I’ve been doing a little research on making my own baits and injection molds seem like the best option. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong! Just wanting a little clarification if I can do this on a small scale for personal use for under $300??? I’m looking at purchasing 3 to 5 single cavity molds, any thoughts?
Maybe. Best answer I can give you. It depends on what you intend to buy.Originally Posted by jyarbro7
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You will get tired of single cavities in short order!!!
I hate single cavity molds.
What about 2 cavities? Or just go straight to 4?
And are the Do-It molds cheaper for a reason or do they work just fine?
Do It molds are fine. The sandcast molds are cheaper and make a dull finish on the bait. The CNC mold make a shiny bait. I don't think the fish care one way or the other but I prefer the CNC molds and shiny baits. I have a couple a the cast molds and they shoot just fine. You can spray them with Hi Temp engine paint and make the baits shine in those.
98 Bullet 20XD
225 Pro Max
$300 start up cost, Im thinking you will max that pretty quickly. Are you going to microwave the plastic? Dont forget that pricey little item, and DON'T use the one in the kitchen. Pyrex cups to melt in? Sit down and do a spread sheet for all items before you start buying. CNC aluminum molds are good forever, they never wear out.
Do-it’s essential series molds will have a duller finish, but not that bad. I have several of them & they work great as far as in concerned. Several good options for mold manufacturers too. Artificial stone molds are another option too.!
you will just want more than one cavity of a single bait. So let’s say you have a single cavity of your favorite craw. You want to shoot 30 of those little puppies. It takes two minutes after you shoot it to let it set up and demold. Then after each shot, if your not set up correctly, you’ll have to clean your injector too. See where this is going? So for 30 baits out of a single cavity anything it will take you at least an hour and prolly more than that. Cavity count is king when your talking efficiency.
i think you could do it for 300 or less but start with 2 of the sand cast molds from do it and one of there injectors not sure if you can get quarts of plastisol any more or not i would stay away from the netcraft plastisol. get five colors and three colors in gilter and have at it. i would get 3 to 4 one cut glass measureing cups as well. high count cavity molds make life easier but if you are not in a hurry single will be fine. if there is someone close to you that does this ask to come and watch and learn. when i first started i did not have the pacents and i did not try to pour again for about a year
What lures are you interested in making & maybe some of us can give you an idea of where to look for that particular mold or other versions of it. Baitplastics is the cheapest option on plastic nowadays & most folks use medium for most lures. Go to tackleunderground & ask any questions you may have when it comes to lure making. It can get as expensive as you let it get & it's addicting too so be prepared & just take your time when making mold purchases to be sure to get exactly what you want & you'll be way better off in the long run.
Some food for thought if you want a sanko mold get one you can hand pour and inject
Look up Worlds Worst Fishing on YouTube. He does videos of mostly making soft plastics. He did a video recently of kind of how he started with a couple of molds and three or four colors and flakes. Might give you some ideas on getting started.
I appreciate all of the advice! I have been watching the Worlds Worst Fishing and he does have some really good pointers for getting started so we’ll see what happens.
I poured and injected worms several years ago. Decided I wanted to get back into it and like you thought i had a budget. About 900.00 later i have almost everything here to get back into it. 2 injectors and a dual injector block, 8 cnc aluminum molds, plastic, color, and metal flake added up pretty quick.
Dollar stores for cheap pyrex measuring cups, and craigslist for a cheap used microwave.
I use pyrex cups & cheap walmart microwave to heat my plastic like most do. My first order was for 5 gls. of lureworks plastic from spikeit & some green pumpkin & junebug colorant & green, red, blue & black glitter, a 6 ounce injector & a baby brush hog mold from basstackle for a little over $300.00. Then i bought 2 super hog style molds from Del-mart at $100.00 a piece, but their closed now by the way. Then i bought a tube mold from Josh at Angling ai. Now i have several enforcer, basstackle, jacobsmold & machine, do-it essential series & a few artificial stone molds from bugmolds off of ebay too. I just ordered a twintail grub & skirt molds the other day from angling ai to make hulagrubs with & ordered 5 gallons of plastic this morning. lol Their are a lot of good aluminum handpour molds on all mold makers sites & a lot for sale on tackleunderground in the classifieds too. I have a few injection molds i'd sale myself like two 8" ribbon tail worm molds & 2 fluke style molds & 4 single cavity beaver style molds from enforcer just so i can try something else. The point is to just take your time & don't go crazy buying everything that catches your eye unless you're for sure you want & will use it & although you'll spend some cash it won't be overwhelming & can be an extremely enjoyable hobby especially when you catch fish on the stuff that you made yourself.
Last edited by Les Young; 05-08-2020 at 08:52 AM.
don't knock the cheap fake stone molds on Ebay. They work quite well. If you're looking to recreate a specific bait you can usually find someone had made a mold for it.
Multi cavity is convenient, but when you can get single cavity molds for $20 just buy 5 of them. Clamp them together and shoot them all at once.
I got into it about 2 yrs. ago, using single cavity molds. Slow process, would I do it again, no. Once the novelty wore off I wonder why I bought all this stuff.
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