. By this time your mold should be ready to open. Set the baits and spruce aside, close the mold and shoot again. Once the plastic in the cup starts setting up, remove spruce from baits and add back to the cup to heat again. Repeat until it's all gone or you have enough baits.

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Add your hardener before you heat your plastic, otherwise it will clump up and not mix in or activate. Wear appropriate safety gear (gloves, glasses), and work in a well ventilated area. If you're doing a lot of reheating a few drops of heat stabilizer will keep the plastic from burning, make sure to stir thoroughly, I generally go 1 min to 1:30 when reheating my plastic. Also make sure to keep any water away from the hot plastic, it'll pop and splatter. 

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Wear long sleeves and long pants. Make sure those used pyrex measuring cups have no chips or dings of any kind. I have had cups break while I was holding them...no good! Don't thermal shock the cups, heat in small increments, don't add cold plastic to a hot measuring cup.

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I had a fairly full 2 cup Pyrex cup break just as I went to set it on the bench, made a big mess but no real harm done, but it could have been much worse. Some guys use silicone cups, which won't break, but are very flexible, so care is needed there as well, but the guys who use them seem to like them

"Can You Hear Me, Doctor?"

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  • 1 month later...
On 6/11/2019 at 2:47 AM, Jig Man said:

Jump on in and give it a shot. This will give you an idea of what you still need to know. We'll ventilated place and gloves that offer heat protection are a good idea. Add the coloring to the plastic before you heat for better colors. Scents and glitter after heat. Start the heat at 1 minute, stir, then 30 second increments. Clamp the injection mold if it does not have its own clamp. Shoot the plastic, shoot any excess melted plastic back into the cup, then clear the rest out of the injector. By this time your mold should be ready to open. Set the baits and spruce aside, close the mold and shoot again. Once the plastic in the cup starts setting up, remove spruce from baits and add back to the cup to heat again. Repeat until it's all gone or you have enough baits.

Thanks I will give it a shot! :)

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On 6/11/2019 at 6:42 AM, onthefly said:

the solid pvc portion of your plastic has likely settled to the bottom you will need to shake the bottle vigorously for a few minutes to get it mixed you might actually need to scrape it off the bottom

Thanks I have mixing paddles and a hammer drill I will use :) 

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On 6/14/2019 at 11:19 PM, slowroller said:

Add your hardener before you heat your plastic, otherwise it will clump up and not mix in or activate. Wear appropriate safety gear (gloves, glasses), and work in a well ventilated area. If you're doing a lot of reheating a few drops of heat stabilizer will keep the plastic from burning, make sure to stir thoroughly, I generally go 1 min to 1:30 when reheating my plastic. Also make sure to keep any water away from the hot plastic, it'll pop and splatter. 

Thanks great advice especially the hardener :)

 

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